HSJ in the morning: ‘weary’ Wings go back into COVID mode

The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a subscriber-only column this morning which discusses the Red Wings and other NHL teams‘ statuses as heading back into “lockdown mode” as the Wings prepare to face a Carolina Hurricanes team that’s dealing with a COVID outbreak:

“I know our guys will be safe and smart about it,” Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “We got vaccinated for a reason and we’re hoping we don’t have to live in a modified bubble like last year, because it was really difficult. With how it’s going right now we’re going to have to be smart and it’s probably going to be like that for a little bit, but I just really hope it doesn’t stay like that for the rest of the season.”

The game was in question when the Canes had four players enter protocol Tuesday, but when there were no further positives the next day, it was game on. Playing a team that is dealing with an outbreak is a regular occurrence, but that hasn’t abated worry.

“Do I have trepidation? Yeah I have trepidation,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I certainly don’t want to see my team exposed to any more cases than we have to.

“It’s the balance we’ve all faced: You can shut down and not do anything, or you can try to work within the parameters. I think that’s what we’re trying to, we’re trying to get the games in, and that’s important, too. I want to coach and our players want to play, so I’m not torn that way, but torn in the sense that I don’t want to expose the guys.”

Continued (paywall)

Khan in the morning: on Nedeljkovic’s Hurricanes reunion

It’s assumed that Alex Nedeljkovic will start opposite the Carolina Hurricanes this evening (7 PM EST start on Bally Sports Detroit/Bally Sports South/97.1 FM). MLive’s Ansar Khan focuses on Nedeljkovic’s probable reunion with his former team in an article posted this morning:

“Anytime you play a former team, a former teammate, there’s some motivation,” Nedeljkovic said following Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. “It’s exciting. It’s a fun place to play, too. That’s a great crowd. It’ll be really cool to see what it’s like as a visitor. Hopefully we stay on schedule, and we can play Thursday. If not, it’s all right. We’ll meet them down the road.”

The Hurricanes placed six players in COVID protocol Tuesday, including stars Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, and had their game in Minnesota postponed. But since there were no further positive tests on Wednesday, the game against the Red Wings is on (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit), even though Carolina will be at least two players short of a full roster due to salary-cap constraints (players in protocol still count against the cap).

“Right now, we’re going to prepare as if we’re going to go and play on Thursday,” Nedeljkovic said. “That’s all anybody can do right now. As far as those guys, obviously I played with them for a while there to start my career, so hopefully they’re all doing well. Obviously, they’re sick but they’re doing OK, they’re battling and nobody’s too ill.”

Nedeljkovic has started eight of the past 10 games, separated himself in the competition with Greiss after the two rotated the first month of the season.

Nedeljkovic is 9-6-2, with a 2.47 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 19 appearances following a rough Red Wings debut in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the season-opener.

Continued

Monroe has more details on Walleye’s Winterfest alumni game participants

Between their two outdoor ECHL regular season games, the Toledo Walleye are holding an alumni game as part of their Winterfest activities at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, and Monroe reports that several Red Wings alumni will join Toledo Walleye and Toledo Storm alums for the outdoor affair:

Seven former Detroit Red Wings players will participate in an alumni game against Toledo hockey greats Dec. 30. The exhibition game will be played outdoors at Fifth Third Field on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Toledo Walleye’s Winterfest event.

Former Red Wings forwards Darren McCarty, Mickey Redmond, and Dino Ciccarelli will play in the game, along with defensemen Joey Kocur, Larry Murphy, and Jason Woolley, and goaltender Eddie Mio.

Eleven former Walleye players will be playing in the game: Kyle Rogers, Jeff Lerg, Evan Rankin, Kyle Bonis, Greg Wolfe, Justin Mercier, Scott Czarnowczan, Phil Rauch, Kyle Page, Dominic Osman, and Joel Chouinard.

Twelve former Toledo Storm players also will play in the event: Mike Whitton, Taylor Raszka, Doug Teskey, Bruce MacDonald, Pat Pylypuik, Andy Suhy, Chris Blight, Gordy Hunt, Rick Judson, Mark Deazeley, Nick Vitucci, and Rick Corriveau.

Vitucci, who also is being inducted into the Toledo hockey hall of fame on Dec. 29, participated in the alumni game the last time the Winterfest event was held at the Mud Hens’ stadium in 2014-15.

“I’m looking forward to all of it,” Vitucci said. “But most of all I’m looking forward to catching up with some old teammates.”

Three former Toledo Goaldiggers also are expected to participate: Rick Piche, Bill Joyce, and Jim McCabe.

Continued

Khan’s notebook: Wings just doing what they’re able to avoid COVID outcomes

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article in which Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill and captain Dylan Larkin expressed understandable concerns about playing the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday despite a widespread COVID outbreak on the Canes:

The Red Wings placed forwards Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen in COVID protocol on Wednesday. They will not be in the lineup Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit). The team recalled forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Taro Hirose from the Grand Rapids Griffins.

That game is still on even though six Hurricanes were placed in COVID protocol the past two days – including stars Sebastien Aho and Andrei Svechnikov – and the team’s game at Minnesota Tuesday was postponed.

The Red Wings experienced a rash of COVID cases early last season after playing consecutive games against the Hurricanes. Blashill admitted there is some concern about playing the game.

“Part of the problem when you’re sitting in my seat right now is I don’t have all the information,” Blashill said. “I don’t know exactly when everybody in Carolina got the virus. I know a number of guys tested negative today. I guess I’m relying on medical experts to say that it’s safe. I certainly believe that their best intentions are that if they thought they were putting us at risk to spread it that we wouldn’t play the game.

“I have trepidation. I certainly don’t want to see my team exposed to any more cases than we have to. It’s kind of like the balance we’ve all faced. You can shut down and not do anything and not spread it, or you can try to work within the parameters. I think that’s what we’re trying to do in trying to get the games in. Certainly, I want to coach, and the players want to play.”

Larkin was blunt about playing a sport where the players breathe heavily as they exert themselves and they sweat, spit, bleed and, again, engage in extreme physical exertion in close proximity:

“We have a sport where we’re sitting on the bench next to each other,” Larkin said. “We can’t put masks on and take them off before we go out (on the ice), things happen too fast. It’s tough in our sport to stop the spread but we try to do our best in the locker room. We’re lucky we have a big space at LCA. We can really spread out during meetings and when we’re eating, so you just got to be really smart and try to stay as safe as possible.”

Continued

A bit of praise for Jonathan Berggren from NHL.com’s Williams

NHL.com’s Patrick Williams posted a list of NHL prospects who are impressing in the AHL, and Red Wings prospect and center Jonatan Berggren made Williams’ list:

Jonatan Berggren, Grand Rapids (Detroit Red Wings): Possessing ample pro experience from playing in Europe, Berggren (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) has displayed plenty of maturity in his game.

Selected by the Red Wings in the second round (No. 33) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old was given time to develop for three seasons with Skelleftea of the Swedish Hockey League, one of the top leagues in the world. He also played for third-place Sweden at the 2020 World Junior Championship.

The Red Wings then brought him to North America this season and have let him evolve with Grand Rapids, where he has scored 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 22 games. Berggren is taking a development path that several Detroit forwards have already traveled, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Michael Rasmussen, Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina.

Continued;

Update: Why didn’t the Wings call Berggren up? The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has the answer:

Blashill said the Wings will recall players from Grand Rapids to replace Fabbri and Rasmussen. Jonatan Berggren will not move up.

The 2018 second-round draft pick has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points, third best in the American Hockey League.

“The last thing you want to do with a young player if he is starting to gain confidence in the American League and just starting to do those things is to bring him up and have him struggle,” Blashill said.

Prospect Round-up: Larsson, Eliasson lose in Sweden; Cotton 2G in WHL

Of Red Wings-related prospect note in Europe on Wednesday:

In the Finnish Liiga, Eemil Viro was absent from TPS Turku’s 3-1 loss to KooKoo as he’s going to Canada with the Finnish World Junior Championship team;

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Filip Larsson stopped 18 of 22 shots in HV71 Jonkoping’s 4-3 shootout loss to Mora IK, who remain without Albin Grewe (concussion);

In HockeyEttan, Jesper Eliasson stopped 26 of 29 shots in Vasby IK’s 3-2 loss to Mariestad BoIS;

In the scheduling department, we know when Frolunda HC (Simon Edvinsson, Theodor Niederbach and Elmer Soderblom) and Rogle BK (William Wallinder) will tangle in the Champions League’s semifinal games:

The games consist of a two-game playoff in which the team who scores the most goals wins. Kinda lame.

And of Red Wings-related prospect note in North America on Wednesday:

In the QMJHL, Oscar Plandowski finished at +2 with 2 shots in the Charlottetown Islanders’ 8-2 win over Halifax;

In the WHL, Sebastian Cossa’s Edmonton Oil Kings won 5-2 over Calgary;

And Alex Cotton scored 2 goals, finishing at -2 with 5 shots in the Vancouver Giants’ 7-3 loss to Prince George.

Belated: Red Wings recall Criscuolo and Hirose

The Detroit Red Wings lost Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen to COVID protocols, so the Wings have recalled Kyle Criscuolo and Taro Hirose from Grand Rapids:

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings today recalled center Kyle Criscuolo and left wing Taro Hirose from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Criscuolo, 29, has played parts of four seasons with the Griffins over two separate stints with the club, rejoining the organization in 2020-21 after signing with Grand Rapids to begin his professional career in 2015-16. Criscuolo logged his 10th career NHL game in Detroit’s 4-3 shootout win over Seattle on Dec. 1, marking his Red Wings debut after previously appearing in nine NHL games with Buffalo during the 2017-18 campaign. In 265 AHL games between the Griffins, Rochester Americans, Lehigh Valley Phantoms and San Diego Gulls, he has totaled 155 points (66-89-155), a plus-29 rating and 96 penalty minutes. As a first-year pro in 2016-17, Criscuolo helped the Griffins capture a Calder Cup championship, contributing 41 points (17-24-41) in 76 regular-season games and adding nine points (5-4-9) in 19 postseason contests. This season, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound forward leads the Griffins lead in points-per-game, racking up 17 points (9-8-17) in 15 games.

A native of Southampton, N.J., Criscuolo spent four seasons at Harvard University from 2012-16 and logged 113 points (53-60-113), a plus-42 rating and 46 penalty minutes in 124 collegiate games, serving as captain of the Crimson as a junior and senior. Harvard won an ECAC conference championship in 2015, and Criscuolo was a back-to-back ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year, All-Ivy League Second Team and All-ECAC Second Team member. Prior to his time at Harvard, Criscuolo spent the 2011-12 season in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers, notching 44 points (21-23-44) in 59 games.

Hirose, 25, has split his professional career between the Red Wings and Griffins. He has appeared in 42 NHL games since debuting in 2018-19, totaling 16 points (3-13-16) and eight penalty minutes, while adding 74 points (14-60-74) and 18 penalty minutes in 86 games with Grand Rapids over the last three seasons. In 2021-22, Hirose has logged 22 games for the Griffins, ranking among team leaders with four goals (T5th), 15 assists (1st and T7th in the AHL), 19 points (1st) and 40 shots (3rd). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent after spending three years at Michigan State University and logged seven points (1-6-7) in 10 games during his first NHL stint in 2018-19.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Hirose appeared in 106 games at Michigan State from 2016-19, totaling 116 points (33-83-116) and 39 penalty minutes. As a junior in 2018-19, Hirose led the nation in points (50), points-per-game (1.47), assists (35), multi-point games (15) and three-point games (9) en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Prior to his collegiate career, Hirose played two seasons (2014-16) with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League where he totaled 121 points (33-88-121) in 116 games. During the 2015-16 campaign with the Silverbacks, he ranked 13th in the BCHL in points (71) and fourth in assists (56), both of which led the team. Hirose also led the Silverbacks in scoring (18-32-50) in his first season with the club (2014-15), while being named the team’s Rookie of the Year.

Wednesday’s post-practice videos: Larkin, Blashill

The Red Wings practiced on Wednesday without Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen (COVID Protocol) as well as Tyler Bertuzzi (maintenance day), ahead of tomorrow’s game vs. the Carolina Hurricanes, and after practice, Dylan Larkin spoke about the Olympic decision facing NHL players, while coach Blashill addressed the Wings’ need to call up players.