Mitch Callahan (Credit: Mark Newman)
Jeff Blashill admits he didn’t fully appreciate Mitch Callahan at the start of the season.
“I was wrong about the type of player he is,” the Grand Rapids Griffins first-year head coach said. “He’s a much better player than I gave him credit for at the beginning of the year.”
The gritty 6-foot, 200-pound right-winger came to camp for his American Hockey League sophomore campaign and had to battle — perhaps more than most — to win his new coach’s trust. He eventually earned it, and now receives regular ice time at even strength and on the penalty kill. He has 10 goals and nine assists along with 82 penalty minutes and an average of almost two shots per game in 57 contests.
“Mitch is the type of player you win with,” Blashill said. “He’s very, very strong on the puck, he wins puck battles, he goes to the net hard, he’s got good hands, he’s physical, he’s an agitator and he’ll fight when needed. Those are all assets, that, when you put them all together, that makes you a real good hockey player.”
Callahan, a 2009 sixth-round pick from Whittier, Calif., who played for the 2011 American world junior team, has just four fighting majors this season after recording 62 in four previous seasons according to HockeyFights.com. That might be a sign he’s becoming a more well-rounded player.
“He’s been a real important part of our team,” Blashill said. “He’s just a more effective player than I realized at first. That’s just getting to know your players and maybe just giving him more opportunity … and he took off with it.”
Along with defenseman Mike McKee, Callahan is far and away the grittiest prospect in the Red Wings system, something that could give him a unique advantage in the next two seasons when the Red Wings are looking for call-ups.
NOTES: Defenseman Nick Jensen (St. Cloud State, NCAA) was named WCHA defensive player of the year and an all-WCHA first-team selection, an impressive achievement for the junior. His 19 assists led the WCHA and his 23 points were second, while he recorded a plus-15 rating and 27 blocked shots. The Red Wings often sign their top college prospects after their junior seasons, but Jensen is a late-round pick who might benefit from one more season in college … TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Tuesday the Red Wings will sign free-agent goaltender Jared Coreau out of Northern Michigan. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound junior went 15-19-4 with a 2.70 goals-against average along with a .919 save percentage. He is described as “smooth and athletic” by Red Line Report, which said he “displayed strong mental focus and an ability to steal games” on a weak team. With Jordan Pearce set to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, Coreau will give the Red Wings good goaltending depth next season along with Petr Mrazek and Thomas McCollum … Defenseman Ryan Sproul found his way into four categories in the OHL Western Conference coaches poll. He was runaway winner for hardest shot and best offensive defenseman and was runner-up for best skater and best shot … Forward Calle Jarnkrok (Brynas, SEL) was held off the score-sheet in a four-game sweep at the hands of Skelleftea … McKee (Lincoln, USHL) is sitting out four games due to a suspension for racking up too many major penalties. He now has 292 PIMs in 40 games — 115 more than any other player in the league — and his lack of discipline appears to be bothering his head coach. “If this (suspension) doesn’t get the message across to him … He sat in that penalty box for three goals against Fargo the other night. We need him on the ice for 25-plus minutes, as opposed to in the penalty box for 15 minutes,” head coach Chad Johnson told the Lincoln Journal-Star.
Following is this week’s statistical report.
SKATERS: REGULAR-SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | LEVEL | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyquist, Gustav | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 58 | 23 | 37 | 60 | 34 | +10 | 169 |
| Ferraro, Landon | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 59 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 39 | +2 | 122 |
| Andersson, Joakim | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 36 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 55 | +1 | 84 |
| Parkes, Trevor | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 34 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 35 | +6 | 39 |
| Lashoff, Brian | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 23 | +4 | 38 |
| Tatar, Tomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 48 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 46 | +12 | 160 |
| Almqvist, Adam | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 55 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 30 | +5 | 69 |
| Nicastro, Max | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | +1 | 16 |
| Raedeke, Brent | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 32 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 36 | +1 | 26 |
| Sheahan, Riley | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 60 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 27 | +14 | 92 |
| Aubry, Louis-Marc | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 53 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 40 | 0 | 68 |
| Callahan, Mitchell | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 57 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 82 | +1 | 108 |
| Jurco, Tomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 60 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 18 | -1 | 93 |
| Fournier, Gleason | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 23 | -2 | 15 |
| Nestrasil, Andrej | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 20 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Coetzee, Willie | Grand Rapids | AHL | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Coetzee, Willie | Toledo | ECHL | ECHL | 58 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 18 | -2 | 242 |
| Nestrasil, Andrej | Toledo | ECHL | ECHL | 40 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 26 | +17 | 113 |
| Fournier, Gleason | Toledo | ECHL | ECHL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | +7 | 17 |
| Parkes, Trevor | Toledo | ECHL | ECHL | 13 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 6 | -1 | 64 |
| Jensen, Nick | St. Cloud State | WCHA | NCAA | 38 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 12 | +21 | 63 |
| Marshall, Ben | Minnesota | WCHA | NCAA | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 20 | +10 | 70 |
| McKee, Mike | Lincoln | USHL | USHL/JR-A | 40 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 292 | +13 | 60 |
| De Haas, James | Penticton | BCHL | USHL/JR-A | 53 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 19 | – | – |
| Frk, Martin | Halifax | QMJHL | CHL | 56 | 35 | 49 | 84 | 84 | +31 | 180 |
| Ouellet, Xavier | Blainville-Boisbriand | QMJHL | CHL | 50 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 44 | +14 | 166 |
| Hudon, Philippe | Victoriaville | QMJHL | CHL | 65 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 63 | -1 | 139 |
| Sproul, Ryan | Sault Ste. Marie | OHL | CHL | 50 | 20 | 46 | 66 | 45 | 0 | – |
| Athanasiou, Andreas | Barrie | OHL | CHL | 66 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 30 | +13 | – |
| Quine, Alan | Belleville | OHL | CHL | 52 | 23 | 44 | 67 | 30 | +13 | – |
| Tvrdon, Marek | Vancouver | WHL | CHL | 18 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 16 | +2 | – |
| Nedomlel, Richard | Swift Current | WHL | CHL | 72 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 105 | -13 | – |
| Jarnkrok, Calle | Brynas | SEL | EUR | 53 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 12 | -2 | 136 |
| Backman, Mattias | Linkoping | SEL | EUR | 53 | 2 | 24 | 26 | 34 | +5 | 67 |
| Pulkkinen, Teemu | Jokerit | FIN | EUR | 59 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 49 | +5 | 260 |
| Marchenko, Alexei | CSKA Moscow | KHL | EUR | 44 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | -2 | 46 |
| Bodin, Rasmus | Tranas | SWE-3 | EUR | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -5 | – |
| Bodin, Rasmus | HV-71 | SWE-J20 | EUR-JR | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | -1 | 11 |
GOALIES: REGULAR SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | W | L | O/S | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paterson, Jake | Saginaw | OHL | 50 | 25 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3.53 | .901 |
| McCollum, Thomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | 25 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 2.76 | .899 |
| Pearce, Jordan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.32 | .847 |
| Mrazek, Petr | Grand Rapids | AHL | 34 | 21 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2.32 | .918 |
| Mrazek, Petr | Toledo | ECHL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.02 | .944 |
| Pearce, Jordan | Toledo | ECHL | 29 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2.71 | .901 |
SKATERS: PLAYOFF REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | LEVEL | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marchenko, Alexei | CSKA Moscow | KHL | EUR | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 8 |
| Jarnkrok, Calle | Brynas | SEL | EUR | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| Backman, Mattias | Linkoping | SEL | EUR | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 10 |
| De Haas, James | Penticton | BCHL | USHL/JR-A | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | – | – |
Any word on Järnkrok and/or Marchenko coming over for the Wings/Griffins’ playoff run?
Quick question. If Jarnkrok’s season is over, is he eligible to come over and play either in Detroit or Grand Rapids? I don’t believe he’d have to clear waivers since he is under contract and on the reserve list.
Järnkrok is eligible and he is going over to Michigan, but only for a visit. He’ll be there for about a week or so and then he’s going back to Sweden to prepare for the World Championships.
To follow last week’s discussion, here is something of note; Jurco is a highly-touted prospect with good size in our system, yet he doesn’t have as many points, PIMs, or as good of +/- as Almquist despite the latter playing fewer games. I think this, all other things being equal, illustrates the level of play that Almquist brings to the table.
Great article as always! I anxiously await each article you write here.
We really need a Callahan-type player in Detroit ASAP.
@Almquist is also two years ahead of Jurco in his development and has played hockey against men for the prior three seasons before heading to GR making the transition period easier, save for the differences in the size of ice. Almquist has also played fewer games because he’s been a healthy scratch on a number of occasional.
Looking at basic stats in reality tells very little about the play of an individual player. My favorite two are PIMs and +/-. PIM doesn’t just translate into toughness, it also translates into a lack of discipline. +/- might be the worst stat out their as it is heavily influenced on things that are far out of an individuals control.
I will say that Almquist has been playing well from an offensive standpoint but from the games I’ve seen, as well as from the articles I’ve read, he has a LOT of work to do on the defensive side of his game before he’ll get a crack at the NHL.
True.
Jurco is a rookie and played on the third line for most of the season, give the kid a break.
I wasn’t picking on Jurco, he’s a stud. I was trying to illustrate that Almquist has had an exceptionally good rookies season for a small defenseman in a “man’s” league. I think his skinny 5’11″ stature is not going to be as big a deal (no pun intended) in the long run as most seem to think in this forum.
Its not so much his stature that I have an issue with but his defensive ability. I could careless how many points you put up, if your a libility in your own end every shift than your not going to make a significant enough impact to stay in the NHL as a defensemen. Marc-Andre Bergeron is may favorite example of great offensive talent on the back-end, but couldn’t stay in the NHL because you couldn’t trust him away from the PP.
I think this has a good deal to do with why RWC has him as the 16th top prospect. For youth on defense Ouelett, Sproul, Backman, Marchenko, and even Jensen are all ahead of him on the depth chart. With 4 of those guys joining GR next year I don’t think we’ll ever see Almquist suit up for the Wings.
I agree with Yemen’s point about Almquist. As I said last week, I actually think he could end up in Toledo because of the numbers involved and the fact he is a left handed shot. I believe at least Ouellet, Sproul and Marchencko are coming. Backman and Jensen might still be a year away. But you add that to the couple of vets the Griffins always keep and then Nicastro and we keep hearing DeKeyser and that means that its a crowded place in GR.
I don’t know about Marchenko & Nicastro, but I will say that Ouelett, Sproul, Backman & Jensen are all very good skaters from what I have seen and read. That alone adds to the tough challenge ahead for Almquist.
RW19 I agree that GR might get crowded on the D side however I do not expect Dekeyser to be in that crowd. If is either starting with the Wings or going elsewhere. I think at least one year in GR would be great for him but we all know he will go to whoever offers him a roster spot with the big club. Ether way our defensive prospects are looking really good. I’m looking forward to seeing Sproul and Oulette playing together for a long time, good combination of D from Oulette with some offence and lots of offence from Sproul with still solid D.
Levi to cannot wait to see how Sproul and Ouellet turn out. That could be a dynamic pair for a long long time.
As for DeKeyser, I wonder if he sees what is happening with Schultz in Edmonton. The kid started on fire, but lately has played so poorly that they media there though he had hit the rookie wall and that he might need to sit a few games to get his barings again.Who knows, but at least the Wings are still in the hunt!
Quick question on Callahan. When I hear “grit” instead of “tough” I assume he’s more of a guy that hits hard and plays rough but isn’t necessarily a good fighter. How is this guy when the gloves are off? Abdelkader “isn’t afraid to fight” but he also sucks at it IMO. Where does Mitch rank?
Jarnkrok update: Might get some practice time in and meet his teammates should he make it next year…
http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/red-wings-will-bring-prospect-calle-jarnkrok-to-detroit-to-visit-not-play
Nice to see Sproul getting some love. He was ranked as the best drafted defenseman in the OHL…
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/86939/sproul-heads-list-of-top-drafted-ohl-defensemen/
Martin Frk scored 5 goals and added 3 assists tonight in their playoff game against St. John.
Nhlrick… Mitch is a better fighter than Abdelkader. Hes not going to be a heavyweight but he always fights guys up a weight class from him. In junior he only lost like 3 fights. Hes gritty and great on the forecheck but hes good with the gloves off too. The last 4 years before this one he had 9 or more fights including 20, 19 and 14. Hes just not fighting as much this year because hes got a bigger role and there are more enforcers on the team
Mitch Callahan = the next Jordin Tootoo
What’s with McKee? I love that he is more than willing to throw down but he’s hurting his team doing it so often. Needs to learn to pick his spots better. Almost 300 PIM’s?!?! That’s absurd. Hopefully he follows through on his plan to attend Western so he can actually work on his development.
Also, don’t sleep on Richard Nodemlel. He’s a very physical, tough D-man with top 6 NHL upside.
Jake Paterson faced 70 shots in a 3-2 double overtime loss on Sunday night. Paterson was named 2nd star for his efforts. Ryan Sproul has 3 assists tonight in game 3 of SSM playoff game 3 against Owen Sound.