Rookie Watch: Detroit Red Wings

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Each Day until September 15th TPS will take a look at one team from the East and one team from the West and spotlight a few rookies to watch for this season. Today in the West it’s the Detroit Red Wings.

Red Wings Prospect Snap Shot

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The winged wonders have won the the 3rd most Stanley Cups in the NHL behind only original six cousins Montreal and Toronto. They’ve made the post season an astonishing 18 years in a row, but that’s not to say the organization hasn’t seen it’s fare share of lean seasons. From 1967-1983 they played past the regular season just twice, and went past the first round only once in 19 years at one point. Detroit gets a ton of credit for drafting guys like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in later rounds, but even Red Wing scouts have admitted in the past that they were lucky to get those players when they did.

As for who might join Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the next few years, here’s a snap shot of the Red Wings top prospects.

Top 5 Tuesday: Draft Day Sleepers

Here are 5 players who might not be getting a ton of hype right now, but could turn out to be sleepers in a few years.

5. Igor Bobkov-What's a Millard list without a goalie on it. Bobkov was named the top tender at the U-18 tournament in Fargo. He's quite large at 6.04 and 192 pounds and gets around the crease quite well. He's projected to be a mid round pick, but some think he's the best pipeman to come out of Russia in years.

4. Tomas Tatar-According to an interview with Tatar, the Slovakian star was asked if he was gay during a combine interview. Taking a chance on the small but ultra skilled Slovak could certainly make one team happy down the road. He's 5.11, 176 lbs, plays with a ton of intensity and has crazy sick hands. Right now he's a second rounder on most lists.

3. Sami Vatanan-While Ryan Ellis is getting all the attention when it comes to small but slick blueliners, this Fin is fine as well. Vatanan is ranked as the 5th best offensive defenceman by ISS, but they have him as a 3rd rounder. Recently Guy said an NHL D-man has to have 2 out of 3 when it comes to size, skating and smarts. Vatanan doesn't have size at 5.09, but he's a great skater, a heads up player and has a good shot. He's also a horse, playing almost 30 minutes a night for Finland at the U-18's. He's the same size as Ellis and only 10 pounds lighter, is a better skater. Why is he ranked 70 spots behind the Windsor Spitfire? Some team might look brilliant in 5 years with this guy.

2. Zach Budish-A massive forward who would have played high school hockey if he didn't suffer an ACL injury and miss the whole year. He's almost 6.03 and tips the Toledos at 230 pounds. His knee has to be a question mark and his development curve as well after not playing all year. He's been compared to Keith Tkachuk and most had him as a first rounder before his injury. I don't see him slipping past the 2nd round, if he makes it that far.

1. Kyle Palmieri-Yes he's rated as a first rounder, but late in the opening round. Palmieri could be the Zach Parise of this draft, a guy many teams pass on who turns into a pint sized stud down the road. Some have compared his playing style to Parise as well. He was kicked out of the USA development program after a tournament in Sweden. Some say he wouldn't rat out his teammates who got to know a few local ladies. If that's true, and I'm an NHL G.M. it sounds like a character guy to me. He's 5.10, 190 with blazing speed and put up 15 goals and 15 assists in 33 games this year.

Over The Line Smokey

The title of this blog and the picture to your left is one of the funniest quotes from what might be my favorite movie, The Big Lebowski. It's when Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) accuses his bowling opponent Smokey of stepping over the line while pin seeking. It turns into a hilarious scene where Sobchak refers to Vietnam and pulls out a gun. Classic.

What isn't so funny is how one NHL team went "Over the Line" in my opinion at the recent NHL combine. During one of his interviews, Slovakian forward Tomas Tatar was allegedly asked if he was GAY. A Hockey's Future poster has translated the interview and you can read the article here. Here is the part I am referring to:

Q. Did you get any unusual questions?

A. There were a few. I thought I didn’t properly understand what they were asking when they asked if I was married with kids and if I was gay. I calmly answered all questions

Listen, I know there are some odd ball questions out there, but what the hell does anyone's sexual orientation have to do with being a good hockey player???? I think whatever team asked this question is very wrong.

Now this might be a stretch and you might think I'm going overboard with this, but just hear me out. What if Tatar answered yes to the question, and the team that asked him didn't draft him. Could he sue them for discrimination? I mean you can't ask that in a job interview, and basically that is what the combine interview is. If Tatar doesn't go in the first round, and subsequently doesn't get first round money, could he sue for lost wages???

The NHL team in question is on a slippery slope with this one in my opinion. Am I being to sensitive or blowing this out of proportion? Let me know.

Top 5 Tuesday

Right now there isn't a European in the top 10 of CHL scoring, but a quick glance at the rookie scoring leaders and several imports lead the way. Having said that most teams don't succeed without a successful "Euro" and with that The Pipeline Show presents 5 players to watch for in this summer's CHL Import draft.

5. Tomas Tatar-Slovakia


Tatar was easily the most dynamic Slovakian at the World Junior Championship in Ottawa this year, piling up 7 goals and 4 assists in 11 games. He certainly caught the eye of my co host Guy Flaming with his superior skills and flare for celebrating.

We at TPS thought he might have been show boating a little, but after speaking with Oilers prospect, and Tatar WJC teammate, Milan Kytnar, we came to find out he's not a hot dog and just "didn't know what to do for celebrations." At 5.11 and 170 pounds, Tatar is being projected as a late second round pick right now for the upcoming draft, but should be a top 5 pick in the import draft, especially if he shows a willingness to come overseas and improve his game. A conversation with his countrymen Kytnar might help to sway him.

4. Jacob Josefson-Sweden

A versatile forward who can play both C/LW who is projected to be a top 10 pick in this June's NHL draft. However he might be a risk reward type guy for a CHL team. He might stay in Sweden until the WJC, then bolt for Canada, much like Mikael Backlund did recently, joining Kelowna. (By the way Backlund is scheduled to join Guy and myself tonight on TPS) Backlund's reason for leaving his home country was a lack of playing time. Josefson suffered a similar fate during the WJC in Ottawa where he failed to register a point. The 6.00 187 pound pass first player is strong on the puck and very smart, and could turn an average player into a sniper. The Rockets picked up Backlund 43rd overall in 2007, so watch for a team to take a chance on Josefson.



3. Robin Lehner-Sweden

Last year a Swedish netminder was the 3rd pipeman to be taken, as Florida snatched Jacob Markstrom with the first pick in the 2nd round. This year history could repeat itself as Robin Lehner is projected by ISS to be a 2nd rounder and the 3rd best goaltender available. The sweet stats on this Sweede are his size. He's 6.03 and 200 lbs, and reportedly moves extremely well. Lehner is said to have a never quit attitude who has the ability to win games by himself. There are a number of CHL teams who could use a stand out tender, including next year's Memorial Cup hosts, which could be the carrot dangled in front of him that gets him across the pond.

2. Stanislav Galiev-Russia

The first of 2 Russians on the list, and guy who's already used to the North American game. Galiev is currently with Indiana of the USHL where he's racked up 18 goals, 23 assist for 41 points in just 39 games. At 6.01 and 182 lbs the slick forward can dangle with the best of them and as a sizzling shot. Right now he's a top 20 pick for 2010, and I'd be shocked if he didn't jump to the CHL next year where he would get more exposure than the always improving USHL. Galiev could be the 2nd player picked even though a guy like Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi is a better prospect, there is a greater chance that Galiev will play in the CHL.



(Like Barry Manilow, Kirill "Copacabana" Kabanov is also of Russian ancestry)
1. Kirill Kabanov-Russia

Affectionately dubbed, "Copacabana" by TPS, Kabanov impressed me at the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose this past November. More so for his passion than his talent, even though his passion/temper landed him in hot water with the referees and his coach. The 6.03, 176 pound Left Winger who's a right handed shot, notched 3 goals, 4 assists and 12 penalty minutes in just 4 games for a very young Russian squad. It's not the first time he's dominated the point and penalty minute sheet in an international tournament either. At the 2008 World U-17 tournament, Kabanov had 11 points in 5 games to go along with 28 penalty minutes. Can dominate a game with his all world skill and will challenge Taylor Hall to be the first overall selection in the 2010 NHL entry draft. Will want to up his draft stock and that will come by jumping to the CHL.

You can here the November interview TPS did with Kabanov, where he basically told us there was a CHL bidding war for him here.



Tonight on TPS we're all over the map starting with Boston University goaltender Kieran Milan. The Edmonton product led his Terriers past rival Northeastern in the final of the Beanpot tournament with 23 save performance in a 5-2 win. From there we hope to speak with Springfield Falcon forward Ryan Stone whom the Oilers picked up in the Mathieu Garon trade with Pittsburgh a few weeks back. We'll find out how Stone is adjusting to Springfield where life has not been fun lately. Stone played junior hockey in Brandon, the same league as the Kelowna Rockets (okay it was a cheap way to mention the Wheat Kings) where Mikael Backlund is trying to lead the Rockets deep into the playoffs. So far so good for Backlund who has 13 points in 13 games for Kelowna who has clinched a playoff spot, hasn't lost in their last 9 regulation games, and could sneak into 3rd in the west. Finally from the WHL we'll check out the USHL where 2009 draft prospect John Moore plays for the Chicago Steel. The USHL is an underrated league that is starting to produce a large number of NHLers. You can catch the show live from 7-9 PM mountain time on the TEAM 1260 in Edmononton, or online around the world at http://www.thepipelineshow.com/. But as Guy likes to say, if you miss it live, click the archive.

Top 5 Tuesdays: 2009 WJC Moments

There's no question that the now completed World Junior Championships had some amazing moments ranging from goals, saves, controversy, disappointments and utter joy. So many in fact that narrowing it down to 5 might be pretty tough to do but here's a list of memories that will last for me.

5. Jaroslav Janus VS USA

TSN's Pierre McGuire called it "Slovakia's 1980" comparing it to the Miracle on Ice from the Olympics where American college kids beat the juggernaut Soviet Red Army team. I wouldn't go that far, especially since Slovakia does have a World Hockey Championship to their credit, but the upset win over USA in this tournament was definitely memorable.

But let's be honest here; the only reason USA didn't crush the Slovaks was because of the unbelievable performance of netminder Jaroslav Janus. Tomas Tatar was fun to watch (not a big fan of the showboating but the skill is obvious) and Milan Kytnar represented the Oilers well but it was the Janus Show that got Slovakia past USA.


4. Dustin Tokarski VS Colin Wilson

At one point during the epic New Year's Eve match between Canada and USA the teams had scored on half of the shots they'd taken. It wasn't a very good game for either Dustin Tokarski or Thomas McCollum for the first 30 minutes. However, the difference in the contest, and arguably the tournament, is that Tokarski eventually found his game while McCollum never did.

The Spokane Chiefs rode 'Tick' to a WHL championship and a Memorial Cup title last year so the Saskatchewan kid had proven himself in big games. That's why he got the nod against the Americans and when he made this ridiculous steal against Colin Wilson you knew he'd be Pat Quinn's guy the rest of the way.


3. John Tavares VS USA

It was a wildly entertaining game between USA and Canada but it certainly got off to a rocky start for the home fans. Down 3-0 it wasn't looking good for Canada, especially because of how well the Americans had been playing in the tournament up to that point. Canada hadn't faced any adversity coming into the game and I made the prediction on TPS the night before that the Americans would win on New Year's Eve.

When John Tavares scored the first Canadian goal and the fans erupted you had to have gotten the sense that the game was far from over. What makes this next goal clip so key is that not only is the goal and absolute beauty but it came immediately on the heels of last one. Momentum immediately shifted completely in Canada's direction and with the added adrenaline thanks to the melee at the benches, it seemed like just a matter of time before Canada would even the score.


2. Mattias Tedenby VS Slovakia

He's tiny but he's as shifty and skilled as they come. The New Jersey Devils get heaps of praise for their record at the NHL draft, more than I think they deserve, but they had to have been smiling when they saw Tedenby deke his way through the entire Slovak team and the marching band on the field to set up this one. In the running for my Goal of the Tournament:


1. Jordan Eberle VS Russia

I don't think there is any doubt about it but the semi-final game between Canada and Russia will go down in history as one of the most memorable and entertaining ones in WJC history. It's definitely on par with the CAN/USA shootout in 2007 but I'm not sure if history will rank it above or below the CAN/RUS thriller of 1991.

A see-saw battle between traditional hockey rivals, Canada and Russia waged an exciting tug-of-war on ice that seemed to be over when Dmitri Klopov scored to put Russia ahead 5-4 with just over two minutes to play. What ensued was a frantic attempt by Canada to even ths score and a costly error by Russian forward Nikita Klyukin to go for the empty net that set up the last 30 seconds of the game...


Despite Pierre McGuire labelling the goal as "Tavares' Magical Play', I agree with my co-host Dean Millard who says that it was Ryan Ellis who deserves way more credit for his job in keeping in the clearing attempt of Nikita Filatov. The shootout would follow with goals by Tavares and Eberle but I'll remember the shootout for one other reason: The inexcusable decision by Russian head coach Sergei Nemchinov to not use his most talented player. We see it in the NHL all the time, coaches like Craig MacTavish waiting until the 3rd shooter to use their best player (Ales Hemsky) and in Nemchinov's case it came back to bite him in the ass.

This picture sums it all up for me as I try to imagine the thoughts going through Filatov's head as he lays on the ice. Is he thinking about his failed clearing attempt with 20 seconds to go? Is he wondering, like Gretzky in 1998, how he doesn't get a chance in the shootout? I wonder....

A fantastic WJC that set a new attendance record and captured the attention of the junior hockey world for 31 games. I'm already looking forward to Saskatoon and Regina next year!