Mason Appleton discusses his fit with the Red Wings

DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with 29-year-old forward Mason Appleton, who the Red Wings signed to a 2-year contract with an average annual value of $2.9 million:

“When you go through the Free Agency process, you try to evaluate which teams you think you would fit right in and right from the start of things,” Appleton told DetroitRedWings.com on Tuesday. “I thought Detroit was a great fit for me on the ice. And then off the ice, it made a lot of sense too with my wife and I being from Wisconsin, it’s a lot closer than some other teams. It just seemed like the right fit. Free Agency kicks off, it’s a stressful time, and things happen that you wouldn’t expect but at the end of the day we were very happy to end up in Detroit. It’s a team that I believe is right there to make the playoffs and just needs to keep pushing. Hopefully, I can be a piece that kind of gets us over that hump.”

Appleton, a native of Green Bay, Wisc., spent the 2024-25 campaign with the Winnipeg Jets, recording 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 71 regular-season games before tallying seven assists in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

Winnipeg took Appleton in the sixth round (No. 168 overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and the 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward has compiled 138 points (57 goals, 81 assists) in 400 career NHL games with the Jets and Seattle Kraken, who selected him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, since 2018-19.

Appleton may be joining the Red Wings as a newcomer, but to the less experienced players in Detroit’s dressing room, he’ll be a veteran presence.

“I’m going to go about my work and hopefully, it’s noticed, and guys follow suit with that,” the 29-year-old said. “When something needs to be spoken up about, and I feel there’s a time to do it, I’ll chip in my two cents. But I’m not a guy that just talks to talk or a big motivator in that sense. Obviously, there’s guys in the room that do that and have that role. For me, it’s kind of just leading by example.”

Also, on the growth in his game over the years, Appleton, who is approaching his eighth NHL season, said striving for consistency has been a central component.

“You can kind of have more ups and downs when you’re young and still trying to figure out the League, but I try to pride myself on being the same player game in and game out, and I think I’ve built towards that over these past few years,” he said. “I’m just trying to be the same version of myself every single game.”

Continued

Allen discusses some of the Red Wings’ late-round ‘gems’

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen posted an article in which he discusses the Red Wings’ late-round picks in this past June’s 2025 NHL Draft, offering an example as to how the Wings try to “mine” the later rounds for NHL talent:

Two years ago, the Red Wings drafted Kamloops Blazers left wing Emmitt Finnie in the seventh round, 201st overall. The youngster showed nine goals in his first 112 Western Hockey League games. But scouts spotted ability just below the surface. Over his next 59 WHL games, he put up 62 points. Finnie scored 37 goals for the Blazers last season and didn’t look out of place playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins late in the season.

How about Brent Solomon (drafted 109th), a Minnesotan who played high school hockey and in the USHL last season. Solomon netted 38 goals in 28 games for Champlin Park High School. He had six more points playing eight games for Sioux Falls in the USHL.

“Natural goal scorer with obviously a very good release,” said Kris Draper, Detroit assistant GM and director of amateur scouting. “He played high school hockey in Minnesota, got an opportunity to play some hockey in the USHL. He’s going to play there next year as well.  We just like the ability to score goals. He did it very well at the high school level. He got off to actually a really hot start, too in the USHL, which is something that you like to see someone going from Minnesota high school to jumping into the USHL and still being an offensive threat.”

Continued (paywall) with a discussion of Will Murphy’s pluses and a note about the Wings’ drafting of Carter Bear…

Carter Bear’s still amazed that the Red Wings drafted him, but he’s getting down to business, too

The Everett Herald’s Joe Pohoryles checked in on Red Wings 13th overall draft pick Carter Bear two weeks after Detroit selected Bear in the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles. It turns out that Bear is still somewhat gobsmacked as to the fact that Detroit drafted him:

“I think it was just seeing my parents’ faces,” Bear told The Herald over the phone on Tuesday. “I think that’s just gonna stick out for a long time in our lifetime, obviously a lifetime memory for all of our family here. It’s unbelievable, like hard to explain that. I can’t really tell you how I felt that night.”

For Bear and his parents, Conrad and Misty, there was an overwhelming sense of pride, gratitude and even some shock. Bear said he had “no clue” that he was on Detroit’s radar, so he was legitimately surprised to hear his name called at No. 13.

His interactions with the Red Wings at the draft combine weren’t out of the ordinary, and even though he was never tipped off that they had interest in selecting him, the allure of potentially joining the Original Six franchise remained in the back of his mind.

“I think, during the draft process, it never really stuck up (in) my mind, it was just like, ‘What if?’” Bear said. “‘What if’ kind of thing, mindset, you know? So honestly, when they called my name I was pretty surprised, and I’m pretty grateful at first, too.”

Still, Bear is a businesslike young man, and he told Pohoryles that he enjoyed participating in the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:

“It’s pretty cool walking around there and seeing the guys that came out of the Detroit (organization),” Bear said. “All the staff that won a Stanley Cup with them in those 2000-years (2002 and 2008). It’s pretty special and (I’m) definitely going to learn from them through the years.”

Despite lacerating his Achilles in March, Bear recovered enough to participate in on-ice activities during development camp. He said his recovery is “going really well,” and he credited Detroit’s “unbelievable” training staff for helping him along the way as he builds back up to full strength.

However, Bear’s biggest takeaway from the camp was learning how to be a professional player and how to take care of yourself, which is a lesson Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan gave to the prospects when he stopped by the camp.

Continued; Bear tells Pohoryles that he expects to spend this upcoming season with his WHL team, playing for the Everett Silvertips before trying to turn pro as a 19-year-old (he has a November birthday, so he’ll be 19 this fall and 20 by November of 2026).

Press release: Red Wings selling tickets for ‘Hockeytown Centennial FanFest’ and ‘100 years of Hockeytown: A Night at the Fox Theatre’

From the Detroit Red Wings:

ON SALE NOW: HOCKEYTOWN CENTENNIAL FANFEST AND 100 YEARS OF HOCKEYTOWN: A NIGHT AT THE FOX THEATRE

DETROIT – Tickets are on sale now for two marquee events celebrating the Detroit Red Wings Centennial. Fans can experience the Hockeytown Centennial FanFest, a four-day immersive tribute to 100 years of Red Wings hockey, taking place November 6-9, 2025, at MotorCity Casino Hotel. In addition, 100 Years of Hockeytown: A Night at the Fox Theatre, a one-night-only unique multimedia celebration, will be held on Saturday, November 8 at Detroit’s iconic Fox Theatre, bringing Red Wings history to life through music, video and live storytelling. Additional details including confirmed alumni and ticket package information are available at DetroitRedWings.com/100.

Hockeytown Centennial FanFest

This is an immersive, multi-day event celebrating the legacy of one of hockey’s most iconic franchises. The event will bring together Red Wings alumni and fans from all generations and will feature:

Continue reading Press release: Red Wings selling tickets for ‘Hockeytown Centennial FanFest’ and ‘100 years of Hockeytown: A Night at the Fox Theatre’

Two things: Kane and JVR, together again; Wings-Pens trade rumors

Of Red Wings-related note this morning:

  1. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that new Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk has a tie to Patrick Kane as the players went 1st and 2nd (Kane first, JVR second) in the 2007 NHL Draft:

After all these years, they’ve finally put it together. For the first time, the two friends will also play as NHL teammates with the Red Wings. Detroit signed JVR as a UFA earlier this month, two years after doing likewise with Kane. In fact, Kane signed his new one-year deal with Detroit one day prior to van Riemsdyk also agreeing to a one-year pact. He was with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season.

“He’s one of my really good buddies and we’ve obviously been kind of through this whole journey over the years together in a lot of ways,” van Riemsdyk said. “Through some different USA hockey things and some different things over the years with training or bouncing ideas off each other or stuff like that. So it’s really exciting that we get a chance to do all that on the same team.”

It’s the first time they’ve played on the same team since the 2005-05 US NTDP under-18 squad. Both were 16 years old. Kane was the team’s leading scorer that season with 17-17-34 totals. Third in scoring with 18-11-29 numbers was van Riemsdyk.

2. And I hate summertime trade rumors, but MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that several members of the Pittsburgh Penguins have been linked to the Red Wings in the rumor mill. While I don’t understand how Erik Karlsson would fit as a wild and rangy offensive defenseman with a $10 million cap hit, these two players make some sense in terms of “fit”:

Continue reading Two things: Kane and JVR, together again; Wings-Pens trade rumors

Video: Patrick Kane speaks with ESPN Chicago’s ‘Carmen and Jurko’

This was hanging out on my “For You” page on YouTube, but the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker beat me to the punch, so he gets credit.

Patrick Kane spoke with ESPN Chicago’s “Carmen and Jurko” today, and it’s a light-hearted, Chicago-oriented 26-minute conversation ahead of what is supposedly “Patrick Kane Day” in Chicago on August 8th (8/8).

Kane mostly talks about his Stanley Cup-winning goal in 2010, his love for Chicago, where he’s likely to retire, his hopes to continue playing at a high level for 1,500 games (he’s at 1302 games now), his desire to return to playoff hockey, his return to Chicago as a Red Wing, the Hawks’ Stanley Cup celebrations, and there are hints about “Patrick Kane Day” before he Jonathan Toews’ comeback, he discusses Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks’ future, his son’s status as a hockey nut, his golf game, and he apparently wanted to re-sign with Detroit for a year, saying that it’s a great spot to be despite the rivalry with Chicago, and that the fans have embraced him.

When it’s important to make an educated Russian guess

It’s hard to get hockey information out of Russia these days. Red Wings Prospects on Twitter is a beacon of knowledge as it applies to 21-year-old Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, who’s going to play this upcoming season for CSKA Moscow…

But Americans and Canadians can’t get in and out of Russia easily–or without scandal (see: the Canadiens going to St. Petersburg to woo Ivan Demidov).

So, when the Red Wings made the decision to draft defenseman Nikita Tyurin with the 140th overall pick in this past June’s NHL Draft, the Red Wings’ director of amateur scouting admitted that he leaned very, very heavily on the Wings’ Russian scout in order to determine whether MHK Spartak Moscow defenseman was worth drafting. Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen took note of Kris Draper’s remarks regarding Tyurin (via a subscriber-only article):

“All I’ve seen is on video,” said Kris Draper, Detroit’s assistant GM and director of amateur scouting. ” (But) Nikolai Vacherov, our Russian scout, was (in Detroit). As we were discussing players, his name came up. The one thing that Nikolai kept talking about was what a great playoff that he had.”

Tyurin is a 6-foot, 170-pound puck-moving blue liner with steady, effective defensive work. He had four goals and 20 points, and was plus-20, for Spartak in Russia’s top junior team. In the postseason, he posted five assists and was plus-6 in 19 games to help Spartak win the MHL championship.

“Good skater, good hockey sense, good with the puck, good first pass defenseman,” Draper said.

According to Draper, Vacherov “pounded the table” (so to speak) for the Red Wings to utilize their 5th round pick on Tyurin:

“When you’re in the later rounds and you have one of the area scouts that is excited about a player, that’s what I want to hear,” Draper said. “And Nikolai, when we talked about it, said he’d really like to draft him and bring him into the Detroit Red Wings prospect pool. And in the end, that’s why we ended up making that decision.”

Continued (paywall);

I know that fans are absolutely desperate to see Buchelnikov come over to North America, and, given his offensive ability as contrasted against his 5’10,” 170-pound frame, I’m certain that the Red Wings’ training staff want to get their hands on Buchelnikov to bulk him up, too.

Regrettably, Buchelnikov won’t be a free agent until after he plays this upcoming season for CSKA, and the Wings will monitor Tyurin’s development as closely as they can, contract situation included, in order to try and bring him over to North America when he’s ready to make the jump to AHL hockey.