Winging It In Motown

Friday Prospects -- Rest of the Class

2009-11-20T15:15:27Z

More photos » by RYAN REMIORZ - AP

Far from a prospect -- helluva guy nonetheless. Thanks, #14. (Pick a new number, Meech). (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz, File)

Browse more photos »

Well hello there. Did you guys hear the new joke about the Red Wings goal that didn't count?

Kidding of course. Shockingly, this will be the only Wings' thing you read today that won't be about the miserable blown call by professional referee Dennis LaRue.

Last week, we looked at Detroit's three most promising prospects -- Brendan Smith, Max Nicastro, and Gustav Nyquist. However, Detroit has three more collegiate prospects we've yet to discuss. These guys are all late round picks, taken for very specific reasons but not yet completely paying off. Still, if you hear these names in the next few years, you'll be pleased that you read WIM and already heard about them!

Nick Oslund, LW, 22, 6'3, 210 lbs, drafted 7th round, 2006 -- I alluded to the fact last week that Detroit was not too fond of drafting college-bound players prior to the CBA change. In the first post-CBA draft, they drafted Justin Abdelkader, and then took a long shot on Oslund in 2006. They cited the fact that Oslund would spend a year in the USHL before going to college as a big reason behind drafting him. This would give Detroit half a decade to decide whether or not they should sign him. I figured his progress would have an impact on whether or not they drafted more college players, but they didn't hold back in the coming few years drafting more anyway.

Oslund was drafted directly out of the high school ranks -- from Burnsville in Minnesota. All you need to know about the high school ranks is that Minnesota's leagues are legit. Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Michigan are considered three of the biggest player-producing states. But virtually no players playing in the Michigan high school leagues go on to play college hockey. The best of the best get noticed if they go up north to the OHL or pay their dues in the USHL and hope they get noticed. But in Minnesota, it's quite common to see a dozen or so players drafted directly from high school. Oslund was a finalist for the Mr. Hockey award they give to the best high school player in the state.

He spent the next season with Tri-City in the USHL, but did not put up the numbers expected for someone billed as a power forward, with just 21 points in 56 games. He joined St. Cloud State the following season, in the powerhouse WCHA conference, featuring the likes of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado College, North Dakota, etc. Oslund quickly emerged as a fan favorite as a role player that gave it his all, but his offensive totals were weak. Four goals and one assist as a freshman, and four goals and three assists as a sophomore.

Despite this, Oslund is a great skater, has a filled out frame, and doesn't cheat you on effort -- so he's no write-off yet. Now a junior, he's off to his best start ever with one goal and three assists in his first ten games. He had all the tools of a useful NHL grinder, and can put himself on the map if he shows he can contribute a little offensively. He still has one and two-thirds of a season to prove this to Detroit, as buried as he might be right now on the depth chart.

Bryan Rufenach, D, 20, 6'0, 187 pounds, drafted 7th round, 2007 -- It shouldn't come as a big surprise that the Wings took a nobody with their last pick in 2007. Unranked, and billed as an undersized, but offensively skilled defenseman, Rufenach was drafted out of the Ontario junior A ranks, headed to Clarkson University. Not exactly the type of player that everyone lines up for.

But the Clarkson product has shown flashes of the ability that made him appealing to Detroit. He didn't receive much ice time as a freshman on a blueline that did feature some promising NHL draft picks much older than him, and he only put up six points in 35 games. However, as a sophomore he earned himself a much bigger role, seeing regular top four minutes and time as the team's powerplay quarterback. He put up nine goals and 18 points, best of the defenseman on the team.

Rufenach is an excellent skater who loves rushing the puck coast-to-coast -- something that becomes explained when you look at his Clarkson profile and see his favorite player was Paul Coffey. He has that Red Wings-style composure and a natural talent with the puck, however, he needs work on play in his own zone while learning to pick his spots offensively a little better. He definitely has all the tools the Wings look for in their defenseman, but it's just a matter of finally putting it all together.

Julien Cayer, LW, 20, 6'3, 197 lbs, drafted 5th round, 2008 -- Like probably every other Red Wings fan, when the Wings drafted Cayer last year I said, "who?" Cayer was a once-undrafted Quebecois forward playing prep hockey in upstate New York. Not exactly the most common place to see a player drafted from, but for some reason Cayer attended the draft and scored an interview with TSN after he was picked. He was super excited, naturally, and kept saying things like "I'll go to the NHL if Detroit wants me to, but if not I'll attend Clarkson next year." I'm not sure what to make of an attitude like that. Is he really that good? Did the Wings find the steal of the draft? Or is he average, but merely thinks he's good?

He went to Northwood, home of such NHL stars as Mike Richter, Craig Conroy, and Chris Therien. He put up good numbers and was able to jump right to college hockey, becoming a teammate of Bryan Rufenach at Clarkson. He wasn't a regular every game with Clarkson at the beginning of the year, but eventually hit his stride and put up ten points in 29 games.

Cayer could have the skill to be a power forward, but he also plays a sound two-way game. Like the rest of this list, he's an excellent skater, which makes him an appealing prospect as someone with his speed and size. He has the skill as well, but hasn't yet grown into the ability to dominate as a college player. If he's going to succeed at the next level, he's going to need to assert himself more offensively. So far as a sophomore, he's off to a disappointing start with just two points in 11 games.

Notes: By far my favorite prospect to write about right now is 2009 7th round pick Adam Almqvist. Almqvist made his SEL with HV71 debut at the age of 18 this week, not registering a point, but going a +1 with some powerplay time ... His U20 team lost their first game of the season this week, having won their first 18 (two in shootouts) before Almqvist left, thanks to Matte for bringing that to my attention ... Tomas Tatar passed the "nine game threshold," meaning that this season will burn a year off his contract whether or not he stays in the AHL or gets sent to the OHL. If he had played nine games or fewer, this year wouldn't have counted as a year to his contract ... Brian Lashoff was named to the OHL team that will take on the Russians, like Willie Coetzee and Brent Raedeke were last week for the WHL ... After being limited to just six of the team's first 15 games, Sebastien Piche was demoted to Toledo (ECHL) yesterday ... Jordan Pearce is Toledo's goalie, and had been splitting time with Alec Richards (Chicago) before he was recalled this week, however Billy Sauer (a familiar name to anyone who follows Michigan hockey) was assigned to Toledo in his place. Lastly, thanks to WIM reader Robert for scouring Russian sites and pointing out that Detroit's lone KHL prospect, Gennady Stolyarov, has a broken clavicle and is out until January. Stolyarov is the only prospect to not have played this season, so it's safe to assume he's injured, but it's hard to find information on KHL players so I was unsure of the details until this week.

Who's Hot: In between representing Sweden at the World Junior A Challenge and making his SEL debut at 18, Almqvist found a way to put up five points in two games with his previously undefeated U20 team (34 in 15 on the year) ... Landon Ferraro is showing life after injury, putting up three points in two games after appearing in the cold section recently. However, he was a -2 ... Logan Pyett, who struggled mightily through his rookie AHL season and was in jeopardy of losing major ice time to two rookies (the aforementioned demoted Piche and another rookie, Travis Ehrhardt) appears to be coming into his own. He scored his first goal of the season, giving him six points in 15 games. He's also a +2 after starting the season a -5 ... Boston University's Max Nicastro clearly reads WIM, as after I complimented his game last week, he had his first collegiate goal and another assist in two games ... The profiled Rufenach this week started hot, cooled down, but then put up three points in two games this week, good for third in team scoring on the year (eight points in ten games).

Who's Cold: The Griffins finally lost last Saturday after a nine game winning streak. They're not cold, but the likes of Evan McGrath (seven points) and Dick Axelsson (five points) are looking cold after being two of the hottest Griffins at the beginning of the streak ... Joakim Andersson started the season as one of Frolunda's top three scorers, but has still yet to register a point in weeks -- now sitting at six in 21 games ... In a rare and freakish occurrence, Gustav Nyquist did not register a point last weekend in two games. Only noting this because I expect it's the only weekend it will happen ... After his team traded away their leading scorer, opening up valuable minutes, super-pest Mitchell Callahan didn't put up any points in four games.

Quick Hits: The Day After The Goal That Was That Wasn't

2009-11-19T23:15:10Z

Tomorrow's Lineup

D4L's Mickey Called it a Circus

The Scrappy Octopus's Reaction (explicit content)

OTW's Reaction

NOHS's Pure Old Fashioned Highway Robbery

Wings end winning streak, lose to Dallas 3-1

2009-11-19T03:43:20Z

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Brad May and Krystofer Barch fight in the second period. It was the fifth fight between the two in the past three seasons.

Browse more photos »

You know it's not your night when a goal is disallowed because of a whistle that blew a full second after the puck went into the net.

Brad May's third-period shot sat in the net, but Dennis LaRue ruled that the whistle intended to blow prior to the puck. Instead of a tie game, it remained 2-1, and the Stars put one more goal on the board to end the Detroit Red Wings three-game winning streak.

Alex Auld stopped 32 of 33 shots for Dallas, who played a solid game tonight, taking advantage by going 2-for-5 with the man advantage.

The Stars jumped out to the lead with a Mike Ribero goal that was intended to be a crossing pass. Instead, Jonathan Ericsson, who was on his stomach, swung his stick back, only to deflect the puck past Jimmy Howard.

Just under four minutes into the second period, Matt Niskanen took a pass from Brad Richards and fired a knuckle shot that Howard couldn't react to, to make it 2-0.

But a couple minutes later, Henrik Zetterberg kept his torrid pace going, as Ville Leino's pass set him up and with Richards draped over him, Zetterburg buried it to cut the lead to one.

Between those two goals, May and Krystofer Barch got together for a doozy of a fight: their fifth fight in the past three years. The two of them put on a show that included switching hands mid-fight when they both became tired. In fact, May appeared to deliberately change helmets just before the fight, going from one with a visor to one without.

With 13:36 left in the third, Detroit brought the puck out from behind the net. Justin Abdelkader passed the puck to May. May put a backhand shot from about 10 feet out onto Auld, who drew a whistle with a stop. But Auld hadn't stopped it: he trapped it against the side of the net with the puck very clearly over the line. The Red Wings celebrated as if they had scored a goal.

However, Dennis LaRue ruled that he intended to blow the whistle when the Auld made the stop, marking the play dead. Despite a call from the NHL Operations Center in Toronto, LaRue stuck to his ruling, and the goal did not count.

A few minutes later, with Jonathan Ericsson in the penalty box, Loui Eriksson took a pass from James Neal in front of the net. Howard was overcommitted to the play near Eriksson, and couldn't skate over in time to make the stop.

Howard would end up making 29 saves. The Wings play next on Friday against the Florida Panthers.

Player of the Game: Henrik Zetterberg. And we'll keep making him the player of the game until informed otherwise.

Red Wings v Stars

2009-11-18T23:15:08Z

The Red Wings hope to make it four in a row when they host the Dallas Stars at Joe Louis Arena tonight. The Red Wings come off an ugly 7-4 win, topped off with the first Red Wings hat trick in 108 games as Henrik Zetterberg netted his third with less than a second left.

The Stars lost to the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday night in Glendale 3-2 on goals by former Red Wing Robert Lang and Westland-native Mike Modano. University of Michigan graduate Marty Turco has heated up, going 5-1-1 in his last seven starts with a sparking 2.10 GAA. Dallas has scored two goals in each of their last six games.

Zetterberg won the First Star of the Week award Monday after a spectacular run featuring nine points in three games, including his first five-point game Saturday. Niklas Kronwall has seven points over that same stretch.

Mike Babcock said yesterday that he will start Jimmy Howard tonight, with the plan of giving Chris Osgood the start on Friday night against the Florida Panthers. However, he did note that Howard has been playing well the last three games, leaving the subtle hint that if Howard does very well tonight (like he did against Vancouver), Babcock would be amenable to riding Howard for a while.

Check out Defending Big D to read more about the Stars. Puck drops at 7:30 pm ET. The game is on FS Detroit, FS Southwest in Dallas, and NHL Network in the US (which means it is not on Center Ice). I'll be back here then!

Quick Hits: 11/18

2009-11-18T23:00:22Z

Red Wings Connect with Windsor Spitfires

Ozzie Feeling Better

Shanny's Career in Detroit

NOHS's Pointless Preview: 11/18 vs Dallas Stars

TTD's Take on DET vs DAL (explicit content)

Wings jump up in SB Nation Power Rankings

2009-11-18T14:36:51Z

Don't know how many of you take stock in power rankings, but the SB Nation Hockey bloggers vote each week on the top ten teams in the league and the best in each conference.

Finally, we're back to a respectable spot so I feel okay posting this:

Western Conference Power Rankings
	Rk (Prv)	Team	Record	SB Nation Blog
	1 (1)	San Jose Sharks	14-4-4	Fear The Fin
	2 (5)	Chicago Blackhawks	12-5-2	Second City Hockey
	3 (2)	Calgary Flames	12-4-2	Matchsticks and Gasoline
	4 (10)	Detroit Red Wings	10-5-3	Winging It In Motown
	5 (4)	Los Angeles Kings	13-7-2	Battle of California
	6 (3)	Colorado Avalanche	12-5-3	Mile High Hockey
	7 (7)	Phoenix Coyotes	11-9-0	Five For Howling
	8 (8)	Dallas Stars	8-5-6	Defending Big D
	9 (6)	Columbus Blue Jackets	11-6-2	The Cannon
	10 (9)	Vancouver Canucks	11-10-0	Nucks Misconduct
	11 (12)	Nashville Predators	9-8-1	On the Forecheck
	12 (13)	St. Louis Blues	6-8-4	St. Louis Game Time
	13 (11)	Edmonton Oilers	8-10-3	The Copper & Blue
	14 (15)	Minnesota Wild	7-11-2	Hockey Wilderness
	15 (13)	Anaheim Ducks	6-10-3	Battle of California

The Wings didn't crack the Top 10 but I feel they're on the way to doing so. Just a side note, only Western Conference bloggers vote on the Western Conference while everyone votes on the Top 10, in case you were wondering about the results being different.

Former Wing and Future Hall of Famer Shanahan Retires

2009-11-17T23:05:53Z

Looks like the Wings will have their seventh hall of fame member from the 2002 championship in 2012/2013 (unsure of which season he will be eligible due to him retiring during the season): Brendan Shanahan officially announced his retirement today. He will join Scotty Bowman, Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Brett Hull, Luc Robataile, and, in all likelihood, Dominik Hasek as members of both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the 2002 Stanley Cup Champions Detroit Red Wings.

Over the course of his 21-year career, he scored 656 goals (good for 11th all time) and tallied 698 assists for 1,354 points total. He played for the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers before finishing his career with the team that drafted him, the Devils. He was traded to the Wings at the beginning of the 1997 season for Paul Coffey and Keith Premieau, where he helped us win the first of back-to-back cups.

I would like to thank Shanny for bringing us three Cups and years of great play for us. I wish you the best in your post-playing life.

Source

The Patrick Eaves Award Winner -- and more!

2009-11-17T16:00:13Z

FINALLY -- A WINNER!

View full size photo »

All of a sudden, things are looking up! After a pretty weak start, the Wings are starting to look like, well, the Wings. Some statistics to prove it:

The Winged Wheelers started the season by going 3-4-2 in the first nine games, on pace for 73 points. But, they are 7-1-1 in their last nine, and are now on pace for 105.

Before this week, Detroit had been outscored 47 - 43. Now, the tables have turned, and they're outscoring the opposition 61 - 52.

The Wings are 5-0-1 when Saturday's hero Henrik Zetterberg scores a goal in regulation. He also leads the NHL in game-winning goals (4).

After the jump, more numbers, fake award updates, and our VERY FIRST WINNER!

Speaking of Z, he leads all scorers are home (7-6--13). Pavel Datsyuk is the top point producer on the road (3-7--10). Interestingly, Pavel is one of only four Red Wings in the minus at home. The others are Brad May, Brett Lebda, and Todd Bertuzzi.

The only players left in the minus are the injured Valtteri Filppula; superstar defensemen Brett Lebda, Derek Meech, and Jonathan Ericsson; and stellar off-season acquisitions Jason Williams, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brad May.

Of all 24 skaters to suit up for the Wings, only Doug Janik has not been on the ice for a Red wings goal. He's also the only player who has not been on the ice for a goal against.

SHOCKINGLY, Todd "Blind Spin-o-rama Pass" Bertuzzi leads all forwards in giveaways (15). He's followed by Datsyuk (12) and Z (10), but they're forgiven thanks to having 15 and 16 takeaways, respectively.

Huzzah! Tomas Holmstrom is the only forward who hasn't taken a faceoff, proving that Mike Babcock values Brad May's prowess more than Homer's.

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST FAKE AWARD WINNER! From this day forward, the Goodfellas Award, given to the final Red Wing to be penalized, will be known as the PATRICK EAVES AWARD. When Darren Helm was called for hooking on Wednesday, Patrick Eaves was the only player left to be penalized (excluding Drew Miller and Doug Janik). Alas, his reign as King in ZeroPim last less than three periods, as he was called for roughing the following night. BUT! For 24 glorious hours, Patrick Eaves stood alone. We're all looking forward to finding out the identities of future PATRICK EAVES AWARD winners.

AARON DOWNEY AWARD Nominees
*Reserved for the final Red Wing to score a goal. The award is named for Aaron Downey, who scored his first (and only) goal as a Red Wing in his 60th (and final) game.*
A. Brad May
B. Derek Meech
NOT QUALIFIED: Drew Miller and Doug Janik

CHRIS CHELIOS AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings defensemen with the fewest goals scored in the most games played. The player must have played in at least 3/4 of the team's games. The award is named for Chris Chelios, who scored 23 goals in his final EXACTLY 600 games as a Red Wing (regular season and playoffs).*
T1. Nicklas Lidstrom (1 goal in 18 games)
T1. Brad Stuart (1 goal in 18 games)
3. Brett Lebda (1 goal in 15 games)
4. Brian Rafalski (2 goals in 17 games)
5. Jonathan Ericsson (3 goals in 16 games)
6. Niklas Kronwall (5 goals in 18 games)
NOT QUALIFIED: Derek Meech and Doug Janik

DANNY CLEARY "SACRAFICE YOUR FACE" AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings forward with the most blocked shots. Award is named for Dan Cleary, who is used to becoming synonymous with "black eye" and/or "broken jaw."*
1. Dan Cleary (10)
T2. Darren Helm (9)
T2. Henrik Zetterberg (9)
4. Pavel Datsyuk (8)
T5. Todd Bertuzzi (6)
T5. Patrick Eaves (6)

DEREK MEECH AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wing with the most games spent in the press box. Award is named for Derek Meech, who was a healthy scratch 35 times last season.*
1. Derek Meech (13)
2. Patrick Eaves (6)
3. Brad May (4)
4. Brett Lebda (3)
T5. Justin Abdelkader (2)
T5. Kirk Maltby (2)

GREG STEFAN AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings goaltender that makes you question how they're in the NHL and you aren't. Award is named for Greg Stefan, who played nine seasons for the Red Wings, but only three that had a goals against average under 4.*
1. Jimmy Howard (4-2-1, 2.84 GAA, .898 sv%)
2. Chris Osgood (6-3-2, 2.77GAA, .902 sv%)

MIKAEL SAMUELSSON AWARD Update
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings forward with the most shots to miss the net. Award is named for Mikael Samuelsson, who literally must have been aiming for the 11th row.*
1. Henrik Zetterberg (30)
2. Tomas Holmstrom (17)
3. Todd Bertuzzi (16)
4. Ville Leino (15)
5. Jason Williams (14)

Zetterberg NHL's First Star of the Week

2009-11-16T19:09:06Z

Zetterberg NHL's First Star of the Week

Zetterberg capped his best week of the season with the best night of his career Saturday -- he had his fourth career hat trick and added two assists for a five-point night in the Wings' 7-4 win against Anaheim. For the week, he had 4 goals [MPetrella noticed it said 3] and 5 assists [another Petrella catch, listed as 6], was plus-5 and scored the winning goal in back-to-back games.

Not coincidentally, the Red Wings won all three of their games last week. The Wings and their star center are both on their best streaks of the season; he has 5 goals and 11 points in Detroit's last six games, and the Wings are 5-1-0 in that span.

Zetterberg's Hat Trick Seals 7-4 Wings Victory

2009-11-15T04:14:05Z

More photos » by Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Detroit Red Wings' Dan Cleary (11), Jonathan Ericsson, center, of Sweden, and Henrik Zetterberg, right, also of Sweden, celebrate Zetterberg's goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of their NHL hockey game on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Detroit. Zetterberg scored a hat trick in the Red Wings' 7-4 victory. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)

Browse more photos »

It had been 107 games since Henrik Zetterberg had the last Detroit Red Wings hat trick. And with two goals already on the scoresheet, an empty net in front of him, and time running down, there was a question as to whether Zetterberg could get the puck in the net before the green light would come on.

He beat the clock by 0.7 seconds, bringing the curtain down on a wild third period and summoning chapeaus from the spectators.

Detroit defeated the Anaheim Ducks 7-4 in a game that saw a mild first two periods turn into an old school NHL shootout, with the teams combining for eight goals in the third period. Zetterberg finished the night with five points, extending his team lead with 22.

The Ducks, who looked sloppy coming in after their 3-2 shootout loss in Columbus last night, found their sea legs in the second period and put the pressure on with three goals in the third, each one to tie the game. On a night where Ryan Getzlaf would extend his franchise record assist streak to 10 games with three assists to go with his second goal of the season, they just couldn't find the goal to put them over the top.

For the first time in three nights, Jimmy Howard looked shaky, giving up four goals, a couple of which were shots that had him stewing afterwards. But he would be bailed out by an offense that has scored 19 goals in three nights.

The Red Wings jumped out to an early lead on a pair of power-play goals as Dan Cleary had a Niklas Kronwall shot deflect off his glove while Teemu Selane sat in the box, followed by a Brian Rafalski attempted pass to Tomas Holmstrom that misfired and turned into a knuckler that beat Jonas Hiller. That power play came after Ryan Getzlaf received minors for cross checking and unsportsmanlike conduct in a scuffle that featured Corey Perry and Jonathan Ericsson nearly coming to blows, stopped only by Ericsson's helmet failing to come off.

Anaheim scored the lone goal of the second period after Ericsson attempted an ill-advised clear straight up the middle. Getzlaf made the pass to Corey Perry, who easily beat Howard.

Then came the third period. This time it was a poor Howard clearing attempt that would up on Bobby Ryan's stick, wh put it in the back of the net. Ninety seconds later, Rafalski set up Pavel Datsuyk with a shot that Datsuyk simply had to deflect into the net and went top shelf. Just over a minute after that, Joffrey Lupul's shot went through Todd Bertuzzi's legs and past Howard to knot it up at three.

The Henrik Zetterberg show began as Dan Cleary set up a backhander to make it 4-3. With the Red Wings down two men after a Zetterberg penalty and a too-many-men-on-the-ice call, Getzlaf shot the puck under the right arm of Howard to tie the game at four. Cleary set up Zetterberg 62 seconds later who fired a knuckler that handcuffed Hiller to make it 5-4. Two minutes after that, Darren Helm got onto the score sheet, firing a 30-footer that hit Hiller in the left arm, then slowly dribbled into the net to make it a two-goal lead.

Hiller was pulled with 70 seconds remaining, but it would serve no help to the Ducks, as Zetterberg sent the hats onto the ice.

The Wings continue their homestand with Dallas coming to town on Wednesday night.

Player of the game: Henrik Zetterberg. Scoring the first hat trick in 107 games? Five points on the night? Yeah, I think The Mule is on a roll.

Check out the game highlights below.

[Game Thread] Red Wings vs. Ducks

2009-11-14T23:15:24Z

The Detroit Red Wings ride their two-game winning streaking as they welcome the Anaheim Ducks to Joe Louis Arena tonight at 7:30. Detroit beat the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday 3-1 on Henrik Zetterberg's goal and assist and Jimmy Howard's second-straight sparkling performance, stopping 31 of 32 shots.

The Ducks come in after losing 3-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets last night in Columbus. Todd Marchant and Bobby Ryan scored as Ryan Getzlaf had two assists to extend his point streak to 10 games. Tonight's game is the third of a four-game road trip.

For the Red Wings, Kirk Maltby and Chris Osgood remain questionable with the flu...we'll have to see who will start tonight in the net.

Anaheim Calling has more on the Ducks. The game airs on FS Detroit and Prime Ticket. I'll be following along below during the game. Please join us!

Quick Hits: Friday the 13th

2009-11-13T23:00:33Z

NOHS's Hopping back on (or off) the Bandwagon

A2Y's Digging Friday

D4L's Game Notes vs VAN 11/12

Motown Revival

Howard Spoils Luongo's Return

Friday Prospects -- Top of the Class

2009-11-13T20:47:20Z

by Carlos Osorio - AP

View full size photo »

In this week's installment of Friday Prospects, the weekly look into the world that is Detroit Red Wings prospects, we're getting ready to go to school. This week, I profile Detroit's top three prospects still playing in the collegiate ranks.

There was a long period of time in the 1990s and early '00s where if you were a college-bound player, you shouldn't expect to be drafted by the Red Wings. Between 1995 and 2004, Detroit drafted only three college-bound players, and keep in mind the draft was nine rounds at this time. However, since the new CBA changed the rules of the draft in 2005, Detroit has taken eight. Nowhere near an overwhelming majority, but a definite sign of a trend that will continue.

The reason was that, before the CBA was changed, teams held North American player rights (junior or college) for a set amount of time, while you held European player rights indefinitely. Detroit has always been a team that has liked long-term projects, so it just made more sense for them to spend those late round picks on small, skilled European players (the Pavel Datsyuks of the world) and leave them in Europe for three to five years and hope they figure it out on their own. This opposed to a North American player, who would have seen much more exposure to scouts, greatly reducing the chance to find a skilled, diamond-in-the-rough type player.

And then if it came down to a junior player or a college player, it made sense to go junior in most cases. At 18, a junior player has already spent one or two years in the league, so they will be prepared to assume a big role on their team in the next two season before an NHL team has to sign him. Meanwhile, a college player at 18 would either be a freshman, or entering college the next fall. They would not likely get big minutes until their junior year, and then an NHL team would be forced to make a decision on a player who has not had as great of a chanc

But the new CBA changed the rules -- major junior players and European players now have two years to sign, while college players have until they graduate college. Detroit saw the advantage to this, so that in some cases (if a player spent an extra year in junior before going to college), they would have five years to make a decision on a player.

That said, let's take a look at the three most promising college prospects.

Gustav Nyquist, LW, 20, 5'11, 170, drafted 4th round, 2008 -- Just looking at the name, you can probably tell what is so appealing about Nyquist. He's got two of the characteristics Detroit likes most in the drafts -- he's a college player, and he's Swedish. Not bad.

Nyquist has never been a highly-touted prospect, but he could be one of Detroit's best kept secrets. Rising up through the junior ranks of Malmo in Sweden, despite a healthy 44 points in 42 games, Nyquist went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. The second time around, while most players his age were at least getting a taste of professional Swedish hockey, Nyquist remained in juniors to preserve his college eligibility (if a player gets paid to play hockey, even just one game, they cannot play NCAA hockey. This is why major junior [OHL/WHL/QMJHL] players cannot play college, but college players can quit school and go play major junior). To add to this, Nyquist was limited to just 24 games because of injury. Despite this, Detroit found him suitable for a 4th round draft pick.

And they were immediately rewarded. Joining a once powerful University of Maine team (where Jimmy Howard once led the school to the NCAA Frozen Four, where they lost in the finals), it was clear that Nyquist was the best scoring threat they had, leading the team with 32 points in 38 games, the first freshman to lead Maine in scoring since some dude named Paul Kariya did it (albeit with a freakish 100 points in 39 games). He needed no time to transition from Sweden to the grittier college game, showing that he could still be a high skill player despite the more physical game, and even adding a gritty, no fear element to his own game.

Now a sophomore, Nyquist is quickly emerging as a dominant force in the college hockey world. Although Maine is still among the worst teams in Hockey East (their conference), Nyquist is off to a quick start with 13 points in eight games. It will be interesting to see if Nyquist, an economics major, has enough to success to force Detroit to consider signing him. Most teams wait until the completion of the junior season to sign the top guys, but their are certain exceptions when players might just have more to gain by turning pro. Should they choose to leave him, Nyquist's challenge will be to stay interested and work on his two-way game.

Max Nicastro, D, 19, 6'3, 200, drafted 3rd round, 2008 -- Thirty picks before Detroit took a gamble on Nyquist, they picked up one of the top American defensemen on the board in Max Nicastro. Nicastro is a smooth-skating defenseman with good size, who plays a steady, reliable two-way game.

Detroit drafted the California-native after his rookie season in the USHL, the top junior league in the United States, also where most college-bound players play before college. On a very veteran roster, the rookie Nicastro picked up big minutes from the start of the season and put up 20 points in 58 games. He also spent the next season in the USHL, logging big minutes on the top pairing all season with 31 points in 57 games. He was a USHL All-Star, and won gold with the United States at the World Jr. A Championships.

Some scouts said that Nicastro was helped out by the fact that both years, Nicastro played with players more highly regarded than he. As a rookie, he played with Columbus draft pick Will Weber (now at Miami-Ohio), and the following year with 2009 Columbus first round pick John Moore (who passed on Colorado College to play in the OHL). Now a freshman at the defending national champion Boston University, Nicastro will start all over on trying to establish an identity for himself and prove that he is just as strong of a prospect as either of them.

Unlike his Hockey East rival Gustav Nyquist, Nicastro has not immediately lit it up in his first seven collegiate games, with just one assist. However, this is to be expected as Boston University boasts one of the deepest defensive groups in the nation, with five NHL draft picks, and none of them freshmen. As cliche as it is, if Nicastro stays consistent and sticks to the things that he does well, he should have no problem moving up the depth chart in the coming few seasons.

Next up, something a little different. Detroit's best college prospect right now is Wisconsin Badger Brendan Smith. WIM reader Evan "Tex" Western has been gracious enough to supply regular Smith updates, and was more than happy to write about Smith when I asked if he might be interested. Here's what he had to say about Smith:

Brendan Smith is a junior defenseman for the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the WCHA, and was the Red Wings’ first pick in the 2007 draft (27th overall). He switched to defense in his last year of junior hockey with the St. Michael’s Buzzards of the OPJHL, and is still working on his defensive game under the tutelage of head coach Mike Eaves (yes, the father of Patrick Eaves) and former NHL defenseman Mark Osiecki. However, Smith is the most offensively gifted of the Badgers’ blue-chip crop of defensemen, which includes four other players chosen in the top 43 picks of either the 2007 or 2008 NHL draft.

As a result of all the talent on the blue-line in Madison, Smith is constantly being challenged to improve defensively. His nemesis has been his tendency to jump up into the play too early, leading to odd-man rushes. As a result, Smith was benched for one game during the opening week of the season because of a lack of progress in practice and some poor decisions in the opening game against Colorado College. He has rebounded very well from that early setback, earning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week over Halloween weekend against New Hampshire, when he earned four assists in two games.

In his freshman year, Smith paired with senior Kyle Klubertanz, an Anaheim draft pick, in an effort to help get Smith acclimated to the college game, as well as have an experienced player back to help make up for any mistakes. He paired with young, stay-at-home defensemen last season and is doing so again in 2009 with freshman John Ramage, making up the third defensive pair in the rotation—though Eaves plays all his defensemen about the same amount at even strength. However, his skill with the puck and blistering shot from the point earn him ample ice time on the power play.

Last season, he manned the point on the first power play unit with WCHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker nominee Jamie McBain, now playing with Albany of the AHL, and Smith led the team’s blueliners in goals with 9 in 31 games—all on the power play. This year he’s again on the top PP unit with Ryan McDonagh (12th overall pick in 2007) and is leading the team in points with two goals and seven assists in seven games. Not surprisingly, he’s not playing much on the penalty kill, as the other early draft picks have been taking most of those minutes due to their more refined defensive skills.

The one other concerning thing about Smith is his health. He missed at least 9 games in each of his first two years in Madison. During his freshman year he suffered from back problems that kept him out for 18 games, and he broke his wrist midway through last season, forcing him to sit out for nine contests. There’s nothing in his game that indicates that he’d be a consistent injury risk, however, as he’s not a guy who’s out of control throwing around his body around. He’s been steadily bulking up since he arrived and is now listed at 6’2", 190 (ed note: up from 170 his draft year), but he could still add some more muscle to get more physical around the net.

My personal impressions of Smith are these: if he can stay healthy, he’ll be a constant offensive threat who can develop his positioning and skill without the puck. He may be prone to making poor defensive plays, but if he is paired with a solid defensive player and can minimize these mistakes, he can be a very effective player in the years to come for the Wings. If he keeps up his progress defensively this season, I expect him sign a professional contract after the Badgers’ season is over in March or (hopefully) April and be a productive member of the Griffins next season.

Make sure to thank him for putting all that together, good stuff.

Notes: The World Junior A Challenged ended this week, with Detroit's two representatives fairing quite well. Nick Jensen and the United States took the gold medal over Canada West (yes, Canada is good enough to field two teams). Jensen had three points in five games ... Adam Almqvist scored two of Sweden's nine goals at the tournament, as Sweden went 0-4 ... Jesper Samuelsson continues to get flipped all over, as he's back in SWE-2, playing three games with Sundsvall after playing in the SEL last week ... I mentioned last week that Willie Coetzee made the WHL All-Star team which will take on the Russians, but I neglected to mention that Brent Raedeke will also take part in that series (though the two will be playing separate games) ... On the injury front, Stephen Johnston has missed the last few games, and Thomas McCollum sat out one with a bruised hand ... Not sure if they're injured or just not playing, but neither Travis Ehrhardt or Sebastien Piche got into games last week ... Daniel Larsson was called up to Detroit to back up Howard after Chris Osgood sat out with the flu.

Who's Hot: The Griffins have now won eight straight ... Picking up for the departure of Michael Nylander was Cory Emmerton, who exploded for four goals (his first four of the season) and an assist in three games. He was also a +6, and his +9 rating leads the team ... Daniel Larsson continues his strong play, now sitting at a 5-2 record with a 2.70 GAA and .916 save percentage ... Francis Pare had three assists and was a +3 last week, but has still yet to record his first goal after setting (along with Justin Abdelkader) the Griffins' rookie goal record last season ... Willie Coetzee continues to be a regular in this section with 33 points in 21 games now, tied for third in the league.

Who's Cold: After a quick start, Joakim Andersson has gone a few weeks without registering a point, now with six in 18 games ... Landon Ferraro is still recovering from an injury, but he can't be happy with his -5 rating and 9 PIM, despite two assists ... He now sits at five points in 11 games ... Brian Lashoff has gone two weeks without a point, still sitting at eight in 20 games ... Thomas McCollum surrendered six goals last week in an 8-6 Griffins win.

Guest Author Note: Evan "Tex" Western is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin who has attended each Badger home hockey game and several road series since the start of Wisconsin’s National Championship season in 2005-06, totaling 96 games. Growing up in Milwaukee, WI, he grew up despising Chicago sports and chose the Red Wings as his adopted home team at a young age. He has attended a handful of Red Wings games in the past several years, including his first game at the Joe—Game 5 of the 2008 Western Conference Finals. He blogs regularly at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...We Want More!, a Wisconsin hockey blog.

Forbes.com's Most Valuable NHL Franchises

2009-11-13T13:55:09Z

Forbes.com's Most Valuable NHL Franchises

Detroit ranks 4th at $337 million, $2 million behind 3rd place Montreal and $64 million ahead of Philadelphia. In contrast, Phoenix is worth $138 million. Detroit is tied with Montreal for 3rd in revenue at $130 million.

Wings hold off Canucks 3-1; Howard excellent

2009-11-13T04:30:15Z

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard is congratulated by teammate Nicklas Lidstrom after the Red Wings' 3-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in an NHL hockey game in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

The plan, as it was, was to have Jimmy Howard play in Columbus on Wednesday night, then give Chris Osgood the start at home the next night against the Vancouver Canucks.

But when Osgood came down with the flu today, head coach Mike Babcock had to go with Howard in net again tonight for the first time in his young NHL career. Coming the night after an 9-1 beating of the Blue Jackets, Howard had plenty of excuses if he didn't play well.

Instead, Howard turned in an excellent performance, earning the first star of the game with 31 saves and even his first NHL assist. Henrik Zetterberg scored his fifth goal of the year and added an assist as Detroit beat Vancouver 3-1.

It was the kind of performance that can be a milestone in a goaltender's career.

In a first period that saw the Canucks outshoot the Red Wings 15-5, it was Howard who kept the Wings in it, until Tomas Holmstrom scored his team-leading ninth of the season on the power play off a setup from Zetterberg while being cross-checked by Willie Mitchell .The shot was so hard it bounced off the back bar of the net, and before anyone could confirm what happened, Holmstrom managed to put the puck back into the net.

The first period also saw the second fight for Brad May in two nights, as he squared off with Rick Rypien. Both landed haymakers, but May wound up with his jersey over his head, effectively ending the fight.

In the second period, just 10 seconds after Justin Abdelkader went to the box on a high-sticking penalty, a Kevin Bieska shot hit Mason Raymond's skate, then deflected off Brad Stuart (who was tangled up with Raymond), and Howard was handcuffed by it, tying the game. It was Raymond's eight goal of the season, with an addiitional assist to Ryan Kesler.

With eight minutes elapsed in the third period, Brad Stuart's beautiful up-ice pass landed right on the stick of Zetterberg's stick. With a flick of the wrist, he fired off a 15-footer that easily bested Roberto Luongo to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.

From that point, the game took on a playoff-intensity, as the Wings were holding off Vancouver's charging offense, and Howard stood on his head. With Luongo pulled for an extra attacker, Howard slid the puck to his left to Niklas Kronwall, who shot a knuckler off the boards to clear the zone and allow him to leave the ice. But the puck just kept going, slowly bouncing on its edges until it crossed the goal line to give Kronwall his fifth goal of the season and Howard his first NHL point.

The Red Wings return to the ice Saturday night to face the Anaheim Ducks.

Player of the game: Jimmy Howard. On a night he was supposed to be keeping stats, he was playing like a solid NHL starting goaltender.

Catch the highlights below:

[Game Thread] Red Wings vs. Vancouver

2009-11-12T23:15:21Z

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

Brett Lebda (left), celebrates with Patrick Eaves and Kris Draper during the four-goal first period against Columbus.

Browse more photos »

The Red Wings continue their three-games-in-four-nights run with a matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. Last night the Red Wings blew out the Columbus Blue Jackets 9-1, with their first nine-goal team performance in two years. Niklas Kronwell had two goals and an assist, while Jimmy Howard made 25 saves

The Canucks come in having lost to the St. Louis Blues 6-1 on Tuesday night. They come into Joe Louis Arena to play the fourth of a five-game road trip. Henrik Sedin scored the lone Vancouver goal that night. His nine goals give him the team lead and puts him in a tie for 11th in the NHL. The Cancucks hold the fourth best power play in the NHL, with a 24% conversion rate.

Detroit won the previous meeting between these two teams 5-4 on October 27. Pavel Datsuyk (who scored last night) had two goals that night.

The game is on FS Detroit in the US and on Canucks PPV in Vancouver. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 ET. I'll be chatting along below. Please join me!

Quick Hits: 11/12

2009-11-12T23:00:34Z

DetroitHockey.net's Pre-Game Notes

Identity Crisis in Detroit?

Miller to make Debut Tonight

NOHS's Pointless Preview vs Canucks

Detroit 4 Lyfe's Game Notes vs CBJ

Red Wings blow out Blue Jackets 9-1

2009-11-12T03:36:02Z

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

Justin Abdelkader celebrates his second goal of the night with Brad May.

Browse more photos »

Ken Hitchcock entered the league in January, 1996. In his first game with the Dallas Stars, he lost 4-0 to the Detroit Red Wings. For Ken Hitchcock's 1,000th game as an NHL coach, that was the score at the end of the first period.

Seven different Red Wings scored Wednesday night as Detroit beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-1 in Columbus.Jimmy Howard made 25 saves to help the Red Wings get their three-games-in-four-nights run off to a flying start.

Detroit jumped out quickly on goals from Dan Cleary and Pavel Datsuyk in the first four minutes, both from bad Columbus clearing attempts. When Kris Draper made it 3-0 on yet another Blue Jacket turnover, Hitchcock pulled starting goaltender Steve Mason, seemingly ready to give his starter the rest of the night off having faced only six shots.

The Red Wings would add the first-period capper from Niklas Kronwall on a screen by Todd Bertuzzi to go to the locker room up 4-0. But when Columbus came out for the second period, Mason was back in net. And it seemed to be a reasonable decision, as Rick Nash took advantage of a sloppy touch by Nicklas Lidstrom to put the Columbus on the board.

But Detroit came back with two goals in 33 seconds from two players that desperately needed to light the lamp. First Bertuzzi took a Datsuyk pass and put it past Moore so fast that no one except Bertuzzi responded. Then Ville Leino was set up nicely by Henrik Zetterberg to get his first goal since October 10 against Washington. The Red Wings went to the locker room up 6-1, which already set their high-water mark for goals in a game this year.

But they weren't done yet. With Anton Stralman in the penalty box, Kronwall got his second of the night by putting it in the top corner. Then Justin Abdelkader got into the action with back-to-back goals, his first goals since October 17.

Interestingly, every Red Wing goal scorer netted his third goal of the season tonight.

The Red Wings will head back to Joe Louis Arena for tomorrow night's matchup with Vancouver.

Player of the game: Niklas Kronwall's three points helped lead the Wings.

Catch the highlights below.

[Game Thread] Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

2009-11-11T23:15:23Z

The Red Wings head to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in their first meeting of the season tonight. The Red Wings come in off their 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs: a loss that saw the Wings also lose Jason Williams to a broken fibula.

Despite the fact the Wings have earned a point in eight of the last ten games (5-2-3), they still seem to not be firing on all cylinders (as evidenced by Saturday's contest). With a seriously depleted roster, the Wings sit 11th in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Columbus is in a tie with Chicago for the lead in the Central division. The Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on goals from Rick Nash, Nikita Filatov and Jared Boll, all coming within a 2:41 span in the third period.

It will be interesting to see how Ville Leino does with increased ice time and responsibility after the Williams injury. He has only one point in the past 10 games. Henrik Zetterberg has 10 points in the last 10 games, including three goals the past five games. The Wings will play three times in four days (tomorrow night at home against Vancouver and Saturday night against Anaheim).

FS-Detroit and FS-Ohio have the game. I'll be commenting along below!

Quick Hits: 11/11

2009-11-11T23:00:44Z

Detroit Claims Drew Miller off of Waivers

Red Wings/Hurricanes Need Not Panic

NOHS's Pointless Preview vs CBJ

BDS's Post Apocalyptic Update

Stuart Back on Power Play