TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Just like that, it’s hockey season. Five days of the NHLProspect tournaments are now in the books. Red WingsIn the final event of training camp, they won two of three games.
Here’s who and what stood out over the long weekend.
1. Sebastian Cossa put in an outstanding performance.
Red Wings goaltenders were rotated evenly throughout the event. They gave two half-games each to Jan Bednar, Cossa and Andrew Oke, who were all free agents. But even in a somewhat limited workload, Detroit’s 2021 No. 15 pick separated himself from the pack as the tournament’s best goaltender.
This may sound obvious given his pedigree but it was evident that Cossa looked so composed in his two halves despite his poor performance last season. He started the opener and made some tough saves, and then came on cold in relief in Monday’s finale against TorontoAll 16 shots were stopped by him.
With no current decision made on where Cossa will play this season — a question that will seemingly be settled in main camp and the preseason — the big, athletic netminder made a strong opening statement as he looks to turn pro.
Red Wings beat Toronto 4-1 to end the prospect tournament. Sebastian Cossa stopped all 16 shots that he faced. Next: Training camp. pic.twitter.com/Rix2qgw2Vx
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 19, 2022
2. The two top standouts among Detroit’s forwards were Elmer Söderblom and Cross Hanas.
Söderblom was predictably a load to handle down low protecting the puck, and you saw his very good hands and reach, but it was his passing that impressed me the most. I don’t think I had previously seen playmaking as a major part of his game, but he had three assists in three games at the tournament and his overall sense was noteworthy.
As you’d expect for a 6-foot-8 forward, Detroit parked him in front of the net on the power play, which is probably where he’ll be most often going forward. Because the big man is a great shot, he played the flank in Sweden. He displayed it a few more times at the tournament and I believe that his game, along with his size, will help him transition to North America.
Barring a big preseason showing, though, my current guess is he’ll likely start the season in Grand Rapids, so he can continue to adjust to the diminished time that will come with the North American game, as well as just how physical opponents will want to be with him. Söderblom’s skill and size profile can certainly make the smaller ice sheet work for him, possibly very soon. But I’m guessing he gets some seasoning with the Griffins — even though I thought he was one of Detroit’s top players on the weekend.
3.Hanas was, in his own words, looking to prove that he is a player in the AHL and not just a junior. That mission was accomplished, I believe.
He displayed both skill and physicality, and was hardworking and able to produce offense in three games. He finished with two goals as well as two assists. Detroit played Hanas and Söderblom together, and the two seemed to click well — to the point I wonder if we’d see them as linemates if both are indeed in Grand Rapids.
As I already mentioned, I typically think of Söderblom more for his scoring than his passing, and funny enough, Hanas told me over the weekend he thinks of himself more as a playmaker. “I like making plays, setting guys up, that’s kind of what I find joy in,” he said. “Been like that my whole life.”
Those roles were reversed for the weekend — as Söderblom sprung Hanas for a pair of breakaways over the long weekend, and Hanas finished both of them — and for Detroit, that’s probably encouraging. Both made short-handed chances and also killed penalties. Both made strong performances.
4.Amadeus Lomardi, a 2022 fourth-rounder, and Kirill Tyutyayev (7th round), were two other forward prospects that I thought did remarkably well. They are both undersized, but they played well and were quick to get pucks in the net. Lombardi has great wheels and hands and will be fun to watch in junior hockey this season, while Tyutyayev — a smart, competitive player who moves quite well himself — should hopefully get a full season in Grand Rapids after missing nearly all of last season.
5.The big story on the blue line was 2021 No. Six pick Simon Edvinsson is thought to be the Red Wings prospect with the best chance of making the opening night lineup. He didn’t dominate quite like you might have hoped, and although he still played well on the whole, he did seem a bit casual for stretches.
That being said, Edvinsson’s poise is also a strength — he spins off pressure seamlessly and consistently, and rarely looks hurried with the puck. I do think Detroit will want to see a bit more urgency if he’s going to start the year in the NHL, but the Red Wings clearly have a tremendous prospect on their hands. Edvinsson has every tool you could realistically want in a defenseman, and it’s going to be very interesting to see him in the preseason.
6.The Griffins will have an interesting young defense corps, regardless of Edvinsson’s position. Brian Lashoff Steven KampferThe veterans will be there, but Donovan Sebrango (20th rounder), Jared McIsaac (18th rounder), and Seth Barton (18th rounder) will all be back from last season. Also, newcomers Albert Johansson (19th-rounder), and Eemil Vio (2020 3rd-rounder). That’s before the possibility of Edvinsson, and 24-year-old Wyatt Newpower is in that mix as well.
Competition for ice time — and roles — is going to be fierce down there.
However, the young team looked great for most of the tournament. Johansson and Viro will be adjusting to the North American game, sure, and both are a little undersized, but they’ve also been playing pro hockey for multiple years now which should help their adjustment. Sebrango and Barton wore letters over the weekend, and Sebrango’s jam and physicality stood out to me on Monday.
It’s going to be a fun group to follow this season, no matter what the exact combination ends up being.
7. There were many free-agent invitees who wanted to turn the prospect tournament into an NHL deal this weekend. Forward Riley Piercey was also available. The opener stole the showJeremie Biakabutuka, defenseman, was the one prospect I liked the most with four goals. The 20-year old right-shot defenseman is very versatile and has a great shot at 6’4″. I wonder if someone will give him a look after his performance, which saw him finishing among the tournament’s leaders at plus-4 in three of his games.
(Photo of Hanas / Dave Reginek / Detroit Red Wings).
