Andreas Athanasiou (Credit: OHL Images)
A change of scenery has gotten Andreas Athanasiou’s season off to a tremendous start.
Traded from the London Knights to the Barrie Colts after a difficult season, the 18-year-old center/left-winger has been all over the score-sheet, producing six goals and six assists in his first 10 games.
Even with all of his 12 points coming in the past eight games, his totals put him among the top 20 Ontario Hockey League scorers.
Athanasiou obviously needs to show he can sustain his productivity over a full season, but it’s a positive sign for a player whose stock plummeted from potential first-rounder to a Red Wings fourth-round pick (110th overall) in the 2012 NHL draft.
The 6-foot, 179-pounder had 22 goals among 39 points and a plus-22 rating in 63 games for the OHL champion Knights last season, but he fell out of favour with his coaching staff and found himself a regular healthy scratch in the playoffs and at the Memorial Cup.
Athanasiou told the London Free Press he requested a trade because “it was time.”
“He wasn’t happy with his ice,” London general manager Mark Hunter told the London Free Press after acquiring three high draft picks for Athanasiou. “He’s a talented player with a lot of potential and you’re sorry to see it go that way, but if you have someone who isn’t happy … then you look at trying to give him what he wants and move on.”
Red Wings director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell said at the draft there was “no question” Athanasiou would play in the NHL “because of his skating.”
“It’s just a matter of what he’s going to be,” McDonnell said. “Is he going to be a checker or is he going to be a top-two line guy?”
If Athanasiou’s breakthrough season continues, he’ll take a big step toward realizing the upper end of his potential.
Following is this week’s statistical report.
SKATERS: REGULAR-SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEVEL | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferraro, Landon | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| Andersson, Joakim | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 6 |
| Pare, Francis | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Parkes, Trevor | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 2 |
| Lashoff, Brian | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 3 |
| Nyquist, Gustav | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 3 |
| Smith, Brendan | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 |
| Tatar, Tomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 6 |
| Almqvist, Adam | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Nicastro, Max | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Raedeke, Brent | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1 | 0 |
| Sheahan, Riley | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Aubry, Louis-Marc | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1 | 0 |
| Callahan, Mitchell | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | -1 | 0 |
| Jurco, Tomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | PRO | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| McKee, Mike | Lincoln | USHL/JR-A | USHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | +1 | 3 |
| De Haas, James | Penticton | USHL/JR-A | BCHL | 13 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | – | – |
| Frk, Martin | Halifax | CHL | QMJHL | 8 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 | +2 | 21 |
| Ouellet, Xavier | Blainville-Boisbriand | CHL | QMJHL | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | +7 | 40 |
| Hudon, Philippe | Victoriaville | CHL | QMJHL | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 21 | -1 | 17 |
| Sproul, Ryan | Sault Ste. Marie | CHL | OHL | 7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 12 | +5 | – |
| Athanasiou, Andreas | Barrie | CHL | OHL | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 | +1 | – |
| Tvrdon, Marek | Vancouver | CHL | WHL | 9 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | -1 | – |
| Nedomlel, Richard | Swift Current | CHL | WHL | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 29 | +6 | – |
| Jarnkrok, Calle | Brynas | EUR | SEL | 14 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| Backman, Mattias | Linkoping | EUR | SEL | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 12 |
| Pulkkinen, Teemu | Jokerit | EUR | FIN | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 31 | -3 | 57 |
| Marchenko, Alexei | CSKA Moscow | EUR | KHL | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 9 |
| Bodin, Rasmus | HV-71 | EUR-JR | SWE-J20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 1 |
GOALIES: REGULAR SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | W | L | O/S | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paterson, Jake | Saginaw | WHL | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3.22 | .902 |
| McCollum, Thomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.77 | .917 |
| Pearce, Jordan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.07 | .885 |
| Mrazek, Petr | Toledo | ECHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.01 | .971 |
Thanks for the update. I believe Bodin is listed as Marchenko.
Good call, Patrick. I was wondering why Marchenko was listed there last night.
Anyone give us a clue about Pulkkinen’s terribly slow start this year? Is it just a really slow start for him or is there more to it?
It’s early, but I’m happy to see Ferraro off to a strong start. I hope he keeps it up and the nay-sayers can [as my grandfather used to say] “go flag a handcar”. This is his year.
Man, I’ve been watching the stats on this kid since last year, Elias Lindholm — 17 yr old cousin of Calle Jarnkrok — He’s playing for Brynas of the SEL (same as Calle) and tearing it up! I hope the Wings have a high enough draft pick to snag this kid next summer… Anyone know if they’re playing together (same line)?
Lindholm and Jarnkrok seem to be playing on the same line. However, I hope the Wings won’t have a high enough draft pick to get him because he will likely be taken in the top 10…
True, true. For a while there, I was hoping for a draft order lottery if the season was cut short or cancelled…. looks less likely now.
Whatever the case, this kid has some impressive stats at a very young age.
There was a day when Holland could/would parlay a trade to acquire a high draft pick, so forget about Lindholm (or anyone else) as KH seems to have lost his touch.
And forget about Ferraro ever making the Wings. He was a good prospect at 16, mostly because of the genes, but has gone downhill ever since, and his attitude problem got him benched in the playoffs in Red Deer and thus traded to Seattle. His future is in Europe, probably the Italian Hockey League.
But I do think AA might be a “sleeper” and a steal in the draft; maybe along the lines of Helm with better hands.
I disagree on Ferraro. He will have to settle that one way or the other this year.
YVR,
Please inform me on when KH has EVER traded for a high draft pick. Please. The Wings have only had 6 first round picks in the last 15 years. We haven’t picked in the top 10 since 1991, and the only pick inside the top 20 we’ve had was in 2005 when we got Kindl from the draft lottery at 19th. So please, I would love to know when this time was when Holland could have/ would have traded to get a top 10 pick. Last I checked, if anything, he trades AWAY our picks to get established production out of veterans.
Scratch that, 6 first round picks in 16 years.
The point is….other GM’s constantly make trades to get higher picks, but not Kenny….because the Wings had the successful run of high finishes, thus lower picks, is all the more reason to get creative and parlay a major move or two to acquire a high pick…how many times has KH traded his first round pick?; and tell me who he has to show for it…oh yes, Quincy comes to mind—he cost the Wings a first rounder….is Quincy a first round talent?…rest my case.
Maybe its because I am a glass half full type of guy that I find it hard to lable too many players a bust or European league bound. Its not hard to remember Dan Cleary, Chris Pronger and Guy Le Fleur as being labled as disappointments. Yes, even the great Le Fleur did not really produce until he was 23 or so. All these players have potential. Some will make it. What is fun about this website is seeing just who that is.
YVR, other GM’s also don’t have teams that have made the playoffs twenty years in a row. Sure there have been a few questionable moves, and the seldom horrible one like Quincey. But you can’t make the argument that Holland used to trade for high picks but doesn’t now, and then wiggle into a different argument about him trading his high picks, and then say rest my case. Your “case” is far from even defined. I actually do agree that it would be nice to see them trade way up in the draft to get a great pick/prospect (although I don’t like the thought of parting with a certain few of our better prospects/players) but it’s slightly annoying to how arrogant you come off, as if you already know the future and could be a better gm than holland has been. Hindsight is 20/20. You just sound like a pissed off fan or a fan of another team trolling here. Enjoy the site for what it is, and stop using it to post arrogant and incorrect comments like a petulant child.
wow chris…you are all lathered up like an old mare in heat…lol….take a valium before the hypertension over comes you…I will lay it out for you in very simple language—-Kenny Holland has done absolutely nothing in the past 4 yrs to improve the Wings roster; in fact he is solely responsible for the decline of the DRW…after the SC lose to Pitt (losing game 7 at home, of all things), they have two consecutive 2nd round loses to SJ and then a 1st round defeat to the lowly Predators….did he make any moves?…none….when he had no cap room he wanted to make changes (so he said) and when he had 24 mill in cap space he made zero acquisitions…go figure…yes I am po’ed as any real hockey person would/should be, but you pom-pom wavers justify everything by saying the Wings had no high draft picks….
It’s true that Holland has not made any blockbuster moves to improve a team that has finished on par (which is pushing it, I’m sure there are plenty of teams that wish they could say that had playoff hockey consistently), but he has also not made a single move that has proven to be extremely detrimental to the team as well. While it is frustrating to watch some of the younger players sitting in GR while a few average vets wear the Winged Wheel, I’m sure Holland is preparing to bring those kids up at some point. When it’s all said and done, Kenny has put a roster together that is still packing the Joe and still one of the higher grossing teams in the league, while continuing to may the playoffs. Until some of those things start to change, Kenny won’t be going anywhere and I don’t think he should.
On another note, how do you think Suter and Parise feel after signing there outrageous contracts, only to have their GM (or owner, not sure which one) at the CBA meetings basically saying “Hey, we want our money back!” lol?
Kenny offered Suter and Parise big money. So because they didn’t take it means Kenny did not do his job? After those 2 what is left. He even proposed a trade for Weber, so to say he has not tried tools big moves to improve this team is completely false. He could have traded for Jaybo or Yandle but both teams would want Fillpula and I personally stand by Kenny for keeping Fil. The next 2 seasons will see drastic changes for the DRWs with a lot of in house changes due to all our young talent. And a close a guy does not get us to the play offs every year by doing nothing.
Being an anesthesiologist and someone familiar with medicine, i’d just like to point out that valium has no effect on hypertension lol. But anyways, the hate on Kenny is going much too far. I agree completely with LTK’s take. It’s not Hollands fault if Suter and Parise turned down his offer, what matters is that he did make them a huge offer. He’s willing to do alot to improve the team, but he doesn’t want to sacrifice Fil or a top prospect; which I agree with.
Yeah, as I often point out… even if you put the best team in the league on the ice, you still have a slim chance of winning it all. Put a team that can win on the ice every year and your chances go up much more dramatically. Holland knows that and won’t sacrifice the things that get you to the playoffs consistently, with a chance to win, to bolster chances for a short window. It’s just bad business to act that way in this era of CBA and post-CBA…
Every one of Holland’s moves is calculated. He did get us some depth before the playoffs, but when most teams were dealing 1st and 2nd rounders for UFAs, Kenny got us an RFA for the same price (ie. investment in a long term asset). And we all hate to see our 1st rounders traded away at draft time, but when we end up with two 2nd rounders that end up better than the league’s average 1st rounder, how can we second-guess?
You may disagree with his strategy… maybe you prefer to load up on a few years every decade or so, like most of the rest of the league, but I don’t think that anyone can say he’s not good at what he does. From my perspective, I’d say Kenny’s methods are not only proven and sound, but have shown to produce better than the competition over time.
@Ken….Ken,I have a pain in the ass and my local anesthesiologist can’t help me—-what do you suggest?
Everyone on here is missing the point on Holland and the Wings….KH should have started the Wings makeover 4 yrs ago when many things were obvious, that the team was getting older and Nick was not going to play forever, and the stars were in decline mode. And then Stuart stated he wanted to play on the west coast. What did Kenny do? Nothing. Then he gives away a first round pick for Quincey (just a favor to Stevie Y) who is nothing more than a 5th-6th dman. What in the he!! does Kenny see in Sammy, Cleary, Bert? All washed-up and injury prone. And Red Wing nation gets all excited over Tootoo, a 4TH liner (these guys are a dime-a-dozen) who was benched most of last spring. But, be advised, you will see what Tootoo has to offer.Oh yea, he signed a back-up goalie with a heart condition. Well done Kenny, well done.
@YVR I think your assessment is interesting, hindsight is 20/20. The Quincey trade doesn’t look good right now, but I would wait until he plays a full season with the Wings before a fair assessment of his value to the organization can be made.
As for the rest of what you said, I disagree. There is no point overpaying for a free agent. I can’t think of a single example where overpaying has ever worked out. So what if this offseason he had to bargain shop, but with a cap that high teams were bound to overvalue talent. I think that Tootoo might actually be a decent signing, but we won’t know until we actually see them play hockey… same with the rest of the free agents.
I think “Red Wing Nation” is more excited to see what guys like Nyquist can do, or to see if Brunner can adjust to North American play (he currently leads the Swiss league with 22pts in 14gms).
@Jr…make no mistake Kenny wanted the top free agents as much as anyone; even had the owner and his plane engaged….seems no top end players want to come to Detroit as they see the Wings in decline/turmoil,—-well at least battling for 8th spot, and do not want to raise a family there….you guys want top 10 draft picks; well just wait a couple of years.
I see the DRWs declining a little but I don’t see them near the basement anytime soon. Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Jarnkrok, Sheahan, Oulette, Sproul and Mrazek are all legit prospects that could all be full time Wings in 5 years. How many of them by next year even. Plus if the cap does drop a lot of teams will be dumping players next year that the wings will be first in line to pick up. I’m slightly concerned but not worried.
@YVR – I’d think the extra $25 million was more the reason for Parise choosing Minnesota over Detroit. Soon as he went he then colluded with Ryan Suter to play for the Wild hand-in-hand. Just because Holland wasn’t willing to offer such ridiculous contracts (which have made Leipold the scourge of these NHL negotiations, btw – same goes for Holmgren and his offer sheet to Weber) doesn’t mean the Red Wings are in decline as a team/franchise. His refusal to step beyond his own boundaries for those players/contracts will actually help the Red Wings in the long run.
@LTK…I agree the names you mentioned are the hope for the future and are part of the best crop of prospects the Wings have had in my lifetime. Let’s hope there are a couple of superstars there—-I think Sproul and Oulette will be top 4 dmen in a few years; the jury is still out on the rest of them, after all they are still prospects….btw, those who get Sportsnet (Canadian tv)will see Oulette in action this Friday, the 26th.
YVR, I don’t think it’s what everyone else is missing. I’d suggest you may be missing something. There is no such thing as a “Wings makeover”. They are always maintaining a quality team with small changes, year to year. There MIGHT be a slight dip in quality this year, but it is because of market circumstances. If they wanted to miss the playoffs half the time and peak once a decade, they’d initiate a makeover, like most other teams. I think their track record with this method is pretty sound.
I’d echo the comment on Quincey; give it a year and then comment. And how many games has Bert missed recently? Doesn’t seem all that injury prone to me..
Anyone know what the H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS is going on with Pulkkinen?! His numbers seem to get worse every time I check them… and Fil and the rest of the team seems to be humming along. I’m getting worried about this guy.