The Malik Report

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

1. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted something of a prospect tournament wrap-up, noting that Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon was working with a disparate group of prospects, who were all experiencing different stages of their development:

As coach of his hastily-assembled crew, the job of Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon was to mold them into a cohesive unit while at the same time aiding each player in their individual growth.

“Every player is at a different point in their development process,” Simon said. “When that puck is dropped, though, it doesn’t matter if you’re a 24 year old or an 18 year old. It doesn’t matter if you played 10 games last year or a hundred games last year. It may not show in the results but I do think this tournament is great in seeing where you stack up.”

Hockey players live by the mantra that every day they show up for work is a tryout to keep their job. They do so because that’s how it works.

“If you’re a young 19-20 year old and you’re playing against a 24-25 year old, I’m learning, ‘okay, I’ve got a little ways to go to be able to compete wit that 24-25 year old,’” Simon said. “Or conversely, if I’m a 24, 25 year old and I’m not as good as I thought I was and this young kid is pushing me, it teaches you that you’ve got to push even harder to stay relevant.”

2. Duff also wrote an article which discusses the murky injury statuses of Jonatan Berggren and Lucas Raymond…

Raymond and Berggren didn’t play in Sunday’s 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Detroit’s NHL Rookie Tournament finale at Traverse City, Michigan. Berggren, hurt in the previous game against the St. Louis Blues, wasn’t expected to play. Raymond was a late scratch, leaving the Wings with just 10 forwards.

Whatever is ailing either of these young prospects is a closely-guarded secret. Will they be good to go when main camp hits the ice? The Wings haven’t revealed what Berggren’s injury is, or if in fact Raymond is hurt.

“I can’t speak to that,” said Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon, who handled the rookie team in Traverse City.

3. And finally, this item from DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter’s recap of Sunday night’s game is worth noting:

The Red Wings now turn their attention to main training camp, which runs Thursday, Sept. 23 through Tuesday, Sept. 28 in Traverse City.

Red Wings players, prospects and tryouts will be divided into teams that will practice and scrimmage throughout camp, including the annual Red and White Game on Sunday, Sept. 26, followed by practices next Monday and Tuesday, before breaking camp to begin the preseason schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 29 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Training Camp coverage will be live streamed and documented on DetroitRedWings.com and across the Red Wings’ social media platforms.

According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, former Red Wings prospect Keith Petruzzelli chose to become a free agent, and ultimately sign with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, because the 22-year-old feels that the Maple Leafs are best-suited to helping him learn how to put on and keep a healthy weight…And, because the Red Wings wanted Petruzzelli to wait one more year before turning pro:

A few weeks ago, he signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, leaving college and the Red Wings, the team who drafted him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, behind. One of the many reasons he was pulled to the Leafs was for the wealth of resources he’d be able to tap into in his pursuit of stability in his weight.

“I had a really good summer this year and with the resources in Toronto, I can get on a plan with a nutritionist and a strength coach and really take my game to the next level building my body to where it needs to be,” Petruzzelli said. “It just really felt like a good fit. They have a lot of resources that I felt I could really use to my advantage over the next two years for my development.”

The resources weren’t the only reason he landed in Toronto, though. He decided to test free agency because the Red Wings wanted him to return to Quinnipiac for a fifth year in the NCAA. But Petruzzelli felt he was ready to turn pro, saying “going back to school wasn’t something I was prepared to do.”

Continued (paywall)

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler posted a list of his top 20 candidates for the Calder Trophy, the NHL’s award for the top rookie of the year, and he lists Moritz Seider in a surprisingly high spot:

3. Moritz Seider, RHD, 20 (Detroit Red Wings — 6th overall, 2019)

I think there are decent odds Seider is the most impactful rookie in the NHL this season and doesn’t win the Calder. That’s because the reality is that defensemen rarely win the award. In fact, in the 88 times the award has been handed out, it has been given to a defenseman just 12 times. So defensemen represent 33 percent of the players in the NHL but have won just 14 percent of the rookie of the year awards, including just two times in the last 11 seasons (Cale Makar in 2020 and Aaron Ekblad in 2015). Traditionally, when defensemen do win it’s typically because their counting stats really pop (Makar had 50 points in 57 games in a pandemic-shortened season at the high end and Ekblad scored 12 goals and 39 points as a bare minimum). And while I think Seider’s likely going to put up point totals around that Ekblad season (though probably not from a goal-scoring point of view) throughout his career, I’m not convinced he’ll do that right out of the gate. I expect him to be really good in Detroit this year. He’s going to get to play, probably a lot, and he’s going to thrive no different than he did at world championships (or in the SHL, AHL and DEL before them). But goals are still going to be hard to come by for the Red Wings and that will impact him, rightly or wrongly, in the Calder race.

I agree with Wheeler that it will be incredibly difficult for Seider to win the award in a year where Cole Caufield and Trevor Zegras are both eligible for the trophy. Defensemen just don’t win the Calder Trophy unless they’re extraordinarily good.

Wheeler also suggests that Joe Veleno is an outlier as a dark-horse candidate, and he names Lucas Raymond as an “honorable mention”:

18. Joe Veleno, C/LW, 21 (Detroit Red Wings — 30th overall, 2018)

The Red Wings have a handful of rookies who are going to get to audition at some point this year but Veleno feels like the most likely of that group not named Seider to spend the full year with the NHL club. That’s likely going to be in a bottom-six role, which will limit his ability to produce, but I expect him to have a modestly successful first full NHL season, contribute in line with his minutes and begin to establish himself as a part of the future in Detroit. At this point on the list, that’s enough to warrant inclusion.

Continued; ah, yes, the old, “Detroit is still going to stink, don’t forget that part” warning…

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted a list of 11 thoughts and observations regarding the Red Wings’ play during the prospect tournament. Among them:

He didn’t play in the Sunday finale for precautionary reasons, but Lucas Raymond may have been Detroit’s best player in Saturday’s game against St. Louis. That may seem obvious because he scored both goals — and they were strong goals — but overall he looked much more comfortable in that game. Raymond told me Sunday morning he was feeling exactly that way Saturday, compared to Thursday.

His shot was highly effective against St. Louis, first scoring off a turnover down low and then later from distance on the power play. Play seemed to run through Raymond when Detroit had the man advantage.

…

[Joe] Veleno was one of Detroit’s top players through the weekend. That said, he didn’t necessarily dominate quite to the extent one might have expected as a third-time player with NHL experience, especially on the scoresheet. Part of that was decidedly beyond his control — one of his linemates (Berggren) was injured in the first period of the second game, and the other (Raymond) was scratched from the third, leaving him with a revolving cast of linemates the rest of the way. And production certainly is not everything. But still, seeing Veleno have just two points in three games (once the aforementioned assist gets properly credited to Tyutyayev) after totaling 15 in eight games in his previous two tournaments (which occurred two and three years ago) wasn’t the ideal way to begin a roster push.

Still, if he can show he can thrive at the highest level this preseason, he still has plenty of runway to make his case.

Continued (paywall)

The Detroit Red Wings’ prospects, thinned by injuries and decisions to keep players out for precautionary reasons, dropped a 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, wrapping up the prospect tournament with a 1-and-2 record.

It was a hard loss to take in many ways, but the loss of Jared McIsaac to an accidental bodycheck by Blue Jackets forward James Malatesta knocked the wind out of the Red Wings’ sails, and while it sounds like McIsaac, who hit his head on the glass and then the ice, will be okay, a Wings team that started with 10 forwards and 7 defensemen just lost its way.

By the time the game was over, Detroit was down to 9 forwards as T-Bone Codd took a heavy hit and left the game early, and 5 defensemen for periods of time as Wyatt Newpower sat for 7 minutes early in the 2nd due to tripping and fighting penalties.

Between the thin lineup, giving up the game’s first 3 goals, rallying to 3-2, and then surrendering a power play goal to eventual Hat Trick-scorer Yegor Chinakov, the game spiraled out of control, the ECHL refs did anything but rein in the Blue Jackets when they began to take liberties with the young Wings, and the 7-3 score may very well have been a bit flattering, all things considered.

As is understandably so, McIsaac’s injury took the spotlight in terms of coverage from the media, as provided in coverage from the Free Press’s Helene St. James…

Continue reading Impressions from the Red Wings’ 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2021 prospect tournament

Regarding one Jared McIsaac:

Coach Simon says that McIsaac is doing well, moving arms and legs, is cohererent and talking after hitting his head on the glass and then on the ice.

They’ll find out more in the morning. He’s a) moving his feet and b) is mentally with it. It wasn’t as bad as it seemed.— George Malik (@georgemalik) September 20, 2021

Coach Ben Simon said Jared McIsaac doing well, will be released from hospital and return to team hotel after hitting head on glass and the ice following a check during #RedWings 7-3 loss to Columbus in Prospects Tournament finale.— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) September 20, 2021

Ben Simon said Red Wings D Jared McIsaac, who lost consciousness after hit tonight, “is doing well. Moving his arms, his legs. He’s talking. It’s not as bad as it initially looked.” Will know more in the morning. McIsaac won’t remain hospitalized overnight.— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) September 20, 2021

Spoke with James Malatesta postgame about the hit on Jared McIsaac. He was teary eyed and clearly very upset. This was his answer: pic.twitter.com/8aTBL7vRd5— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) September 20, 2021

From the Red Wings:

UPDATE: Jared McIsaac lost consciousness after a hit into the boards during the 1st period of tonight’s game against CBJ but is now awake and alert and has feeling in all his extremities. As a precautionary measure, he was transported to a local hospital for further observation.

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 19, 2021

Update: Sportsnet provided a description…

McIsaac was hit from behind by Blue Jackets prospect James Malatesta late in the first period and had to be stretchered off the ice after laying motionless. Malatesta was assessed a game misconduct.

The Red Wings said McIsaac has feeling in all of his extremities and was transported to a local hospital for further observation as a precaution.

The 21-year-old blueliner was selected 36th overall by the Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft and played for Canada’s world junior team in both 2019 and 2020.

He played 10 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins last season and registered two points.

As did The Athletic’s Max Bultman:

McIsaac lost consciousness taking a hit from behind into the boards by Blue Jackets forward James Malatesta, who was given a game misconduct. As McIsaac was being stretchered off, his eyes were open and he was talking, according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler.

In their final game of the 2021 prospect tournament, the Detroit Red Wings dropped a difficult 7-3 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets, wrapping up their prospect tournament record at 1-and-2.

The Wings’ prospects will recuperate over the next couple of days before training camp begins…

And they need some thoughts and prayers for Jared McIsaac, who was injured and stretchered off the ice in the 1st period.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin took part in the NHL’s player media tour in Chicago this past week, and the first interview with Larkin from said slate of player-and-media interviews comes from NHL.com/sv, which is NHL.com’s Swedish site. NHL.com/sv’s Sebastian Noren spoke with Larkin regarding a couple of topics, and here’s a rough translation of their conversation, which focuses on (not so surprisingly) his relationship with Henrik Zetterberg:

“I remember the first time I met Zetterberg during my first day with the Red Wings, and I was very nervous then. He’s a cool guy and we’ve built a good relationship. But I will never forget how he treated me with respect on the first day, and that he knew my name. It was very special.”

The Red Wings have underwent a rebuild in recent years after players such as Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk retired. Detroit finished 7th in the Discover Central Division with 48 points in 56 games last season. Larkin’s season, however, came to an early end after he suffered a neck injury in a game against the Dallas Stars on April 20th. After rehabilitating during the summer, the team captain is fully healthy and ready when Detroit’s camp begins.

“Yes, it’s great (to be healthy). It’s been a tough summer. It was different to be injured at the beginning of the summer. It was a lot of rehab, but I’m looking forward to having it behind me and focusing on the season, with training camp and then starting to play games,” says Larkin.

“There’s a lot of motivation. Both me and the other guys on the team have a lot to prove this season. You enter each new season with optimism, and hope for 82 [good] games. So that’s a factor, but there’s an extra dimension with the changes we’ve made on the team and the guys who are back from injuries.”

“I think the changes on the playing roster are the big thing, as we enter the camp with better competition for jobs than we have in the last four or five years. There are guys fighting for every spot on the team and that’s exciting. That’s what you want when you step into a season. We’re much younger and we have more skill at every position,” says Larkin.

MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a prospect tournament notebook in which he discusses the play of prospect Lucas Raymond, the Red Wings’ struggles against the “chippy” St. Louis Blues and the up-and-down performance of one Sebastian Cossa on Saturday night:

Raymond leads the Detroit Red Wings with three goals, displaying some of the skills and hockey sense that made him the fourth overall selection in 2020.

But it’s the 19-year-old right wing’s competitiveness and play without the puck that has impressed Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon, who is coaching the prospects team.

“He’s competing, he’s working hard,” Simon said following Saturday’s 5-2 loss to St. Louis at Centre I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City. “I think (his scoring) is the result of his play away from the puck and his willingness to get to the hard-to-score areas. He’s been good on the power play with his patience and composure. We’ve used him on the PK.

“When things got a little bit rough and chippy, he got frustrated initially in the first period, but he kept his work boots on and really continued to fight through. I thought he showed a little bit of resilience in that regard and was extremely happy with the way he competed.”

Continued; Raymond will not be playing in tonight’s game vs. Columbus, probably for precautionary reasons.