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The post The Five: Worst Red Wings First Round Picks (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka appears ready to answer the bell. That’s music to the ears of his Skelleftea teammates.

The Swedish club is facing a crisis due to injuries along the blueline. Facing Finland’s Lahti Pelicans on Friday in Champions Hockey League play, Skelleftea is showing three defensemen on the shelf. Rearguards Arvid Lundberg, Mans Forsfjall and Frans Haara are out.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka only played 02:38 today before stepping aside, but had time for some trickery all the same: pic.twitter.com/jmjxdysFI7

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) September 6, 2024

Sandin Pellikka was also on the injury list. He’d been hurt in the club’s opening CHL game. He was missing for the second game, a loss to German’s Straubing Tigers, after aggravating an old injury.

Skelleftea has been using four defensemen from its junior club. Also recruited on loan was defender Fredrik Granberg. He plays for Pitea in HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division.

However, there appears to be good news. At Thursday’s practice, Sandin Pellikka was no longer wearing the red no-contact jersey.

“Axel Sandin-Pellikka has taken off the red shirt,” Robin Lindgren reported on Swedish website Norran.se. “Looks to be ready again.”

Fast Start For Red Wings Prospect

Russian hockey watchers were projecting big things to happen for Red Wings draftee Dmitri Buchelnikov following his move to Vityaz of the KHL. “Buchelnikov will become the star of the new Vityaz,” predicted KHL.ru following the deal.

Another look at the snipe from Dmitri Buchelnikov pic.twitter.com/9s0Yul5CRj

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 16, 2024

Four games into the KHL regular season, the player chosen 52nd overall by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft is living up to that billing. As Vityaz readies to face Lada on Friday, Buchelnikov’s ledger is showing a goal and three assists. He’s picked up a point in three of the four games played by Vityaz.

Former Griffins Defenseman Eating Well In Russia

The Red Wings signed veteran NHLer Steven Kampfer in 2022. However, the journeyman defenseman never made it into Detroit’s lineup. Kampfer played all his games in the organization with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes near the end of the 2022-23 season.

Last year, Kampfer was making the decision to return to the KHL. That’s where he was playing with the Red Wings were signing him in 2022. The 35-year-old defenseman plays for Traktor and he’s finding it to be a tasty experience.

In an interview with Russian website Metaratings.ru, Kampfer was boasting that the food in Russia is far superior to what he was eating in the USA.

“The quality of the products is high, of course,” Kampfer said. “In the US, it is common to shop for at least a week in advance, and, of course, there are also preservatives in the products. Here, if you don’t eat something quickly, it will spoil in a couple of days.

“Both my wife and I appreciate quality products. Even milk tastes different here, fruits and vegetables also taste better. You literally enjoy the food.”

The post Red Wings Prospect Notebook: Sandin Pellikka Back in Action appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Perparation are ongoing for this weekend’s Detroit Red Wings rookie games against the Dallas Stars in Traverse City. Meanwhile, you might be finding yourself with some questions on your mind.

Such as, who are these guys?

It’s a fair point to make.

Of the 24 players on the Detroit roster, just seven are Red Wings draft picks. At the other end of the spectrum there are 11 free agents. They’ll be hoping to make enough of an impression during the two games to garner an invite to the club’s main training camp.

Among this group are right-wingers Borya Valis (Prince George, WHL), Charlie Paquette (Guelph, OHL) and Dylan Edwards (Erie, OHL), centers Chase Lefebvre (Peterborough, OHL) and Brayden Edwards (Lethbridge, WHL). Defensemen Matthew Virgilio (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL), Bauer Dumanski (Prince George, WHL) John Van Mulligen (Medicine Hat, WHL), Blake Smith (Flint, OHL), Marcus Kearsey (Charlottetown, QMJHL) and Zack Sandhu (Oshawa, OHL) are other free agents coming to rookie camp.

If you’ve got an eagle eye and a sharp memory, you’ll recall that Lefebvre, Paquette, Valis, Kearsey, Smith and both of the Edwards boys were participating in the Red Wings July development camp.

Teammates Of Red Wings Picks

Both Valis and Dumanski were WHL teammates of Red Wings 2024 third-round draftee Ondrej Becher last season with the Prince George Cougars.

Los Angeles-born Denver resident Valis was acquired last season in a trade with the Regina Pats. “Valis is an offensive player that has a nose for the net,” former Red Wings forward Mark Lamb, coach/GM of the Cougars, told the Prince George Citizen.

Dumanski is the type of defender with the necessary skills to work the back end in the current pro game. “His puck movement skills are what you need to be effective in today’s game,” Cougars scouting director Bob Simmonds told the Prince George Citizen.

Virgilio worked in front of another 2024 Red Wings pick, goalie Landon Miller. They were teammates with the OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Over the summer, Virgilio was dealt to the Niagara IceDogs. Original, Vigilio was leaning toward the college route and was a verbal commitment to the Michigan Wolverines.

“Virgilio took good strides with his game,” Greyhounds GM Kyle Raftis told The Sault Star. “Obviously, he was a big part of our playoff run this year, played some big minutes for us”

Paquette Familiar With NHLers

Paquette was weaned on hockey. His father Andy Paquette runs PowerTech Hockey. It’s a high-end training service for elite players based in Windsor, Ontario, across the boder from Detroit. Among Andy Paquette’s clients over the years have been NHLers such as Steve Ott, Zack Kassian, Mike Weber, Aaron Ekblad and former Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins winger Matt Puempel.

Dylan Edwards was an eighth round OHL pick of the Erie Otters. Cut in training camp last season he was battling his way back onto the roster by midseason.

“The way in which Dylan has dealt with adversity is exactly what you would describe to other players in how to handle this type of situation,”  Otters general manager Dave Brown told CHL.ca.

Lefebvre From Yzerman’s Junior Club

Likewise, Chase Lefebvre was a 15th round OHL draft pick who found a way to make the Peterborough Petes, the OHL team for which Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman played. “I forecheck and backcheck hard, I have good vision and I’m a fast skater,” Lefebvre said.

Brayden Edwards of the WHL Lethbridge Hurricanes feels he was gaining much from attending the Red Wings summer development camp. “I was able to take in a lot that I can hopefully put into next season,” he said.

Medicine Hat Tigers defenseman Josh Van Mulligen is getting his second shot with an NHL team. He was an attendee of the Edmonton Oilers development camp in 2023. “Just seeing my name on the jersey and everything, it’s pretty cool and it’s something I’m really grateful for,” Van Mulligen told the Medicine Hat News

Blake Smith of the OHL Flint Firebirds is a shutdown defenseman. He’s building a reputation as a shot blocker and a physical presence. “He has a long reach and takes pride in defending,” former Flint coach Ted Dent told CHL.ca.

Splitting last season between Guelph and Oshawa of the OHL, scouts are viewing Sandhu as a steady, reliable, low-risk style of defender.

Kearsey was winning the QMJHL top defensive rookie award with the Charlottetown Islanders following the 2022-23 season. “He’s a fun guy to coach, always a smile on his face,” Charlottetown coach Jim Hulton said. “He’s an energetic guy who’s always going to be a positive leader.”

The post Who Are These Guys On Red Wings Rookie Roster? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Dylan Larkin is the only the player from the Detroit Red Wings’ 2014 draft class playing in the NHL today. Not a single member of the 2015 Red Wings draft class is in the league. In 2017, none of the Red Wings last nine picks played an NHL game.

That’s why the Red Wings had one of the NHL’s worst drafting records from 2010-19. Those were all Ken Holland drafts except the last one. A draft study by Sportsnet showed that Detroit drafted 73 players in that span and only 13 of them played 200 or more games.

Josh Beneteau of Sportsnet reported that the Wings ranked 24th out of the NHL teams.

Bob Duff has all of the details in his DHN “Empty Cupboard” Story, including the fact that only nine of the 13 successful draftees actually played 200 games for Detroit.  Established veteran players such as Calle Jarnkrok and Mattias Janmark were drafted by Detroit, but never played a game for the Wings.

Red Wings In Case You Missed it

Detroit defenseman draft pick Anton Johansson scored a pair of goals for his Leksand team in a Swedish Hockey League game.

Take the Detroit Hockey Now Red Wings Quiz. Have some fun today with Bob Duff’s story.

Taro Hirose is still looking for work with 2024-25 season almost upon us.

Red Wings Offseason

Dmitri Buchelnikov has two goals, three points and a plus-3 plus minus in his first three games for Podolsk Vityaz in the Kontinental Hockey League. It seems as if he is playing impressively.

Dimitri Buchelnikov(2nd round’22):
5 SOG 1 Blocked Shot 1 Takeaway 1 pass interception 16:53 TOI in a 5-4 win.
•Looked great. Had a couple scoring chances and set up a couple as well. Just wasn’t his lucky day. #LGRW

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 9, 2024

Hockey Now Network

Chicago: What the Blackhawks can learn from the Florida Panthers? Chicago Blackhawks

Philadelphia: Top Flyers goalie prospect loses in relief in his KHL debut. Philadelphia Flyers. 

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby says that he’s “pretty optimistic’ his new contract is going to get completed. Was that so difficult? Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Washington: What’s going on with the Capitals TikTok? Nathan Moser has the answer? Washington Capitals.

The post The Daily: Study Proves Red Wings Drafted Poorly; Johansson Update appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

There’s been no shortage of curiosity about Detroit Red Wings defensive prospect Albert Johansson this summer. Following two seasons with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, the Swedish defenseman is out of options and would need to be clearing NHL waivers to be sent back to GR.

That means he’ll be given his shot with the Red Wings this season to prove he’s an NHL-caliber rearguard.

“Albert Johansson will get an opportunity to have an impact on the D corps and fit in somehow and we’re confident at some point he will play,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman said.

Anton Johansson
•“One year left in Leksand, but that doesn't matter when it comes to an NHL club. If Detroit misses me, it's up to them to decide where I'm going.”
•When asked where he’ll play next year “It's hard to answer because I have no idea”#LGRWhttps://t.co/CtU0eCpCSR

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) May 8, 2024

There’s been much fuss over Albert’s impending NHL debut. Sometimes, that makes it easy to forget there’s another Red Wings Swedish defensive prospect with the name Johansson. And he’s also working his way up the club’s organizational ladder.

Red Wings Prospect Johansson Scores Twice

It’s Anton Johansson and he’s doing his utmost to also get noticed. Saturday, in Swedish Hockey League preseason action, Johansson was scoring twice, pacing his club Leksand IF to a 6-3 victory over Valerengen.

Anton Johansson(4th round’22 for Leksands if) leads a nice rush and picks up the primary assist. #10 in white. He’s a really good skater. #LGRW https://t.co/Q1ZuK46PCQ pic.twitter.com/kpIDkSFp3f

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 3, 2024

“In the second and third period, we may not reach the level we want to be at, but we still maintain a good level and win the match,” Anton Johansson told Leksand’s website.

“I think we take steps every day and every match. It looks good. We are ready for next week when we will face two SHL teams.”

Fellow Leksand defenseman Fred Nilsson left no doubt as to who was the best player on the ice in the club’s Saturday victory.

“Anton (Johansson),” Nilsson said. “He still scores two goals. Anton reduces (the Leksand deficit) to 1-2 in the first period and then scores a power play goal in the middle of the second.”

Johansson, 20, certainly appreciates putting two goals in the net. However, the player chosen 105th overall by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft knows what he needs to improve in order to be taking further forward steps in his game.

“I think the defensive part,” Johansson said. “I did a good job in the playoffs.

“I’m gonna still work on that and try to keep up my offense.”

The post Red Wings Other Johansson Enjoys Big Game appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

A study of a decade of NHL drafting succinctly displays exactly how little Steve Yzerman was left to work with upon his arrival as GM of the Detroit Red Wings in 2019.

The study, conducted by Josh Beneteau, a writer for Canadian all-sports network Sportsnet, breaks down every draft selection made between 2010-19. Teams are ranked based upon what percentage of the players they drafted during this time period wound up playing at least 200 NHL games. That would basically be the equivalent of three NHL seasons.

I did a deep dive on some historical draft data to see if there were any trends. Part 1 of my series went live today. https://t.co/HgZfpx2AnD

— Josh Beneteau (@jbenny15) September 4, 2024

Based upon this research, the Red Wings slot in among Tier 4 of NHL teams. That means more than 15%, but less than 20% of the players they drafted during this decade would spend 200 or more games skating in the NHL.

Interestingly, during this time period, only the Chicago Blackhawks (76) would be making more draft selections than the 73 chosen by Detroit. However, just like the lottery, having more tickets than everyone else really isn’t going to significantly increase your chances of hitting a winner.

There’s 13 Players In Red Wings 200 Club

Only 13 players chosen by the Red Wings in the NHL entry draft between 2010-19 were able to skate in 200 NHL games. Gaining inclusion in this group are Riley Sheahan (637), Calle Jarnkrok (699) and Petr Mrazek (390) from 2010. Tomas Jurco (221) was a 2011 pick and Andreas Athanasiou (487) picked in 2012. There were three more in 2013 – Anthony Mantha (494), Tyler Berruzzi (406) and Mattias Janmark (557).

Captain Dylan Larkin (652) was a 2014 arrival, while Filip Hronek (390) came via the 2016 draft. Michael Rasmussen (313) was the top pick in 2017. Filip Zadina (262) and Joe Veleno (232) were the first two picks in 2018, while Moritz Seider (246) was Detroit’s 2019 first rounder. That’s the only draft in the group which Yzerman was overseeing as GM.

It’s worth noting that among this group of 13, only nine would suit up for 200 games as Red Wings – Seider, Veleno, Rasmussen, Larkin, Hronek, Bertuzzi, Mantha, Athanasiou, and Sheahan.

MORITZ SEIDER pic.twitter.com/Ur4HpECgZZ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 23, 2022

Neither Jarnkrok or Janmark would play a single game for Detroit. Yet they rank 1-4 among the 13 players in total NHL games played.

Not Great At Picking Goalies

Beneteau’s series also was showing the Red Wings were 23rd overall when it came to drafting goalies between 2010-19. They were 29th-best at finding hidden gems. Those are players who played 200 NHL games that were selections in the third round or later. Detroit was 20th-best among teams at finding 200-game NHLers during the first two rounds of selections.

All in all, what this data displays is that you must build from within in a salary cap NHL. Otherwise, you go without playoff hockey. The Red Wings are poster boys for that fact of hockey life.

Just as clear is that if the Red Wings are to climb back into status as a contender, it will be done so on the backs of the players Yzerman’s drafts have produced over the past six seasons.

The post Draft Study Emphasizes Past Emptiness of Red Wings Prospect Cupboard appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Champions Hockey League play got under Friday in Europe and two Detroit Red Wings prospects were enjoying differing fortunes during the same game.

Skelleftea began CHL competition with a close 4-3 victory over Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg. With less than two minutes to play in regulation, right-winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Detroit’s top pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft (15th overall) sent a cross-ice pass to Andreas Johnson. He would tuck home his second goal of the game to give Skelleftea the win.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (1st round’24) with a beautiful one touch assist as it stands would be the GWG with 2min left. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/uC9LzmcVa7

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 6, 2024

That was the good news for Skelletea and the Red Wings. The bad news is a concerning situation involving Detroit 2023 first-round pick (17th overall) Axel Sandin Pellikka.

In his first game back from an undisclosed injury, Sandin Pellikka’s day would last a paltry 2:38 before he was exiting from the game. The belief is that the defenseman once more aggravated whatever’s been keeping him out of action during the SHL preseason.

It’s unclear whether Sandin Pellikka will be able to play in Skelleftea’s next CHL game on Sunday against Germany’s Straubing Tigers.

Red Wings Prospect Nets Penalty Shot Goal

Meanwhile, back in Sweden, another Red Wings draftee was lighting the red lamp in impressive fashion. Left-winger Charlie Forslund (176th overall, 2024) netted a penalty shot goal for Mora IK. The tally came during a Swedish J20 match in which Mora fell 6-5 in a shootout to MoDo Hockey.

Charlie Forslund(6th round’24) scores on a penalty shot in Mora IK first J20 regular season game. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/SfKz6QciP7

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) September 6, 2024

The Red Wings would discover Forslund last year playing for Falu IF in HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division. Joining Mora, he’s following the same path that Brandsegg-Nygard took last season.

“You start thinking this could be something that could be potentially real good for us down the road,” Red Wings assistant GM and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper said. “We like where he’s going into Mora and that’s going to be important development-wise.

“Picking someone like Charlie, he’s someone who’s kind of been off the radar and all of a sudden is starting to play. Going into a good organization, he’ll continue to develop.”

The post Red Wings Prospect Sets up Winner in Champions League Victory appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

A recent ranking of NHL prospects suggests the Detroit Red Wings find more than their fair share of quality youngsters, although none are among the best of the best.

The Red Wings landed five players in EP Rinkside’s top 100 prospects, and four listed in the top 50. But Detroit didn’t have a single player ranked in top 25. Detroit’s highest-ranked prospect is Norwegian forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard at 35th. The Red Wings drafted him 15th in the 2024 draft.

Others in the top 50: Slick defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (17th overall in 2023) at 37th, hard-edged center Marco Kasper (Eighth overall in 2022) at 47th and skillful Nate Danielson (Ninth overall in 2023) at 50th.

The San Jose Sharks are the only other NHL team with more prospects than Detroit in the top 50. They boast five led by Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 and Will Smith at 10th. Quentin Musty is 15th, while Sam Dickinson was 21st and Igor Chernyshov at 45th.

Ranking the NHL's top 100 affiliated prospects ahead of the 2024-25 season. Complete with…

•Scouting reports on all 100 prospects
•Tools grades
•Honourable mentions

: @MitchLBrown/@DavidSt_Louis/@JDylanBurke

: https://t.co/Bp3sn5eeqG pic.twitter.com/PdY6Kh7Gsg

— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) August 16, 2024

EP Rinkside didn’t include Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson for the prospect list because he has already played 25 games with the Red Wings.

California native defenseman Shai Buium (drafted 36th overall), ranked 88th, was the only Detroit player ranked from 51-100. He will play for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

Twenty-eight of the 32 teams had at least one player ranked in the top 50.

Both Kasper and Danielson probably have a chance to play some games at the NHL level this season. Brandsegg-Nygard is supposed to play with Sandin Pellikka in Skelleftea (Swedish Hockey League) this season. However, Brandsegg-Nygard has said he expects to be at Detroit’s training camp.

Carter Mazur could have been on this list in the 50-100 range, especially given how well he performed in the second half of last season.

The post Red Wings Land Four Among Top 50 NHL Prospects appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.