We see them every June and September in news about the Red Wings.

Young men who appear to have the world by the tail with talent and potential.

They just need some time to adjust to a higher level, to mold their talents into something that will help them reach, and thrive, at the next level.

The post Red Wings Prospects Don’t Always Pan Out (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Filip Larsson is still harboring disappointment over the way his time in the Detroit Red Wings organization wound down. At the same time, he is utilizing the life lesson he was learning from the failed experience to bolster him as he seeks to further his hockey career in Europe.

“The first two years were very good,” Larsson told SHL.se of his time playing in North America. The 167th overall selection by Detroit in the 2016 NHL entry draft, the decision was made to bring Larsson across the Atlantic Ocean to play junior hockey in 2017.

Playing for the Tri-City Storm in 2017-18, Larsson would earn the honor as USHL Goaltender of the Year. He was also named to the USHL 1st All-Star Team. Moving to NCAA hockey with the Denver Pioneers, Larsson was an NCHC All-Rookie Team choice in 2018-19. That summer, he would be making the decision to turn pro with the Red Wings.

Larsson Endures Unsettling Year In North American Minor Pro Ranks

At that time, hockey people in the Red Wings organization were viewing Larsson as that time period’s Sebastian Cossa. he was thought to be their goaltender of the future. Seemingly, he was on a fast track to Detroit. Instead, his pro career quickly went off the rails.

In 10 games with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, he was posting a 2-5 record with an .843 save percentage and a GAA of 4.01. Dropping down to the ECHL Toledo Walleye, things appeared to be going better for Larsson. He was 4-6, but with a .910 save percentage and 2.72 GAA. Still, following the season, the Red Wings were opting to loan Larsson to Almtuna IS of Hockey Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second division.

Update: The #RedWings have reassigned goaltender Filip Larsson to Frederikshavn (Denmark) from Almtuna (Swe-2). pic.twitter.com/1MVysrbly5

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 10, 2021

“For me personally, it went very well,” Larsson said. “It was fun experiences and fun to live in the USA.

“The last year, on the other hand, was a bit tougher, but still a good experience to take home. That it doesn’t always turn out as planned, but it’s a bit of a shame that it turned out that way. Overall, I am very happy about my years over there.”

Ready For First SHL Season

At Almtuna, Larsson suffered an injury and was ultimately sent out on loan again, this time to Frederikshavn of the Danish League. He spent the past two seasons back in Hockey Allsvenskan with HV 71 (2021-22) and Kristianstads (2022-23). This summer, Larsson was signing a deal with Leksands of the SHL. At the age of 25, it’s going to be his first opportunity to play in the top league of a major hockey-playing nation.

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He’ll be backing up Mantas Armalis and Larsson recognizes he’ll be needing to battle to earn playing time.

“If I perform when I get the chance, it will hopefully lead to more chances,” Larsson said. “I will focus on what I can influence. If I play well in my matches, it should lead to me getting more and more chances.”

The post Former Red Wings Prospect Larsson Rues Failure to Make NHL Grade appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Evgeny Svechnikov, a 2015 first-round draft pick of the club, is casting his lot this season with the KHL. Svechnikov is joining Ak Bars Kazan on a two-year contract. At least one Russian hockey writer thinks this is a bad idea.

“It’s hard to imagine how he will help the club,” wrote Alexey Shevchenko, special correspodent for Russian website SportExpress.ru. “He turned into a hockey player who does not understand what he does on the ice. Not suitable for the top six, he does not have the necessary qualities for the lower links.

“Imagine that Evgeny Svechnikov will play the way he did in most games for Winnipeg and San Jose. That is, absolutely nothing. And the money has been spent, and there is no extra money for defense, and there is discontent in the locker room. A strange step.”

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper were the only Red Wings players among the NHL Network’s top 50 NHL prospects
• When it comes to Detroit’s netminding future, Phil Osaer is the club’s goalie guru
• In this behind the paywall feature, we look at the top five debuts in a Red Wings uniform
• What to expect next season from Jonatan Berggren, Joe Veleno and Ville Husso as Detroit’s training camp nears

Red Wings Offseason

Preseason play has begun in the SHL. Leksand was making its exhibtion bow with a pair of games against Frolunda. It wasn’t a good debut for new netminder Filip Larsson. A Red Wings draftee who played one season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, Larsson was lit up for four goals over an eight-minute span as Leksand lost 5-2.

Anton Johansson starting off preseason with a quietly steady performance with some decent looks offensively, Leksand lost the game 0-3 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/Zd1jGa5Isl

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) August 10, 2023

Red Wings draftee Anton Johansson was playing on the Leksand defense but didn’t factor in the scoring. Returning to Lulea, forward Pontus Andreasson was scoring twice in a 7-6 loss to Pitea.

Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh: Which prospects have a legitimate chance to make the Pittsburgh Penguins this season?

Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Flyers list two of the NHL’s top 10 prospects.

Montreal: These are the top three Montreal Canadiens players ready to make an impact.

Florida: Gus Forsling is ready to become a star for the Florida Panthers.

Buffalo: Four Buffalo Sabres players are rated among the NHL’s top 50 prospects.

Boston: Trent Federic is still open to the idea of playing center for the Boston Bruins.

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San Jose: One discouraging and two encouraging stats about new San Jose Sharks goalie MacKenzie Blackwood.

Vegas: Sirring up some fun Vegas Golden Knights trvia.

Los Angeles: Should the Los Angeles Kings be expecting center Phil Danault to repeat his career year again in 2023-24?

Chicago: Three Chicago Blackhawks wound up among the NHL top 50 prospects list unveiled by the NHL Network.

Colorado: Here are two former Colorado Avalanche forwards who are thriving in the KHL.

The post The Daily: Russian Columnist Lambastes Svechnikov; Former Red Wings Goalie Prospect Lit Up in Sweden appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Not so long ago, the billing was displaying Filip Larsson as the goaltender of the future for the Detroit Red Wings. Today, he is a goaltender facing an uncertain future.

The final year of the three-year entry-level deal he signed with the Wings done, Larsson was recently given his release by HV71. He was among 11 players dropped from the squad that earned promotion to the Swedish Hockey League from Hockey Allsvenskan, the Swedish second division.

Larsson played a pivotal role in HV71’s promotion battle. In the final against Björklöven he played four games after HV71’s No. 1 goalie Jonas Gunnarsson was out with injury. Larsson was 13-4 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .911 save percentage for HV71.

Svettig räddning av Filip Larsson (@HV71)!#fredagshockey #hockeyallsvenskan #sverigesmestunderhållandeliga pic.twitter.com/ZYPmV0pS0d

— HockeyAllsvenskan (@hockeyallsvensk) October 2, 2021

The Red Wings selected Larsson 167th overall in the 2016 NHL entry draft. Following s stellar 2018-19 freshman season at Denver – the same school where Red Wings prospects Carter Mazur, Antti Tuomisto and Shai Buium won the 2021-22 NCAA title – Larsson turned pro. Splitting his rookie season between AHL Grand Rapids and ECHL Toledo, Larsson was summarily unimpressive.

Posting a 2-5 record, .843 save percentage and 4.11 GAA with the Griffins, Larsson was moving down to the Walleye. He was better there – 4-6, 2.72 GAA, .910 SV% – but the Wings had seen enough.

Last season, the Wings were sending Larsson on loan to Almtuna of the Allsvenskan. He stuggled there and was shipping out again on loan to Frederikshavn of the Danish League.

Also On The Move

A couple of other former Red Wings draft picks were also on the move in European hockey circles. Defenseman Malte Setkov (100th, 2017) transferred from Sweden’s AIK to Denmark’s Rungsted Seier Capital. In Germany, forward Louis-Marc Aubry (81st, 2010) switched to Kolner Haie from ERC Ingolstadt.

It’s a subtle reminder that many more prospects miss the mark than make the NHL grade.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Adding organizational depth, the Red Wings were signing free agent journeyman defenseman Steven Kampfer
• Red Wings Role Call: What does the future hold for Detroit defenseman Gustav Lindstrom?

Hockey Now Network

Vancouver: Longtime NHL player and Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Scott Walker is announcing his retirement from coaching.

Montreal: Assessing the needs of the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool.

Calgary: Coach Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames says the officiating is getting out of hand in the Flames-Edmonton Oilers playoff series.

Colorado: Police protection was given to Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri. He’s been receiving threats since colliding with St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington, leaving Binnington injured and out for the rest of the playoff series between the two teams.

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Florida: Down 3-0 to their cross-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning, elimination is staring the Florida Panthers in the face.

Washington: T.J. Oshie discusses his injury-plagued campaign with the Washington Capitals.

Philadelphia: Just like Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins, both the Philadelphia Flyers and their AHL affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms missed the playoffs.

Pittsburgh: How does the salary cap situation look for the Pittsburgh Penguins now that they’ve re-signed forward Bryan Rust?

The post Red Wings Daily: Larsson A Goalie Without A Team appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Great hockey teams are built from the goal out. Just look at the two teams currently in the Stanley Cup final. The Montreal Canadiens have Carey Price and the Tampa Bay Lightning have Andrei Vasilevskiy. When it comes to today’s top NHL goaltenders, they are 1 and 1A and we’ll let you decide in which order to rank that entry.

Vasilevskiy used to be Steve Yzerman’s goalie. In fact, Stevie Y drafted him in Tampa Bay. In the Detroit goalie room, there’s also a draft – a harsh, unforgiving wind that rips through the place and serves as a reminder of how barren the Red Wings’ goaltending pipeline is of NHL prospects, not to mention of NHL goalies.

Currently, Detroit has two netminders under contract with NHL playing experience. There’s Thomas Greiss, with 316 appearances under his belt and there’s Kaden Fulcher, with 27 minutes of NHL playing time on his resume.

If you think that depth chart is bleak, then don’t look beyond them. It could be the cause of sleepless nights. It certainly must be for Red Wings GM Yzerman.

The post Red Wings’ Lack Of Goaltending Depth Is Alarming | DHN+ appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.