- The Detroit Red Wings have named Dan Watson the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the team said today. Watson had spent the past six years in the organization as the head coach of their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, so he’ll have familiarity with a spattering of players already on the Griffins’ roster. Before that, he was an associate coach in Toledo alongside then-head coach Derek Lalonde, now behind Detroit’s NHL bench.
Red Wings Rumors
Minor Transactions: 06/13/23
The NHL season could end tonight with a Game 5 win for the Vegas Golden Knights, bringing them their first-ever Stanley Cup in just six years of existence. It’s business as usual around the rest of the hockey world, though, as non-candidates for NHL free agency solidify their homes for 2023-24. We’ll keep a list of those notable transactions here today, as always.
- Detroit Red Wings goalie prospect Victor Brattström signed a one-year contract with SHL side HV71 today, forming a tandem with former Calgary Flame Joni Ortio. Brattström, 26, played the last two seasons primarily with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, but posted disappointing numbers (.891 save percentage, 15-24-7 record in 50 games played). An over-age sixth-round selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, Brattström was a pending restricted free agent and likely won’t be qualified by the Red Wings.
- 27-year-old defenseman Keaton Thompson has signed a one-year contract extension with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, per the club. A third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks back in 2013, Thompson’s become an AHL mainstay as a depth defenseman but has yet to make his NHL debut. The North Dakota product registered four goals and six assists in 40 games with Milwaukee last year, his first with the team after six previous seasons split between the San Diego Gulls and Iowa Wild.
- The AHL’s Texas Stars have announced that defenseman Michael Karow has signed a two-year contract extension to remain in Cedar Park. The 24-year-old former Arizona Coyotes prospect just finished up his first full season as a professional after spending a half-decade playing college hockey. Karow began the year playing in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads but quickly proved himself to be ready for the next level. He eventually got into 36 games for the Stars, including eight playoff games, and tallied 11 total points.
- The Laval Rocket of the AHL have re-signed forward Riley McKay and hybrid forward/defenseman John Parker-Jones to one-year, one-way AHL deals. McKay, 24, is a hard-nosed grinder who was twice the WHL’s most penalized player in his junior hockey days. This past season he split time between AHL Laval and the Montreal Canadiens’ ECHL affiliate, the Trois-Rivieres Lions. He scored seven points in 23 games at the AHL level while adding on 118 penalty minutes. Parker-Jones, 23, is a massive six-foot-seven, 230-pound player who played in 20 games for the Rocket and 17 for the Lions, flashing some offensive touch at the ECHL level with 7 goals and 11 points in 17 games.
- 2020-21 ECHL Goalie of the Year Jake Hildebrand is moving to one of the top clubs in the DEL: Eisbaren Berlin. The 29-year-old secured a contract from the bounce-back-seeking Polar Bears after a strong two-season start to his overseas pro career. He led the second-tier DEL2 in save percentage and goals-against-average in 2021-22, leading Frankfurt to promotion to the top-tier DEL. This past season he played in 50 games and posted a solid .911 save percentage, helping his newly-promoted club avoid relegation and reach the DEL playoffs. Now the former college hockey star will join Carolina Hurricanes prospect Nikita Quapp in Berlin’s crease and likely be their go-to option in net.
- Austrian ICEHL club Black Wings Linz will have to look for a new leading scorer as they announced today that Norwegian center Michael Haga will not be returning to the club for next season. Haga, 31, scored 16 goals and 45 points in 43 games for Linz, helping them reach the ICEHL playoffs. He’s a player with exceptional puck skills for his level of hockey and showcased them frequently not only with Linz but also with Norway at the IIHF Men’s World Championships last month, where he helped Norway achieve a historic upset victory over Canada. Haga has seen only sporadic success at higher levels of European competition earlier in his career, such as in the SHL or Liiga, but perhaps now with this release he’ll be afforded the opportunity to once again try his luck in one of Europe’s top leagues.
- While Canadian Evan Jasper has been a quality scorer in the ECHL and was a crucial contributor to the Bietigheim Steelers’ promotion-winning 2020-21 campaign, his 17 goals and 32 points this past season were not enough to help the club avoid relegation back to the DEL2. With the Steelers now in the second tier of German hockey, Jasper has decided to sign elsewhere, landing with HK Mountfield in the Czech Extraliga. Jasper’s track record of solid scoring numbers in the ECHL and DEL should translate to the Czech league, where he’ll likely be counted on as a top-six forward for Mountfield.
- Former EIHL First-Team All-Star Josh Roach has signed a contract extension to remain with the Belfast Giants, the reigning champions. Injuries cost him a large chunk of games this season but when healthy he’s among Belfast’s most important players. With Roach re-signed, Giants defenseman Will Cullen has signed elsewhere, joining with HK Olimpija Ljubljana of the ICEHL, a club in Slovenia’s capital city. Cullen scored 32 points in 52 games for the Giants and added three points in four playoff games. Now, the one-time ECHL blueliner will try his luck in Central Europe.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Possible Options To Fill AHL Grand Rapids Coaching Vacancy
- MLive’s Ansar Khan examines some coaching candidates for Detroit’s AHL vacancy. ECHL Toledo head coach Dan Watson has been considered a logical choice for a while but Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde indicated that Watson’s family situation is a strong tie for him to stay at that level. Red Wings assistant Alex Tanguay has never run a bench before so the opening could be an opportunity for him to get his feet wet in that role while Khan suggests that another Detroit assistant, Jay Varady, could also be a strong candidate and has a head coaching background at lower levels in the past. The top position with Grand Rapids has been open for nearly two months now.
Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is now a little more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Detroit Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Joe Veleno – As one of the higher touted prospects entering the 2018 NHL Draft, Veleno fell to Detroit at 30th overall, using the Vegas Golden Knights selection acquired in the Tomas Tatar trade. In his final season in the QMJHL, Veleno scored 104 points in 59 games, giving Red Wings’ fans a lot of optimism about his future.
Unfortunately, the relationship has been tepid up to this point, as Veleno reached a career-high in points this season, only scoring 20 points in 81 games. Although his offensive numbers have translated poorly from juniors, his play on the defensive side of the puck has actually improved considerably in his career.
Severely lacking in the faceoff dot, Veleno did have 30 takeaways compared to 17 giveaways this season. Throwing 152 hits as well for Detroit this season, Veleno carried a Defensive Point Share of 0.9, one of the highest on the team compared to the number of minutes played. If Detroit plans to cultivate Veleno into a defensive forward, they may need to move him out of the faceoff dot, but they will have ample space to continue his time wearing the Winged Wheel.
Other RFAs: F Matt Luff, D Gustav Lindstrom, F Pontus Andreasson, F Jasper Weatherby, D Seth Barton, D Jared McIsaac, D Wyatt Newpower, G John Lethemon
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Pius Suter – After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2020-21 season, Suter became an under-the-radar signing for the Red Wings in the 2021-22 offseason. In his first season in Detroit, Suter scored 15 goals and 21 assists, improving on his numbers from the previous year.
Although scoring some big goals for the Red Wings this season, Suter took a dip in several departments this year. Although playing relatively the same amount of games this season, Suter had a 12-point drop in scoring, a 2.5% drop in faceoff percentage, and a 4.9% drop in Corsi For %. 
F Adam Erne – Becoming one of the better depth scorers in Detroit during the 2021-22 season, Erne seemed to be an odd man out for the Red Wings this year. On February 4th, 2023, Detroit placed Erne on waivers, and he would go on to clear one day later. With prospects making the jump to the NHL for the Red Wings, Erne has appeared to become a casualty of the youth movement.
G Alex Nedeljkovic – Acquired in a low-risk trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic had a subpar showing in his first season in Detroit. This year, Nedeljkovic had an even worse performance. Clearing waivers on January 16th, Nedeljkovic played in nine games prior, producing a 2-4-2 record, carrying a .880 SV% and a 3.88 GAA. Getting a second chance in March, Nedelkovic improved, posting a 2-2-0 record, and a .920 SV% with a 2.33 GAA.
Other UFAs: F Alex Chiasson, D Robert Hagg, D Jordan Oesterle, G Magnus Hellberg, D Mark Pysyk, F Dylan McLaughlin, F Danny O’Regan, F Chase Pearson, G Victor Brattstrom
Projected Cap Space
Hoping to be on the back end of a rebuilding effort, the Red Wings will have $30.66MM available to them this summer. With 16 players projected on the roster next season, Detroit has ample availability to get creative.
Expectedly, many of the available roster spots will be taken up by some of the team’s many prospects, but the Red Wings will have the ability to shop at the high end of the free-agent market this offseason.
Whether Steve Yzerman weaponizes his cap space by acquiring contracts and draft capital, or by making an acquisition to significantly improve the team, the financials included in any transaction will not be a factor for the Red Wings this summer.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Red Wings Likely To Add Veterans For Grand Rapids Next Season
- Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff acknowledged to Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (subscription link) that he will be looking to add some more veterans to their AHL team for next season. Grand Rapids is likely to feature several of Detroit’s top prospects in 2023-24 but rather than put all of them in top roles right away, they’re going to hedge their bets with some older players that can play an impact role at the beginning. It’s already going to be a busy summer for the Griffins who will have a new coaching staff next season and if Horcoff has his way, they’ll now be picking up some key veterans as well.
List Of NHL Prospects Attending 2023 Memorial Cup
After the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts took home their respective league championships yesterday, the field for the 2023 Memorial Cup is set. They’ll be joined by two WHL teams – the league champion Seattle Thunderbirds and the host team Kamloops Blazers – on their quest to capture the pinnacle of North American junior hockey.
Pitting best against best at the U21 level from across the continent, the tournament also gives NHL-drafted prospects an early taste of high-pressure hockey on a larger stage than regular junior play. If you’re looking to see your favorite team’s prospects have big performances at this tournament, which runs from May 26 to June 4, we’re providing a comprehensive list of NHL-affiliated prospects attending the tournament.
There will be a new champion this year after last year’s winner, the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, lost to the Gatineau Olympiques in five games in their first-round series in the QMJHL playoffs. Chicago and Dallas lead the way with three representatives at the tournament, while nine teams (Boston, Colorado, Detroit, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Tampa Bay) don’t have any prospects playing this year.
Anaheim Ducks
C Nathan Gaucher (Québec, 2022 22nd overall)
LD Olen Zellweger (Kamloops, 2021 34th overall)
Arizona Coyotes
RW Dylan Guenther (Seattle, 2021 9th overall)
LD Jérémy Langlois (Québec, 2022 94th overall)
Boston Bruins
none
Buffalo Sabres
RD Vsevolod Komarov (Québec, 2022 134th overall)
Calgary Flames
LW Lucas Ciona (Seattle, 2021 173rd overall)
Carolina Hurricanes
C Justin Robidas (Québec, 2021 147th overall)
Chicago Blackhawks
LD Kevin Korchinski (Seattle, 2022 7th overall)
LD Nolan Allan (Seattle, 2021 32nd overall)
C Colton Dach (Seattle, 2021 62nd overall)
Colorado Avalanche
none
Columbus Blue Jackets
LW James Malatesta (Québec, 2021 133rd overall)
Dallas Stars
C Logan Stankoven (Kamloops, 2021 47th overall)
RD Gavin White (Peterborough, 2022 115th overall)
RW Matthew Seminoff (Kamloops, 2022 179th overall)
Detroit Red Wings
none
Edmonton Oilers
none
Florida Panthers
LD Evan Nause (Québec, 2021 56th overall)
Los Angeles Kings
none
Minnesota Wild
C Caedan Bankier (Kamloops, 2021 86th overall)
RD Kyle Masters (Kamloops, 2021 118th overall)
Montreal Canadiens
C Owen Beck (Peterborough, 2022 33rd overall)
C Jared Davidson (Seattle, 2022 130th overall)
Nashville Predators
LW Reid Schaefer (Seattle, 2022 32nd overall)
RD Luke Prokop (Seattle, 2020 73rd overall)
New Jersey Devils
RW Chase Stillman (Peterborough, 2021 29th overall)
New York Islanders
LW Daylan Kuefler (Kamloops, 2022 174th overall)
New York Rangers
LW Brennan Othmann (Peterborough, 2021 16th overall)
Ottawa Senators
none
Philadelphia Flyers
LD Brian Zanetti (Peterborough, 2021 110th overall)
C Jon-Randall Avon (Peterborough, undrafted)
Pittsburgh Penguins
none
San Jose Sharks
none
Seattle Kraken
C Tucker Robertson (Peterborough, 2022 123rd overall)
St. Louis Blues
C Zachary Bolduc (Québec, 2021 17th overall)
Tampa Bay Lightning
none
Toronto Maple Leafs
C Fraser Minten (Kamloops, 2022 38th overall)
Vancouver Canucks
C Connor Lockhart (Peterborough, 2021 178th overall)
Vegas Golden Knights
C Jordan Gustafson (Seattle, 2022 79th overall)
RW Jakub Demek (Kamloops, 2021 128th overall)
Washington Capitals
C Ryan Hofer (Kamloops, 2022 181st overall)
Winnipeg Jets
C Brad Lambert (Seattle, 2022 30th overall)
IIHF Suspends Joe Veleno For Remainder Of World Championship
The IIHF today suspended Team Canada and Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno for five World Championship games, effectively ending his tournament. The suspension comes in response to Veleno appearing to intentionally step on the lower leg of Switzerland forward Nino Niederreiter during a puck battle in yesterday’s 3-2 win for the Swiss.
Veleno avoided a penalty on the play, and Niederreiter actually received a minor penalty for roughing Veleno later on in the sequence. Upon review, however, the IIHF undoubtedly made the right call, removing Veleno from the remainder of the tournament after one of the more dangerous plays in international hockey in recent memory.
It is a significant loss for Canada, which now sits third in Group B after the regulation loss. Veleno was second on the team in scoring, with two goals and three assists in five games.
Veleno, Detroit’s 30th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, is a restricted free agent this offseason after the conclusion of his entry-level contract. He posted a career-high nine goals and 20 points in 81 games for the Red Wings this season.
Red Wings Limited Bertuzzi Extension Offer To Four Years Before Trade To Boston
- While Detroit was able to lock up Dylan Larkin to a max-term extension before the trade deadline, they weren’t able to do so with Tyler Bertuzzi, resulting in him being moved to Boston. MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that the Red Wings only were willing to offer the pending UFA a four-year extension. However, in a thin free agent market and on the heels of a strong showing in the playoffs with 10 points in seven games, it’s quite likely that the 28-year-old will be able to get a longer-term contract in July (or earlier, if the Bruins able to free up cap space to re-sign him).
Offseason Checklist: Detroit Red Wings
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those that were eliminated early. It’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Detroit.
Many NHL fans will remember the dynastic Detroit Red Wings teams that took home four Stanley Cups between 1997-2008. Unfortunately, those days are behind America’s most winningest hockey franchise, and the likes of Steve Yzerman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and Niklas Kronwall, have all transitioned from the ice to the front office. With the Red Wings finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for their strenuous rebuild, we’ll look at some boxes they should check this offseason.
Find Time For Prospects
One of the most out-of-nowhere trades from this year’s deadline was the Red Wings shipping promising defenseman Filip Hronek to the Vancouver Canucks for the New York Islander’s first-round pick in this year’s draft. Arguably the team’s top defenseman at the time of the trade, finding time for prospects with a higher potential than Hronek is an intelligent move for Detroit to continue to make.
To start, we’ll walk through a comparison of some of the top five forward selections from 2017-2021. In Group A, we have Tim Stutzle, Matthew Beniers, Nico Hischier, Brady Tkachuk, and Elias Pettersson. In Group B, we’ll compare Alexis Lafreniere, Barrett Hayton, Andrei Svechnikov, Kaapo Kakko, and Quinton Byfield. The averages for Group A: 273 GP, 225 P, 0.83 PPG, and 18:15 ATOI. For Group B: 215 GP, 112 P, 0.52 PPG, 15:02 ATOI.
Although there is a major learning curve transitioning to the professional level, younger players are benefiting immensely from averaging more time on ice. With high-end prospects such as Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper, Albert Johansson, and William Wallinder right on the cusp, it is time for the Red Wings to swing more trades (much like they did with Hronek) to find adequate ice time to lead to the maximum growth for these players.
Two players that immediately come to mind that the Red Wings should be seeking to move on from would be forwards Joe Veleno and Filip Zadina. Both players were drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL draft, and have yet to establish much on-ice value for Detroit up to this point. With more notable prospects coming up the pipeline, and these two players likely still maintaining some value due to their young age and draft selection, the Red Wings should be looking to deal both of them this summer.
Establish Consistent Scoring
Since the 2019-20 season, Detroit has had a massive problem putting the puck in the net. The team has yet to finish outside the bottom ten in GF/G since the 2018-19 season. Luckily for Detroit, there should be players outside the organization that should help them improve in this category.
In this year’s upcoming free agency period, the high-end scoring talent has already been thinned out, with the likes of David Pastrnak, Joe Pavelski, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Bo Horvat having already signed extensions. Of the remaining players, only Alex Killorn, Patrick Kane, Max Domi, J.T. Compher, and Vladimir Tarasenko would present real opportunities for Detroit. However, with the average age of the team only getting younger with prospect graduation, none of these players seem to fit the Red Wings’ timeline.
Enter the trade market. Looking ahead at this offseason’s potential trade options, there are three players that seem to stand out as viable solutions to Detroit’s goal-scoring issues. Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames, Alex DeBrincat from the Ottawa Senators, and Brock Boeser from the Canucks.
All three players fit into the Red Wings’ timeline, they have all shown an ability to score goals, and they all find themselves in precarious situations on their current teams. The Flames and Canucks are headed toward serious shakeups this offseason, and DeBrincat was very noncommittal on signing a contract extension in Ottawa.
If any of these players become available, it would make sense for Detroit to swing a big trade to bring one of them in.
Goaltending Upgrades
After acquiring goaltender Ville Husso from the St.Louis Blues after a brilliant 2021-22 season, the Red Wings may have thought their goaltending issues were finally shored up for the time being. Unfortunately, the move did not pan out as they may have hoped.
This season, all of Detroit’s three goalies, Husso as well as Alex Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg, all held a Quality Start Percentage less than 50% and produced a Goals Saved Above Average of -13.5, -4.4, and -8.2, respectively. In more topical statistics, none of their goaltenders produced a GAA of 3.00 or less, and none were able to sport a SV% of .900 or more.
After trading up in the 2021 draft to select goaltender Sebastian Cossa at 15th overall, it is evident that he will be the goaltender of the future in Detroit, and is likely sitting above another goaltending prospect, Carter Gylander, in their prospect depth chart.
For the time being, with this year’s free agent market for goaltenders sporting the likes of Joonas Korpisalo, Antti Raanta, Semyon Varlamov, and Adin Hill, Detroit must once again be on the lookout for a better stop-gap until Cossa is ready to make the jump to professional hockey.
Name An AHL Head Coach
As the Red Wings are prepared for an influx of talent to the minor league level, Yzerman highlighted the need for a winning culture when it comes to prospect development. In mid-April, after a last-place finish in the AHL’s Central Division, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced they would not be renewing the contract of head coach Ben Simon.
One of the top coaching candidates that comes to mind is Norm Bazin, the current head coach of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell of the Hockey East conference. Since taking over as head coach for the 2011-12 season, Bazin has accrued a 254-145-39 record, as well as one Frozen Four appearance in 2012-13, losing to the eventual champion Yale University.
With a track record of success, and a clear ability to coach younger players, Bazin would be a prime candidate to take over behind the bench for the Griffins next season. If the team is unable to convince Bazin to coach in Grand Rapids, Yzerman, and Assistant General Manager Shawn Horcoff will have plenty of work to do this summer in finding the best candidate.
Chicago Blackhawks Win 2023 NHL Draft Lottery
One of the most highly anticipated nights on the NHL calendar has finally arrived as the annual NHL Draft Lottery was held to determine which team would have the honor of selecting first and second overall at the 2023 NHL Draft. The 16 teams that failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs all had a chance to win the lottery, though teams can only move up a maximum of ten slots, so the bottom 11 teams in the NHL standings all had a chance of landing the top draft pick.
The results are now in and the Chicago Blackhawks have won the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. They had the third best odds entering the night, but jumped ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets to win the top pick. The Ducks won the second overall pick and will now step to the podium second at the draft after entering the lottery with the best odds at winning the first overall pick. The Blue Jackets had the second best odds of winning the lottery, but have dropped to third overall.
The now official order of the first 16 picks in the 2023 NHL Draft will go as follows:
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- San Jose Sharks
- Montreal Canadiens
- Arizona Coyotes
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
- Detroit Red Wings
- St. Louis Blues
- Vancouver Canucks
- Arizona Coyotes (via Ottawa Senators)
- Buffalo Sabres
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Nashville Predators
- Calgary Flames
The prize for winning the first overall pick is a big one this season. Connor Bedard is slated to go with the top selection at the 2023 NHL Draft and he promises to be an exceptional NHL player.
Bedard will not turn 18 years old until July, but he did lead the WHL in goals, assists and points this past season. He scored 71 goals, 72 assists and 143 points in just 57 games. He was away from the team for a few weeks around Christmas to suit up at the World Juniors where he brought his world-class skills to the biggest stage yet. He was named MVP of the tournament after scoring nine goals and 23 points in just seven games, helping Canada claim a gold medal.
Adam Fantilli is likely to be the second player off the board at the draft, but he is an exceptional consolation prize. He won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in college hockey during his freshman season. Fantilli scored 30 goals and 65 points in just 36 NCAA contests, showing he is ready to take the next step to the NHL immediately after being drafted.
The 2023 NHL Draft will be held in Nashville, Tennessee on June 28.