Fisher Scott grew up a Colorado Avalanche fan, which is not unusual for a Colorado native. 

“I’m still cheering for them, but the Red Wings are my team,” he says with a laugh.

All in all, a nice kick save for a defenseman.

Scott was  drafted in the seventh round (No. 208) in this year’s draft and will play at Colorado College this winter. 

Scott is happy to be playing closer to his hometown of Carbondale, Colorado.

Cloxer to home

‘It’s pretty nice being so close,” Scott said of Colorado Springs, which is about four hours from Carbondale.

“Their facilities are great,” he said. “Being a Colorado kid, it was pretty cool to be able to do this. It’s been a lot of fun.”

After a cup of coffee with the Fighting Saints in 2021-22, Scott became a regular the last two seasons and was an assistant captain last year. 

“He grew into a leadership role,” coach Evan Dixon said. ‘“He leads by doing things the right way and setting a good example.”

Scott improved his offensive game last year, with 33 points in 61 games after just 13 points in 59 games the year before. 

“He became more aware of opportunities on offense,” Dixon said. “He had a better understanding of when to push the puck up the ice.”

But Scott still sees himself primarily as a defensive defenseman. 

“I’m a guy you can trust in every situation,” Scott said. 

Scott went in the seventh round of the NHL Draft,  but lasted until the 15th round of the USHL draft a few years ago. 

“I wouldn’t call him a late bloomer,” Dixon said. “He might have been underrated at the time,”

That wasn’t the case as the NHL draft headed into the final stretch.

“Our US scout, at that round, was pounding the table, which you like,” Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper said. “As you kind of get into the later rounds, you love the fact that the area guys get excited about an opportunity to kind of get involved in the selection. That’s what happened with that one. We’re excited to add him as well.”

Ready For New Challenge

Scott participated in the Red Wings’ development camp at Little Caesars Arena last month. 

“It was cool to get introduced to the facilities, the coaching staff and a lot of the guys who were there,” Scott said. “It was fun to be in the city.”

Scott learned he was drafted by a text message while running errands.

“I had talked with the Red Wings before the draft and I knew there was a chance I would be going there,” he said. 

Scott already has a couple of connections to this area. Dixon, his USHL coach, has a home in South Lyon. Dubuque assistant Alex Kromm is the grandson of Bobby Kromm, who coached the Red Wings in the late 1970s.

One of his teammates at Colorado College will be Brady Cleveland, who was a second round pick  by the Red Wings in 2023. 

Scott plans to major in business while honing his hockey skills at Colorado College. 

“I wouldn’t say there’s any rush,” he said. “Whatever Detroit decides to do is totally fine with me.”

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The Detroit Red Wings had to adapt on the fly last season when it came to their goalies. 

They started  the season with Ville Husso as the unquestioned starter and Alex Lyon languishing on the bench. 

After Husso suffered the first of several lower-body injuries, James Reimer temporarily took on a bigger role, only to give way to Lyon before Reimer made a couple of key starts at the end of the season.

In this year’s goalies picture, Reimer is gone, having signed with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent. The Red Wings also, as of now, have moved on from Michael Hutchinson, who played in one game with them last season while spending the rest of the season in Grand Rapids. He’s a free agent.

The Wings have two solid prospects in net in Sebastian Cossa and Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine. Neither are expected to be ready for at least one year (Cossa) or two (Augustine). 

They’ve added two goalies in the offseason: Cam Talbot, late of the Los Angeles Kings, and Jack Campbell, who flamed out spectacularly after signing a huge contract with Edmonton.

Here’s a look at each of the Wings’ goalies:

Cam Talbot

Age: 37

Height:  6-4 Weight: 200

NHL Experience: 11 seasons

Last year: 2.50 GAA, .913 save percentage, 27-20-6 record

Talbot signed a two-year deal with the Red Wings and brings a solid resume to Detroit. He struggled in the Kings’ loss to Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs, with a 5.30 GAA. But he likely won’t face an offense like the Oilers all that often in the Eastern Conference. One area of concern is Talbot’s age. The Wings are counting on Talbot’s ability so far to avoid injury, which can become problematic the closer a player gets to 40. If he can stay off then injured list and play to his career totals of 2.63 GAA and a .913 save percentage, he will make a bid to be No. 1. The Red Wings would like to see him grab the No. 1 spot. The Red Wings would like to see anyone grab the starter’s job and play consistently well. 

Ville Husso

Age: 29

Height: 6-3 Weight :205

NHL Experience: 4 seasons

Last year: 3.55 GAA, .892 save percentage, 9-5-2 record

Husso started the season as the Wings’ No. 1 goalie, then suffered lower-body injuries that limited him to one game after Christmas. If Husso can avoid a recurrence of those injuries this season, he still will have to improve on his numbers during his two seasons in Detroit to enhance the team’s fortunes. With a cap number of $4.75 million, he’ll have to improve to stay with the Red Wings after his contract expires next summer. 

Alex Lyon

Age: 31

Height: 6-1 Weight: 195

NHL Experience: 7 seasons

Last year: 3:05 GAA, .904 save percentage, 21-18-5 record

Lyon hadn’t played more than 15 NHL games in a season before last year, and started the season anchored to the bench. But he bided his time and made the most of his opportunity. He could be trade bait for both his performance and his salary ($900,000 on an expiring contract). He also end up as Detroit’s No. 1 goalie or the primary backup. It’s difficult to project where Detroit’s goaltending will play out. But the Red Wings appreciate what Lyon did for the team last season and he will get a chance to prove he can be the guy. 

Jack Campbell

Age: 32

Height: 6-3 Weight: 2

NHL Experience: 9 season

Last season:  At Bakersfield (AHL) 2.63 GAA, .918 save percentage, 18-13-1 record

Campbell is a Port Huron native who is both well-traveled and experienced in the ups and downs of professional hockey. He went from making the All-Star team in 2022 with Toronto to being sent to the minors by Edmonton last fall. His fall was precipitous, going from a $5,000,000 deal with the Oilers to $775,000 with the Wings. Campbell is looking for a fresh start in Detroit that will likely begin in Grand Rapids, where he will also team with Cossa as Hutchinson did last year. Campbell is a longshot to play in Detroit, but could boost his prospects elsewhere with a strong season.

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Drafting is not an exact science, as we will be reminded later this month when the Red Wings attend the NHL entry draft in Las Vegas.

You know the no-brainer picks, the Connor McDavids or the Steve Yzermans of the world, who are drafted high and are worth every nickel.

No matter what sport you are discussing, your mileage may vary on drafted players. It’s difficult to find any consistency in draft history. Fans must hold their breath as drafted players climb through a farm system. Some fall prey to injuries, some are traded, a few blossom elsewhere, and others are misses.

Some are big misses.

In hindsight, of course, you look at the numbers. Then it’s obvious.

But it’s not always obvious on draft day. Sports fans in Detroit know that. When Darko Milicic was drafted by the Detroit Pistons 20-plus years ago, not a single observer questioned the decision. He checked out all the boxes evaluators were looking for and had a legendary workout before the draft. He was a can’t-miss prospect.

Until he did.

Milicic was the second overall pick, taken ahead of (in order), Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, all of whom became stars.  Big stars.

The last few years of the Ken Holland regime had plenty of misses, although not as disastrous. Still, the failure of a half-dozen choices have  hampered the Red Wings during their decade in the playoff wilderness.

Can’t-Miss Prospects Who Did

Theodor Neiderbach

Where Taken:  Second round, No. 51 overall in 2020.

NHL Stats: None. He’s the most recent pick on the list, one of three second-round picks in 2020 and one of two Yzerman picks on the list. He was drafted out of Sweden and never scored more than nine goals in a season.

Could Have Had: Will Cuylle (13 goals in 81 games last season with N.Y. Rangers), No, 60 overall; Alex Laferriere (12 goals in 81  games for Los Angeles last season.

Evgeny Svechnikov

Where Taken: First round, No, 19 overall in 2015.

NHL Stats: Five goals in 41 games for Detroit. After a season each at Winnipeg and San Jose, played in the KHL last year. His brother, Andrei, is a standout at Carolina.

Could Have Had: Sebastian Aho (254 goals for Carolina), Brock Boeser (40 goals for Vancouver last year), Travis Konecny (33 goals for Philadelphia last season) .

Filip Zadina

Where Taken: First round, No. 6 overall, 2018

NHL Stats: Had a career-high 13 goals in San Jose last season; 28 in parts of five seasons in Detroit.

Could Have Had: Any one of three standout defensemen —Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes (Next pick in that draft), Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard, New York Islanders’ Noah Dobson. Hughes was playing at Michigan.

Dennis Cholowski

Where Taken: First round, No. 20 overall, 2016.

NHL Stats: Has 10 career goals, all with Detroit, seven in his rookie season in 2018-19. Spent last season at Bridgeport (AHL), Never lived up to expectations.

Could Have Had: Alex DeBrincat (Drafted 39th overall by Blackhawks. Some teams had him ranked in first round.

Givani Smith

Where Taken: Second round, No. 46 overall, 2016.

NHL Stats: Nine career goals, seven with Detroit. Had one goal with San Jose last season.

Could Have Had: Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard (Next pick, by Nashville).

Jared McIsaac

Where Taken:  Second round, No. 46, 2018.

NHL Stats: None. After playing parts of four seasons in Grand Rapids, McIsaac ended the season at Providence. He is a free agent.

Could Have Had: Edmonton’s Ryan McLeod (No. 40), Toronto’s Sean Durzi (No. 52)

Robert Mastrosimone

Where Taken: Second Round, No. 54, 2019.

NHL Stats: None. Red Wings didn’t sign him after he finished his college career at Arizona State. He played last season at Toronto (AHL).

C0uld Have Had: Vegas’ Pavel Dorefeyev (No. 79) and Arizona’s Matias Maccelli (No. 98, 2019)

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Like swallows returning to Capistrano in March and college students heading to Florida on spring break, the Detroit Red Wings are drawn to Swedish League players every June at the NHL draft.

The Red Wings have drafted one or more Swedes for each of the past eight years, and have drafted at least one in 30 of the past 31 NHL drafts. In 2015, they took Russian Evgeni Svechnikov with their first pick at No. 19 and stayed clear of Sweden. But since then, the draft has been like an annual shopping trip to Ikea.

GM Steve Yzerman has tapped into the Swedish pipeline since he came became Detroit general manager. He has drafted 13 Swedes in his tenure.

He has drafted a Swede in the first round — Axel Sandin Pellikka (2023), Simon Edvinsson (2021) and Lucas Raymond  (2020) — in three of the last four drafts. It’s four years in a row if you count Marco Kasper (2022). He is Austrian, but was playing in the Swedish Hockey League when Detroit claimed him.

Austrian Playing in Sweden

When you count Kasper, the Red Wings have taken an SHL player in the first- or second round every year since 2017. But that may change this month because there is no consensus Swedish-born first-round candidate.

There is one SHL player projected to go in the first round, and Detroit has been linked to him at No. 15. But he is a forward from Norway who went to Sweden for better competition.

That would be Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, whose numbers this season (eight goals in 41 games) aren’t eye-catching at first glance. However, scouts love his overall game. He’s considered first-round talent and in time could be the best player to ever come out of Norway. That’s a nation known for producing cross-country skiers and standouts in the biathlon. That’s the sport that combines cross country skiing and target shooting.

It does seem likely the Red Wings will grab a Swedish player at some point, even if it is not in the first two rounds.

Duty Bound to Take Swede?

The connection between the Detroit Red Wings and Sweden remains strong. Swedes such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Kronwall fueled Detroit for years. Now, Raymond is blossoming into a star.

Detroit Director of European scouting Hakan Andersson, a Swede, has been guiding players from Sweden and other countries to the Red Wings for years.

The Swedish talent pool isn’t entirely dry, of course. The Red Wings believe Sandin-Pellikka has a bright future. Swedes Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Jonatan Berggren and maybe Kasper could be on the Red Wings roster next season.

Also keep in mind that there are some Swedes projected in the second round who could jump in the first. Plus, the Red Wings own the 47th pick overall.  Defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius has been rising throughout the season. TSN analyst Craig Button rates him 29th on his list. MoDo center Lucas Pettersson is projected to land near the 47th pick. Djurgarden center Linus Eriksson is a possible second-round pick.

A potential first-round sleeper could be defenseman Dominik Badinka, a Czech player who is drawing attention playing for Malmo in Sweden. He’s 6-foot-3.

Red Wings fans partial to Swedes should be optimistic about next year’s Swedish prospects pool, which is said to be well-stocked.

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Even with Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson graduating to the Detroit Red Wings next season, the Grand Rapids Griffins are still expecting to have a competitive team.

Part of the Yzerplan is keeping the Griffins in the playoffs to create the best development environment for Detroit prospects. Griffins coach Dan Watson is a major aspect of all of that.  It was important for the Griffins to be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Here is an overview of which players might be back in Grand Rapids next season:

Leaving GR

Jonatan Berggren will get his chance with the Red Wings. He was the Griffins’ top scorer (24-32—56 in 53 games) this season and scored a couple of goals for the Red Wings when called up.

Simon Edvinsson played in 54 AHL games and 16 with the Red Wings, showing the ability that landed him on the opening night roster in 2022-23 and will likely see him stick in Detroit to start next season.

Michael Hutchinson was solid in goal last season but, at 34, the Red Wings will likely tab one of their prospects to team with Sebastian Cossa next season. He may want to join another NHL organization that would give him more of an opportunity to play at the NHL level.

Albert Johansson probably will start the season as the Red Wings’ No. 6 or No. 7 defenseman.

On the Fence

Marco Kasper came on strong down the stretch and could stick in Detroit with a good camp. If he doesn’t, he will return to the Griffins.

Carter Mazur has an outside chance to make the Red Wings.  It’s hard not to admire his feisty style, spunk and his knack for being in the center of the action when his team needs a goal. He needs to add some muscle.

Nate Danielson will get some games with Detroit next season. He’s such a good two-way performer he’s a threat to make the team coming out of training camp.

The Goalies

Sebastian Cossa had a bryeakout season, but Steve Yzerman likes his goalies to have more experience before handing them the NHL reins. He did that in Tampa Bay, too, with Andrei Vasilevski. An entire season as Grand Rapids’ No. 1 goalie would be a positive. Don’t forget he’s only 21.

The big question is Cossa’s backup

John Lethemon had a good season in Toledo, as did his partner, Jan Bednar. Bednar, a fourth-round pick in 2020, will be 22 next season and is finishing his first season in pro hockey. Lethemon, an undrafted Michigan State alum, is 27. There’s a chance both of them will leave the organization.

The Red Wings may be looking for another AHL/NHL veteran to come in as the organization’s No. 3 netminder. They needed three NHL goalies last season.The Red Wings like Carter Gylander. He signed with the Red Wings after finishing his career at Colgate. He could start the season in Toledo and see what happens. Expect to see him in Grand Rapids at some point.

Defense

Shai Buium joined the team late in the season after winning an NCAA title at Denver. William Wallinder and Antti Tuomisto will return, as will team captain Josiah Didier. Wallinder and Tuomisto played well this season, and could play more minutes next season.

Eemil Viro is also under contract with Detroit and should be back.

Don’t expect to see Axel Sandin-Pellika next season. The Wings are content to let him get more experience in Sweden.

Forwards

Don’t forget about Elmer Soderblom. The Red Wings haven’t. He was a productive player in the second half of the season for the Griffins. The Red Wings would like to have his size in their lineup, but he still must prove himself in training camp. He’s still waiver exempt. Amadeus Lombardi should receive an expanded role in Grand Rapids next season Cross Hanas will look to rebound from a disappointing offensive output last season. He had just 16 points in 58 games, one less than in 2022-23 in 28 fewer games. He also sat out the postseason. Austin Czarnik was a Griffin who spent the most time in the NHL last season, playing 34 games in Detroit and 38 in Grand Rapids,

The Griffins will likely bring back some veterans, including Czarnik, Dominik Shine, who is under contract, and possibly Joel L’Esperance, who is a free agent.

More importantly, those who return will have another year under Dan Watson. The learning curve between coach and players won’t be as steep next season, which could mean a better start and finish next year.

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MILWAUKEE – Early in the third period, the Grand Rapids Griffins found themselves down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Admirals.

They were in the same position Friday night, then scored four goals in the third to take a 4-2 victory.

But lightning didn’t strike twice for the Griffins, who lost to the Admirals 2-0 Sunday night  in the fifth and deciding game of their Central Division championship series.

“We just couldn’t capitalize on our opportunities tonight,” Griffins coach Dan Watson said on the team’s postgame radio show. “But overall, I shared with the guys just their work ethic, their compete level, the attention to detail, their willingness to get better every day. As a coach, that’s all we can ask for.”

Milwaukee will play the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Western Conference finals, which begin Wednesday. The Firebirds will host the first two games of the best-of-seven series.

The Admirals scored early, when Zach L’Heureux took a pass from Cal O’Reilly at center ice and  scored a short-handed goal at the 4:5e mark.

Another game, another shorthanded tally from Zach L’Heureux. @mkeadmirals | #MILvsGR | #CalderCup pic.twitter.com/PP1Ze7UnSG

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 26, 2024

Milwaukee goalie Troy Grosenick made it stand up.

The Griffins outskated the Admirals for much of  the first half of the game. But they couldn’t solve the 34-year-old Grosenick, who is on his fourth AHL team in as many seasons. He stopped all 30 Griffins shots. Grosenick played because Nashville Predators blue chip prospect Yaroslav Askarov was injured late in Game 4.

Cossa Stands Out in Losing Effort

Grand Rapids netminder Sebastian Cossa was almost as good.  He shone in the third period, making save after save as the Admirals dominated play. The Admirals outshot the Griffins 16-7 in the third period, and 36-30 for the game. Cossa owned a save percentage of .900 or better in seven of his nine playoff starts.

Milwaukee got an insurance g0al from Ryan Ufko at the 3:00 mark and peppered Cossa for the rest of the period.

RYAN UFKO. REMEMBER THE NAME.#MILhockey pic.twitter.com/H4JQDrG2ZX

— y – Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) May 27, 2024

The Griffins were without defensemen Simon Edvinsson who was injured in Game 4, missing the final seven minutes of that contest. Radim Simek did not dress for the game.  Josiah Didier was inserted into the lineup as the Griffins went with six defensemen rather than the seven they used on Friday.

Watson finished his first season behind the Griffins bench with a 37-28-3 record.

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