Prospect round-up: Playing time and wins for Viro, Grewe and Kivenmaki in Finland; 1 assist for Wallinder, and a win for the Frolunda Trio

Of prospect-related note in Europe:

In the Finnish Liiga, Eemil Viro finished even with a shot in 20:15 played as TPS Turku won 2-1 over Jukurit;

Albin Grewe finished even in 9:15 played as Ilves Tampere lost 5-0 to KalPa;

Otto Kivenmaki finished at -1 in 16:05 played as his Lahti Pelicans won 3-2 over SaiPa;

In the SHL, Simon Edvinsson finished at -1 with 3 shots and a penalty taken in 21:16, Theodor Niederbach finished at -1 with 3 shots in 8:48 played, and Elmer Soderblom finished at -1 with 1 shot in 11:05 played as Frolunda HC won 3-2 in OT over Oskarshamn;

And William Wallinder had an assist, finishing at +1 in 7:37 played as Rogle BK lost 3-2 to the Vaxjo Lakers.

Khan on the likelihood of a ‘split crease’ in Detroit

MLive’s Ansar Khan took note of Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill’s remarks regarding the high likelihood that Thomas Greiss and Alex Nedeljkovic will split starts this upcoming season in the Red Wings’ crease:

“Certainly, what [Nedeljkovic] did last season in those 20 games was good,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “Can he keep that going for 50 games? 40 games? Consistency in this league is critical.”

Nedeljkovic was a Calder Trophy finalist after going 15-5-3, with a 1.90 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. The Red Wings acquired him for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (94th overall) and the rights to unrestricted free-agent goalie Jonathan Bernier, who performed well the past two seasons but wasn’t going to be re-signed.

The trade appears to be a steal. Nedeljkovic, 25, is seven years younger than Bernier and could soon be the franchise’s No. 1 goalie, at least until Sebastian Cossa, the 15th selection in this year’s draft, is NHL-ready in a few years.

Blashill said he plans to give Nedeljkovic and veteran Thomas Greiss, who finished strong last season, looks early in the season until one establishes himself as the clear-cut starter, if that happens.

“As the year plays out, the guy that plays the best will play,” Blashill said. “If they both play great, they’ll both play.”

Continued

Red Wings videos from training camp: Filip Zadina, Sam Gagner (and Blashill and Fabbri to come)

The Red Wings held four Zoom calls with players and coach Jeff Blashill today at Centre ICE Arena. Here are the clips of Filip Zadina and Sam Gagner, with clips of coach Jeff Blashill and forward Robby Fabbri to come:

Update: Here’s Robby Fabbri…

Update #2: Here’s coach Blashill:

Jakub Vrana injures his shoulder

Not great news, from the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:

Jakub Vrana returned to Red Wings’ practice Saturday — and quickly departed.

Vrana, who arrived Saturday after encountering visa issues this week, was on the ice for approximately 10 minutes before injuring a shoulder, coach Jeff Blashill said.

Vrana will be further evaluated and isn’t scheduled to play in Sunday’s Red & White scrimmage.

Sears’ notebook: Now Joe Veleno’s built himself into ‘Big Joe’

From DetroitRedWings.com’s Ethan Sears:

When Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman spoke to reporters ahead of training camp, he made sure to note the physical growth of Joe Veleno.

“I don’t know if you had a chance to see him but he’s pretty fit,” Yzerman said. “Like, he’s thick.”

Indeed, Veleno is listed at 206 pounds, up from 198 previously, and Yzerman is far from the only one to notice.

“The physical gains are undeniable,” Blashill said. “He’s really made himself a man. He’s turned his body into a pro body, into an NHL body. He’s way bigger and stronger than he was two years ago so he can hold onto the puck, he can defend down low.”

Added Moritz Seider, who played against Veleno when both were in Sweden last season: “It’s hard to get him off the puck. It’s really cool to see.”

After playing five games at the end of last season, the 21-year-old Veleno is competing for a roster spot in camp. Yzerman said that for young players, his emphasis will be on making sure they play enough minutes each night to develop, whether it be in Detroit or in the minors.

Continued

Comparing Moritz Seider the rookie to…Nicklas Lidstrom?

The Free Press’s Ryan Ford chose six of the most notable Red Wings rookie defensemen as examples for which Moritz Seider must strive to equal or exceed during his rookie NHL season, and his comparisons include Red Kelly, Vladimir Konstantinov, and, of course, Nicklas Lidstrom:

[Ulf] Samuelsson was right about the offense, but a little off about everything else. After just 18 games, Lidstrom was already second in the league among all players in plus-minus at plus-15 (behind his partner on the blue line, Brad McCrimmon, at plus-16), first among rookies in assists (11) and tied for first among rookies in points (14). Named NHL Rookie of the Month in November and December 1991, Lidstrom hit the All-Star break with seven goals and 33 assists in 45 games, with a plus-30 rating. A month after that, the Lidstrom legend had already taken root, as coach Bryan Murray raved to the Freep: “He’s so poised and under control,” Murray said. “I’ll bet if I told him he would be playing 45 minutes a game, there’d be no problem at all.”

Lidstrom did slow down a bit in the second half; he had four goals and 16 assists in 35 games, finishing the season with 11 goals and 49 assists. That slight slump likely cost him the Calder; he finished tied for second, with 23 first-place votes, behind a future Hall of Famer: the Vancouver Canucks’ Pavel Bure, who had 26 firsts. (Lidstrom tied with New York Rangers wing Tony Amonte, who led all rookies with 35 goals.) Still, there were plenty of honors in Lidstrom’s future: 11 All-Star Game berths, 10 All-NHL first-team nods, seven Norris Trophies, six seasons as captain of the Wings, four Stanley Cups, the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy (as the postseason MVP), induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015, and, of course, his No. 5 raised to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena and Little Caesars Arena.

Continued (without a paywall, for once)