Belated prospect round-up: Berggren, Grewe score in SHL showdown; Frolunda shut out

From Monday’s SHL action: Jonatan Berggren had an assist and 3 shots, finishing even in 18:19 played as Skelleftea AIK lost 3-2 to Djurgarden in overtime. Albin Grewe scored a goal on 2 shots and finished even in 9:07 of ice time for Djurgarden:

And Lucas Raymond had 3 shots, finishing at -1 in 12:22 played, and Theodor Niederbach finished even in 3:35 played as the Frolunda Indians lost 4-0 to Leksand.

SHL.se profiles Jonatan Berggren

The SHL’s website posted a profile of Red Wings prospect Jonatan Berggren, and it’s in English:

Born in Uppsala and having spent his entire life in Enköping, representing Enköpings SK, Jonatan Berggren moved to Skellefteå at the age of 15. Normally, players tend to move for hockeygymnasium (literally translated to hockey high school) at the age of 16 but there’s a story to his early move. With young Mr. Berggren playing between one and five years above his age, this resulted in a spot of trouble. Where would he play?

“It was almost a sealed deal that I was going to Västerås to play there but I got a call from Fredrik Öberg, U18 coach in Skellefteå at the time. He asked me if I wanted to come up and check things out for the hockey high school in the following year.”

Berggren and his older brother went and after a day in Skellefteå, it was all set. And not only that: Berggren didn’t want to wait. He wanted to move right away, moving to finish elementary school, by completing ninth grade, in Skellefteå.

“Everything felt perfect. We called Öberg, asking him if I could move right away and he put it all together. Me playing here today is all thanks to him. I got his number as well, 48. So that’s a perfect, nice little story, I think.” he says with a fond voice, adding that homesickness has got the best of him from time to time. But looking back, and looking forward to what might come, he doesn’t regret anything. Having been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, he knows he is on the right path.

“Of course! Playing in the NHL is something I’ve been thinking about, and dreaming of since I started playing. And now I’m closer to realising that dream than ever. It’s all about that final push. And if I think about all the work I’ve put in to be able to try to make that push…It has all been worth it.”

Continued;

Update: The Free Press’s Helene St. James also took note of the interview:

The Wings drafted Berggren (5-foot-11, 183 pounds) 33rd overall in 2018, seeing the winger as a nice package of speed and skill, especially adapt at making plays. He spent most of the 2017-18 season in the J20 Superelit (Sweden’s top junior league) but appeared in 10 games at the SHL level. He played in only 16 games in 2018-19 because of a lower-back injury. Last season he was sidelined by shoulder surgery, though he was able to play for Sweden at the World Junior Championship, helping them capture the bronze medal.

Berggren’s 19 points rank third in the SHL.

“I’m trying to get to the net more,” he said. “But I had a good start to the season and I’ve been able to build off of that. To me, last season was important. I got a receipt that I could play at this level and do my things.”

With the NHL still trying to sort out the logistics of staging a season as COVID-19 ravages North America(the starting target date remains Jan. 1), Berggren is in a good spot starring in the SHL. He could be looking at coming over for the 2021-22 season.

ESPN’s Wyshynski ranks Red Wings at the bottom of the NHL’s ‘contender tiers’

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski filed a list of “contender tiers” for each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams on ESPN+ today, and he ranks the Red Wings and Ottawa Senators at the bottom of the barrel:

The basement: Detroit Red Wings
Ottawa Senators

The Red Wings made some smart moves this offseason to stabilize the team, including an upgrade in goal with Thomas Greiss, adding to a young group that could include No. 4 overall pick Lucas Raymond. The Senators added Matt Murray in goal and Evgenii Dadonov to a mix of young talent that includes No. 3 overall pick Tim Stuetzle.

Most importantly, both teams have a slew of picks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft, because they’re still building back to contender status. Another season near the basement of the league isn’t just a prediction, it’s a prescription.

Continued

Kulfan profiles Wings draft pick Alex Cotton

The Red Wings picked an “overager” in 19-year-old Alex Cotton during the 2020 draft, and the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a profile of the Lethbridge Hurricanes defenseman:

The term “late bloomer” gets thrown out often in sports, and particularly in hockey. It can be a player simply growing into his body, or maturing physically, a little later than his peers. It could also be his confidence growing later than others, or possibly getting an opportunity to show what he can do, when he didn’t get that chance before.

With Cotton, it seemed all those things came together for him while playing with Lethbridge in the Western Hockey League.

Cotton went from scoring 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 54 games with Lethbridge in 2018-19, to accumulating 67 points (20 goals, 47 assists) in 63 games last season. Those 67 points led all WHL defensemen in scoring, and after the season Cotton was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team.

Talk about a breakthrough season.

“When they gave me that opportunity, I wasn’t going to allow anyone to take it from me,” said Cotton, of getting more ice time and special team roles with Lethbridge last season. “I just went out and played the way I knew I can.”

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Rogle the latest SHL team to cancel/postpone games due to coronavirus issues

According to Rogle BK’s website, Moritz Seider’s team has delayed a “derby” game scheduled to take place on Tuesday of this week due to multiple positive coronavirus tests.

The team was scheduled to battle the Malmo Redhawks in a close-city-vs-close-city “derby” battle…and speaking of Joe Veleno’s Redhawks, they won’t play on Thursday as HV71 has positive coronavirus tests as well.

Examining Dylan Larkin’s 2019-2020 season ‘numbers’

DetroitRedWings.com’s Josh Berenter examines Dylan Larkin’s 2019-2020 season “By the Numbers” this morning, and the most significant feature has little to do with Larkin’s on-ice performance:

50,000 – In April, Larkin and his father, Kevin, donated 50,000 vinyl powder-free and nitrile gloves to assist medical professionals at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 25,000 gloves went to the Detroit Medical Center and the other half went to St. Joseph Mercy Health System.

350 – On December 10, Larkin played his 350th NHL game as the Red Wings faced the Winnipeg Jets on the road. Larkin finished the 2019-20 campaign with 389 games under his belt.

53 – Larkin’s 53 points led the club. It’s the third consecutive season that Larkin has led the Wings in points.

52.5 – Larkin has continued working to improve his percentage in the face-off circle. His 52.5 face-off percentage last season was the second-best of his career, just shy of the 54.5 percent he earned in 2018-19.

Continued

Adidas unveils ‘Reverse Retro’ jerseys, and the Wings’ jersey is…bland

Bleh:

Your Colors. Your Retros. Remixed.

The adidas #ReverseRetro jersey available 12/1. pic.twitter.com/3M2c1u2fjQ— adidas Hockey (@adidashockey) November 16, 2020

Woven from Hockeytown’s DNA. ✨

Introducing the #RedWings adidas #ReverseRetro jersey. Hitting the ice in 2021. pic.twitter.com/OglRxUUa3z— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 16, 2020

Here’s the #RedWings‘ #ReverseRetro jersey. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/MCCVvTeQLM— Stefan Kubus (@StefanKubus) November 16, 2020

pic.twitter.com/2pb23Eb1ta— NHL (@NHL) November 16, 2020

#ReverseRetro x #LGRW pic.twitter.com/jEUDjqbSsP— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 16, 2020

Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, and adidas’ Dan Near:

Detroit Red Wings

This jersey is a spin on the one worn by 1998 team captain and current general manager Steve Yzerman. According to Adidas, the gray on this jersey is inspired by the silver from the Red Wings’ NHL Centennial Classic jersey.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski also weighs in:

“It looks like a practice jersey” is one of the harshest insults one can levy against a new sweater design but … this looks like a practice jersey. The gray stripes were “inspired by the silver from the Red Wings’ NHL Centennial Classic jersey.”

Near said the Red Wings were a difficult team to crack for a reverse retro jersey, as they’re both a “two-color” Original Six team, and one that hasn’t had much variation to their looks over the years. “In reverse retro, there’s only so much you can do with striping and marks that haven’t changed that much,” he said.

Here’s the NHL’s press release:

Continue reading Adidas unveils ‘Reverse Retro’ jerseys, and the Wings’ jersey is…bland

Tweet of note: Filip Hronek, Czech national team donate Karjala Cup winnings to Czech Nurses’ Association

Via the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa, Filip Hronek posted this Tweet about half-an-hour ago…

#PomahameSestrickam https://t.co/3Drb2qocKn— Filip Hronek (@hronek_filip) November 16, 2020

And the long story long is that Filip Hronek represented the Czech National Team as they donated their winnings of approximately 200,000 Czech Koruna to the Czech Nurses’ Association. That’s about $8,692.00:

Khan estimates the Red Wings’ starting lines for the 2020-2021 season

MLive’s Ansar Khan has posted an estimated set of lines for the Red Wings’ 2020-2021 season roster:

First line

LW: Tyler Bertuzzi, C: Dylan Larkin, RW: Anthony Mantha

Blashill hasn’t played the team’s top three forwards together often, wanting to spread the wealth over the top two lines, but the Red Wings might have more depth now to keep the trio together for longer stretches. They have finished with a flurry in each of the past two seasons. In the final 10 games of 2019-20, the three combined for 11 goals and 22 assists.

Second line

LW: Robby Fabbri, C: Vladislav Namestnikov, RW: Bobby Ryan

The additions of Namestnikov (two years/$4 million) and Ryan (one year/$1 million) gives the Red Wings more skilled options for their top six. Namestnikov can play all three forward positions but will fill an important void as the second-line center. Ryan provides a much-needed right-handed shot up front, someone with a shooting mentality, another need for this team. Fabbri was rejuvenated last season and saw some time at center late in the year, so that remains an option.

Continued