Team USA released its initial roster for the World Championship today, and Nick Jensen will join Dylan Larkin on the Jeff Blashill-coached Team USA.
Congrats to Dylan Larkin and Nick Jensen, who will represent Team USA at the IIHF World Championships next month! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/kFVecaHzd9
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 28, 2018
Of Red Wings and Griffins-related video note:
1. The Red Wings posted a video chronicling their “Paint the Ice” day at Little Caesars Arena, which benefited the Detroit Red Wings Foundation…
I must admit that I feel little to no excitement regarding tonight’s draft lottery (7:30 PM EDT on CBC/NBC). The Red Wings have an 8.5% chance of earning the top pick and a 26.1% chance of landing a top-three pick, but it’s more probable that the Wings will actually end up picking sixth instead of their current fifth spot, and I’m not thrilled about that.
There are some good media offerings regarding the draft and draft lottery today, with WDIV’s David Bartkowiak Jr. providing something of a draft primer, and MLive’s Ansar Khan produced a fine scouting report on the top twelve ranked skaters…
The Athletic’s Craig Custance also wrote a superb article regarding the slim probability that the Wings might land Dahlin, and it’s his words that explain why I’m trying to not be stung too hard by the high probability that the Red Wings don’t end up with the first overall pick:
“What stands out the most about Dahlin is his poise with the puck,” [Nicklas] Lidstrom wrote in an e-mail to The Athletic. “Especially playing against men in the SHL. He doesn’t seem to panic with the puck.”
He’s exactly what the Red Wings need. They need impact players. They need a top-pair defenseman. They need a young player who can play 28 minutes per night and control the course of the game. They don’t have it on their current roster. They don’t have that player in the system.
Landing him would speed up the process considerably. There’s not a compelling case for the Red Wings to pursue Tavares or defenseman John Carlson in free agency this year if they’re picking anywhere but first. But land Dahlin, and the expectation is that the Red Wings will throw their hat into those conversations. They’re not alone on this front among NHL teams.
In 2019, they’d love to be in on one of the big free-agent defensemen: Doughty, Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Erik Karlsson. Dahlin gives them a good reason to push in free agency and gives those three a legitimate reason to listen.
Custance continues (paywall), and while I fully believe that the Red Wings are going to try to bid for Carlson and Tavares (there have been indications that the Wings are interested in the latter player for a while now), it’s my job to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and every scenario in which the Wings don’t finish with Dahlin–a 91.5% probability–is worse than the best, so you’ll have to forgive me for not sharing your enthusiasm.
The Toledo Walleye open their second-round series against the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday night, and the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe spoke with the Walleye’s players and coach regarding the match-up:
Both teams had a full week of practice and time to rest after ousting their first-round opponents. Toledo swept Indy, while Fort Wayne eliminated Cincinnati in five games. But each was a hard-fought series, with two games going to overtime in each series.
“Both teams found ways to get through them to get some days off to rest. I think both teams will be very excited coming into Saturday night,” [Pat] Nagle said. “It’s almost unfortunate that we meet so early in playoffs.”
[Tyler] Barnes has a team-high seven assists, which is the most for any player in the playoffs. Forward Christian Hilbrich is tied for the league lead with five goals in the playoffs. Forward Austen Brassard and defenseman Simon Denis, with three assists, posted four points against Indy.
“It’s a different mentality,” Brassard said. “Playoffs are the time of year that really count, so it’s important to play your role and work hard and do whatever you can to help the team out.”
Fort Wayne forward Gabriel Desjardins scored two goals and had seven assists against the Cyclones, and he leads the ECHL in playoff scoring. Rookie Phelix Martineau had four goals and three assists. Goalie Michael Houser went 4-1 with a 2.56 goals-against average.
Nagle, who earned All-ECHL second-team honors in the regular season and ranks sixth in the league with a 1.79 GAA in the playoffs, said the Huntington Center and Memorial Coliseum are “equally tough” venues.
Game 2 also will be at the Huntington Center at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, with the series shifting to Indiana for Games 3 and 4 next week.
Continued, and Monroe posted a list of 3 keys to the series as well.
Of prospect-related playoff note:
In the OHL, Jordan Sambrook had 2 assists and finished at +3 as his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won 7-3 over the Kitchener Rangers. Givani Smith finished at -1 with 4 PIM for Kitchener.
Sault Ste. Marie now leads the OHL’s Western Conference Final 3 games to 2, and you can watch highlights of the game here.
Regardless of whether the Red Wings land a top-three pick in tomorrow’s draft lottery (7:30 PM EDT on NBCSN/Sportsnet for picks 15-4, 2nd intermission of Vegas-San Jose game for picks 3-1), the Red Wings’ representatives at said lottery told the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan that the team will have the opportunity to significantly improve their stead…
Wherever the Red Wings wind up picking, it’ll be an interesting and busy weekend July 22-23 when the NHL Entry Draft takes place. The Red Wings have 11 draft picks overall, including seven in the first three rounds — two in the first round (including Las Vegas’ toward the bottom), two in the second round (including Ottawa’s) and three in the third round (including Philadelphia’s and Pittsburgh’s).
This draft, Holland said, can be considered two drafts built into one for the Red Wings, given the multiple picks in the first three rounds.
“Every draft is important, but this is an important draft for the future of the Detroit Red Wings,” Holland said.
While Dahlin is the prize catch, there are numerous prospects who could either move immediately into the NHL, or are projected to be impact players soon. Forwards Filip Zadina, Andrei Svechnikov (brother of current Wings’ prospect Evgeny Svechnikov) and Brady Tkachuk, and defensemen Adam Boqvist, Evan Bouchard and Quinn Hughes (Michigan) are some of the top players available.
Many scouts have called this one of the deepest classes in recent memory.
“There are a lot of players who could be able to step in soon and help teams,” Cleary said. “There are a lot of talented players available. This will be an exciting day for the Red Wings, and Red Wings fans. Everyone should be real excited.”
And the Free Press’s Helene St. James penned a list of some of the top prospects available in June’s draft:
D Adam Boqvist
Size: 5-foot-11, 168 pounds.
2017-18 stats: 14 goals, 10 assists for 24 points in 25 games in Sweden’s junior league and played 15 games (one point) in the top Swedish league.
Buzz: Shoots right. Skilled and creative with great vision.
D Evan Bouchard
Size: 6-foot-2, 193 pounds.
2017-18 stats: 25 goals, 62 assists for 87 points in 67 games with London (Ontario Hockey League).
Buzz: Shoots right. Reads plays well, has tremendous offensive instincts. Excellent passer. Wings are very high on this guy, if they pick second or third overall, he could be the choice.
St. James continues, and if you want to do your own research, NHL.com has posted its list of the best North American skaters, European skaters, North American goalies and European goalies.
CBS Sports Radio’s Scott Ferrall spoke with former Red Wings forward Darren McCarty on Wednesday night, and McCarty didn’t pull any punches regarding his post-career palliative of chose, nor his dislike for one Gary Bettman’s NHL:
“I can just tell my truth – and that’s my truth,” McCarty said on Ferrall on the Bench. “Whoever doesn’t think that marijuana is the answer for all these opioids – for me, coming from alcohol and coming from pills and stuff like this and watching guys – Derek Boogaard and Wade Belak – commit suicide, I’m not going to let that happen. So we get the word out. There is some benefits for it. It’s about living better and healthier, and I found it through the bud. Now I can medicate myself. I encourage, encourage, encourage people to get out there and get educated.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman must think McCarty is crazy, Scott Ferrall quipped.
“Who cares what Bettman thinks?” McCarty responded. “He ruined my game. Screw him. I’m glad I got to play earlier. What do you expect when you put a basketball lawyer from New York in charge of hockey? It was really a Canadian sort of game. Nothing against the Americans, but you could have made a better selection if you wanted to keep the game that it was, the game that we grew up with. This is a European game. This is a global game. Congratulations, it’s awesome. It’s great. But it’s not my game. It’s not your game.”
Continued, and here’s the interview:
The Athletic’s Craig Custance penned a lengthy article regarding Michael Rasmussen this morning, discussing Rasmussen’s wrist surgery, the impact the incredibly serious, studious Rasmussen has made upon the Wings’ coaching staff and front office, and Rasmussen’s play in the WHL playoffs, where he’s posted 14 goals, 15 assists and 29 points over the course of only 12 playoff games.
Custance reached out to Jason Smith, the coach of a team that Rasmussen’s Tri-City Americans defeated in the Kelowna Rockets, and Smith gave Rasmussen a thumbs-up:
“Whether you call it hockey IQ or game management, awareness and vision, the players who can transfer the quickest and give themselves the best opportunity to grow and become players at the next level quicker than the rest are the ones who have that knowledge of the game,” Smith told The Athletic.
Rasmussen showed Smith that hockey IQ with his adjustments on the fly, and his ability to be a factor in all aspects of the game. It was the little things, like having a good stick after a lengthy shift in the defensive zone to knock the puck down and get a clear, or creating offense off the rush with a smart pass in the offensive zone.
“You can look at vision with the puck,” Smith said. “Being able to process the next play at a pace where you don’t have to double clutch and stickhandle the puck three times to make the pass.”
For him, the turning point in his assessment of Rasmussen’s game was Game 2 of that first-round series. Every time Kelowna got a goal, it was Rasmussen and Geekie who seemed to answer.
“Whether it was 5-on-5 or the power play, they found a way,” Smith said. “He’s an elite player.”
Custance continues (paywall)…
Of Red Wings-related note this morning:
1. The Wings posted a video in which Carley Johnston explains Saturday’s draft lottery:
3. And in case you were wondering why the Grand Rapids Griffins won’t be able to use Van Andel Arena for their series against the Manitoba Moose, which re-starts with Monday’s 5th and deciding game, the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner explains the situation:
Why the long wait between games? Grand Valley State and Davenport have the arena reserved for commencement ceremonies
Update: Here’s a fourth thing, from the Detroit Free Press, regarding the distribution of the Russian Five film:
“The Russian Five” will continue its festival run through the summer and is exploring options for distribution while looking into creative ways to bring the film to fans. Sign up for email updates at the film’s website.
The Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Manitoba Moose 3-0 last night, and Jared Coreau was excellent in stopping the 25 shots that he faced. As the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner notes, Coreau rebounded from his difficult stint with the Red Wings in a big way:
“When you go to the NHL and come back here, you get confidence,” he said. “You played at a faster level. I was there for six weeks. The shots are quicker and you just see the plays a lot more clearer down here.
“You just have to be ready. Tom was playing real well and that’s why he started the series and, hey, things just work out that way. And when you’re called upon, you have to do your job.”
Coreau didn’t face more than nine shots in any period as the defense gave him clear sight lines or absorbed the shots up front. Non-shots are a big deal for any goalie.
“Every time they do it I get excited,” Coreau said. “I mean, it’s hard. It hurts. They have way less gear then us. So, I take a lot of pride in playing with guys that do that every night.”
