The Detroit Red Wings benefited from an effective goalie performance by a prospect goalie. And it wasn’t Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine.

Carter Gylander (pronounced GUY-Lander) stopped 29 of 30 shots (.967 save percentage) to help the Red Wings down the Dallas Stars twice in their NHL Prospect Series. The Alberta native owned a 0.67 goals-against average for 90-plus minutes of work in the series.

Here is the scoring summary for the two games of the series.

The Red Wings signed Gylander, 23, after he played four seasons at Colgate.  At 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, Gylander has a similar body type to Cossa. Both are tall and thin.

“I thought he had a great game and a half, to be honest with you,” the prospect team coach Dan Watson said. “He played aggressive (Sunday). He saw a lot more action to what he did last night. So for him to be able to put together four and a half really, really solid periods is good for him. You know, he got a little bit of a taste last year in the Grand Rapids, some practice time. So I think he was maybe a little bit ahead of the curve there. But I think overall very pleased with his outings.”

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Jakub Rychlovsky’s dynamic offensive skill was very evident in the prospect series against the Dallas Stars.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard played only one of the two games against the Stars. But he was impressive in Game 1 against the Stars. Could he make the Red Wings this season? Not likely, but possible based on his all-around game.

Paywall story: Bob Duff ranks the Red Wings’ worst first round picks through the years. Detroit has known some . If you haven’t purchased a yearly subscription, you can order one here.

Red Wings Offseason

Detroit’s Prospect Team turned in an impressive performance in taking a pair of games from the Dallas Stars in their NHL Prospect Series in Traverse City. The Red Wings gave up just three goals in their two games, and one came at the buzzer in Game 2 with the Dallas goalie pulled. The Red Wings used several free agent invitees, but all of their prospects played well. Emmitt Finnie was particularly impressive. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will be a multi-tool NHLer. Jakub Rychlovsky has noteworthy skill. Nate Danielson is close to challenging for an NHL spot. Alexandre Doucet showed he has taken a step in his development. Amadeus Lombardi has bulked up without losing any speed.

Check out how many Michigan players, including Red Wings, are working out together at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth.

Look at this group of NHL players that trained at Plymouth’s USA Hockey Arena this summer.

So many stars including: Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, Connor Hellebuyck, Ville Husso, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Adam Fantilli, Luke Hughes, Jack Hughes, Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Alex… pic.twitter.com/EhgyLd3HWt

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) September 15, 2024

Hockey Now Network

Buffalo: Jason Moser identifies three underrated Sabres in the Prospect Challenge. Buffalo Sabres. 

Florida: The Stanley Cup champion Panthers will have plenty of new faces in training camp. Florida Panthers.

Philadelphia: It’s unlikely to happen, but the Flyers are not willing to rule out prospect Jett Luchanko making his NHL debut this season. His drive is off the charts. Philadelphia Flyers. 

San Jose: Does it matter that the Sharks youngsters are dominating in NHL rookie games? Sheng Peng discusses all of that.   San Jose Sharks

The post The Draft: Do Red Wings Have Third Intriguing Net Prospect?; MBN Injured appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It wasn’t planned that way.  However, Detroit Hockey Now’s two goaltending stories over the past 24 hours covered Red Wings goaltending yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Bob Duff’s story explains why the Red Wings are concerned about Ville Husso‘s ability to stay healthy. The medical reports are all positive about Husso, but in the back of everyone’s mind is the reality that he hasn’t play a full 60-minute game since December.

Concern over that fact showed in the Red Wings’ decision to sign Cam Talbot as a free agent.

The other DHN paywall (+) goalie story points out that Detroit’s goaltending prospects Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine represent the team’s most promising young goaltending tandem since the Red Wings had Glenn Hall to follow Terry Sawchuk in the 1950s.

The Red Wings could actually be thinking of Cossa and Augustine playing together at some point because the days of having a No.1 goalie playing 65 to 70-plus games are over.  Only three goalies played 60 or more games in 2023-24.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis signed a new contract. It could have implications on the Lucas Raymond negotiations. They are both 22, and have similar career numbers. ty

Igor Larionov‘s son, Igor Jr., is at the center of a mini-controversy on a KHL team.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard‘s Norway team still has a shot at qualifying for the next Olympic Games.

Red Wings Offseason

Detroit hasn’t been in the NHL playoffs since 2016, but the franchise remains a national draw for television. From Detroit fan perspective, the only negative of that is the later start times.

15 national games! pic.twitter.com/iJ0EVXbGg1

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 29, 2024

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Tyler Johnson has signed a PTO to join the Bruins in training camp. Detroit fans will remember how Johnson hurt the Red Wings when he played for Tampa Bay years ago. Boston Bruins. 

Montreal: Marc Dumont offers readers a guide to where Montreal’s prospects will be playing this season. Montreal Canadiens.

Nashville: NHN offers the top 10 Nashville players from 2000-09. Hint: Paul Kariya may have made the list. Nashville Predators.

Pittsburgh: Dan Kingerski offers and over and under on all things Penguins. It’s an interesting read. Pittsburgh Penguins.

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The post Why the Detroit Red Wings Won’t Pursue Askarov (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

If you are a Detroit Red Wings fan suffering from rebuild fatigure, this story isn’t for you. We respect those of you who prefer to think about where the team is in terms of the NHL playoffs. Eight years out of the playoffs is too long.

But our recent ranking of Detroit’s prospects, made us think how close we are to knowing what this Yzerman-built team will look like. In case you missed it, we ranked our Top 15 Red Wings prospects last week. It was a paywall story. We didn’t rank Simon Edvinsson, Jonatan Berggren (drafted by Ken Holland) and Albert Johansson because all three are likely to make the roster this season. Berggren and Johansson are no longer waiver-exempt, meaning the have to clear waivers to be sent to Grand Rapids. Yzerman has said he doesn’t believe they would clear waivers.

Our top six prospects included 1. Marco Kasper, 2. Axel Sandin Pellikka, 3. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, 4. Nate Danielson, 5. Carter Mazur and 6. Sebastian Cossa. Kasper, Brandsegg-Nygard and Danielson project to be top six forwards, and Sandin Pellikka will be a Sergi Zubov-type high scoring defenseman. Mazur can be a poor man’s version of Tyler Bertuzzi. In other words, he’s a scrappy competitor with scoring ability. At 6-foot-6, Cossa has the goalie size every GM covets. He will be the Grand Rapids’ Griffins’ No. 1 goalie this season and then, if all goes well, he will be competing for a roster spot in 2025-26.

COOOOSSSSSAAAAA

Sebastian Cossa set a new franchise record with a 19-game point streak from Jan. 19-April 5 (13-0-6), beating out Marc Lamothe’s 15-game run from Oct. 19-Nov. 30, 2002 #GoGRG

SEASON REVIEW >> https://t.co/mIrHO7xZZf pic.twitter.com/SRDwd7PY50

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) July 11, 2024

All six of those players should be, or could be, playing in Detroit by 2025-26. We also think defenseman William Wallinder could get a shot by 2025-26. Six-foot-five Finnish D man Antti Tuomisto could also be knocking at the door.

If you add up those players, the Red Wings will have at least four Yzerman draft picks (including Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond) on the roster this season, and it could be five or six. By 2025-26, at least half of Detroit’s roster will be players drafted by Yzerman’s regime.  The rebuild isn’t over, but we will have a good idea of what kind of talent Yzerman has assembled.

If you want to subscribe to read this story, click here. If you want to receive a $10 discount on a subscription, use the promo code kevin10. Thank you for supporting Detroit Hockey Now.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

A former Red Wings prospect and a current prospect faced off at the World Junior Summer Showcase. It was an interesting moment for Andrew Gibson. 

Jiri Fischer’s son, Lukas, is drawing attention as a St. Louis Blues prospect. Jiri still works for Detroit as a scout.

Prospect John Whipple projects to be a heavy hitter for GM Steve Yzerman’s team up the road. He likes that role.

Red Wings Offseason

It’s 68 days until the Red Wings season opener. Will GM Steve Yzerman work out deals with Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond before then? Detroit’s training camp hasn’t been announced, but it is roughly 47 or 48 days away.

Hockey Now Network

Buffalo: Jason Moser looks at whether Tage Thompson will have a bounce-back season in 2024-25. Buffalo Sabres

Montreal: Marc Dumont’s Habs prospect ratings enters the top 10

Philadelphia: Flyers forward Denis Gurianov has signed a two-year deal to play in the Kontinental Hockey League. Philadelphia Flyers.

The post The Daily: Red Wings Rebuild Picks Up Steam; Andrew Gibson Speaks appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Yes, GM Steve Yzerman was confirming Friday, the Detroit Red Wings are in the market for another goaltender.

No, it’s not likely that goalie is going to be John Gibson.

You’ve probably seen some speculation about the Red Wings pursuing Anaheim Ducks netminder Gibson in a deal. While Yzerman didn’t completely drown that notion, he certainly threw cold water on the idea of spending the type of assets it would require to acquire a goalie of Gibson’s ilk.

Yzerman says Ville Husso will be ready for the season. Said he'll look at goalie market, but also indicated he's not really interested in a veteran goalie that won't be here in 2-3 years

— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) June 21, 2024

“We will look at the goalie market and if something makes sense for us to do that we think improves us, whether that be via trade or free agency, we’re not opposed to doing that,” Yzerman confirmed. “I know we have two (goalies), but I think we, I do know we need to every year try to see if we can improve our team.

“But having said that, I don’t anticipate using prime assets, whatever you would consider those to be, to really go out and acquire an older goaltender that might not be here in two, three, four years from now.”

Gibson’s Contract A Deterrent

Gibson is 30 – not old, but also not young. The major deterrent to making a move for him would be Gibson’s contract. Detroit would be on the hook for $6.4 million per season through the 2026-27 season.

Yzerman would have to find a way to shed some contracts. Otherwise, that would pretty much eliminate the cash needed to keep either Patrick Kane or Shayne Gostisbehere, both about to become UFAs.

The Ducks also wouldn’t be giving Gibson away. They’d likely want a top prospect and a high draft pick for their No. 1 netminder.

At this juncture, Yzerman appears willing to roll with his two returning NHL goalies – Alex Lyon and Ville Husso – each entering the final year of their contracts. The Detroit GM also wasn’t ruling out keeping one of them beyond the 2024-25 campaign.

“Both Alex and Ville, with one year to go on their contracts, we certainly have the option of extending them,” Yzerman said.

Red Wings Need Cossa Partner

Beyond the NHL, the Red Wings have three other netminders in the system that are signed to pro contracts. Sebastian Cossa will be playing his second season with AHL Grand Rapids, where expectations are he’ll be carrying the load. Carter Gylander and Jan Bednar, the latter on an AHL contract, are most likely to be a pairing with the ECHL Toledo Walleye.

In the goalie market, it’s a virutal certainty that Yzerman will be seeking to sign an AHL veteran capable of playing in the NHL in a pinch. A netminder much like journeyman Michael Hutchinson, who split time with Cossa in the Griffins net the past season.

Steve Yzerman said he anticipates Sebastian Cossa playing a bigger role in Grand Rapids next year, but will never rule out a player coming to camp and making them rethink their plan. #LGRW

— Daniella Bruce (@daniellabruce_) June 21, 2024

“We’ve had a lot of discussions on it, which way we go with it,” Yzerman said. “We will definitely want another goaltender.

“If you want to call it a number three, whether he’s a veteran, but yeah, another guy that in the event we have in injury up top or we need a goalie for whatever reason, that we have someone there.”

Yzerman also made a point to note that he wasn’t counting out Cossa as a possibility to play in Detroit, albeit an unlikely option.

“Regarding Sebastian, he had a very good year,” Yzerman said. “We’re very pleased with his progress.

“I don’t rule out any player coming to training camp and standing on his head or playing brilliantly and forcing us to reevaluate our plan. But right now I anticipate Sebastian playing an even bigger role in Grand Rapids next year. So we’ll look to add a goaltender there.”

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The Detroit Red Wings didn’t opt to sign goaltender Jan Bednar to an NHL contract. He’ll still be remaining part of the organization, though.

Monday, the Grand Rapids Griffins were announcing that they were signing the Czech netminder to a one-year AHL contract. Bednar was also with the Griffins on an AHL contract this past season. However, he spent the entire season with the ECHL Toledo Walleye.

UPDATE: The Griffins on Monday re-signed goaltender Jan Bednar to a one-year contract extension for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign #GoGRG

DETAILS >> https://t.co/gRZoIgjoOf pic.twitter.com/xG70V8ryPQ

— x – Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) June 3, 2024

Bednar (pronounced BEHD-nash) showed a 22-7-2 record, a 2.66 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 36 regular-season games for the Walleye this season. He also would tally a 4-1 mark in the postseason to go along with a 2.37 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The 21-year-old made his debut for Toledo during the 2022-23 campaign, completing a 1-1-0 ledger with a 3.01 GAA and a .901 save percentage in three outings.

Selected 107th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2020 NHL entry draft, Detroit had until June 1 to ink the 6-foot-4, 196-pound netminder goaltender to a pact, or the club would relinquish his NHL rights. While that didn’t happen, it took just two days for Bednar to decide to remain under contract with the Griffins for another season.

Red Wings Still Likely To Sign Another Goalie

It would appear probable that Bednar and the recently-signed Carter Gylander will be designated to share the netminding chores with the Walleye next season. Currrently with just two goaltenders under contract showing NHL experience on their resumes – Alex Lyon and Ville Husso – in all likelihood come July 1 the Red Wings will be signing a veteran UFA goalie capable of playing in the NHL in a pinch to backup Sebastian Cossa next season with the Griffins. At the same time, they’ll want it to be a netminder capable of clearing NHL waivers when he’s given assignment to Grand Rapids.

Now backing up tonight #30 Carter Gylander #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/wVUJyhPUag

— x – Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) April 12, 2024

The Red Wings want Cossa to carry the load as their No. 1 AHL goaltender next season. It’s unlikely that they’d be willing to throw him into a long-term NHL role if something were to happen to Lyon and Husso. Husso missed significant playing time this past season due to injury. He didn’t play a full NHL game after December.

The post Griffins Re-sign Red Wings Draftee Bednar appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

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.

The post Griffins Will Bring Back Enough Talent to Stay in the Hunt appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

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.

The post Griffins Ousted By Milwaukee In Calder Cup Playoffs appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.