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2014 Prospects Tournament and Training Camp (Sept. 12-23)

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Awesome! That's the line I wanted to see formed from the beginning. I hope Athanasiou and Mantha can gain enough chemistry to warrant keeping them together in Grand Rapids as well.

Bertuzzi - Athanasiou - Mantha

Tvrdon - Nosek - Frk

invitee - Turgeon - Nastasiuk

invitee - invitee - Campbell

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*runs into thread*

DID SOMEONE SAY HAMPUS MELEN?!

#Europe: Melén 1+0, +1 & 1 SOG in a 2-1 loss. http://stats.swehockey.se/Game/Reports/208695 #RedWings

11:39 AM - 13 Sep 2014

Hampus is Back Baby!

That's it he's a superstar. Everyone on the Hampus wagon!

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I just got back from my trip to Traverse City and other parts of Michigan. I was able to catch the Prospects Tournament on Friday, but I didn't go on Saturday due to other plans (I got engaged). I strongly recommend attending the tournament. We planned our trip around seeing the Wings, and the game was one of the best parts of the trip. Below are some short impressions from the game. The play was a little sloppy- most of the players haven't played together- and players who hustled and were hard on the puck were most noticeable.

Mantha- Had two excellent goals. The first was a nice snipe, and the second was batted in from mid air. He seemed very composed, made few mistakes, and controlled the play well. He was the Wings' best forward, and I'm excited to see him in preseason. From what I saw he didn't look NHL ready, but he was also playing with new teammates.

Athanasiou- Dangerous. He has great speed and an excellent shot, and was exciting each time he touched the puck. He played a little recklessly, and was hit hard a few times throughout the game. The raw talent is there, and I am excited to see how he can put his shot, speed, and tenacity together. IMO he was more exciting to watch than Mantha.

Frk- Fast, hustles, and has a great work ethic. I am hoping he can continue to improve in GR this season.

Turgeon- Always seemed to be in the right place to make a play, offensively and defensively. We always noted his hustle and energy. I wasn't a big fan of the pick originally, but I am now convinced.

Bert- Much smaller than I expected, both in size and how he plays the game. He made a few bad plays, but managed to assist on the last goal in regulation. IMO he needs to get stronger to be a physical player at the NHL/AHL level. I expected a better game from him- hopefully I caught him on an off night.

Sproul- Solid play and a great shot to send the game to OT. I expected him to be the Wings' best D, and he was by far.

Hicketts- I was impressed. Solid play and scored the GWG in OT. Was very smart with the puck, always seemed to be in the right position, and made a few good checks. His size didn't seem to be an issue in the game, but will likely hinder him getting an NHL contract. IMO if he were 2-3 inches taller, the Wings would/should sign him.

Nedomlel- Formed a solid pairing with Hicketts. Used his size well and was positionally sound. He didn't hesitate to challenge a Blues player to a fight that boarded Athanasiou. I think he has the ability to be a McQuaid type player.

McNulty- Has all of the tools, but needs a lot of improvement. He had some great offensive rushes, and was able to use his size to physically dominate play in the corners and in front of the net. He made some bad decisions, and was benched in OT along with Wheaton.

Babcock- Scowling as usual, but I saw him smile during the first intermission.

Chelios- Looks like he's in shape and ready to play.

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Awesome! That's the line I wanted to see formed from the beginning. I hope Athanasiou and Mantha can gain enough chemistry to warrant keeping them together in Grand Rapids as well.

Bertuzzi - Athanasiou - Mantha

Tvrdon - Nosek - Frk

invitee - Turgeon - Nastasiuk

invitee - invitee - Campbell

That second line could be a formidable Czeching line if I'm not mistaken. ;)

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I'm commenting as I go here...

Sproul is very noticeable out there, but for good and bad reasons. He likes to join the rush and enter the zone with the puck, and his Slapshot seems great, but his decision making seems average at best. Couple of the shots and other plays he made were forced and unwise.

EDIT: Sproul's pertner Backman looked less dynamic but much more complete and ready for the NHL IMO

Edited by number9

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I'm commenting as I go here...

Sproul is very noticeable out there, but for good and bad reasons. He likes to join the rush and enter the zone with the puck, and his Slapshot seems great, but his decision making seems average at best. Couple of the shots and other plays he made were forced and unwise.

EDIT: Sproul's pertner Backman looked less dynamic but much more complete and ready for the NHL IMO

i noticed mantha playing like a right handed ovi out there, just waiting for the one timer pass a lot. but not in a bad way, hes not lazy.

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I know that Mantha will get a good look when training camp starts but this performance shows what a great offensive skillset he has. If he can put up numbers even half that good against NHL competition then he'll definitely get a call up at some point in the season.

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I know that Mantha will get a good look when training camp starts but this performance shows what a great offensive skillset he has. If he can put up numbers even half that good against NHL competition then he'll definitely get a call up at some point in the season.

Holland is really high on the kid, he said it would be awesome if he could get a spot out of camp. And how awesome it would be to have a 6'4" guy who can score on pavs and zs wing

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What would it take, realistically, for this kid to break the lineup....

There's no way he displaces Zetterberg, Datsyuk, or Franzen. Weiss, Helm (for now), Nyqvist are the other three rounding out the top six, and you have Tatar, Sheahan, and maybe Cleary or Abdelkader on the third line, assuming Jurco is in GR. Miller is a 4th liner at best, so is Glendening, and likely Andersson and Callahan, if they can even make the team. Cleary might spend some time down there, also.

Anyway, Holland said top six or bust (although he also mentioned earlier this summer top nine or bust). The idea presumably is they want this kid to get good minutes, wherever he ends up. So he's not going to take Miller's spot on the fourth line.

I gotta say, the second set of forwards I mentioned (Nyqvist, Helm, and Weiss) are all vulnerable. We don't know whether Weiss will rebound, and if he doesn't look good, I can see him dropping to the third or fourth line and Mantha coming in (although Babs will have to sort out who's playing center). Helm in the top six, as intriguing as it sounds, likely isn't going to pan out. He's also a guy that thrives in a bottom six role, so Mantha could slip in there no problem. Nyqvist had a hell of a season last year, but he may find it more difficult to repeat that success, especially now that people know who he is. I can see him dropping to the third line, opening up a top six role for Mantha as well.

I don't know whether he is ready for the NHL yet, but I think there's more of an opportunity for this to happen than I initially believed a couple months ago. I don't know if it will happen out of training camp, but I'm thinking more and more, if he can adapt his game quickly, he's going to be wearing a Wings jersey before the season ends.

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I don't doubt that there is a chance Mantha could suit up for the Wings at some point this season, but I still say it's a zero percent chance he makes the team out of camp. Let's see how he adapts to the pro game down in Grand Rapids first, and then we can re-evaluate this whole thing in a couple months. How many injuries will there be in the first couple months and will Mantha dominate the American League like so many are expecting?...

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