Red Wings Central http://www.redwingscentral.com http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_08/04_FreeAgentTryouts.php http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_08/04_FreeAgentTryouts.php The Detroit Red Wings have invited six free agents to their annual prospects tournament in Traverse City beginning Sept. 12. Among those auditioning for contracts is former Red Wings draft choice Stephen Johnston, who was not signed earlier this summer and went unselected after reentering the NHL draft in June. Additional tryouts will be announced when the main training camp roster is finalized. Wed, 4 Aug 2010 2:35:00 EDT http://redwingscentral.com/camps/2010-11/schedule-tournament.php http://redwingscentral.com/camps/2010-11/schedule-tournament.php Following is the schedule for the Detroit Red Wings' 2010 prospects tournament and training camp at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich. The prospects tournament breakdown has the Red Wings in the "Howe Division" with the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars. The "Gretzky Division" features the Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. Tue, 19 Jul 2010 12:35:00 EDT http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_06/27_Invites.php http://redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_06/27_Invites.php When the NHL draft ended on Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings' work wasn't done. Director of scouting Joe McDonnell was quickly working the phone inviting a handful of undrafted prospects to training camp. Just hours later, McDonnell had already received confirmation that three players have already decided to report to Traverse City in late August. Tue, 27 Jun 2010 19:28:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com http://www.redwingscentral.com For feature stories and profiles on all seven of the Red Wings draft choices, with interviews with numerous members of the club's scouting staff, visit www.redwingscentral.com. Tue, 27 Jun 2010 19:25:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_06/01_ProspectRankingUpdate.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_06/01_ProspectRankingUpdate.php Tomas Tatar's relatively sluggish second half wasn't enough to drop him from atop Red Wings Central's final prospect ranking of 2009-10. The Slovakian sparkplug hit a wall after a sensational first half in the American Hockey League, producing just 11 points in his final 31 games after returning from the IIHF world junior championship in January. But when you consider he had 21 points in the first 27 games of his first North American campaign despite starting the season as the AHL's youngest player, it's not exactly a huge shock the grind took its toll. Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:34:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_05/25_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_05/25_RWCReport.php Stephen Johnston has achieved a rare feat for Detroit Red Wings draft picks. The 19-year-old forward became a Memorial Cup champion on Sunday, achieving Canadian Hockey League supremacy as part of the Windsor Spitfires with a 9-1 drubbing of the host Brandon Wheat Kings in the final. Tue, 25 May 2010 00:01:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/20_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/20_RWCReport.php North America beckons for Joakim Andersson, and the timing couldn't be better. The Detroit Red Wings signed the 21-year-old Swedish centre this week to a three-year, $2.625-million contract with a cap hit of $875,000 with the intention of placing him in the American Hockey League in 2010-11. Andersson just completed his second full season in the Swedish Elite League with the Frolunda Indians, producing six goals and 12 assists for 18 points along with a plus-5 and 42 penalty minutes in 55 games. But despite his strong two-way play, he wasn't rewarded with the ice time the Red Wings felt he deserved. Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:01:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/13_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/13_RWCReport.php The Detroit Red Wings have had success dipping into the free agent pool over the years, and Travis Ehrhardt is their latest project. The Red Wings, who have graduated eight undrafted free-agent prospect signings to the NHL over the past 11 years, signed Ehrhardt in July after he completed a solid five-year career in the Western Hockey League. Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:01:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/06_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_04/06_RWCReport.php One of the worst seasons in franchise history has led to mixed reviews, at the very best, for members of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Forwards Cory Emmerton, Francis Pare and Mattias Ritola are no exception, as up-and-down seasons and middling production from all three have left the Detroit Red Wings looking for more heading into the off-season. Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:21:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/23_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/23_RWCReport.php Right behind you, Darren --- literally. That's the case for Grand Rapids Griffins right-winger Jan Mursak, at least in the foot-speed department, where he isn't far behind the high-octane Darren Helm --- and that's saying something. The Detroit Red Wings also hope the 21-year-old Slovenian is right behind Helm in line for an NHL job. "I don't know if he's as quick as Helm, but if he's not, he's pretty close," said Griffins general manager Bob McNamara. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:35:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/23_Camp.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/23_Camp.php The Detroit Red Wings have announced they will return to Traverse City for their 2010 prospects tournament and training camp. The prospects tournament is scheduled for Sept. 11 to 15, while training camp runs from Sept. 18 to 21 with practices and scrimmages running from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A red-and-white game is tentatively set for Sept. 21 at noon. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:25:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/16_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/16_RWCReport.php It's been more than a decade since the Detroit Red Wings have had a prospect climb as far and as quickly as 18-year-old Tomas Tatar. But since arriving in North America from Slovakia this year, the 5-foot-10, 179-pound left-winger hasn't missed a beat, stepping into the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins and establishing himself as a top forward with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 48 games. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:45:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/09_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/09_RWCReport.php Jakub Kindl has all but locked up an NHL roster spot with the Detroit Red Wings next season but remains a work in progress. The 19th overall selection in the 2005 draft is still working out the kinks in his game in his third season in the American Hockey League with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Blessed with mobility, skill and outstanding size, the 6-foot-3 210-pounder is still learning to play a mistake-free puck-moving game. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/02_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_03/02_RWCReport.php Thomas McCollum is one of the brightest young goalies the Detroit Red Wings have had in ages, but you wouldn't know it right now. The 21-year-old has had a rocky introduction to the pro ranks after a stellar Ontario Hockey League career, struggling with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. He is 7-13-1 with a 3.59 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage and has just seven starts in the new year. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:12:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_02/23_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_02/23_RWCReport.php This hasn't been the season Landon Ferraro hoped for, but he's found his stride in the new year and he's finally going to the WHL playoffs. Ticketed for a 40-goal campaign after being drafted 32nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings last June, Ferraro suffered a knee injury in the second game of the WHL season and appeared in just 17 of the Red Deer Rebels' first 36 games. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:18:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_02/16_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_02/16_RWCReport.php The Detroit Red Wings will be well-represented when the playoffs open around the Canadian Hockey League. All eight of the Red Wings' CHL prospects are expected to be in position to chase the Memorial Cup in March. At the forefront of that charge are Brent Raedeke of the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings, Stephen Johnston of the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires and Andrej Nestrasil of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Victoriaville Tigres. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:50:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/28_ProspectRankingUpdate.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/28_ProspectRankingUpdate.php Tomas Tatar would be having an outstanding American Hockey League rookie campaign if he were a 20-year-old. The fact that he is just 18 is what makes his early success as a pro that much more remarkable. After an outstanding first half with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Red Wings Central has elevated Tatar to No. 1 in its mid-season prospect ranking. The 5-foot-10, 179-pound winger simply has too much going for him, with all the tools to be an impact scoring-line player for the Red Wings five years from now. Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:20:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/26_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/26_RWCReport.php Sergei Kolosov doesn't show up in many boxscores or headlines. But the Detroit Red Wings hope he shows up in the NHL some day. The 6-foot-4, 217-pound native of Belarus continues to go about his business quietly in his second American Hockey League season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, playing a reliable defensive game while contributing just a goal and three assists along with a minus-4 rating in 40 games. Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/19_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/19_RWCReport.php Logan Pyett is putting together a bounce-back season. The 21-year-old defenseman has improved his play at both ends of the ice as a second-year American Hockey Leaguer, putting up five goals and 12 assists for 17 points along with a plus-7 rating in 43 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He has already surpassed his rookie point total of 14. Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:32:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/12_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/12_RWCReport.php The past couple of weeks haven't been kind to Daniel Larsson -- or any goaltender for the Grand Rapids Griffins, for that matter. The second-year American Hockey Leaguer has fallen on hard times on a struggling defensive team, going 1-5 in his past eight appearances along with a 5.06 goals-against average and a .830 save percentage. After a strong start, the Griffins have slipped to 20-19-1 with 10 losses in their past 13 games. Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:42:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/05_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2010_01/05_RWCReport.php The Detroit Red Wings have drafted countless defensemen over the past 20 years, but none have shown offensive promise like Brendan Smith. The junior defenseman with the Wisconsin Badgers is on a scoring rampage in the NCAA this season, tied for sixth in the country with eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points in 19 games. He is easily the Badgers' leading scorer, while no blueliner in the NCAA is within seven points of him. Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/29_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/29_RWCReport.php Jan Mursak is scoring his way back to prominence. The second-year American Hockey League winger has jumped to the top of the Grand Rapids Griffins' scoring list, leading all Detroit Red Wings prospects with 12 goals and eight assists for 20 points and a plus-11 in 33 games. Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:17:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/15_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/15_RWCReport.php For all Adam Almqvist has accomplished this season, it might not be enough to get the 18-year-old blueliner to the world junior championship. The seventh-round draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings last June appears likely to be on the outside looking in when Team Sweden opens the WJC in Saskatchewan on Boxing Day, despite the fact the Ottawa Senators have decided not to release Erik Karlsson to play in the annual tournament. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:47:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/01_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_12/01_RWCReport.php When the Frolunda Indians unexpectedly gained Joel Lundqvist, it came at a cost for Detroit Red Wings prospect Joakim Andersson. The hard-hitting Dallas Stars center signed with the Swedish Elite League club in the off-season, bumping Andersson a notch down on the depth chart. Although Andersson has three goals and six assists in 26 games, he's usually a fourth-line centre when Frolunda ices a healthy roster. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:00:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/26_ProspectRankingUpdate.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/26_ProspectRankingUpdate.php Jakub Kindl has his shortcomings, but he also has a future with on the Detroit Red Wings' blue line --- and that future will begin in 2010. The third-year pro checks in at No. 1 on Red Wings Central's preliminary 2009-10 prospect ranking, in part because he's about 10 months away from cracking Detroit's opening-day roster next season and in part because he's a 6-foot-3, 202-pounder with the raw skill to be a top-four NHL defender. Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/24_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/24_RWCReport.php It's a good thing for Swedish forward Jesper Samuelsson there is no International Ice Hockey Federation transfer agreement in place. If Samuelsson had to sign by June 1 -- per previous IIHF rules for 2008 draft choices -- he'd probably be out of luck. Instead, the Red Wings retain the right to sign him indefinitely, giving him time to get his act together. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/17_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/17_RWCReport.php Landon Ferraro is slowly coming around. The 18-year-old Red Deer Rebels forward has shaken off an early-season knee injury and has started putting up numbers again. In his past four games, he has two multi-point outings and a goal and four assists. The mild turnaround comes after Ferraro missed 10 games early in the year with a knee injury and a nine-game goalless drought. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:53:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/10_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/10_RWCReport.php The Detroit Red Wings have always been big believers in Cory Emmerton, and he's showing flashes of why that faith is warranted. The 21-year-old center, in his second American Hockey League season, posted back-to-back two-goal games for the Grand Rapids Griffins last week and has four goals and three assists in his past four outings. It's a welcome breakthrough after he produced just one assist in his first seven games. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/03_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_11/03_RWCReport.php It's impressive enough that Andrej Nestrasil finds himself 10th in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring early this season. But when you add to that the fact that he's the only 18-year-old in the league's top 15 scorers -- the rest are 19- and 20-year-olds -- it becomes clear that the Prague, Czech Republic, native is well ahead of the development curve. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/27_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/27_RWCReport.php If there's a Swedish phrase for "sophomore slump," Detroit Red Wings prospect Gustav Nyquist doesn't appear to know it yet. The 20-year-old left-winger is in the process of following up a tremendous NCAA rookie campaign with an even better encore. Although it's still early, Nyquist is tied for the nation's lead in scoring with four goals and six assists for 10 points through six games with the Maine Black Bears. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:14:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/20_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/20_RWCReport.php Gleason Fournier found a great way to make up for lost time. The Rimouski Oceanic defenseman was named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's defensive player of the week after recording three goals and five assists in his first five games of the season. It's a great start for a player who sat out most of training camp and the first nine games with a shoulder injury. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:45:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/13_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/13_RWCReport.php Willie Coetzee is proving to be quite a find for the Detroit Red Wings. The soon-to-be 19-year-old right-winger is off to a terrific start in the Western Hockey League with the Red Deer Rebels less than a month after signing a three-year contract with the Red Wings as a free agent. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/06_RWCReport.php http://www.redwingscentral.com/stories/2009_10/06_RWCReport.php Adam Almqvist's eye-popping numbers in the Swedish junior ranks are cause for optimism, but nobody should get carried away just yet. The diminutive 18-year-old defenseman --- selected 210th overall in June's draft --- has absolutely torn it up with HV-71's under-20 team, piling up a sensational five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in just five games. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT