After a day’s worth of skill development drills at the Red Wings’ 2022 summer development camp on Monday, I had a feeling that Tuesday’s activities would involve more game-like situations as skills coach Dwayne Blais, skating coach Brodie Tutton, skill consultant Kevin Galerno, Wings goaltending consultant Phil Osaer and the rest of the Wings’ player development staff.

Instead, the first development camp under assistant director of player development Dan Cleary involved repetition to some extent, with Tutton first taking groups of forwards, defensemen, and then a second group of forwards through skating drills, before a very vocal Blais and company (including on-ice appearances by Griffins coach Ben Simon, Niklas Kronwall, and Cleary himself) took over and worked on players’ stick-handling skills.

Rink wide view from my mid-grade phone’s camera. pic.twitter.com/JCKUKH8Fx5

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 12, 2022

There was some battling at the very end of the day, as a sort of “street hockey” set-up afforded players the chance to engage in real one-on-one battles for the puck in front of an assortment of goaltenders (the Wings’ practice goalie, whose name I do not know, and Grand Rapids Griffins netminder Jonathan Lethermon made appearances alongside the camp participants). It was fun to finally watch the skaters bump and grind a bit, but there hasn’t been much else in terms of game situations…

I’ve been wondering what Darren McCarty’s Twitter feed has been up to, because the 4-time Stanley Cup champion, sports talk radio commentator, band leader and cannabis entrepreneur has been talking a lot of smack to amateur and professional wrestlers of late.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Thomas Williams, McCarty is giving professional wrestling–emphasis on the lower levels thereof–a try:

The former Detroit Red Wings enforcer has stepped into the wrestling ring at the age of 50 years old, marking one of the most unique post-career moves of any pro hockey player. While the majority of grey-haired former NHLers enjoy the extra time to golf or podcast, McCarty still has the urge to engage in some form of battle.

Most recently, he was named to the card of the Detroit show of Los Angeles-based promotion Circle 6.

McCarty will be partnering with a team that calls themselves “Midwest Scum,” as they face The Premier on the other end of the ring. This is not some local backyard wrestling company either. On the very same July 22 card, Josh Alexander of Impact Wrestling, and the Impact World Champion – a belt that has at least some gravitas in the wrestling world – is set to step in the ring as well.

Of course, McCarty wouldn’t be jumping in blind to have a big-time match. Over the last 12 months, he has been warming up his in-ring presence. In May 2021, the Red Wings great made his wrestling debut, and dealt a convincing-enough stunner to his opponent.

Continued; I don’t know why Darren feels it necessary to put his body through more wear and tear, but if it makes him happy, it makes him happy, and if he’s not hurting anyone else or himself in any illegal manner…

Go Mac, Go?

It sounds like there’s an article in the works from the excellent Toledo Blade hockey writer Mark Monroe…

I’ve spoken to several players who competed for @DetroitRedWings coach Derek Lalonde when he led the @ToledoWalleye. He left a lasting impact. “He always wanted us to play confident, not arrogant, but quiet confidence. He gave us that by allowing us to be ourselves.” — Kyle Bonis pic.twitter.com/m49hJGhZ2c— Mark Monroe (@MonroeBlade) July 12, 2022

And, well, on the lighter side…

Drop your favorites. ?#DRWDC pic.twitter.com/8DkxciZQ1a— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 12, 2022

Swiss cheese, ketchup, mustard, and possibly a sunny-side-up egg. Nothing else for me. Aunt Annie likes EVERYTHING but ketchup, though, so there’s a familial balance.

William Scott Bowman announced that he’s leaving his job with the Chicago Blackhawks as a senior hockey advisor, but you’ll have to color me intrigued given that Bowman told the Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow that he wants to stay in the game:

Bowman’s son Stan stepped down as general manager in October after an independent investigation into the team’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations in 2010 revealed he knew about the situation.

“It was a pretty uncomfortable year because of Stan’s thing, getting let go, and I stayed on for the year and tried to keep going as much as I could, which I think I did,” Bowman told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “It’s been a good ride. I mean, you don’t get the chance to work with your son all the time. Naturally you have your differences of opinion, but I got to know the personnel on the team, and it was a good ride to be able to see this team develop and everything else.”

Bowman, the former Red Wings coach who turns 89 in September, said he left the organization on good terms. He’s not closing the door on another job in the NHL but isn’t looking for work immediately. He plans to continue his routine of splitting time between his homes in suburban Buffalo, New York, and Sarasota, Florida, which allows him to make appearances in the press box at Tampa Bay Lightning games.

“You have to keep busy,” he said. “The game has changed so much, you know? It’s so fast. The line changes, the players change so quick now they probably change twice as fast as in my day, so it’s a different game, but it’s still in my blood.”

Continued; Hey Mr. Yzerman, do you have Scotty’s number?

The Red Wings made a surprising second round pick 40th overall in forward Dylan James, who blossomed with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of the enthusiastic Calgarian and future North Dakota Fighting Hawk tonight:

Dylan James got the chance to play hockey again this past season and made the most of it. Playing junior hockey in Alberta in 2020-21, James only played seven games for the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) because of three COVID-19 disruptions during the season. Obviously James wasn’t alone, many players endured rough seasons, but it still hurt.

There was some rust to knock off and it was an adjustment playing for Sioux City this past season. But James scored 28 goals during the regular season and added five more in 10 playoff games to help Sioux City to the USHL championship, all while simply enjoying playing hockey again.

“It was tough. I quarantined for 50 days (two seasons ago), three different times. That was tough obviously on and off the ice,” James said. “You didn’t know if you were going to practice that afternoon, that year. But coming to the USHL, I was a little nervous, I hadn’t played a season, but I felt I played pretty well.”

…

A 6-foot, 180-pound left wing, James plays with a lot of speed, and uses that speed at both ends of the rink. Scouts view him as a potential two-way forward who will be able to help the Wings in a variety of ways.

“I like to pride myself on my defense,” James said. “My offense comes from that. My speed is my best asset and I use it to forecheck and limit the defense’s time and space. I like to do that.”

Continued; the Wings seem to believe that James might end up projecting as a Carter Mazur-like middle-six scorer, and it’s entirely possible…

Red Wings prospect and Rogle BK defenseman William Wallinder skated with borrowed equipment at today’s session of the Wings’ 2022 summer development camp, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown noted in an evening notebook:

Detroit Red Wings defensive prospects William Wallinder and Shai Buium have taken different paths as they continue their climb through the Red Wings pipeline. Wallinder’s literal route to Detroit, however, was disrupted by the airlines.

“Our flights got cancelled and we lost our baggage,” Wallinder explained for his delay into Detroit’s development camp. “I borrowed skates and the rest is new equipment.”

In spite of that, it hasn’t taken away from Wallinder’s short time in camp.

“It’s a great experience to be here,” Wallinder said. “It’s fun to meet all of the guys. Maybe we’ll be teammates in the future. It’s good to meet them.”

Wallinder is a 6’4 defenseman and idolized players like Niklas Kronwall growing up, someone who is now directly involved in his development in his role as special assistant to Detroit GM Steve Yzerman. What has Kronwall helped him with so far?

“Everything in my game, all the small details,” Wallinder replied.

Continued, with more about both Wallinder and Shai Buium…

MLive’s Ansar Khan filed a notebook article discussing the comments made by Marco Kasper to the media on Monday, as Kasper attends Detroit’s 2022 summer development camp:

Days after being selected eighth overall, Kapser is absorbing as much information as he can this week during development camp at Little Caesars Arena.

“Skating, skills – and all the meetings, like with nutrition, just take in all that stuff,” Kasper, a 6-1, 187-pound center, said. “Details, on the ice, off the ice, too. It’s good what we learn here and right now we’re working on the ice on skating and all that. Just want to get better at the details and for sure get stronger and faster.”

Red Wings management, led by general manager Steve Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper, followed Kapser closely in the months leading up to the draft, impressed by his competitiveness and determination as a 17-year-old playing against men in the Swedish Hockey League, as well as his skills.

Daniel Cleary, Detroit’s assistant director of player development, was in Rogle watching Wallinder, the team’s second selection in 2021, when Kasper caught his eye.

“I saw a few games, liked what I saw,” Cleary said. “Coincidentally, it just happened to work out like that. I love the Rogle program. We’ll have three guys there next year (Kasper, Wallinder, Theodor Niederbach).”

Continued

Former Red Wings head coach and now Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Jeff Blashill spoke with the media for 12 minutes this evening, both discussing joining Jon Cooper’s staff in Tampa and reflecting upon his time in Detroit:

The Red Wings’ beat writers took note of Blashill’s remarks, starting with the Free Press’s Helene St. James…

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has posted a notebook article in which he discusses the Red Wings’ probable free agency moves:

[Detroit’s] $31 million [in] cap space looks huge, but remember there are upcoming big contracts with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi beginning with the 2023-24 season, and before too long, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.

But [GM Steve] Yzerman is intent on finding more help for the nucleus of players that has been here through much of the rebuild, along with simply improving upon several disappointing recent seasons.

“We want help for Dylan (Larkin), Tyler (Bertuzzi), Filip Hronek,” Yzerman said. “They’ve been here a few years, Dylan and Tyler particularly. We want to surround them with some better players. We watched the positive impact some of our younger guys (Seider, Raymond) had this year. We’d like to add to that, and continue to move forward.

“If there’s a player that can make what we feel would be a significant impact, we’re not afraid to do that in free agency. If we can find a player that fills a hole and the contract makes sense, whether it’s a one-year deal or a long-term deal, we’ll do it.”

As in the previous few years, term of the contracts might be a key issue with any free agent the Wings pursue. They are nearing the end of their organizational rebuild, but still aren’t quite at the point of signing long-term deals with older players who they would be saddled with just as they pursue playoff berths. There are plenty of things for Yzerman to consider.

“What’s the cost of acquiring that player? Does the cost of acquiring that player make sense for where we hope to be in three or four years or are we just spending a whole lot of money and are not going to be much different in three or four years, whether that player is here or helped get us there,” Yzerman said. “Is there a more efficient way to get there at the end of the day? We weigh it all and that’s for short-term and long-term contracts.”

Continued

This is an intriguing Tweet from one William Scott Bowman:

I am no longer working for the Chicago Blackhawks as of July 1 as I decided it was time to move on. Still love the game and would like to stay involved.

— scott bowman (@coachwsb) July 12, 2022

Per TSN:

As a head coach, Bowman won a record nine Stanley Cup championships. He won five with the Montreal Canadiens (1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979), one with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1992) and three with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998 and 2002).

The 88-year-old Bowman also won five Stanley Cups as an executive with a team’s front office. He was director of player development for the 1991 Penguins, consultant with the 2008 Red Wings and his most recent role of senior advisor of hockey operations for the Blackhawks’ championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015 that featured his son Stan as general manager.

He ranks second all time for most Stanley Cup victories by a player, coach or executive with 14 behind Jean Beliveau’s 17.

With 1,248 wins in the regular season and 223 in the playoffs, Bowman won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach in 1976 and 1977 and is the only NHL coach to lead three teams to Stanley Cup victories.

Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1991 and Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2003. He was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2012 and received an Order of Hockey in Canada award in 2017.