Mitchell Callahan

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

6 points in 12 games now in the playoffs. He's cooled off lately, maybe the tougher second round opponent is the answer for that.

Is he eligible to try out at training camp next year?

[TNBT 3]

I'm not sure if it has been posted yet or not, but there was an interesting article about this kid on the Wings website.

My link

I don't know a huge amount about him, but I'm really starting to like the idea of him lining up on a 3rd or 4th line for Detroit somewhere in the future.

[titanium2 867]

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/07/red_wings_prospect_camp_assess_1.html

2010 Prospect Camp Review:

32 Mitchell Callahan

Pluses: Over the course of prospect camp, Mitchell’s talkativeness and a few quips and quotes yielded a reputation to which he’s not going to live up to. No, Mitchell’s not going to be the next Bob Probert. He’s too small at a very honestly-listed 5’10” and 175 lbs—he will never be a power forward who can drop the gloves and overpower his opponents. But he will, as Jim Nill suggested, bring something to the table that the Red Wings currently lack, and that’s the reason he earned a contract as a 19-year-old playing for the Kelowna Rockets.

If you can remember far back enough, and recall Dallas Drake at the start of his career—or the end of it—watching a fresh-faced young man acquire frequent cuts and nicks because he led with his face as he roared into the corners at full speed, crashing into opponents on the forecheck, grinding pucks out down low on the cycle and passing said pucks to more offensively talented forwards, working his tail off to kill penalties and block shots and passes at the other end of the ice, all while playing exceptionally responsible defensive hockey, and oh yeah, by the way, knocking the fear of Gord into his opponents because he can bowl into and bowl over them all over the ice, with his fists backing up his checks and protecting his teammates when necessary…

That’s Mitchell. He’s not particularly big, and he still has to get stronger, but he is the consummate “glue guy” grinder who can occasionally and enthusiastically fight. Callahan is a superb north-south skater whose speed, acceleration, and strength on his edges allow him to change direction in a hurry and provide that stocky body with a longer-legged gait than he actually possesses, and again, a caveat—we’re not talking Kris Draper or Darren Helm fast. We’re talking Drake, Maltby in his heyday, those kinds of comparables. But he is a fantastic forechecker who uses his speed to get the jump on his opponents and bang their bodies into the boards to separate them from the puck in all three zones of the ice, but especially in the offensive zone, where he’s a threat to any defenseman not careful with the puck near the end board and/or coming around the boards on the “hard around,” and in the defensive zone, where he can get up to speed in a hurry—going forward, backward, or changing direction via lateral strides—and mash opponents into the side boards to separate them from the puck, or perhaps clear it himself.

And that’s why comparisons to Darren McCarty don’t work, either. Callahan’s not as large as McCarty, but he’s a better skater and his hands are better, much like, again, Dallas Drake. Callahan’s game is grounded in sound defensive play, because he excels at keeping a short “gap” between himself and his defensemen, he blocks passes well with his stick and can slide to block shots on occasion, and, mostly, he simply tries to be a defensively responsible forward in all situations, using his speed to make up for any errors in judgment in committing to a check when he should’ve simply focused on backchecking.

But his hands are very, very good, too. He was used as the forechecking forward on Landon Ferraro’s line, and his ability to crash and bang on the forecheck to retrieve the puck and hustle up and back down the ice in a hurry both generated offense via smart passing or showcased the fact that he can deke and dangle decently and has a good shot. Callahan can play the two-way forward’s role.

Most impressively, however, Callahan worked very hard to make sure that he was mastering the technical details of the game. Before, during, and after drills, Callahan was the player most likely to be found talking to Curt Fraser, Jim Paek, Jiri Fischer or Keith McKittrick if he wasn’t absolutely sure where he was supposed to position himself while getting from point A to point B to most aggressively gobble up ice to help generate scoring chances and prevent scoring chances against. He wants to get the technical details right, and when he talked to me about systems play, he never ceased to impress me about understanding that it was imperative for him to learn as much as possible about improving himself as a player, whether engaging in drills with the coaches, skill-building drills with Thomas Storm, or skating sessions with Andy Weidenbach.

Minuses: His size, and to some extent, his strength, are big stumbling blocks. Callahan still needs to get “bigger and stronger” in the sense that he’s already pretty “big” for his build, but must pack on at least ten more pounds of muscle, especially in his thighs, core and upper body, to ensure that he doesn’t get overpowered by the bigger and stronger forwards in pro hockey. He’s going to have to prove people wrong about his size the whole way along his developmental curve, and there’s not much room for error there given his style of play.

He’s also probably going to produce offense on a point-per-game pace in the WHL this season, and to assume that the 19-year-old can post more than, at the top end, 10-15 goals and maybe 30 points at the NHL level is simply unreasonable.

Mostly, he’s already got a big reputation already, and despite the fact that he’s always struck me as very level-headed and intelligent, albeit supremely confident in himself, he can’t let all this talk go to his head. Callahan has to continue to get bigger, stronger, and more technically adept in terms of his fundamentals and stick and skate skills, all while remembering that he’s still far, far away from the NHL as a 19-year-old riding the buses as a WHL’er. If all this talk goes to his head, a Mitchell Callahan working at anything less than 100% of his available effort and playing at anything less than 100% engagement in the game isn’t a Mitchell Callahan that will make the NHL.

He can’t let his patience slip, either, as he will doubtlessly face the same developmental curve that Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader have. He’s going to be a Grand Rapids Griffin for at least two years, and that’s just how things go.

Potential “upside”: Again, if he continues to get “bigger and stronger” and continues to develop as a player while ensuring that hard work is his bottom line, we’re talking about a Dallas Drake-style forward who is a forechecking dynamo, plays sound and responsible defensive hockey, can kill penalties, intimidate and agitate his opponents with the requisite level of fists backing his agitation up, and if all goes well, chip in a few goals from time to time because he’s skilled enough and smart enough to play as a crash-and-bang forechecker on a scoring line. Just as the Red Wings had essentially been searching for a Bob Rouse-like defenseman from the moment they got rid of Bob Rouse until they acquired Brad Stuart, the Wings hadn’t found a real replacement for Dallas Drake until they reacquired him, and Mitchell Callahan could fill that niche as a Swiss Army Knife forward with a gravelly, gritty edge.

[titanium2 867]

From their first prospects tournament game 9/11 in which the Wings won 6 to 1.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospect_tournament_win_lopsided_in_more_ways_than_one/

Mitchell Callahan, a mini-mite and ball of energy who’d go to the net, get cross-checked into the net or in the head, and pop right back up to get ready for the next faceoff, and bam, he’d go right to the net or tangle with opposing forwards along the boards, both giving and taking hits while bouncing around like a pinball and roaring in on the forecheck with superb speed.

[sputman 1,268]

great article on callahan:

http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_09/17_Callahan.php

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."

i certainly want him in the organization and to be able to watch him as a red wing some day.

[titanium2 867]

65 Mitchell Callahan: Weasel. Pest. Shift-disturber. Endlessly enthusiastic checking forward with the offensive chops to serve as Landon Ferraro’s partner in crime. The kind of player who gets cross-checked in the head, wriggles his helmet off and pops up with that poofy haircut and gap-toothed smile asking if that’s all his opponent can give him. He likes to fight on occasion, but is mostly an agitator and an energy forward who’s far smarter than his appearance lets on. He works very hard.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/red_wings_prospects_conclude_tournament_with_a_loss_prepare_for_main_camp/

[titanium2 867]

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."

[redwingfan19 293]

Just incase your wondering what cally has been up to

"The toughest Kelowna Rocket"

[uk_redwing 495]

2 goals and 2 assists last night. Makes it 14 points in 15 games for Callahan. Is also unsurprisingly undefeated at centre ice as well.

[Shaman 713]

2 goals and 2 assists last night. Makes it 14 points in 15 games for Callahan. Is also unsurprisingly undefeated at centre ice as well.

First, great to have you back posting here.

Second, great to see him preforming so well, if he can fill a role like a Brendan Shanahan light it would be awesome.

[cjm502 165]

First, great to have you back posting here.

Second, great to see him preforming so well, if he can fill a role like a Brendan Shanahan light it would be awesome.

I see him being a Matt Cooke, except a little less of a cheap shotting ****** bag.

Edit: Alright, Shanny light sounds fine.

Edited November 3, 2010 by cjm502

[uk_redwing 495]

I would say closer to a cross between Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty. Best fighting skills in the WHL, sets out to piss the opposition off and has a decent scoring touch to top it off.

Not the biggest frame in terms of height, but if he makes it to the NHL he will be one of the top "pound for pound" fighters or maybe pushing the light heavyweight division if he keeps adding on the muscle.

[Konnan511 1,736]

I know he's putting up the points, but isn't that normal for the older guys of the CHL who are more physically developed than the young guns?

[titanium2 867]

I would say closer to a cross between Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty. Best fighting skills in the WHL, sets out to piss the opposition off and has a decent scoring touch to top it off.

Not the biggest frame in terms of height, but if he makes it to the NHL he will be one of the top "pound for pound" fighters or maybe pushing the light heavyweight division if he keeps adding on the muscle.

I knew you'd be back. The RWC forum is just a joke.

[uk_redwing 495]

I knew you'd be back. The RWC forum is just a joke.

RWC is essentially the same 6 posters trying to be comedians.

Callahan had another 4 point night tonight (1 goal, 3 assists) to make it 18 points in 16 games.

[titanium2 867]

RWC is essentially the same 6 posters trying to be comedians.

Yeah. I used to go there a lot but once I realized the pattern it just got old really quick. It's a hell hole.

But it's great to see you back around here! We definitely need someone who can update us more frequently on Callahan.

[Andy Pred 48 337]

8 points in 2 games,and the Rockets grit guy too! if he keeps that going we'll be looking at the next Gordie!!

no, in all seriousness im looking at him being more in the Alan Kerr mold, at the NHL level.

[Andy Pred 48 337]

a fight and a 3 pt night, way to go Mitch.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Yeah. I used to go there a lot but once I realized the pattern it just got old really quick. It's a hell hole.

But it's great to see you back around here! We definitely need someone who can update us more frequently on Callahan.

Sorry to harp on it, just noticed this though. The RWC forums are a complete disgrace. A thread can't stay on topic for longer than about 3 posts before one of the 'comedians' ruin it, and once it's ruined, there's no turning it around. It only gets worse and worse and gets further off topic.

Anyway, Callahan is tearing it up right now. 12 points in the past 4 games.

[titanium2 867]

Sorry to harp on it, just noticed this though. The RWC forums are a complete disgrace. A thread can't stay on topic for longer than about 3 posts before one of the 'comedians' ruin it, and once it's ruined, there's no turning it around. It only gets worse and worse and gets further off topic.

This Callahan guy is really making some noise. You had to wonder to yourself, 'How is it that he is the first one among the draftees of 09 that got a contract?' But, man, is he ever showing his colors.

In regards to RWC, well said. What really sucks about it is that the staff at RWC who write the scouting reports and the prospect features are of an incredible quality. They do absolutely fantastic work.

And, really, I don't mean to say that LGW is such a great place in terms of its forum. To me, it's the best internet Red Wings forum by default. It's like the bar that may be the closest to a college campus that everyone complains about but still frequents because that's simply where the best available party is.

[newfy 695]

17 goals and 21 assists in 38 games played so far. 64 pims as well and 6 fights on the season. He isn't taking as many PIMs because he is thriving in a scoring role. I can't wait to see what he has in GR next year

[newfy 695]

Callahan now has 46 points in 45 games, wow looking like a really good late round pick. He had a really good fight last night as well, he has 7 on the year but that was his first in a while

[Konnan511 1,736]

It was a hell of a fight!

http://www.hockeyfig...m/fights/101808

Gogol is a cheap ***** too.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Konnan511

[newfy 695]

Callahan has met last seasons totals that took 72 games in 47 games this season

[uk_redwing 495]

Isn't fighting as much this season because the Wings told him he had to cut down his penalty minutes to make it to Detroit