The Malik Report

The Red Wings' quest to capture the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup begins tonight as they face the current champs, the Carolina Hurricanes (7:30 PM on Fox Sports GO and DetroitRedWings.com), at Centre Ice Arena.

The Wings engaged in a morning skate ahead of tonight's game, and it looks like the Wings will be employing the following lines (subject to change, of course):

Forwards: Smith, Rasmussen and Shine; Esposito, Turgeon and Zablocki; Castelman, Gallant and Gilmour; Josling, Kutkevicius and Johnson; Sadowy, Holmstrom and Svechnikov;

Defense: McCarron and Sambrook, Chokowski and Saarijarvi, Cole Fraser and Webb, Hronek and Sulak, Cholowski and Saarijarvi.

It appears that Matej Machovsky will start tonight, with Kaden Fulcher backing him up.

After the Wings practiced, they held a media availabilty, and I spoke to the following players:

Axel Holmstrom conducted a fairly long interview with DetroitRedWings.com's Dana Wakiji and myself, addressing his injuries, the long playoff runs with Skelleftea AIK and Grand Rapids as learning experiences, his expectations for the tournament and the caliber thereof:

Vili Saarijarvi stated that he spent the whole summer with his Flint Firebirds billets in Grand Blanc, working out with Evgeny Svechnikov and adding some weight and power to the mix. He's excited about turning pro and understands that this prospect tournament is a method by which he can step forward as he prepares to turn pro:

Cole Fraser also worked out with several Wings prospects, and he discussed the evolution from drafted development camper to prospect tournament participant:

Finally, coach Todd Nelson gave a morning skate's worth of remarks, discussing the short time the Wings have had to prepare for Carolina, the surprising number of players who now work out together during the summer, the attempt to build a team over a short period of time (as Saarijarvi stated, the Wings have a "common room" at the Grand Traverse Resort to help bond), and Nelson discussed his ability to get a heads-up on the Griffins of the future as the team "trends younger":

Update: FYI:

#RedWings Dennis Cholowski said he is now playing at 200 pounds. — Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) September 8, 2017

#RedWings director of player development Shawn Horcoff will now have good friend Dan Cleary assisting him officially. pic.twitter.com/qZ5iC0W7ex — Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) September 8, 2017

Comments

Be the first to comment.

Add a Comment

Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.

Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.

Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.