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Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament News & Links

By Nate Francis

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Two games in and the Detroit Red Wings look strong. Jake Paterson has been solid between the pipes. The young dynamic scorers are all scoring goals or registering points. And the Wings top the standings right now in the Howe Division. Observe courtesy of Pointstreak.com:

It once again bears notice that Ken Holland and company have done a great job filling the pipeline with talent. What will be more interesting is to see who will make the push into Camp next week and begin threatening those on the roster. There is no human shield in Mike Babcock anymore. Anyone is fair game.

What Others Are Saying

Joe Hicketts got a lengthy write up from the Traverse City Record Eagle, and it was glowing. 

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"“He was an 18-year-old captain last year in Victoria,” he (Jiri Fischer) said. “That’s a sign of high character, of high belief and trust from the coach.”Hicketts, who will likely return to Victoria this season, said he leads by example.“I bring the expectation of winning,” he said. “I think my teammates know that I know what it takes to win. Being a part of the world junior team helped me understand different players and the way we have to prepare. I’m going to lead on and off the ice. I’m going to be one of the hardest-working players on the ice and I’m going to show the young guys how to have that professional mindset off the ice. I take great pride in being a captain and I hope my teammates respect me for that.”"

The young defenseman has put the NHL on notice, and is quickly developing into the Red Wings next best find. Look at the picture in the article–it has a Nick Lidstrom calm to it. Crazy? Maybe. But there’s something about this kid. You have to love the facet of being undrafted, too.

Wings still relevant

Living in Chicago, I get to hear constantly how the Blackhawks are the model organization and it’s all about the “brand.”

Everyone knows–including the Hawks brass who acknowledge it all the time–that the Hawks were modeled after the Red Wings. Some of that has to do with Scotty Bowman. Some of it has to do with the Red Wings decades of consistent success.  From Ansar Khan:

"The Detroit Red Wings brand maintains a strong, positive image, despite the team’s lack of playoff success in recent years and its inability to land some of the free agents it targeted.Brad Richards has no ties to the area or the organization, but the franchise’s reputation played a big part in luring the veteran center to Detroit.“I’ve obviously admired this team for a long time and no different the last few years,” Richards said. “Even though they hadn’t made a long run, they’re right there, so that’s always an impression. I’m very excited to be a Red Wing and play with some of these great players.”"

My favorite part of the article?

"“I just played a team (Tampa Bay in the Cup finals) that they (Red Wings) had on the ropes,” Richards said. “Watching that series from afar, everybody kind of thought Detroit had them. We kind of thought the Wings were going to close that series out. They didn’t, that shows you how close it is."

It is. And here’s hoping Richards is one of the new pieces that puts the Wings over the top.

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