Friendly fundraising reminder

These posts aren’t my favorite, but it’s necessary, so: I’m still raising funds to head up to Traverse City for 16 days(!) to cover the prospect tournament and training camp.

We’ve raised about $800 so far (out of a $2,000 hotel bill + approximately $500 needed to get me up, back, and keep me fed and wearing proper attire), so progress has been made, but with six days left before I leave on the 14th (yes, the tournament starts on the 16th), I’m hoping to raise another $500 to cover the hotel bill + the cost of getting me up there.

Again, I feel like apologizing for doing this, but it’s just the way things go when you don’t run commercials and you’re not a person of means (as the aunt likes to say, “What do I want? I want the big bag of money!”). Until we find the big bag of money, I’m going to be getting by on reader support, and I’m learning to not be ashamed of being the PBS/NPR of blogs.

If you wish to donate, you can use Paypal at https://paypal.me/TheMalikReport, Venmo at https://venmo.com/george-malik-2, Giftly by using my email, rtxg@yahoo.com, at https://www.giftly.com, and yes, you can contact me via email if you want to send me a paper check.

I also tend to say that I am incredibly grateful for your readership and time, and that’s no bullshit. I believe that the biggest thing you can give someone is your time, and when you read this blog–and when you contribute to it–you’re literally and figuratively giving me your time. Thank you for doing that.

Prospect round-up: Red Wings Prospects points out that the 2021-2022 prospect campaign has begun

As Red Wings Prospects on Twitter noted, the Detroit Red Wings prospects’ 2021-2022 campaign kicked off today with a game in the Swedish Under-20 league.

Liam Dower Nilsson centered the first line as Frolunda HC lost 4-2 to William Wallinder’s Rogle BK. Wallinder skated on the second defensive pair, and:

#SweU20
Frölunda-Rögle 2-4:
– Wallinder 0+0, +1, 2 SOG
– Dower-Nilsson 0+0, -1, 4 SOG, 2 PIM
#LGRW— Red Wings Prospects (@DRWProspects) September 8, 2021

There was no ice time report for this game.

Duff ponders Wings lines for Detroit Hockey Now ‘plus’ article

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff ponders several possible factors weighing into coach Jeff Blashill’s evaluation of the Red Wings’ probable lines, via an article written for Detroit Hockey Now Plus subscribers. Among Duff’s ponderings:

Perhaps Blashill will experiment with familiarity and play the so-called Guelph line of Suter-Fabbri-Bertuzzi. All three were teammates and occasional linemates with the OHL’s Guelph Storm.

Going this way would leave Larkin between the two Czechs, Vrana and Zadina. That could offer the potential to be an intriguing and potentially potent trio.

If Erne scores like he did last season (11 goals in 45 games) he’s a top-nine forward. Should he score like he did in 2019-20 (two goals in 56 games), he could find himself back on the fourth line.

Likewise, if Namestnikov rediscovers the touch that made him a 22-goal scorer in 2017-18, or even a 17-goal scorer in 2019-20, he’d be jumping up into a top-nine role.

Continued (paywall)

Red Wings update start times for two games (December 18 and January 31)

Per the Detroit Red Wings:

DETROIT – The National Hockey League today announced updated start times for two Detroit Red Wings home games originally announced with the release of the 2021-22 regular-season schedule.

 The Dec. 18 home game versus the New Jersey Devils will now begin at 8 p.m. ET.

The Jan. 31 home game versus the Anaheim Ducks will now begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.

An updated Red Wings schedule is available at DetroitRedWings.com/schedule.

Red Wings release prospect tournament roster via Tweet

Here’s the prospect tournament roster:

And here’s the press release:

RED WINGS RELEASE 2021 NHL PROSPECT TOURNAMENT ROSTER AND SCHEDULE
… First-Round Trio of Veleno, Raymond and Cossa Headline 23-Man Roster for Five-Team Tournament …

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today released their 2021 NHL Prospect Tournament roster and a complete tournament schedule for the event, held from Thursday, Sept. 16 to Monday, Sept. 20 at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich. The team consists of 23 recent draft picks, free agent signees and tryouts who will battle against prospect teams from the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Red Wings roster is highlighted by three recent first-round picks: center Joe Veleno (30th overall, 2018), who made his NHL debut with the Red Wings in 2020-21 and scored his first NHL goal on May 7 at Columbus after spending a majority of the season with the Swedish Hockey League’s Malmo Redhawks, where he tallied 20 points (11-9-20) in 46 games; right wing Lucas Raymond (4th overall, 2020), who is beginning his first professional season in North America in 2021-22 after finishing second in the SHL among players aged 19-or-younger with 18 points (6-12-18) in 34 games with Frolunda, while tying for the team lead at the IIHF World Junior Championship with five points (2-3-5) in five games for Sweden; and goaltender Sebastian Cossa (15th overall, 2021), who authored one of the most dominant seasons in Western Hockey League history with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2020-21, posting a 17-1-1 record, 1.57 goals-against average, 0.941 save percentage and four shutouts in 19 games.

Other roster notables include left wing Jonatan Berggren (33rd overall, 2018), who tied for sixth in SHL scoring and became the 13th player in league history to rack up 40-or-more points in a season at age 20-or-younger and a trio of defensemen looking to begin their first full professional seasons after all getting abbreviated stints in the American Hockey League in 2020-21: Jared McIsaac (36th overall, 2018), Donovan Sebrango (63rd overall, 2020) and recent Red Wings free agent addition Wyatt Newpower, who skated in 24 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

Fifteen of the 23 players on the roster are former Red Wings draft picks, with the three first-round picks in addition to three second-round picks, two third-round selections, one fourth-round pick, three fifth-round choices, two six-round picks and a seventh-round pick. The drafted prospects range in age from two 18-year olds chosen at the most recent 2021 NHL Entry Draft (Cossa and sixth-rounder Pasquale Zito) to 24-year-old Chase Pearson, a 2015 fifth-round pick who returns to the tournament after finishing third on the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins with 22 points (8-14-22) in 28 games last season.

Over the tournament’s history, 697 players have moved on to play in at least one NHL game, including 18 who played for the Red Wings in 2020-21: Tyler Bertuzzi, Alex Biega (Buffalo), Dennis Cholowski, Robby Fabbri (St. Louis), Valtteri Filppula, Darren Helm, Taro Hirose, Filip Hronek, Dylan Larkin, Gustav Lindstrom, Anthony Mantha, Patrik Nemeth (Dallas), Michael Rasmussen, Givani Smith, Marc Staal (NY Rangers), Evgeny Svechnikov, Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina.

Participating teams will play either three or four games, with the Red Wings taking on the Stars on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m., the Blues on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. and the Blue Jackets on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m. Due to the unbalanced schedule for 2021, the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup will not be awarded this season. The tournament’s championship trophy was renamed in 2015 in honor of Wuest, known for his work on the website CapGeek.com as well as his exclusive coverage and statistical archiving of the NHL Prospect Tournament on RedWingsCentral.com, spanning back to the inaugural tournament in 1998 before succumbing to a two-year battle with cancer in 2015.

TICKETS: Tickets for all NHL Prospect Tournament games are available now online at www.centreice.com/drwtickets and will also be sold first-come, first-served at the arena entrance on the day of each event. Please visit www.centreice.org for the latest details, or to purchase tickets for the Red Wings main training camp (Sept. 23-28).

STREAMING: All games of the 2021 NHL Prospect Tournament will be carried live on DetroitRedWings.com. Additional channel streaming updates will be provided on Red Wings social media platforms. Every Red Wings game will feature game coverage commentary provided by Ken Kal, Art Regner, Daniella Bruce and Carley Johnston.

Here’s Alex Nedeljkovic’s first Red Wings mask, painted by Ray Bishop

Local mask painter Ray Bishop has painted new Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s first Red Wings mask, per his Instagram account:

I guess “Ned” is going to stick with the knit cap theme for the foreseeable future!

‘Play With Purpose’ game scheduled for September 18th at USA Hockey Arena

Here’s a press release of note from USA Hockey:

Fourth Annual Play With Purpose Charity Hockey Game Set for September 18
Charity game raises funds and awareness against distracted driving

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The 4th Annual Gallagher-Kaiser “Play With Purpose” charity hockey game, presented by Hockey has Heart and StopDistractions.org, will be held on Saturday, September 18 at USA Hockey Arena. The game will be a USHL preseason tilt between Team USA and the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. 

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s contest will be used to support distracted driving awareness initiatives, led by StopDistractions.org. The game’s sponsors will help put together a memorable event that increases awareness of the dangers that come from using a cell phone behind the wheel.

With help from local government leaders and USA Hockey Arena, the annual event continues to grow, elevating support for distracted driving awareness to a national level. If this event can prevent a family from losing a loved one, or remind someone to put down their phone when behind the wheel, then it’s a success. This is a game that we all win.

“This year is extra exciting for me, personally, as my friend Dan Israel and I are co-owners of the Muskegon Lumberjacks,” said Bob Kaiser, owner and CEO of Gallagher-Kaiser. “Both Muskegon and Team USA have some of the best players in the world and we can’t wait to see these talented players come together in support of something so important. This event makes meaningful strides in raising awareness and generating the support that will help to end distracted driving.”

Continue reading ‘Play With Purpose’ game scheduled for September 18th at USA Hockey Arena

Record-Eagle offers a hint as to why the Wings canceled their training camp golf tournament, and the alumni game

The Detroit Red Wings did not send a press release out to the general media members regarding the cancellation of both the annual celebrity golf tournament at the Grand Traverse Resort, as well as the team’s training camp alumni game (which usually pits the alumni against a team of police and fire officers who represent the “Guns and Hoses”)…

But the Traverse City Record-Eagle’s Andrew Rosenthal offers a strong hint as to why the events were canceled–and it has something to do with the NHL’s understandably strict coronavirus protocols:

The Detroit Red Wings cancelled their Training Camp Golf Classic and Alumni Hockey Game scheduled for next week in Traverse City, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines provided by the NHL.

“Recent restrictions from the NHL have mandated the cancellations to ensure the health and well-being of all participants,” a team press release said.

As of Tuesday, the NHL Prospect Tou-rnament and main Detroit Red Wings Training Camp can proceed as planned and scheduled. Online ticket orders for the Alumni Game have been refunded. Those who purchased tickets for this event and have not received a refund can call Centre Ice Arena at 231-933-7465.

The prospect tournament begins Sept. 16.

I would imagine that the players and alumni are bummed out about not being able to celebrate the return of a more “normal” NHL season with their fans and peers, but the NHL is strictly limiting access to players at present…

And, given their stringent protocols, I wouldn’t expect any players to work the autograph line at training camp, either. It’s just too risky right now in a state where our fully vaccinated rates are, percentage wise, in the “Low 50’s.”

That’s a harsh reality, and it sucks all the way around, but we are where we are.

Update: A day late, here’s the full press release from Centre ICE Arena:

Continue reading Record-Eagle offers a hint as to why the Wings canceled their training camp golf tournament, and the alumni game

Bultman’s Wings survey, part 2: Wings fans aren’t over-indulging on Seider expectations

The Athletic’s Max Bultman has already examined part of the answers discerned from a survey of 2,100 Red Wings fans, and today, he examines the second part of his survey. Bultman reports that fans’ expectations of Moritz Seider are…surprisingly reasonable?

Question 1: What are your expectations for RHD Moritz Seider’s rookie season?

I was admittedly a bit nervous to look at the results to this question. Seider has been excellent since the Red Wings drafted him sixth in 2019 — so good that The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently ranked him as the No. 17 U23 player in the world (including those already in the NHL) — and the potential for him to become a minute-munching, top-pair defenseman is clear. And yet, when a prospect like that is coming into a situation like Detroit’s — where hope has been hard to come by at the NHL level lately — it’s fair to wonder whether there will be too much pressure to be a superstar immediately.

Respondents, though, had a rather reasonable outlook on what Seider’s rookie year might look like. The most popular answer, at 45 percent, was that he would make a quick difference and hold his own in the top four all year — still an optimistic prediction by any definition, but one that has merit after Seider was the SHL’s top defenseman last season at 19. Perhaps more interestingly, though: a much higher percentage of readers (38.4 percent) expect Seider to take some early lumps than the percentage that expect him to be a Calder Trophy finalist (14.2 percent) or win it outright (2.1 percent). That’s a much more measured outlook heading into the defenseman’s (presumed) first year at the NHL level.

Continued (paywall); I think that Seider will have some difficulties adjusting to the smaller rink (the international rink is 100 feet wide as opposed to the NHL’s 85-foot-wide rink), faster pace of the NHL and the fact that NHL players have probably seen highlights of Seider lighting up SHL players with heavy hits, too…But I do expect him to have a fairly good rookie season.