The Malik Report

Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a profile of Red Wings 2021 draft pick Pasquale Zito, who the Wings chose to acquire with the 166th overall pick despite the fact that Zito didn’t play during the 2020-2021 season due to the Ontario Hockey League halting operations during the coronavirus pandemic:

“He’s an energetic right-shot that plays with pace, quick feet and a tenacious forechecker,” assessed Dan Stewart of Draft Prospects Hockey. “He has solid playmaking ability but is not overly creative, transitions the puck quickly, plays with some bite, is willing to drop the mitts, and battles hard for positioning and pucks.”

The 6-foot, 175-pound Zito projects out to be a bottom-six type forward, one capable of chipping in the odd goal, being a physical presence and someone who is difficult to play against.

Currently, those types of forwards are in short supply in Detroit. There’s Tyler Bertuzzi, Adam Erne and if he makes the team, Givani Smith.

Zito, who lists Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk as the type of player he’d one day like to be, fits into this mold. “He wants to be a hard player to play against,” Wings director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said of Zito. “He wants to compete against the other team’s top players, he wants to make a tough net-front presence. Those are the things you like.

“When you interview a player and they start talking about ‘My favorite players are the Tkachuks’ it kind of puts a smile on your face. I let him know that’s not easy to do what they do every night and he just kind of smiled.”

Continued

Per CapFriendly, the Red Wings have lost the “exclusive rights” to sign Keith Petruzzelli, Kasper Kotkansalo and Patrick Holway as of August 15th:

While many of the 2021 off-season critical dates were pushed forward, the August 15 'Must Sign By' for certain College players remained in effect.

Here's a look at the list of players that teams lost their exclusive signing rights to this past Sunday.https://t.co/3B8UOBLIyt pic.twitter.com/0hHQVqdkc7

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 18, 2021

From WXYZ:

Tim Hortons’ rewards members have the chance to win a variety of prizes this month with just one scan!

According to the franchise, from August 18 to September 14 Tims Rewards scan enters members in for a chance to win a variety of prizes. Some include months of free Timbits, months of free coffee, and thousands of bonus points.

The biggest prize is a free year’s supply of Tim Hortons’ coffee and two Detroit Red Wings season tickets.

All customers have to do is use a rewards card at a local Tim Hortons.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has written a subscriber-only article chronicling the improvements made by the Red Wings’ defense over the course of the offseason. Kulfan concludes his column with this about Moritz Seider’s potential impact:

Here comes Seider?

Moritz Seider has been one of the top two or three prospects not in the NHL for the past two seasons.

Seider, 20, projects as a top-pairing defenseman who can anchor the Wings’ defense for a decade. Seider had a superb season playing in Sweden this past winter, and progressed steadily as a rookie pro in the AHL playing in Grand Rapids two seasons ago.

All indications are that Seider is ready for the NHL.

But, given the way the Wings’ defense looks, the Wings aren’t necessarily going to just hand Seider a lineup spot.

“If (Seider) is in the top six and he’s earned that spot, he’ll play,” Yzerman said. “I’m not sure if he’s not in the top six how much we’re going to want to sit him in the press box (and not play). We anticipate him making a really good push to play.”

Continued (paywall)

According to DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman and Mike O’Hara…

Hockey visit: Red Wings players Robby Fabbri, Michael Rasmussen, Jordan Oesterle and captain Dylan Larkin took in Lions practice Tuesday night in Allen Park.

Update: From the Red Wings:

Taking in a little @Lions football. #OnePride x #LGRW pic.twitter.com/RtGCd93erx

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 18, 2021

Via the Guelph Today’s Tony Saxon:

Congratulations to Chayka, Profaca and Walker on each being invited to a #NHLDevelopmentCamp! ?@DetroitRedWings @GoldenKnights @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/YAs4fnPoJx— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) August 17, 2021

Walker is listed by Elite Prospects at 5’9″ and 157 pounds, and he’s a 2002-born player who’s 19 years of age, and did not play this past season as the OHL suspended operations.

Per the Toledo Walleye on Twitter:

Best of luck in your future endeavors, @jenksaj! ? https://t.co/kKl5EYznx7

— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 17, 2021

Here’s more from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Former longtime Toledo Walleye forward A.J. Jenks has retired.

Jenks, who played five seasons for the Walleye from 2014-19, announced his decision on Twitter.

The 31-year-old forward from Wolverine Lake, Mich., played the last two seasons for the Fort Wayne Komets. Last season, Jenks served as Fort Wayne’s captain and helped lead the Komets to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup championship.

“What a ride it has been,” Jenks wrote on Twitter. “So blessed and thankful to be able to play the game I love for 11 years. A big thank you to everyone that has helped along the way, especially teammates, coaches, trainers, and fans.”

Jenks played in 579 games at the American Hockey League and ECHL level.

From the Toledo Walleye:

? PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT ?

Defenseman Butrus Ghafari returns to the Fish for the 2021-22 season.

? https://t.co/ovrjpKpFC4 pic.twitter.com/WOaP6cPPgx— Toledo Walleye (@ToledoWalleye) August 17, 2021

Here’s the Walleye’s press release:

(Toledo, OH) – Defenseman Butrus Ghafari (boo-truhs, ga-far-ee) has agreed to terms with the Toledo Walleye for the 2021-2022 season.

Ghafari, the West Bloomfield, MI native, started his pro career with the Walleye by appearing in one game prior to the end of the 2019-2020 season. He did play for Rapid City a season ago, appearing in 58 games with 10 points (1G, 9A) and 72 penalty minutes in his first full pro season.

Prior to turning professional, the 25-year-old spent four years at Michigan State University with 114 total games played. Ghafari appeared in at least 20 games in each of his four years as a Spartan and posted four goals with five assists in his college career. The defenseman also had 200 games played in the USHL before heading to Michigan State, where he was a plus 21 from 2012-2016.

Update: Here’s more from the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye re-sign Butrus Ghafari

It’s behind a paywall, but Sportico is reporting that NHL jerseys will include a 3″x3.5″ advertiser’s logo on their jerseys for the 2022-2023 season:

EXCLUSIVE: The @NHL is adding advertisements to its jerseys for the 2022-23 season https://t.co/5HibbGIlYJ pic.twitter.com/HHkkV5ElyT— Sportico (@Sportico) August 17, 2021

Update: Here’s a peek behind the paywall:

The National Hockey League is adding advertisements to its jerseys for the 2022-23 season, the latest major U.S. sports league to sell marketing space on player uniforms during games.

The NHL board of governors unanimously voted to approve the ad policy, according to a memo emailed this week to all 32 teams. Clubs are now free to start negotiating with potential partners, according to the memo, which was reviewed by Sportico.

The ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly bigger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys for the 2017-18 season. Representatives from the NHL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update: More confirmation:

Continue reading Sportico reports that NHL jerseys will have a 3″x3.5″ advertiser’s logo on their jerseys for the 2022-2023 season

The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote a fine article regarding a professional hockey camp held by former Red Wings consultant (and current University of Michigan assistant coach) Brandon Narauto, who still works with Red Wings players through his Total Package Hockey company.

This story isn’t necessarily Wings-related any more, but it’s a very good read:

It’s just before 11:45 a.m. and skates have hit the ice at USA Hockey Arena, steel carving into the glossy, resurfaced sheet.

Outside, the August air smacks of vacation. The start of NHL training camps is still more than a month away, and the offseason carnival has largely passed, leaving hockey to temporarily fade from the public eye. The arena’s blue seats are all but empty. But on the ice, the work for next season has already begun.

The players gathered at the rink today are at widely different stages of their pro careers. Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is among them, a star just entering his prime and fresh off signing a contract extension worth an average of more than $9.5 million a year. Rangers defenseman Zac Jones is also here — only a few months removed from an NCAA championship at UMass, with 10 late-season NHL games to his name and soon the chance to break through full time. Cooper Marody and Riley Barber, the AHL’s top two goal scorers last season with Bakersfield and Grand Rapids, respectively, are also here. So is newly minted Seattle Kraken Dennis Cholowski, Vancouver Canucks prospect  Will Lockwood, Detroit prospect Carter Gylander and more.

Even the Red Wings’ practice goalie and emergency backup, Josh Block, is out here — because EBUGs need summer reps, too.

It might be the dog days of the offseason, but this is when players — through work few will ever see — can create the proverbial step forward. The next hour and a half will be a window into how those summer leaps are actually made.

Continued (paywall); the Power Edge Pro camp was at the Red Wings’ practice facility two weeks ago, and there are various professional hockey camps that travel the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer, so this is a very good explainer as to how the “pro camps” work.