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Prospects Watch Kindl almost made Red Wings out of training camp ... Jakub Kindl almost followed in the footsteps of Jiri Fischer this season. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound defenseman appeared in four National Hockey League exhibition games and almost cracked the Detroit Red Wings’ opening-night roster. He would have become the first 19-year-old to make the Red Wings out of training camp since Fischer in 1999-2000. The Red Wings, with seven NHL-caliber blueliners, eventually decided to assign Kindl to the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. “He came close to making the team at training camp,” said Red Wings director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell. “I don’t think we’d ever keep a kid that young, but he was definitely good enough to play and stick there. He’s the kind of guy who plays better with better players.” The Red Wings used their highest draft pick since 1991 (Martin Lapointe, 10th overall) to select Kindl 19th overall in 2005. They wasted no time signing him to a three-year entry-level contract this past April. Since returning to Kitchener in October, Kindl is averaging 30 to 35 minutes a night and ranks sixth among Ontario Hockey League scoring among defensemen. He has four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 17 games. “He’s like a man amongst boys,” said McDonnell. “He’s playing a ton, probably too much, but it’s good for him. He’s played very well.” The Red Wings have high hopes for Kindl’s future. “Down the road, I think he’s going to be a top-four guy, for sure,” said McDonnell. “He’s good on the power play and he’s a real smart kid.” AXELSSON RETURNS: Forward Dick Axelsson is back on the ice after sitting out the start of the season because of a contract dispute. Axelsson signed a two-year contract with Djurgardens of the Swedish Elite League this fall, but had a year remaining on a four-year deal with Huddinge, a second-level club. Huddinge had been seeking financial compensation from Djurgardens before allowing for Axelsson’s release. Rather than face a lengthy legal battle and waste the season, Axelsson gave up this week and opted to join Huddinge. He is pointless in two games. “I want to play hockey right now,” Axelsson told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “I’m sick and tired of watching. September 14th was the last time I played a hockey game and that’s enough.” Axelsson, drafted in the second round (62nd overall) by the Red Wings this summer, sat out 16 Djurgardens games and 14 Huddinge games. He is eligible to join Djurgardens on May 1, 2007. HOT: Forward Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State, NCAA) has six points in his first six games... Defenseman Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Western Hockey League), not known for his scoring prowess, picked up a hat trick on Saturday in a 5-1 win over Portland ... Forward Jan Mursak (Saginaw, OHL) is riding a season-long 18-game scoring streak as a rookie ... Forward Cory Emmerton (Kingston, OHL) has 13 points in six games. COLD: Forward Johan Ryno (AIK, Swedish second level) can’t buy a point. He hasn’t scored in four games since being demoted from Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League, where he was pointless in 14 games ... Forward Darryl Bootland (Grand Rapids, AHL) is off to a slow start, with just four points in 11 games. He has trimmed his penalty total to 24 minutes ... Forward Ryan Oulahen (Grand Rapids, AHL) is a solid defensive player, but isn’t producing any offense this season. He has one point in 10 games. NOTES: Forward Valtteri Filppula appears to have a full-time NHL job. The Red Wings waived Brad Norton this week to open up a roster spot for Filppula, who has a goal and an assist in eight career NHL games. The 22-year-old had been up and down from the minors ... Defenseman Kyle Quincey earned a two-game call-up to Detroit this week and averaged more than 12 minutes per game ... Defenseman Miroslav Blatak (Mora, Swedish Elite League) will represent the Czech Republic at the Karjala Cup starting Thursday. He also played at Ceska Poijstovna earlier this year, and was pointless in three games. The following is this season’s statistical report to date:
The following is this season's statistical report for goaltenders to date:
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