Prospect round-up: Hronek named Karjala Cup’s best defenseman despite Czech loss; Rasmussen 2+1 in Austrian league return

Of prospect-related note:

At the Karjala Cup, Filip Hronek took 5 shots but finished at -1 as the Czechs lost the championship game 3-0 to Russia.

Via The Athletic’s Max Bultman on Twitter, DobberHockey’s Jokke Nevalainen reports that Hronek was named the tournament’s best defenseman. He also wore the captain’s “C” today:

Jonatan Berggren didn’t register a point in Sweden’s 3-2 loss to Finland, and Berggren looked solid in .gif land:

Berggren played on the power play as well:

In the Swedish Allsvenskan, Gustav Berglund finished even in 14:12 played in Vasteras IK’s 5-0 loss to Timra;

In the ICE Hockey League, Michael Rasmussen had 2 goals and an assist–and took a 10-minute misconduct penalty–in the Graz99ers’ 4-2 win over VSV. Rasmussen finished at +3.

Sportsnet’s Saturday ‘NHL Goal of the 21st Century’ match-up: Tkachuk’s between-the-legs goal vs. Datsyuk’s change-up

Sportsnet has “The Greatest: NHL Goal of the 21st Century” match-up taking place on Sportsnet.ca, and today, you can either vote for this between-the-legs goal by Matthew Tkachuk on Pekka Rinne…

Or this “trick shot” by Pavel Datsyuk on Antti Niemi:

Update: Here’s Sportsnet on YouTube:

Prospect round-up: Czechs win at Karjala Cup; Zadina scores as Ocelelari Trinec return to play

Of prospect-related note from Europe:

At the Karjala Cup in Finland, Jonatan Berggren didn’t play in Sweden’s 2-1 shootout loss to Russia. No reason was given for his scratching from the lineup;

Filip Hronek didn’t register a point but took 5 shots and finished at +1 in the Czech Republic’s 2-0 win over Finland;

In the Czech Extraliga, Jan Bednar served as the back-up goaltender in HK Energie Karlovy Vary’s 5-4 win over Ceske Budejovice;

And Filip Hronek had a goal and an assist–and 7 shots–as HC Ocelari Trinec won 4-3 in overtime over HK Kometa Brno.

You can watch Zadina’s goal here or here:

Update: In the USHL, Kyle Aucoin didn’t play in the Tri-City Storm’s 5-1 win over Sioux City;

And, in the BCHL, Kienan Draper didn’t register a point in the Chilliwack Chiefs’ 5-2 loss to Coquitlam.

Via Twitter: Wings prospect goaltender Jan Bednar will be spending some time in the Czech Extraliga

Via Chris Nova on Twitter, it looks like Red Wings prospect goaltender Jan Bednar is going to spend some time with HC Energie Karlovy Vary of the Czech Extraliga until the Acaide-Bathurst Titan solve their goaltending situation.

The Titan have loaned Bednar back to the Czech team he whose system he grew up playing within, per Elite Prospects, and Karlovy Vary confirmed the temporary situation via a Tweet:

Roughly translated, the Tweet reads: “

 “Jan Bednar also traveled to [play against] Ceske Budejovice with the team. The team’s management have given the 18-year-old goalkeeper the opportunity to start for the Energie until he goes to Canada!”

Update: Barry A. Craft on Twitter notes that Bednar may be having issues getting into Quebec due to coronavirus issues:

A pair of interviews with Wings draft pick Donovan Sebrango

The Ontario Hockey League isn’t starting until February, but Red Wings draft pick Donovan Sebrango headed to the Kitchener Rangers’ rink, the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, to speak with their website for a “fall update” interview…

And I can’t embed this, but the Canadian Hockey League’s website also posted an 8:06 interview that Sebrango gave after he was drafted (and prior to his most recent haircut), in which Sebrango speaks with Ontario Hockey League communications manager Sarah Jean Maher.

Larkin’s time to wear the ‘C’ is clearly coming this upcoming season

The more I’ve learned about all the responsibilities that are informally associated with being a team captain–from serving as the face of the team to the media to welcoming new players, mentoring young players and prospects, and serving as the buffer between the players and the coaching staff–the more I’ve understood why the Red Wings chose to wait to name a captain this past season.

We know that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has stated that he’s going to name a captain this season, however, and The Score’s Brandon Maron believes that the Wings will make the obvious choice:

Detroit Red Wings

It’s clear both Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha are set to spearhead a new era in Detroit. After a complete overhaul that’s resulted in a ton of young talent, the Red Wings will need either Larkin or Mantha to guide the way.

However, all signs point to Larkin assuming that role. The Michigan native sported an “A” this past season, and he’s Detroit’s offensive focal point. The 24-year-old will be needed in the locker room to get his young teammates going.

Continued; it’s just time for Larkin to be named captain, and it should happen before the start of the 2020-2021 season.

The Hockey News pays tribute to Vladimir Konstantinov’s ‘brilliant and all-too short career’

The Hockey News left Vladimir Konstantinov off their “Top 100 Defensemen of All Time” list, but they weren’t happy about doing so:

In the final season of his NHL career, Vladimir Konstantinov finished second in Norris Trophy voting. It was a distant second to Brian Leetch, but it was second nonetheless. The season before that, he finished fourth in Norris voting. We tell you that only because you might have forgotten how outstanding a player Vladimir Konstantinov was.

To recap, he was a top-five defenseman in the best league in the world for consecutive seasons before a limousine accident during the Detroit Red Wings’ 1997 Stanley Cup celebration robbed him of an NHL career and a normal existence.

Konstantinov had just recently turned 30 and had played six years in the NHL to that point. He was just reaching his career crescendo and probably had at least as many, if not more, NHL seasons ahead of him. That would have given him plenty of time to win more Stanley Cups, perhaps a Norris or two and make a compelling case for Hall of Fame status. To be sure, it would have moved him up significantly on our list of the Top 100 NHL Defensemen of All- Time, where he landed at No. 101. “It took a couple of years, but with our run to the final in 1995 and winning the Cup in 1997, he was starting to get the recognition from people over here that he was one of the top defensemen in the world,” said former Red Wings GM Ken Holland. “I think he had a chance to be regarded as one of the best defensemen in the NHL for a long time. His status in the NHL at that time was beyond Nick Lidstrom’s.”

Continued

Regrettably in Swedish: Theodor Niederbach talks about being ‘starstruck’ at being drafted by the Wings

You’re not going to get a lot out of this because it’s in Swedish, but Red Wings prospect and Frolunda Indians Under-20 league star Theodor Niederbach spoke with Hockeysverige.se’s Uffe Bodin regarding being “starstruck” after finding that Steve Yzerman and Niklas Kronwall’s Red Wings drafted him:

Update:

George, here’s a quick translation of that second half of @UffeBodin’s interview with Niederbach. pic.twitter.com/A1L79rqhNx— Michael Edlund (@ArcticLeo) November 6, 2020

The Athletic’s Luszczyszyn says the Wings’ contracts are ‘less bad’

The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn penned a column which discusses the contractual values of each and every one of the NHL’s 30 teams, post-free agency, and while I can’t post his entire set of comments regarding the Red Wings, Dom suggests that the Red Wings have made significant gains in the “less bad” department:

16. Detroit Red Wings

Last year: 31st

No team had a bigger year-over-year glow up than the Red Wings, who ranked dead last the previous season, but come in at 16th this time around. It’s a monumental leap. The big difference is how much the team is paying per win, going from one of the league’s worst to one of the best at third overall. That’s thanks mostly to most of the roster being on very short term deals, but also trimming a lot of negative value off the roster. The biggest subtraction is Justin Abdelkader, owner of one of the league’s worst contracts who was mercifully bought out this offseason. With Jonathan Ericsson’s deal expiring and Darren Helm only having one year left, only Frans Nielsen has a contract in the “D” range compared to the four the Red Wings had last season. One of the ugliest salary cap pictures is finally clearing up.

This is still a bad team filled with players unlikely to live up to their deals, but the short commitments make things much more palatable. That’s especially true for new additions Bobby Ryan, Jon Merrill and Troy Stecher, who all bring positive value.

The biggest pluses are the two newest deals for Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi. RFA deals usually come in below market price and the team got a great deal for both, especially Mantha, whose deal instantly becomes one of the league’s best. Those contracts were enough to push Detroit up a few spots in these rankings.

Continued