redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 These are the type of players the wings should take a chance on, if it doesn't work out no real loss. Read From Red Wings Central: The Detroit Red Wings see a little bit of Anaheim Ducks forward Travis Moen in recently-signed right-winger Randall Gelech. The 23-year-old Gelech inked a two-year contract with the Red Wings in mid-July after the Phoenix Coyotes opted not to re-sign him. The Red Wings like his potential and want to keep developing him, and will likely assign him to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. “You’re hoping Gelech, down the road, maybe becomes a Travis Moen,†Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “He played against Moen in junior and he was just as good of a player. You’re just hoping. He’s still a young kid.†Moen, 25, had 21 points in 82 games with the Ducks last season and added 12 points in 21 playoff games en route to Stanley Cup. Gelech recorded 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points in 79 games last season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has the attributes of a good NHL fourth-liner. “We like his size, he plays hard on the boards, he chases the puck well and he has pretty good hands for a big guy,†Nill said. “In this game, we’re forced to rush a lot of kids and we’re just hoping we find one of them who slips through the cracks, much like Dan Cleary did.†In other news:  Goaltender Logan Koopmans has re-signed with the Red Wings, inking a one-year contract. The 23-year-old has averaged just over 20 starts per season over the past three years because of various injuries, and was even contemplating retirement at one point. The Red Wings now have five goaltenders under contract. “He had tough luck with injuries and we just said, ‘You know what? Let's give him a chance, one more time,’†Nill said.  Defenseman Derek Meech has to clear waivers if the Red Wings decide to assign him to the AHL out of training camp. Fellow blueliner Kyle Quincey is exempt for another year. Both are fighting for the same job.  The Red Wings are bringing free-agent goaltender Pier-Olivier Pelletier to training camp in August and September to see what he can do, and might offer him a contract if he shows enough potential. Pelletier already participated in the team’s summer strength-and-conditioning camp in Detroit in early July and showed well. “We’ll just bring him to camp and see what happens  it’s all in how he plays,†Nill said. “We’re opening the door for him. Does he grab it? We’ll find out. We brought him to prospect camp and he outperformed three other goalies, so he’s the one who got the chance to come to our main camp.† Nill was impressed with a number of players at the team’s summer strength-and-conditioning camp at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Notably, Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader and Jakub Kindl showed up having made impressive physical gains from previous years. “They’ve been there for a few years now and it’s paying off,†Nill said. “They were miles ahead of everybody else.†Nill listed defensemen Bryan Rufenach and Brendan Smith and left-winger Joakim Andersson as those who impressed him on the ice at the camp. Rufenach was at the top of the list. “He’s got very good hockey sense and vision and he’s real smart with the puck,†Nill said. “He’s going to school for four years and you’re hoping you’ll end up with another Dan Boyle down the road.†Nill said Andersson showed at camp that a little more lower-body strength will help him erase concerns about his skating. Nill added that the camp was an “eye-opener†for Swedes Johan Ryno, Mattias Ritola and Dick Axelsson. He said Ryno was in “good shape,†Ritola in “great shape†and Axelsson “needs to work†on his strength and conditioning.  Russian forward Igor Grigorenko missed the summer camp because of visa issues but will likely arrive in Detroit in mid-August. “His agent wants him to come over and get him adapted,†Nill said. “Our (players) usually get here around the third week of August and get together to do their own skating, so he’ll be meeting up with those guys then.† Nill had this to say about free agency. “We’re kind of sitting on the sidelines,†he said. “If somebody's name comes up that we like at the right price, we'd look at it, but if we have to start today with what we have, we'll start with we have.†The future is looking good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 These are the type of players the wings should take a chance on, if it doesn't work out no real loss. The future is looking good Great read. Thanks for the info. Two big surprises in who impressed the most at camp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteLightning91 105 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 Great Read! I am very exciting to see the development of our players. I'm interested as to why Howard wasn't mentioned in that article though. Pelletier's was said to have outperformed 3 other goalies in that camp. Could he really have outperformed Howard or was Howard just not even trying hard since he knows he is going to be the starter in the AHL no matter what happens? What will happen with Meech? Is he good enough for another team to take a chance on him if we decide to send him down? Quincey seems to be the one who the team is counting on for that 7th D-man spot at this point. I keep hearing management and coaches saying he is NHL-ready but I don't hear much about Meech. A lot can be said about Quincey being brought up for those playoffs series instead of Meech though. I'm interested to hear what kind of "good-shape" Ryno was in. I really want him to come ready to play for us at a solid 6'5 and at least 220lbs. Same goes for Kindl. Still really disappointed about Girgorenko's situation. it just doesn't sound right. If he was so sure he was coming over to America this summer, wouldn't you think he would've had all that stuff taken care of with his visa and everything regarding immigration? Conspiracy from his former team is what me thinks!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 Gelech's going to have to be alot more active in the fight department before i take any Moen comparison seriously. I mean, Moen fought quite a bit in the AHL, Gellech hasnt gone more than 2 times in a season. He did have a couple known names on his card though like Krys Barch...so we'll see if he can become more active. Given that these comments came from Nill and not Holland, I'll give it a small amount of credence. No, this isnt another Holland bash, I just dont pay any mind whatsoever to his opinion when he talks about toughness or physical players. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ben_usmc 253 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 man i want to see kindl and ryno out there hopefully busting some heads Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,794 Report post Posted July 27, 2007 Last year the Oilers had guys like Torres, Pisani, & Winchester; these 3 didn't do very much this past season; maybe Moen follows suit? Another 1 year wonder? Moen won't be a 1 year wonder, because he didn't do anything spectacular for the Ducks, but was instead a solid checking winger. If they keep him together with Niedermayer and Pahlsson, that'll continue to be the best checking line in the league. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kp-Wings 3 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 Gelech's going to have to be alot more active in the fight department before i take any Moen comparison seriously. I mean, Moen fought quite a bit in the AHL, Gellech hasnt gone more than 2 times in a season. He did have a couple known names on his card though like Krys Barch...so we'll see if he can become more active. Given that these comments came from Nill and not Holland, I'll give it a small amount of credence. No, this isnt another Holland bash, I just dont pay any mind whatsoever to his opinion when he talks about toughness or physical players. He has more fight potential than anyone the Wings currently have in their system. Signing Gelech was a small step in the right direction to bringing back toughness through fighting. He's not a major heavyweight, but he's more willing then anyone we currently have. I'd like to see the Wings give him a shot sometime next season if possible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yankeebaddabing 0 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 Good stuff!! I can't wait to see grigs...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vangvace 12 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 Still really disappointed about Girgorenko's situation. it just doesn't sound right. If he was so sure he was coming over to America this summer, wouldn't you think he would've had all that stuff taken care of with his visa and everything regarding immigration? Conspiracy from his former team is what me thinks!!! I expect these type of issues if a team hasn't brought a Russian over before.. but for a Detroit player to have visa issues? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Pred 48 337 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 Any one know Gelech's actual size? He's stated on here as 6'3" 200 yet on the Griffs site he weighs in at 220lb, big difference if its the case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chase 0 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 Good read. Cant wait to see Kindl and Grigs play. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lou_Siffer 1 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 He has more fight potential than anyone the Wings currently have in their system. Signing Gelech was a small step in the right direction to bringing back toughness through fighting. He's not a major heavyweight, but he's more willing then anyone we currently have. I'd like to see the Wings give him a shot sometime next season if possible. Thats pretty sad when a guy who's had only 2 fights tops in a season is the most willing guy in the whole system! But it is true... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteLightning91 105 Report post Posted July 28, 2007 I expect these type of issues if a team hasn't brought a Russian over before.. but for a Detroit player to have visa issues? I thought the same thing when I read an article about Grigorenko's situation a couple weeks back. This is the most European team in the league and yet we had a player who couldn't make it to camp for a valuable learning experience as well as personal experiece because he had problems with a visa. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 308 Report post Posted July 30, 2007 This has nothing to do with Grigs or the wings not being prepared for him to come over. This has all to do with the Russian Gov (I think they are still tied tightly to Russian Hockey) wanting to make a s*** storm in order let him go. Players come and go all of the time. Some of them get a bunch of s***, some freely travel. Not sure why it is him that is having a hard time, but it is his turn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
