Kulfan profiles Filip Hronek

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan profiles Red Wings prospect and Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Filip Hronek this afternoon, discussing Hronek’s rapid ascent through the Griffins’ depth chart:

Griffins coach Todd Nelson was impressed with how Hronek kept elevating his performance throughout the long season.

“I didn’t think he’d develop as quickly as he has, which is great,” Nelson said. “From Christmas on to now, he’s been playing his best hockey. Maybe a month ago I thought, ‘Man, he’s really developed, he’s playing extremely well for us, not just the offensive numbers but you look at his plus-minus, he’s playing well defensively’.

“And when I thought he’d be peaking, he cranked it up another gear last month, and that’s great for us and the organization. He runs the No. 1 power-play unit, and he’s been one of our go-to guys He’s put himself in that position, so that’s a great story.”

The adjustment of going from junior to pro hockey, along with a glut of defensemen in Grand Rapids in the early going, made getting into the lineup difficult for Hronek.

But gradually it all began to work out. The Red Wings made trades to reduce the logjam, and near the halfway mark of the season, Hronek began earning the trust of Nelson and the coaching staff.

“Guys are stronger, faster and smarter (in the AHL),” Hronek said of the adjustment from junior hockey where Hronek starred in Saginaw. “You have to make (quick) decisions. The start was hard, it was tough to get tempo (with lack of playing time), and trust from the coach. Then when I started to feel comfortable, I was feeling better.”

Kulfan continues…

Griffins officially sign goaltender Justin Fazio to ATO

It’s official, per the Grand Rapids Griffins:

JUSTIN FAZIO SIGNED TO ATO

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday signed goaltender Justin Fazio to an amateur tryout.

Fazio, 20, led the Ontario Hockey League with a 0.918 save percentage and placed second in wins with 37 while making 51 appearances for the Sarnia Sting this season. He also ranked sixth with a 2.85 goals against average and tied for ninth with a pair of shutouts. The 6-foot-1 netminder added a 6-6 record, a 3.04 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage in 12 postseason games as Sarnia fell in six games to Kitchener in the second round of the OHL playoffs.

A native of Sarnia, Ontario, Fazio has skated in 176 games with the Sting since 2013 and has logged 50 or more appearances in each of the last two seasons. He has claimed 20 or more victories in three consecutive campaigns, capped off by a career-high 37 this season. In total, Fazio shows a 92-62-13 career record, a 3.26 GAA, a 0.900 save percentage and six shutouts with Sarnia. He adds a 6-8 record in 15 playoff appearances to go along with a 3.66 GAA and a 0.877 save percentage.

Khan on Michael Rasmussen’s positional shift

Red Wings prospect and Tri-City Americans captain Michael Rasmussen has shifted from center to wing since returning from wrist surgery, and MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the positional change has benefited Rasmussen, per Wings director of player development Shawn Horcoff:

He had 31 goals and 59 points in 47 games during the regular season, playing mostly center, his natural position. He played a little on the wing toward the end of the year, which the Red Wings encouraged.

Rasmussen’s posted 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points over the course of 8 playoff games played…

“He’s learning how to (play wing),” Horcoff said. “He’s normally been a center. We know him to be that and view him as that. But at the same time, it’s always good to learn how to play wing, which makes him more of a complete player.”

Horcoff said Rasmussen is skating much better. That was the main concern when he was drafted. He has tremendous hands and offensive instincts.

“When he first started playing (the wing) it took a little bit, but once the playoffs started he found his groove and is more comfortable,” Horcoff said. “He’s hard on the puck. With his size and strength in that league he’s hard to knock off the puck down low.

“He’s making some great offensive plays, some great passes, showing some really good vision from below the tops of the circles, which is a nice asset to go along with his good hands and scoring touch out front.”

Khan and Horcoff continue…

Twitter report: Griffins sign Sarnia Sting goalie Justin Fazio to Amateur Try-Out deal

Via Mark MacDonald on Twitter, CHOK Radio Sarnia’s Josh Boyce reports that Sarnia Sting goaltender Justin Fazio has signed an Amateur Try-Out (ATO) with the Grand Rapids Griffins:

Fazio, a 20-year-old who’s 6’1″ and 189 pounds, played 51 games for the Sting this past season, going 37-11-and-3 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

He’ll probably serve as a Black Ace and goaltender on the Griffins’ practice squad; he signed an ATO with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last spring, ultimately spending his spring with the ECHL’s Reading Royals.

NHLPA hits the “Way Back Machine,” posts Fedorov interview from 2004

The NHLPA has been posting videos from its early 2000’s-era “Be a Player” show, and today, they posted a video of Sergei Fedorov from 2004, who was then a member of the Anaheim Ducks. In retrospect, the 23-minute video is campy, but it’s an interesting “watch”:

 

A bit about Dylan McIlrath and Joe Hicketts’ professional aspirations

Ahead of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ first-round series against the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Free Press’s Mike Sawatsky penned a profile of Griffins defensemen Dylan McIlrath and Joe Hicketts:

In 2010, when Dylan McIlrath was drafted in the first round (10th overall) by the New York Rangers, he was a prime prospect and a prototypical shutdown defenceman.

He was big, a capable fighter with a nasty edge and a fearsome nickname (The Undertaker) — all qualities scouts savoured when he graduated from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors.

Nearly eight years later, the way the game is played has changed dramatically, but McIlrath is still working to find permanent employment in the NHL. Traded twice last season (from the Rangers to the Florida Panthers to the Detroit Red Wings), the 25-year-old Winnipeg product has finally found a stable hockey home with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s chief farm team.

He also hasn’t given up on his big-league aspirations.

“Last year, I bounced around — five different teams and three organizations — so it was a lot of hotels, a lot of people to get to know and different cities,” said McIlrath via telephone from Grand Rapids, where the Griffins were preparing for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon. “I was lucky to be in one place this year and I re-signed here because I love it here and knew I had a good opportunity in this organization to move up, hopefully.”

Sawatsky continues…

Free Press posts an excerpt from Murray Howe’s “Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father”

The Free Press has published an excerpt from Murray Howe’s book, Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father, and here’s a taste thereof:

So many great memories flooded over me as I stared at my laptop. I thought long and hard about this one-of-a-kind man I called Father. Obviously he was larger than life to hockey fans and friends. But he was even bigger than that to me, his son, the one he called “the little guy,” even when I was 55. I idolized him for all that he was, and did my best to follow his lead. But although he was a man of strong conviction, he spoke softly and judiciously, and taught mostly by example.

Staring at the screen, I asked myself, What did I learn from my father? What did he stand for? My first thought, without hesitation, was live honorably.

Honorable: honest, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded; decent, respectable, estimable, virtuous, good, upstanding, upright, worthy, noble, fair, just, truthful, trustworthy, reliable, reputable, creditable, dependable, law-abiding.[1]

Yep, that was Dad. A man who stood up anytime a woman entered the room. Even when he was 88 years old.

Mr. Hockey stood for nothing if not for honor. Honor through loyalty, respect for self and for others, and excellence in every endeavor.

Continued

Prospect playoff round-up: Fulcher, Bulldogs take game 1 of Conference Final; Larsson’s Storm eliminated

Of prospect-related playoff note:

In the OHL, Kaden Fulcher stopped 26 of 28 shots as the Hamilton Bulldogs won 6-2 over the Kingston Frontenacs, taking the first game of the teams’ Conference Final series;

And in the USHL, Filip Larsson’s Tri-City Storm struggled without him during the regular season, and they struggled without him during the playoffs, losing 3-0 to the Fargo Force.

Tri-City dropped both games 1 and 2 of a 3-game series, and thus, they’ve been eliminated.

Toledo Walleye win 2-1 over Indy, take 3-games-to-0 lead

The Toledo Walleye won a 3-1 decision over the Indy Fuel on Wednesday night, taking a 3 games-to-0 lead in the teams’ best-of-seven series.

Kyle Bonis scored 2 goals, A.J. Jenks scored an empty-netter, and Pat Nagle stopped 30 of 31 shots along the way.

The Walleye’s website posted a recap:

Continue reading Toledo Walleye win 2-1 over Indy, take 3-games-to-0 lead

Afternoon news: On Bertuzzi’s conditioning, prospects, Tomas Tatar, Ken Daniels and a “mock draft”

Of Red Wings-related note this afternoon:

  1. DetroitRedWings.com’s Dana Wakiji spoke with Tyler Bertuzzi during locker room clean-out day, discussing Bertuzzi’s need to focus on conditioning during this offseason:

“Two summers in a row have been short,” Bertuzzi said. “I’ve been kind of hurt to start the summer off and that kind of delayed training. Last year we made a long playoff run and I was hurt. I think this is a big opportunity for me to take full advantage of having a long summer in the gym.”

In 48 games with the Wings, Bertuzzi had seven goals, 17 assists and was minus-7. Five of those goals came in the final eight games.

When he was first called up, Bertuzzi played limited minutes. After the team traded Tomas Tatar to the Vegas Golden Knights, it opened up more ice time for the young winger, who earned a spot alongside captain Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist.

“Down the stretch, I had a lot of fun,” Bertuzzi said. “It was fun to play with Z and Gus. It makes it a lot easier. They’re fun to be around. We’ve got such a great group here. We worked hard every night, we battled every night. We’re only going to be better next year.”

Bertuzzi, 23, is 6-feet, 190 pounds, and will be looking to add muscle. After some time at home, Bertuzzi plans to return to metro Detroit to train at Barwis Methods with Dylan Larkin and Luke Glendening, among others.

Wakiji continues…

2. In the prospect department, the Oakland Press’s Pat Caputo penned a list of “5 Factors to Consider” regarding the Red Wings’ off-season, mostly talking about the Wings’ prospect corps, and Caputo is quick to throw water on the progress made by the Wings’ young prospects:

Michael Rasmussen is dominating during the Memorial Cup playoffs – In the first two rounds, the Red Wings’ future 6-foot-6 power forward (his NHL projection is likely on the wing) has 24 points in eight games. It’s a really good sign, and this isn’t meant to rain on the Rasmussen parade, but it should be considered he has benefitted greatly from playing with two of the best defensemen in junior hockey, Jake Bean (13th overall pick ‘16 by Carolina), and Juuso Valimaki was (No.16 by Calgary in ’17). They are extraordinary players at the junior level, basically controlling the games they participate. They are largely responsible for Rasmussen’s recent surge for the Tri-City Americans.

Caputo continues, and Rasmussen is no slouch…

3. In the alumni department, the Free Press’s Helene St. James took note of Tomas Tatar’s struggles with the Vegas Golden Knights…

Tatar has joined the list of Wings players who have not performed as expected after leaving Detroit. The Vegas Golden Knights wrote another chapter in their delightful story on Wednesday when the expansion franchise advanced to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs after completing a four-game sweep of Los Angeles.

That feat, though, came without the services of Tatar, who was a healthy scratch after the first two games of the best-of-seven series. The Wings traded Tatar Feb. 26 in exchange for a first-round pick in 2018, a second-round pick in 2019, and a third-round pick in 2021. At the time of the trade, Tatar had 16 goals in 62 games with Detroit.

He only scored four more goals during the regular season, finishing with six points in 20 games with the Knights.

St. James continues, discussing the performances of Petr Mrazek, Riley Sheahan and Brendan Smith…

4. From The Athletic’s Craig Custance:

In November, Red Wings television analyst Ken Daniels opened up about the incredible and heartbreaking details surrounding his son Jamie’s death in a story published in The Athletic Detroit. Since then, ESPN has produced a documentary about the family and Daniels’ efforts have resulted in Washington D.C. listening and making changes. Daniels joins the podcast to share all those details along with a great story on what it’s like to be on Scotty Bowman’s bad side.

Continued…

5. And in the theoretical draft pick department, The Sporting News’s Steve Kournianos conducted a mock draft which does not have the Wings winning the lottery:

5. Detroit Red Wings: Adam Boqvist, D, Brynas J20 (Superelit)

As much as the Red Wings would love to get their hands on Dahlin, this “other” Swedish rearguard is far from a consolation prize. Boqvist (5-11, 168 pounds) was too dominant for Sweden’s junior circuit but not physically ready for the rigors of an adult league. Still, his ridiculous shot and skating ability should make him a staple on the Red Wings’ power play for many years to come.