RWC REPORT: Grand Larsson

By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / October 22, 2007

Detroit Red Wings goaltending prospect Daniel Larsson is off to a terrific start early in the Swedish Elite League season.

Larsson, a 21-year-old often forgotten on the prospect list behind the more highly-touted Jimmy Howard, has climbed to third in the league in goals-against average at 1.88 and second in save percentage at .931.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder led Djurgardens to a 2-1 record this week, posting a shutout and allowing only two goals on 80 shots.

Larsson, selected 92nd overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft, is in a contract year and, with continued success, could replace a graduating Howard as the starter with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins next season.

— From Grand Rapids, defenceman Jonathan Ericsson (goal, two assists, plus-4 in five games) is logging 30 minutes a night, while forward Johan Ryno (four points in four games) is on the top line with Carl Corazzini and Mark Cullen. Forward Darren Helm made his pro debut this week, while forwards Igor Grigorenko and Mattias Ritola and blueliner Jakub Kindl are still pointless.

— Salavat Yulaev Ufa leads the Russian Elite League with a 15-3-1 record. Why is this worth mentioning? Because Yulaev is the team Grigorenko signed an “insurance contract” with in case things don’t work out in North America. He has an escape clause in his contract with the Red Wings if he’s still in the AHL beyond Nov. 1. EDITOR'S UPDATE (1:32 p.m.): Grigorenko refused to remain in Grand Rapids under the terms of his escape clause, RedWingsCorner.blogspot.com reported Monday. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told MLive.com on Monday that Grigorenko "probably needs a lot more time in Grand Rapids, but he's not prepared to make that commitment" for "major financial reasons."

— High-scoring Ontario Hockey League forwards Cory Emmerton (Kingston), Jan Mursak (Saginaw) and Zack Torquato (Erie) were able to combine for just one point, an assist, between the three of them in eight games this week. Though it's still early, they’ve all been disappointingly quiet so far.

— Defenseman Logan Pyett (Regina, Western Hockey League) had a great week, scoring four times and adding an assist in three games. He's already scored seven times in 14 games this season, impressive numbers for a blueliner.

— The Axelssons are at opposite ends of the spectrum in pivotal contract seasons in the Swedish Elite League. Dick, a forward with Djurgardens, has five goals and two assists in nine games. Anton, a forward with Timra, has no goals and four assists in 12 games. The two aren’t related.

— First-round pick Brendan Smith (Wisconsin, NCAA) has a goal and five assists in his first four NCAA games, although they were non-conference contests. He had four points in two games this weekend in wins over Robert Morris.

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for skaters:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
A H L
Johan Ryno	Grand Rapids	AHL	4	1	3	4	6
Ryan Oulahen	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	2	1	3	2
Jonathan Ericsson	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	1	2	3	2
Evan McGrath	Grand Rapids	AHL	4	0	2	2	2
Randall Gelech	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	1	0	1	4
Igor Grigorenko	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	0	0	0	4
Jakub Kindl	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	0	0	0	4
Mattias Ritola	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	0	0	0	10
R U S S I A
Gennady Stolyarov	Moscow Dynamo	RUS	11	1	0	1	10
S W E D E N
Dick Axelsson	Djurgardens	SWE	9	5	2	7	0
Anton Axelsson	Timra	SWE	12	0	4	4	4
Joakim Andersson	Boras	SWE-2	11	2	7	9	10
Joakim Andersson	Frolunda	SWE-J20	1	2	0	2	0
C H L
Logan Pyett	Regina	WHL	14	7	4	11	15
Cory Emmerton	Kingston	OHL	12	5	6	11	0
Jan Mursak	Saginaw	OHL	12	4	6	10	4
Randy Cameron	Moncton	QMJHL	14	3	6	9	8
Zack Torquato	Erie	OHL	12	3	4	7	18
N C A A
Brendan Smith	Wisconsin	WCHA	4	1	5	6	4
Justin Abdelkader	Michigan State	CCHA	3	2	1	3	4
Nick Oslund	St. Cloud State	WCHA	3	0	0	0	0
Nils Backstrom	Alaska-Anchorage	WCHA	3	0	0	0	2
Bryan Rufenach	Clarkson	ECAC	4	0	0	0	0

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for goaltenders:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	W-L-O	GAA	SPCT
Daniel Larsson	Djurgardens	SWE	10	--	1.88	.931
Jimmy Howard	Grand Rapids	AHL	3	2-1	3.00	.907

LEAGUE LEGEND: AHL -- American Hockey League; RUS -- Russian Elite League; SWE -- Swedish Elite League; SWE-2 -- Swedish second level; SWE-J20 -- Swedish under-20 league; OHL -- Ontario Hockey League; WHL -- Western Hockey League; QMJHL -- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; CCHA -- Central Collegiate Hockey Association; WCHA -- Western Collegiate Hockey Association; ECAC -- East Coast Athletic Conference.