St. Michael (the Red Wing) 422 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Saw this on twitter today posted by the Detroit Red Wings and no thread. Wings have signed D Mattias Backman of Swedish Elite League to 3-year contract. He was drafted by DET in the 5th round 2011 NHL Entry Draft I don't know anything about this kid. Thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingedominance13 112 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) This kid will be legit. He is a smooth skater with great vision. As long as his progression continues plan on seeing him in the top four of Grand Rapids d the year after next. Edited May 23, 2013 by wingedominance13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kipwinger 8,524 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 What the hell is Detroit going to do with all these prospects. They've got prospects coming out of their ears and no place for them to go. Good problem to have, but man, you hate to see them stagnate or leave for nothing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frankgrimes 1,836 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 What the hell is Detroit going to do with all these prospects. They've got prospects coming out of their ears and no place for them to go. Good problem to have, but man, you hate to see them stagnate or leave for nothing. Never heart (read) of this guy, so I think it may be just a depth signing, which can be used for trades come draft? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crymson Report post Posted May 23, 2013 What the hell is Detroit going to do with all these prospects. They've got prospects coming out of their ears and no place for them to go. Good problem to have, but man, you hate to see them stagnate or leave for nothing. The Wings have too many good prospects! Damnit, Holland! Seriously? Never heart (read) of this guy, so I think it may be just a depth signing, which can be used for trades come draft? It's not a depth signing. He's a prospect who has potential. 1 Greatness=PavelDatsyuk reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RyanBarnes! 293 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Mattias was a member of the gold winning Swedish WJCH team in 2012! Potential top four defenseman I would say. 1 Z Winged Dangler reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nosyt612 103 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Pierre Maguire brought him up earlier this year, he thought he has a lot of potential. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropkickshanahans 463 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Pierre Maguire brought him up earlier this year, he thought he has a lot of potential. Yup. Between him, Sproul, Ouellet and Jensen it'll be interesting to see how these guys fair in 2-4 years along with Kronwall, Ericsson, Smith, Kindl, DeKeyser and Quincey. Plus there's still Almquist who I'm still holding out hope for-- he seemed to pick it up later in the season and is putting up alot of points in the playoffs for the Griffs so far. Oh, and can't forget about big, mean, nasty McKee... 1 Z Winged Dangler reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MidMichSteve 1,115 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Kahn reported it yesterday. Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings' director of player development, called Backman, 20, the most improved defenseman in Sweden under 21. Fischer said he is very excited about Backman, calling him fun to watch. “In the current game, where defensemen have to turn back quickly and get the puck after a dump-in while being chased by a guy who’s 200 pounds and flying at 100 miles an hour, he is one of the few who can really handle that pressure, go back and get the puck and skate out of traffic,'' Fischer said. “He’s got that ability with the puck and he sees the ice. He can make plays under pressure.“His personality on the ice from last year, because he was a late-bloomer, has gone from ‘I can’t make a mistake’ to starting to dictate the pace of the game." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z Winged Dangler 2,082 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 He got comparisons to Edler from a report I read a while back. He should hopefully be a Wing in a couple years after he shows what he can do in GR. He'd likely be a good pairing with Almqvist and then we can see Sproul and Ouellet as a pair. There's some nice D prospects in GR that's for sure. I'll definitely be looking into the AHL gamecentre thing next season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ogreslayer 1,069 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Yup. Between him, Sproul, Ouellet and Jensen it'll be interesting to see how these guys fair in 2-4 years along with Kronwall, Ericsson, Smith, Kindl, DeKeyser and Quincey. Plus there's still Almquist who I'm still holding out hope for-- he seemed to pick it up later in the season and is putting up alot of points in the playoffs for the Griffs so far. Oh, and can't forget about big, mean, nasty McKee... Surprised to see Backman moved along this quickly. Last speculation I saw was him spending at least another year in Sweden. re: McKee, was it him or James DeHaas that some were saying the Wings might move to forward? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Everyone who said we were dead after Lidstrom didn't have a clue. DeKeyser, Smith, Ouellet, Jensen, Sproul, Billins, Almsqvist, Backman. We're absolutely stocked with defense prospects, the future is bright. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number9 3,297 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Everyone who said we were dead after Lidstrom didn't have a clue. DeKeyser, Smith, Ouellet, Jensen, Sproul, Billins, Almsqvist, Backman. We're absolutely stocked with defense prospects, the future is bright. I believe Billins is under contract with Grand Rapids, not Detroit. I'd throw Marchenko and McKee onto that list too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danielsm 244 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Everyone who said we were dead after Lidstrom didn't have a clue. DeKeyser, Smith, Ouellet, Jensen, Sproul, Billins, Almsqvist, Backman. We're absolutely stocked with defense prospects, the future is bright. Hell, our current D core is holding pretty well against the both the 1st place and 2nd place teams in the West so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blgillett 48 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 I'm glad we are signing a few Defensive prospects we are very thin there Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crashnburnluder 385 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 I remember Pierre comparing Backman to Brodin (the stud Minnesota d prospect) now not saying he is Brodin but they were being talked about in the same sentence... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nosyt612 103 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 I remember Pierre comparing Backman to Brodin (the stud Minnesota d prospect) now not saying he is Brodin but they were being talked about in the same sentence... I think he said Backman was his defensive partner at some point, whether it was the World Juniors or on a Swedish club team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dropkickshanahans 463 Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Surprised to see Backman moved along this quickly. Last speculation I saw was him spending at least another year in Sweden. re: McKee, was it him or James DeHaas that some were saying the Wings might move to forward? I don't know much about De Haas, I'll have to read up on him more, but as far as McKee, someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think he moved from forward to defenseman? All I know currently is that he's in the NCAA now to focus on his defensive play. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Axe Report post Posted May 23, 2013 I think everyone is excited that we are moving out of the 35+ year old era. Its nice when you have the Yzerman and Lidstrom 35 year olds. But the Bertuzzi and Samuelsson types are a drag. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites