His first season as a pro in North America was delayed by injury. But Antti Tuomisto has made up for lost time.

The 6-4 Finnish defenseman, taken with the No. 35 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, spent last season in Finland (TPS Turku) after playing the previous two years at the University of Denver. A shoulder injury sustained in practice early in this season sidelined him until mid-December.

Since then, he has played in 45 games, with five goals and 12 assists and a plus-minus of +7, gaining the admiration of his teammates, and attention from the highest levels of the Red Wings organization.

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Axel Sandin Pellikka was recently awarded the Borje Salming Trophy as the best Swedish-born defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League. With Simon Edvinsson now playing as a Detroit regular, Sandin Pellikka is unofficially the Red Wings’ top prospect. Meanwhile, Sandin Pellikka has played a key role in helping his Skelleftea team take a 3-1 lead in their SHL semifinal series against Frolunda.  If Skelleftea wins Game 5 today, Sandin Pellikka will be the SHL Final playing against Rogle.

It’s clear this player, called “ASP” by some fans, has the potential for a bright future in this sport. That is impressive considering when Sandin Pellikka was younger, hockey was not on his radar.

He was a cross-country skier, like his dad, until one Christmas when his grandfather gifted him hockey equipment.

“It quickly became hockey that mattered,’ Sandin Pellikka said in a recent conversation highlighted on Reddit.

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Make that two titles for Shai Buium.

Buium became a national champion for the second time in three seasons. It happened when the University of Denver beat Boston College 2-0 on  Saturday night. The big defenseman was taken in the second round by the Red Wings (No. 36 overall) in the 2021  NHL Draft.

It’s the 10th NCAA national title for Denver, breaking a tie with Michigan, and the fifth title for the Pioneers in the last 20 years.

“It’s what we go for, why you come to Denver —  to win championships,” Buium said in a postgame interview on ESPN. ‘There’s no better feeling, especially playing with my brother, I’m so happy right now.”

Buium Brothers Assist On Goals

Shai Buium assisted on Denver’s first goal and brother Zeev assisted on Denver’s second goal. The game was scoreless after one period. The Pioneers (32-9-3) got goals from Jared Wright and Rieger Lorenz in the second period, then turned things over to their defense.

Goalie Matt Davis allowed only three goals in the tournament.  He turned in a virtuoso performance in net in the third period. The veteran stopped 25 shots in the period, some in spectacular fashion, as the Pioneers held off a Boston College team that led the NCAA in scoring this season.

Denver won at least 30 games for the third season in a row.  Boston College (34-6-1) had won 15 in a row.

https://t.co/RNfeZBWjgg

— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) April 14, 2024

Zeev Buium, expected to go early in this year’s NHL Draft, was named to the All-Tournament team. Davis was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

A pair of Red Wings prospects were on the Denver team that won the 2022 title. Carter Mazur and Antti Tuomisto were busy Saturday night as the Griffins played Chicago.

‘It’s always fun to talk talk about about Denver and our experiences there and how they’re doing right now,” Mazur said earlier this month. ‘”So it’s been really fun to follow.”

They have more to talk about now.

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With the Grand Rapids Griffins firmly in the AHL playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings and their affiliate have made some moves with the future in mind.

The Griffins signed North Dakota forward Hunter Johannes to an amateur tryout contract for 2024 and standard American Hockey League player contract beginning next season on Wednesday. He joins forward Emmitt Finnie (No. 201, 2023) and goalie Carter Gylander (No. 191, 2019), who signed similar contracts with the Red Wings last month.

Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson says adding the trio now should give them a head start on next season.

“We want to make sure (they) come in and and sees what the American League is all about,” he said. “You can get these kids a head start into what’s expected, so they’re prepared for pro hockey. I think it’s a great step in the right direction for their development.”

Additions To Contribute Immediately

Finnie has already played in two games for the Griffins after a standout season at Kamloops of the WHL. He’s the second of the Red Wings’ 2023 draft picks to sign with Detroit. It’s not a given that an NHL team would sign a seventh-round pick, but the Red Wings liked the growth in Finnie’s game this season enough to give him a contract.

Gylander, 22, joins fellow 2019 draftees Antti Tuomisto, Albert Johansson and Elmer Soderblom on the Griffins roster. The 6-4, 165-pound goalie recently finished his college career at Colgate. He backstopped the Raiders to their first ECAC championship in more than 30 years in 2022-23. He was 14-14-4 with a 2.93 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season.

“Carter Gylander helped make Colgate a solid NCAA team,” said NHL draft analyst and NHLdraftbuzz.com owner Russ Cohen. “He stays on his knees a lot since he’s 6’5″. He has a very effective blocker and his leg saves are quick and he’s good at directing the puck to the corners to keep the play going. His glove is ok, it could be better. He has quick covers and he is rarely out of position. Gylander hugs the post well. Sometimes gives up the low goal when he has to move from post to post. I think he may be a future NHL backup.”

Johannes, 25, played in 31 games for North Dakota.This despite a lower-body injury that sidelined him for much of the second half of the season. The 6-3, 210-pound forward scored 12 goals with seven assists for North Dakota.

Watson said Johannes will add a size element to the Griffins.

“Our expectations are he’s going to come in, get some minutes, get some games and see how he does,” Watson said. “So we’re excited about it. We’re excited to have fresh faces in that locker room in the lineup. It does create some energy.”

For now, Johannes’ contract is owned by the Griffins. But the Red Wings will obviously be able to watch him, especially next season.

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And then there were two.

Two Red Wings prospects will be playing in the NCAA’s Frozen Four in 10 days after their teams won regional titles over the weekend.

After four losses in a row to their rivals, Michigan scored four goals in the third period to beat Michigan State on Sunday, 5-2. Dylan Duke scored twice for the Wolverines in the third period, U-M broke a 2-2 tie on goals 12 seconds apart. The first was by Duke with 7:18  remaining, followed by Gavin Brindley scoring with 7:06 remaining.

Duke ended the scoring on a power-play goal with 2:19 remaining. Ethan Edwards and Marshall Warren also scored for Michigan.

How Red Wings Prospects Fared

Red Wings prospect Kienan Draper (drafted No. 187 in 2020) had two shots on goal and had a penalty for the Wolverines.

Michigan State got power-play goals from Gavin O’Connell and Joey Larson. Red Wings prospect Red Savage (No. 114, 2021) had a shot on goal for the Spartans.

MSU goalie Trey Augustine (No. 41, 2023) faced 35 shots and made 30 saves. It gave him 1,119  saves on the season, tops in the nation. The Spartans had won four in a row against their rivals going into Sunday. It marked the first time U-M and MSU had met in a regional final.

Michigan will play Boston College in St. Paul, Minn., in a Frozen Four semifinal on April 11.

Denver University advanced with help from the Buium brothers. Shai Buium, drafted No. 36 in 2022, had an assist on a power-play goal with 4.8 seconds left in the second period. It lifted Denver to a 2-1 win over Cornell in Springfield, Mass., on Saturday. Buium’s brother, Zeev, had the other assist on Sam Harris’ goal. Denver will play Boston University in a semifinal on April 11.

Denver is in the Frozen Four for the second time in three years. The Pioneers won the national title in 2022.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Believe it or not, it could have been worse for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

The bad news began before the game, when Patrick Kane and Austin Czarnik were pregame scratches due to illness.

Then, the Carolina Hurricanes scored four goals in the second period and beat the Red Wings 4-0.

But the Washington Capitals, two points ahead of Detroit in the chase for the last playoff spot in the  Eastern Conference, fell to Toronto, 5-1, while Philadelphia, three points ahead of the Red Wings in vying for third place in the Metropolitan Division, lost to Montreal 4-1.

“Obviously, the second period was not our best,” Christian Fischer said. “Obviously there were some big breakdowns there and any time you go down 4-0, it’s gonna be really tough to climb back.”

Carolina clinched a playoff spot with the victory, their sixth in a row.

“Give them a little bit of credit with everything up against us,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We probably needed their ‘B’ game there. Unfortunately, through 40 minutes they had their ‘A’ game.”

Second Period Crucial In Loss

The Red Wings had only three shots in the first period, but held Carolina scoreless.

The roof caved in for the Red Wings in the second period. Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis each had a goat and  two assists in the period. Aho, Carolina’s leading scorer, recorded his 300th career assist. Martin Necas and Brady Skjei also scored for the Hurricanes.

“Yeah, two games which we got shut out.,” Lalonde said of the past week. “Good goalie performance in Nashville, good goalie performance tonight. But when you’re not scoring, you just you need to get harder around the nets and I would like more volume (with shots).”

The chase for the final playoff spots tightened when the New York Islanders beat Florida 3-2. The Islanders are now two points behind the Red Wings.

The loss was the third in three games on the current five-game road trip. It began with a 1-0 loss to the red-hot Nashville Predators before Tuesday’s overtime loss at Washington. Two more challenges await, at Florida Saturday and at Tampa Bay on Monday.

“Tampa and Florida coming up are two really good teams, playoff teams,” Fischer said. “It’s gonna be a  fun two games. Our backs against the wall here and we’ve gotta find a way to win  by any means. Doesn’t really matter how; we’ve got to win some games here.”

The post Red Wings’ Playoff Hopes On The Line Heading Into Weekend appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Tonight: Red Wings at Carolina.

Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh,  N.C.

TV/RADIO: Bally Sports/97.1 FM

Time: 7:30 p.m.

What To Know

The Red Wings take on another playoff team tonight in the Hurricanes, whose offense has come together since getting Jake Guentzel from Pittsburgh at the deadline. In 10 games since the deal,  Guentzel has two goals and 10 assists. Leading scorer Sebastian Aho has benefited, too, with seven goals and eight assists in his last 11 games. He has 31 goals and 49 assists this season.

Guentzel, Aho and Seth Jarvis are playing together.

Carolina averages nearly four goals per game since the trade, going 8-2-1, The Wings have gone 3-8 over the same period. The Hurricanes have gotten standout performances on defense, allowing just 2.66 goals per game.

The Hurricanes are looking to improve their position in the playoff hunt. They’re currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Red Wings, meanwhile, are drifting out of playoff contention. They are two points behind Washington with 10 games left in the regular season, and the Capitals have a game in hand. It won’t get any easier this weekend, either, with games at Florida on Saturday and at Tampa Bay on Monday.

Red Wings

The Wings haven’t done much against Carolina in two meetings this season. They’ve only scored three goals and had just 12 shots in a loss at Carolina in January. It’s starting to sound like a broken record, but this is another game the Wings find themselves in a must-win situation. Time is running out as the team’s struggles continue.

Carolina will have added incentive tonight: A win will clinch a playoff spot for the Hurricanes for the sixth year in a row. The Red Wings, after an ice-cold March are drifting the other way with three weeks left in the season. It’s been hard for fans to watch in a season which saw the Wings in the thick of the playoff chase.

Defenseman Jake Walman remains out for a fifth straight game due to a lower-body injury. Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde didn’t indicate he’d be making any changes to to his lines or lineup.

The post Red Wings vs. Hurricanes: Lines, Notes & How to Watch appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Emmitt Finnie learned he had been drafted by the Detroit Red Wings by telephone after a workout last summer.

The next step in his Red Wings career was more direct.

Finnie, drafted in the seventh round last summer, signed a three-year contract with the Red Wings on Thursday. It begins with the 2024-25 season. He will join the  Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur tryout deal for the rest of this season.

The 6-1, 178-pound forward signed at the conclusion of his third season with the Kamloops Blazers of tbe Western Hockey League. He led the team in points (59), assists (40) and was second on the team in goals with 19. He was named the WHL’s Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 11. He had seven goals and  two assists in three games.

His 59 points this season was a significant jump from the year before, when he had nine goals and 35 points. He led the team in shorthanded goals (f0ur) and was second on the team in power-play points with 20.

The post Red Wings Ink 2023 Draft Pick To Three-Year Contract appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

EAST LANSING — The Detroit Red Wings are putting an emphasis on the postseason for their minor-league prospects this winter.

They want the same for their college prospects, too, although they don’t have as much influence in that regard.

Still, the Red Wings’ draft picks in the game, Michigan State forward Red Savage (No. 114 overall, 2021)  and goalie Trey Augustine (No. 41, 2023), added to their postseason resumes in Saturday’s Big Ten tournament championship game at Munn Arena.

It was Michigan State that came out on top, winning 5-4 in overtime on a goal by freshman Patrick Geary. The shot came from the point in front of the Spartans’ bench.

“I’d just got the puck and (backup) goalie Jon Mor told me  to shoot,” Geary said. “I just put my head down, ripped it and looked up last second just to see it go in. I just turned around and (skated) to Trey because obviously he was a big reason why we won that game.”

Augustine Earns Top Player Honors

After giving up a goal on the first Michigan shot of the game, Augustine settled in and made 33 saves. He was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Savage didn’t figure in the scoring, but totaled four shots on goal and three blocked shots. Red Wings draft pick Kienan Draper, son of Detroit assistant GM Kris Draper, had two shots and one blocked shot for Michigan.

“I grew up here and I’ve seen this rivalry develop,” Augustine said. “It’s getting back to being super competitive. I mean, it’s great to see and to win it in front of our fans. They’ve been phenomenal all year. (I’m) very grateful for the opportunity to win it for them.”

It’s the latest honor in a season that has seen Augustine win a gold medal in the World Junior Championships.

It was the first Big Ten hockey tournament title for the Spartans, who also were the regular-season champions. Michigan had won the tournament title the last two seasons.

The game was like most playoff contests, a defensive struggle marked by so-called greasy goals, a score that came on a successful appeal and a goal within the final second of the second period.

Michigan scored first and outshot Michigan State 14-6 in the first period. The Spartans got a break when an apparent Michigan goal was waved off due to goaltender interference.

MSU scored the next two goals, taking a 2-1 lead midway through the second period. Michigan tied it on a power-play goal with Savage i the penalty box, then took a 3-2 lead.

But Michigan State tied it on a goal that was ruled good after a video review and took the lead when Matt Basgall scored with :00.7 second left in the period. It was his second goal of the season.

Michigan tied it early in the third on Chicago Blackhawks prospect Frank Nazar’s second goal of the night, and it stayed 4-4 until Geary’s goal. It capped a rise that began two years ago, when MSU finished last in the league.

It was the fourth championship match between the schools, the first in the Big Ten. They met for the CCHA title three times. Michigan won in 1997 and 2002, Michigan State in 2001.

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It’s been a whirlwind 10 months for Andrew Gibson.

Since the end of last season, the 6-3 ,205-pound defenseman has earned a bronze medal for Team Canada in the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, gotten drafted by his hometown Detroit Red Wings, and had a breakout season in Sault Ste. Marie.

Not a bad year for the 19-year-old defenseman.

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