titanium2

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/red_wings_prospect_camp_assess_1.html 57 Landon Ferraro Pluses: Where do I start? Ferraro is the most talented prospect in the Red Wings’ system not named Brendan Smith. He’s an absolutely fantastic skater with NHL acceleration, a powerful, confident and wide-legged stride, supreme maneuverability, the ability to lug the puck up the ice without losing a step, and while he’s not Brendan Smith fast, once he gets up to speed, he’s hard to stop. For a player listed at 6’ and 171 lbs (that’s accurate), he’s got Fedorov-level thigh strength. That skating ability allows him to play as a two-way center who’s equally adept at generating offense on the rush, sustaining possession and control of the puck in the offensive zone, co-running a team’s power play unit with a savvy offensive defenseman or two, or coming back into his own end to break up scoring chances against, grind the puck out along the boards, or serve as a fine penalty-killing forward. Ferraro gobbled up ice time during scrimmages for a reason. He could hack it. Ferraro’s skating, hockey sense and especially his vision combine with an innate ability to launch hard, accurate passes and yield a playmaker of the first order, though he might very well be more effective lugging the puck up the ice himself. Ferraro finds players sneaking through holes in coverage on the fly, he finds players lurking in scoring areas while cycling the puck, he finds players period, and puts the puck on their stick in the proper position for them to fire that puck at the net. He’s also very adept at the give-and-go game, and when he’s paired with a similarly talented playmaker, he can absolutely dazzle… Because, stick issues included—Ferraro has yet to find a stick with the low kick-point and performance of the original Reebok O-Stick, and was using a circa 2006 Easton Stealth CNT stick taped up (in an 85 flex and a modified Iginla curve) because his team could only use Reebok-brand equipment—Ferraro’s hard, low and extremely accurate wrist shot or snap shot (Ferraro himself admits that he almost never uses slap shots) can find the back of the net in a hurry, and in some instances, power itself past goaltenders because his shot is naturally “heavy.” Add it all up and Ferrraro’s talents are elite, and when you combine that with the fact that he works his tail off at all times, listens to his coaches, and genuinely understands that he’s got to carve out his own niche, and you’ve got a star in the making.... Minuses: In theory. Ferraro had a terrible season in Red Deer after attempting to rush back from a left knee injury that involved MCL and meniscus damage, essentially, as he stated, playing on one leg for the vast majority of the season (even after consulting with the Wings’ doctors), and he lost the confidence of his coach, Jesse Wallin, and found himself sitting on the bench as the Rebels were ousted from the WHL playoffs. When Ferraro came to camp, he was making mistakes all the time during drills, skating a step or two behind his teammates, flubbing passes and letting shots flitter and flutter off his stick, and in general, he looked like he was skating with a big, black cloud over his head. When Ferraro’s confidence is lacking, he’s a fantastic skater and an average player otherwise, and he desperately needs to get a new start with another WHL team, earn his confidence back, and re-establish his self-belief that he can and will become a high-scoring forward whose skills and work ethic will carve out a pedigree that allows him to be known as “Landon” instead of “Ray Ferraro’s kid.” Ferraro’s also still “too small.” He’s certainly well-conditioned, but at 19 years of age and with only one WHL season’s worth of eligibility left, he needs to put more muscle on his very narrow frame and must make sure that, as a slightly smaller forward, he has the upper-body strength to not get overpowered in battles for the puck. He needs to become Pavel Datsyuk-strong up top if he wants to be able to stickhandle, dangle and dazzle on a regular basis as a professional hockey player. The other concern I have with Landon is that, because he’s Ray Ferraro’s son and Cammi Granato’s stepson, he can register high on the, “I’m going to tell you what you want to hear and throw ten clichés your way until you go away” meter when talking to the media, and I hope that doesn’t extend to his self-assessments or the ways in which he addresses his coaches. Ferraro can be refreshingly frank, honest, insightful, and illustrate his tremendous level of intelligence on a regular basis, or he can tell you what you want to hear because he’s grown up with microphones, sound recorders and cameras in his face because of both his heritage and his own talent. In the end, when I could get him to talk about his stick because, put simply, I’m a hockey nerd and he’s a hockey nerd when it comes to equipment, too, I was very happy to find and am very happy to report that Ferraro’s just as polite, glib and down-to-earth as his learnedly polished media appearance would indicate, and he’s also a regular young man who loves playing hockey and finds it really annoying when he has to bum sticks off friends and look for stuff online because an equipment company stopped making a stick that was perfect for him. But he’s got to keep being himself, and especially if he gets traded to a big market like Vancouver, his de-facto hometown, he’s got a task in front of him in keeping his head on straight. Potential “upside”: At the very least, Ferraro will be signed by the Red Wings sometime this season and might have a few difficult years in Grand Rapids, adjusting to the physicality of “playing alongside men” in the AHL while slowly and surely finding his identity and reestablishing himself as a scoring forward, encountering Jimmy Howard-like ups and downs before coming up to the NHL three to five years from now and at least becoming a solid two-way forward with some offensive upside, kind of like Dan Cleary, except as a center. At the upper end of the spectrum, Ferraro’s a 20-goal-scorer and 50-60 point-producing two-way center, if not a 30-goal-scorer if he’s utilized in a strictly offensive role on the wing. He really is that good. He just has to keep getting stronger, find his self-confidence again, and not let it go to his head as he sticks it out, literally and figuratively, at the WHL level.

Ideally we'd like to see a really good year and no clear cut whipping boys. Is that really possible? I think so. Of course, you have your players that you tend to criticize more often than not but it may not be so bad as when we had Lebda and Williams here where nearly everybody seemed to dogpile on them.

No way in this world Babs has time but sometimes I kind of wonder if he reads LGW.com. I mean, reuniting Pav and Z, splitting Nick and Rafi. What's going on with him? Hehe. In all reality though I think he might be letting the players have more input for this year since they're a lot healthier and better overall. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the Nick and Rafi split though. The situation is good for Kronwall since he always seems to play with good confidence when aside Lidstrom. They'll need Kronwall to get a good start to build confidence. The situation can be good for Rafalski since he'll get the puck a lot more and that always seems to build confidence for players like him. We might see him play a little closer to the level he was at during the Olympics. At the same time, if Rafi gets to play with the puck more then does that mean more frustrating turnovers and giveaways?

http://insidecollegehockey.com/inch/2010/09/03/nicastro/ INCH A-Z: Max Nicastro By Andrew Clark MAX NICASTRO Boston University So. | D | Thousand Oaks, Calif. Key Statistics: In his first year with the Terriers, Nicastro had an immediate impact, notching 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in 23 games, including a three-game point streak. Before lacing up for BU, the Detroit Red Wings 2008 third-round pick tallied 51 points (15 G, 36 A) in two seasons with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. What He Does: Nicastro provides the ultimate blend of size, strength, and offensive skills, a dangerous combination that makes him one BU’s biggest weapons. According to Terriers assistant coach Mike Bavis, the 6-foot-3 Nicastro has “an NHL shot” and is the kind of uber-talent hybrid player that BU hasn’t seen in a long time. “We get really talented skills guys who are first-round picks, but they are more one or two-dimensional kinds of players,” said Bavis. “The same goes with those strong gritty players, who still have just one-dimension. With Max, you get both sides, someone who is incredibly strong but really dangerous with the puck. He’s a very complete player.” The Bigger Picture: With the Terriers carrying one of their youngest squads in recent memory, the second-year Nicastro figures to play a major role in this upcoming season. Bavis stated that the talented defenseman should log a lot of minutes and will be crucial for BU from a leadership standpoint, as Bavis sees the 20-year-old Nicastro as the type of player which can infuse confidence in a young team. “Max will be very important for us every night,” Bavis said. “On nights when he’s not having his best game, Max can impact the game as a leader and when Max is having his best game, he can be the difference between a win and a loss.” Coach Bavis on Nicastro: “Max has returned this season and is in great physical shape. His strength has improved and his vertical jump has increased. He will have a major impact on games this year. There are a few things that he can improve on. He can improve a little bit with his decision making and a little with his puck ability on power plays. But overall, Max does most things very, very well.”

He has his own website. It's pretty cool. http://www.janmursak.com/en/

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/red_wings_prospect_camp_assess_1.html 27 Travis Ehrhardt Pluses: Ehrhardt’s biggest asset is the fact that he’s ridiculously strong, Lumberjack strong, to the point that he pushes people around and plays an incredibly tenacious game almost without effort, as if it’s as natural as can be to turn into someone on a routine body check and completely take them out of the play because you can very legally mash a puck-carrier into the boards or send them flailing as you swipe the puck away and send it back up the ice—or, more often, to a teammate. When Ehrhardt has stick or body position on someone, they are not passing go, they’re not collecting $200. They’re surrendering the puck to a player whose immense strength belies his 6,’ 200-lb size, and that puck’s going to find its way onto a teammate’s stick. That last part is what separates Ehrhardt from your average stay-at-home defenseman. When he separates an opponent from the puck, Ehrhardt takes possession and control of said puck and does more than clear it out of trouble. He passes it to a teammate, usually his defensive partner, to get play moving the other way, and he both passes and does just about everything else with a professional hockey player’s level of urgency and execution. Ehrhardt’s skating is pretty good, with his mobility out-ranking his speed, his passing is very good, his shot’s hard and low and he sees the ice well, but even more than his overwhelming strength and superb defensive savvy, it’s his malleability that will very likely allow him to crack the Griffins’ top four this season. Need a penalty-killer? Ehrhardt’s your man. He’ll poke-check passes away and get in shooting lanes, box out his opponents and aggressively clear the crease. Need a power play specialist in a pinch? Ehrhardt will allow a more offensively talented defenseman to take chances while providing a solid, if not sometimes savvy outlet and an innate ability to break up odd-man rushes against. Need somebody to simply play as a #4, #5, or #6 defenseman, offering no-frills and sometimes nasty defensive hockey with at least the skill set to keep up with his more offensively-talented brethren? Ehrhardt fits in perfectly. Minuses: Again, he does many things well, but his skill set is not elite in terms of skating, passing, shooting or hockey sense, and while he is already Bull Moose strong, he still needs to pack on a few more pounds of core strength muscle and take Andy Weidenbach’s skating drills to heart to improve his efficiency. Potential “upside”: Think a poor man’s Brad Stuart or Bob Rouse, or maybe an Andreas Lilja-style third pair defenseman. If he continues to work hard, fight his way up the Griffins’ depth chart and earns regular playing time in the top four, he can continue to develop into the kind of “stay at home” companion to an offensive defenseman on the second or third pair that is the Swiss Army Knife-type defenseman that every NHL team craves. He’s a talented utility defenseman who pushes people around without even trying.

http://www.redwingscentral.com/prospects/ehrhardt.php Position: Defense Shoots: Left Vitals: 6'0'' / 197 lbs. Birthdate: April 12, 1987 Hometown: Calgary, Alberta Acquired: Signed as a free agent by Detroit in July 2009 CSS Ranking: 202nd North American skater (2007) Contract: 2012 RWC Says: Depth Defenseman SCOUT COMMENTS "He can skate the puck out of trouble, which is a good. His upside is his skating and his size and (making) a good first pass out of his zone. He really has no problem with the physical aspects (of the AHL) or the speed in terms of defending." — Griffins general manager Bob McNamara (April 2010). STRENGTHS Good skater and puck-mover ... Stocky with good strength ... Hard point shot. WEAKNESSES Decision-making with puck needs work at the pro level ... Has good skills but doens't produce much ... Plays a simple game and doesn't have a great deal of NHL upside. PROJECTION Ehrhardt was mostly signed for depth purposes but the Red Wings also like what he has to offer. His next step is to find his way into an AHL lineup on a nightly basis.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/red_wings_prospect_camp_assess.html 54 Gleason Fournier Pluses: Piche’s “wonder twin”—they played together in Rimouski, and are nearly inseparable during the Wings’ camp—is bigger at 6’0” or 6’1” and 180 lbs, a much, much better skater, with a smooth and efficient stride, he can lug the puck up ice like a top-pair power play quarterback or fire off hard, smart passes and heavy shots, his positioning is superb, his head’s up all the time and while he’s not a particularly physical player, he can get the job done and his poke check has improved dramatically over the last season. Minuses: Sometimes Fournier’s dazzling and fantastic, and at other times, he’s either invisible or eminently beatable. At least at the Wings’ camps, I’ve seen little to no consistency in his game. When he’s on, he showcases top-four potential and absolutely dazzles, but when he’s off, he looks like a big, skinny kid who’s more content to goof off with his friend than improve his skills or, perhaps more importantly, bulk up so that he makes up the significant amount of ground he has to cover to catch up in the physical conditioning department. Potential “upside”: This is his contract year, and Gleason’s got to not only continue to develop into a point-per-game player who stars as a #1 defenseman with the Oceanic, but he also has to get stronger and commit to the fact that he needs to strive for consistency in every aspect of his game. He’s not a cinch to sign, and a good chunk of his future could depend on his showing at the prospect tournament this fall.

http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_09/15_Roundup.php Smith looks to shake 'bad apple' rep By Sarah Lindenau – RedWingsCentral.com / September 15, 2010 Brendan Smith wants Detroit Red Wings fans to know that no matter what they've heard or read about him, he's not a bad apple. The top-scoring defenseman in U.S. college hockey and Hobey Baker candidate is turning pro this season with a well-documented history of off-ice issues during his three-year NCAA career with the Wisconsin Badgers. "Sometimes it's just being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Smith said. "People read all these things on the Internet about me being a bad apple, but I think if you talk to me, you understand I am not like that. I want people in Detroit to know who I actually am and not just what they read in the papers." Smith, the Red Wings' first-round draft choice in 2007, was most recently charged with disorderly conduct after a fight outside his home this past May. Prior to that, a separate off-ice incident led to him being suspended by his team, while he has been a healthy scratch for "undisclosed reasons." Despite his past troubles, Smith's NHL talent is undeniable. He could be a dynamic force on the Red Wings' blue line in a few years, if he stays out of trouble off the ice. Red Wings goaltending prospect Thomas McCollum has a unique take on his ability after getting a look at Smith this week at the annual NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City. "Smith kind of reminds me of playing behind Drew Doughty," said McCollum, a teammate of Doughty's for two seasons with the Guelph Storm. "He's not quite the dynamic offensive player that Drew is, but who is really? He makes a lot of great plays but at the same time he's very good defensively." The 21-year-old Smith, who is turning pro this season after a sensational junior year at Wisconsin, is hesitant to the comparison to a Norris Trophy-calibre NHLer. "I still have some work cut out for me if I want to be like Drew Doughty, but I guess I play pretty similar," he said. "We both play similar styles and we are both young." Smith piled up 87 points in three seasons at Wisconsin, but led all NCAA defensemen last season with 15 goals and 37 assists for 52 points in 42 games, helping him earn a top-10 nomination for the famous Hobey Baker Award. He leads the Red Wings with a plus-6 in three games in Traverse City, helping the squad advance to Wednesday's gold-medal game against the Minnesota Wild. "It's been fun," he said. "There are some great players out here that you don't always see in college but I have been able to keep up with the competition because I would say strength and speed wise it is pretty similar." The Red Wings have gone so far as to mention Smith's name in the race for the seventh defenseman's spot this season along with Derek Meech, Doug Janik and Jakub Kindl, although there is a good chance he'll open the year in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins. "It's kind of a win-win situation for me," Smith said. "Playing with Grand Rapids is unbelievable and playing with Detroit is even that much better. Just knowing that I could be the seventh defenseman is great, but we will have to wait and see what happens."

http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_09/16_Roundup.php Lashoff 'solid as a rock' By Sarah Lindenau – RedWingsCentral.com / September 16, 2010 Brian Lashoff has earned rave reviews in his brief American Hockey League auditions. Now he's poised to assume full-time duty. The 6-foot-3, 204-pound defenseman wrapped up his Ontario Hockey League career with the Kingston Frontenacs last March, tallying six goals and 27 points in 58 games. Because of Kingston's early exits the past two seasons, Lashoff has ended up playing 20 AHL games, collecting two goals and 10 assists, basically matching his production rate in junior. "I think I have grown accustomed to the pace of the play in the AHL going there the last two years," Lashoff said. "The guys in the league are bigger and stronger and the game is a little quicker. It is something I think I am prepared for but at the same time, I think it will be an adjustment." The Albany, N.Y., native quietly had a solid junior career, highlighted by a gold-medal win with the United States at the IIHF world junior championship in January. He has enjoyed a rapid rise up the Red Wings' prospect ranking since being passed over in the 2008 draft and signing as a free agent with the Red Wings a few months later. "Not being drafted is motivation that will last me my whole career," he said. "It was a blessing in disguise because I got to sign with Detroit and be part of this organization." Lashoff was a leader on the Red Wings' blue line at the NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City this week, helping them finish second following Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild in the gold-medal game. His no-nonsense approach was an important part of the Red Wings' best-ever finish. "He's real steady and solid as a rock back there," said Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill. "The other night when Brendan Smith was injured, he had to log a lot of ice time and I thought his game stepped up. He was really good the entire tournament." The 20-year-old hopes to model his game after Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart and will get an up-close-and-personal look at the big rearguard when the NHLers report for training camp on Saturday. "I am going to go in and try to not look out of place," Lashoff said. "I just want to be a Brad Stuart type — moving the puck quick, physical in my own end and contribute offensively where I can. Hopefully I can get a couple of exhibition games in and show them what I can do. I want to show them I can play with the big boys as soon as possible."

http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_09/17_Callahan.php 'Sweetheart' off the ice, 'agitator' on it By Sarah Lindenau – RedWingsCentral.com / September 17, 2010 Mitchell Callahan admits — in strictly non-medical terms, of course — he has multiple personalities. There's his on-ice persona of a physical agitator who will say and do just about anything to get an opponent off his game. Then there's his infectious off-ice personality that makes him a dressing-room favourite. "There are two personalities, the one on the ice and one off the ice," Callahan said. "My on-ice personality stays there and my off-ice personality is just the person I am." The Whittier, Calif., native quickly won over his Detroit Red Wings teammates at the annual NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City this week, earning the reputation as the team clown. "He keeps the mood light," Landon Ferraro said. "He's someone who likes to get into everything but at the same time he's a good hockey player. Cally is someone you can look at and know he's going to do something funny without even knowing it." Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith, who first met the 5-foot-11 right-winger last year, admits he wasn't sure what to make of him before getting to know him. "Callahan's a great guy," Brendan Smith said. "I didn't know what to expect because you hear a lot about him being a fighter and a tough guy. You wouldn't know he's a real tough guy because he's kind of a little sweetheart. Every team has that one guy who's kind of charismatic and cracks jokes." Callahan, who has 353 penalty minutes and 39 fighting majors the past two seasons with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, believes part of his role on any the team is to help loosen up his teammates and get them comfortable. He certainly doesn't seem to mind being source of the comedic entertainment, either. "You don't want to get too much tension going on in the room," he said. "I like to open some guys up who are quiet. I like getting the energy going in the room, and cracking jokes is what I do." Drafted in the sixth round (180th overall) in the 2009 draft, Callahan thrives on being a pest. He's most effective when his opponent is goaded into taking a retaliatory penalty or is more focused on Callahan than the game. "I am not really known for scoring goals as you can tell," said Callahan, who had a modest 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 72 games last season. "I like being the agitator and I like getting people pissed off. It's what I like to do." Callahan will use just about any tactic to get to his opponents and he's constantly yapping. "Sometimes I have to go personal to get better players off their game," Callahan said. "I feel bad about that but it has to be done. I usually use stuff about them not being that good in one department of hockey. Some of the words I say are not really appropriate for this interview but it gets them going." Callahan was a staple on Detroit's third and fourth lines in Traverse City this week, providing the grit and physicality the Red Wings expect from him despite going without a point in four games. "I think I am doing what they ask me to do out there," Callahan said. "I just want to be the energy guy who sucks players into penalties. I think I have been doing fairly well at that this week." Callahan, who has added about 15 pounds of muscle since he was drafted and is now up to 190, will return to Kelowna for a third season and hopes to develop his skills and "maybe get thicker." He won't have to worry about his contract status since the Red Wings signed him to a three-year entry-level deal at the end of last season. The contract gave the 19 year-old extra motivation to work hard this off-season. "It seems like they really want me to be in this organization and they really want me to be in Detroit one day," Callahan said. "It kind of opened up my mind a bit to work out a little harder this summer and to push for my dream of playing in the NHL."

Thread from General Discussion on his draft day. http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php/topic/59626-wings-select-gleason-fournier-at-90th-overall/

Season opener. Calle Järnkrok, Brynäs - 16:29 TOI, +/- 0, 2 shots, 0 PIM

Season opener. Adam Almqvist, HV71 - 20:46 TOI, -1, 0 shots, 0 PIM

27 Travis Ehrhardt: If Tatar’s the most muscle-bound player due to his shorter stature, the straight-six-foot-tall Ehrhardt is bloody close. He’s also a more defensively-minded defenseman and just does his job without fuss or flourish, hits well, and at least among the prospects, he showed that he could play on the PK or easily pinch in on the PP because he makes smart outlet passes and has a solid shot to back up his fine skating ability and superb work ethic. He wants to crack the Griffins’ top four, and to move forward, that’s exactly what he has to do this year, even if Doug Janik and Derek Meech are there in front of him… http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/13_RWCReport.php RWC Report: Ehrhardt eases into the pros By Matthew Wuest – RedWingsCentral.com / April 13, 2010 The Detroit Red Wings have had success dipping into the free agent pool over the years, and Travis Ehrhardt is their latest project. The Red Wings, who have graduated eight undrafted free-agent prospect signings to the NHL over the past 11 years, signed Ehrhardt in July after he completed a solid five-year career in the Western Hockey League. The 5-foot-11, 203-pound blueliner was scoreless with five assists and a minus-9 in 42 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season and was moved in and out of the lineup as an American Hockey League rookie. "He can skate the puck out of trouble, which is a good," said Griffins general manager Bob McNamara. "His upside is his skating and his size and (making) a good first pass out of his zone. He really has no problem with the physical aspects (of the AHL) or the speed in terms of defending." Ehrhardt, who hails from Calgary, was never a high scorer in the WHL. His best totals came at age 19 in 2007-08 with Moose Jaw and Portland, when he compiled 10 goals and 31 assists for 41 points in 72 games. The biggest thing with Ehrhardt — as with most defensemen out of junior — is learning that what worked in the WHL won't in the AHL. "He's had to learn to make better decisions with the puck and make safer plays," McNamara said. "All these kids come out of junior and they're able to do what they want with the puck … Carry the puck, pass the puck through the middle … When they get to the pros, those gaps close a lot quicker. "He's kind of had to learn to make the safer play." Ehrhardt also played three games in the East Coast Hockey League with the Toledo Walleye, collecting a goal and an assist in three games.

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/09/wings_prospect_daniel_larsson.html

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/35056-The-Hot-List-A-new-season-begins.html

36 Jordan Pearce: Pearce is bigger than his 6’1” listed height because he’s supremely lanky and he plays a very efficient hybrid style, offering technically efficient goaltending and really the best mobility and ability to recover from the butterfly of anybody out there, and he was damn good against Tampa Bay, especially in the shootout, willing pucks to the corners and sometimes standing on his feet as he patiently out-waited the Bolts’ shooters, but he retains the status of a “shooter tutor” to some extent. Pearce’s problem is that he can be beaten at the four corners of his net relatively easily when he so much as saunters a hair off his proper angle, and he gets off-angle somewhat regularly. He’s still got potential and works hard so I hope he gets an opportunity to settle in as the Toledo Walleye’s #1 goalie because they lost Alec Richards to the Hawks. http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

34 Petr Mrazek: Over the course of three months, Mrazek transformed himself from an athletic puck-blocker who was all over the crease into a much more controlled and collected classic butterfly netminder who has a Hasek-high glove hand, kicks pucks out to the right places and does a wonderful job of deadening rebounds by collapsing his body slightly to absorb their energy. His blocker hand and tendency to lift his stick off the ice as he drops into the butterfly let him down, however, and he needs to stop dropping his blocker so easily. He was even-keeled and sometimes even elegant in the Wings’ net when they beat the Blues to advance to the championship game and he’s going to dominate for the Ottawa 67’s this year, but his biggest problem is that he’s quite possibly 165 pounds, if that, and his lack of just about any body fat means that he’s going to have to work very hard to build up his body and build up his endurance has he moves forward. http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

38 Thomas McCollum: Second in maturity to Lashoff and unparalleled in terms of his level-headeness and plain old “nice guy” factor, the affable and big (6’2” and at least 200 lbs) goaltender really reminds me of Jimmy Howard at this stage because, as I’ve stated before, he’s still trying to process the lessons he’s learning from Jim Bedard and make them unconscious. He still has a tendency to crouch down too low in his stance (like Howard) and try to rest his glove and blocker on his thigh rises (like Howard), limiting his mobility and opening up holes that he can’t recover to cover quickly enough, and he is prone to the occasional softy because he wants to lean his legs over the goalposts instead of on them (a bit like Howard) and sometimes gets beaten to the far post, but he’s a very good puckhandler and mostly an excellent fundamental goaltender who is extremely competitive, extremely combative when he’s on his back (he grew up watching Domink Hasek, after all) or on his side, he’s patient and poised and moves across the net very, very well. He has a great blocker hand, a deft and daring glove, his rebound control is excellent and he covers the bottom of the net both due to his size and due to his near impeccable butterfly stance. When he’s in the butterfly and upright, that’s where his size comes into play most often, and his huge torso presents a real wall for shooters to stare at. Put simply? The young man with Bullwinkle on the backplate of his mask has all the tools and all the work ethic and mental outlook necessary to become a very big and very effective NHL goaltender one day, and he needs to take another step in Grand Rapids this season. I’m glad they’ve brought Joey MacDonald in to help Thomas along, because his biggest flaw is that he still gets caught thinking about how he’s supposed to make a save. Once he processes all that information and starts making it subconscious he’s going to be fine and he’s going establish himself as someone you’ll see in the NHL at some point sooner than later, though the Wings will of course bring the 21-year-old along very slowly. http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

2 Brendan Smith: Up to and including this past summer, the thing that made me worry about Brendan Smith was his propensity for getting caught indulging in alcohol and the fact that he seemed to hot-dog it at times, acting like the kind of player who knew he was so fantastically talented that he could get away with slacking off. Now I see a more mature and level-headed Smith, who’s still a very lean young man despite putting bulk on that 6’2” frame, making the NCAA graduate’s mistake of waiting that extra second to make a pass and assuming that an opposing forward isn’t going to do his best to knock you off your feet and make you hurt because that extra second doesn’t exist anymore, even among your peers. Smith has literally and figuratively grown up over the past few years, and as University of Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves recently said, he’s still a bit of a “wild stallion” who, and I quote, “Still needs some mentorship” and still needs to “grow up emotionally,” I can at least say that his level of maturity as compared to even this spring is very impressive. He’s growing up, and yes, as he’s a gregarious young man, he’s going to need to be reigned in a bit and reminded that he’s got to bring the Tatar/Raedeke attitude to doing his job, so he’s going to struggle at times this season, but even a year ago, I would have suggested that he couldn’t do it, and this year I really believe that he can. So good on him and bad on me for having preconceived notions. As far as Brendan as a player is concerned, it’s just adjustments in terms of time and space that he needs to worry about as he graduates to the AHL. The pace of play he’s going to face and his margin for error are far higher (pace) and smaller (error), respectively, but if there ever was a player talented enough to warrant, “We think he could be another Niklas Kronwall” descriptions from the Wings’ management, it’s Brendan. He is an absolutely elite, elite, elite offensive defenseman who skates as fast as the forward he was until he was 16, his vision and playmaking abilities are fantastic, he’s got a great shot, a hard pass, he’s grown in leaps and bounds in terms of his defensive responsibilities and while he’s not Kronwall bombastic, he does indeed enjoy the physical part of his game, and he loves mixing it up and driving his opponents to distraction. He, Landon Ferraro and probably Thomas McCollum are the most naturally gifted athletes out there, and Smith has all the potential in the world to become an elite offensive defenseman at the NHL level. He just has to learn to adjust to the pro game. He’s won me over, and I hope he makes it all the way because he’s fun to watch. http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

54 Sebastien Piche: Piche’s a fantastic skater, a superb hitter and has a powerful shot with an Al MacInnis-high wind-up that powers the puck toward the net, and he’s enthusiastic, very vocal and hard-working to the point that he’ll often talk to his teammates and coaches about drills or plays to make sure he’s in exactly the right spot, he’s got that vicious Brad Stuart-style tendency to twist his hips when he hits opponents to smear them to the boards, he’s got a nice outlet pass...and he’s still rough around the edges despite having played half a season in the AHL. When Piche’s on, he makes you think of Brett Lebda with a nastier edge, and when he’s off, he makes you think of Brett Lebda when he was off. The fact of the matter is that while Piche is in tremendous shape, he’s 5’10” and maybe 175 lbs and he has to get, if not stronger, smarter and less mistake-prone. http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/