- Top defense prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka has returned to the Skelleftea organization after sitting out with an undisclosed injury suffered during the 2024 World Junior Championships. Sandin-Pellikka has been a standout name for Skelleftea, ranking third among the team’s defenders in scoring despite missing 13 games this season. He’s boasting 13 points through 26 games, the most among any U20 defensemen in the SHL. The Red Wings selected Sandin-Pellikka with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Red Wings Rumors
Brogan Rafferty Assigned To AHL
As we head into the All-Star break the NHL announced its Three Stars for January. The first star of the month was Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon who posted 12 goals and 14 assists in just 12 games to lead the Avalanche to a 9-3 record in the month of January.
Following him was Edmonton Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner who had a perfect month going 9-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .953 save percentage as he helped guide the Oilers on their current 16-game win streak. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Skinner after he started the season with losses in seven of his first eight games.
Finally, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson rounds out the top-3 as he finished January with 14 goals and seven assists in 13 games and he will be headed to Toronto for his fourth NHL All-Star Game this weekend.
In other afternoon notes:
- Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for January. The 21-year-old moved into the Calder Trophy conversation by posting two goals and 11 assists in 14 games during the first month of 2024 and averaged over 25 minutes of ice time per game. Faber became the first player in Wild history to take home the honor and led all NHL rookies in multiple statistical categories including points, time on ice, shots (with 31), blocked shots (with 38) and assists. Faber now has four goals and 25 assists in 49 games this season with the Wild.
- The Detroit Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. The move was made this morning and is most likely a paper move to allow the Wings to bank cap space during the All-Star break after their 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators last night. The 28-year-old has been a healthy scratch during his recalls this season and hasn’t played an NHL yet this year. Rafferty has two goals and 14 assists in 38 AHL games this season.
Patrick Kane Out Through All-Star Break
Heading into the team’s game tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators, there was some hope from the Detroit Red Wings that forward Patrick Kane could be healthy enough to return, after missing the team’s last six games with a lower-body injury. Nevertheless, Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Kane will not be in the lineup tomorrow night for Detroit, and the team will allow him to rest and recover over the upcoming All-Star break.
Even though he has become one of the better forwards in the lineup, the Red Wings have faired well in his absence, producing a 4-2-0 record and picking up important victories against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Once he does return after the All-Star break, Kane will look to improve on his 16-point total and reinforce Detroit’s current momentum.
Patrick Kane Could Return On Wednesday
- Detroit Red Wings reporter Daniella Bruce tweeted that winger Patrick Kane could suit up on Wednesday if he is 100%. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde told reporters that the team would know more tomorrow after practice but that the 35-year-old is very close to a return. Kane has been very effective this season in just 19 games with seven goals and nine assists, however, the team is inexplicably just 8-9-2 with him in the lineup and 18-9-3 without him.
Red Wings Assign Wyatt Newpower To AHL
- Less than 24 hours after recalling him, the Red Wings returned defenseman Wyatt Newpower to AHL Grand Rapids, per a team announcement. Newpower, 26, was a healthy scratch for last night’s 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. Detroit has routinely brought up a defenseman from Grand Rapids on game days to serve as last-minute injury insurance while Ben Chiarot is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, routinely bringing up the more experienced Brogan Rafferty. They decided to give him a break from the roster turmoil yesterday, however, instead giving Newpower his first NHL summons since signing his entry-level contract three years ago.
Snapshots: Newpower, Husso, Amadio, Emberson, Thrun
The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman Wyatt Newpower and goaltender Ville Husso. This marks the first recall of Newpower’s career, while Husso is returning from a conditioning stint in the minor leagues.
While Husso sat out on Saturday, he is poised to make his first appearance in the lineup since December 18th, when he suffered a knee injury 17 minutes into Detroit’s eventual 3-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Husso appeared in 18 games before his injury, recording nine wins and a .893 save percentage. It’s a slight step down from the .896 save percentage he posted in 56 games last season – his first with the Red Wings. He may face significant challenges regaining the team’s starting role, with Alex Lyon posting 12 wins and a .923 save percentage in 19 games this year. That includes the 30-save shutout Lyon posted in his last game.
Newpower has appeared in 20 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins this season, recording six points, 39 penalty minutes, and a +7. He’s in his third season with Grand Rapids and his fourth professional season. His professional career kicked off with the Cleveland Monsters in the 2020-21 season, after four seasons at the University of Connecticut, where he totaled 114 games and 47 points.
Other notes from around the league:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward Michael Amadio made his return from injury on Saturday, getting activated off injured reserve before the matchup with the Detroit Red Wings. Amadio has appeared in 42 games with Vegas this season, scoring six goals and 17 points. The campaign has brought Amadio’s career totals to 338 games and 102 points.
- The San Jose Sharks have activated defenseman Ty Emberson off of injured reserve, moving counterpart Henry Thrun to IR. Emberson has played in 21 games this season, just a few shy of officially marking it as his rookie season. He has seven points on the year, tied for third among the team’s defenders. Fellow rookie Thrun has yet to pass Emberson’s scoring totals, netting just three points through 23 games of his own this season.
Ben Chiarot Out Until After All-Star Break
- Ben Chiarot’s upper-body injury will hold him out of Detroit’s lineup through the All-Star break, notes 97.1 The Ticket’s Daniella Bruce (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has missed the last week with an upper-body injury. He’s in his second season with the Red Wings and has a dozen points in 45 games so far along with 93 blocks and 84 hits. Meanwhile, Bruce adds that winger Patrick Kane could still suit up before the break against Ottawa on Wednesday. Kane has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury and has been a nice addition to Detroit’s lineup, collecting 16 points in his first 19 games.
Red Wings Assign Brogan Rafferty To Minors
- The Red Wings have assigned defenseman Brogan Rafferty to AHL Grand Rapids, the team said in a statement Friday. This is the sixth straight day that the 28-year-old Rafferty has been ferried between leagues. Detroit has brought up the minor-league mainstay on game days only to serve as last-minute injury insurance with Ben Chiarot sidelined with an undisclosed ailment. Rafferty has yet to play an NHL game this season despite his four recalls in January.
Red Wings Notes: Kane, Chiarot, Rafferty, Compher
Red Wings forward Patrick Kane was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports. It’s his first time joining the team at practice since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 14, nearly a week and a half ago.
Per St. James, the Red Wings hope Kane can return to action in one of their three games before the All-Star break but are still unsure of an exact return timeline. The 35-year-old has been out with a lower-body injury – a concerning designation given his recent hip surgery – but the two don’t appear to be related. Since signing his one-year, $2.75MM deal with Detroit, Kane has assumed a top-six role and posted seven goals and 16 points in 19 games, much closer to the level of production expected from the future Hall-of-Famer at this stage in his career. The Red Wings, who have a slim lead on the Devils for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, are 8-9-2 with a -9 goal differential in Kane’s 19 appearances this season.
Elsewhere from the Red Wings today:
- St. James also relays that defenseman Ben Chiarot is not practicing today as he remains out with an upper-body injury. He’s listed as day-to-day and has missed the last two games, most recently suiting up against the Hurricanes on Jan. 19. Chiarot, who’s rebounding somewhat after a ghastly defensive performance in his first campaign in Detroit, had averaged 19:31 per game and has 12 points in 45 contests. Given he isn’t yet ready to return to practice, he’ll likely miss tomorrow’s game against the Flyers. A day-to-day designation suggests he may return before the All-Star break, though.
- The carousel continues for depth defenseman Brogan Rafferty, who the Red Wings returned to AHL Grand Rapids today, per a team release. The 28-year-old hasn’t played for Detroit this season despite being recalled three times in the past two weeks, only serving as insurance given their minor injuries on the blue line. This is Rafferty’s fourth transaction in the last four days, and with Chiarot likely out for tomorrow’s contest, the Red Wings will likely recall him again.
- Also absent from practice today was center J.T. Compher, who head coach Derek Lalonde says is questionable for tomorrow against Philadelphia as he battles the flu. Compher has three points in his last three games after going pointless in six, bringing his total to 27 in 42 appearances during his first season in Detroit. His per-game pace is roughly the same as last year’s breakout performance with the Avalanche when he used his 52 points and 20:32 average time on ice to cash in with a five-year, $25.5MM commitment from the Red Wings in free agency.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Brogan Rafferty
- Prior to the team’s game tonight against the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings announced they had recalled defenseman Brogan Rafferty from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. This being his third recall of the year, Rafferty has yet to play in a game for the Red Wings although he already has two goals and 15 points for the Griffins this season.
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