Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament recap, thoughts, and takeaways

This past weekend was a busy one for the Detroit Red Wings as a group of their players was up north in Traverse City. They had a group of prospects suiting up for them, participating in the Prospect Tournament featuring four squads of NHL prospects.

There was a litany of talented hockey players on the ice this past weekend between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Toronto Maple Leafs rosters. The Red Wings group of prospects did not fare super well when it came down to performance, but that does not mean it was a lost weekend.

An 0-3 performance is not excellent, but there were plenty of highs and lows from the stretch of games that leave things to be excited about and even some things to worry about. With that in mind, let’s talk through the games and the players’ performances and talk through some takeaways.

For Detroit, they were given a tip of the cap this summer, being ranked as one of the organizations with the best minor league talent stockades out there. There have to be some folks out there who read about that, then saw the Red Wings prospects go to Traverse City and come away with three losses.

However, not every prospect was there, so that’s something to remember. As well as, these prospects have plenty of development left to do, and some of them may end up being late bloomers. There are a million things that could be said, so folks who are concerned about the performance should take a deep breath.

Detroit Red Wings Prospect Tournament recap, thoughts, and takeaways.

Game 1: Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars

Last Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings took the ice to open up their Prospect Tournament slate of games. The Red Wings started Sebastian Cossa between the pipes, and he ultimately departed during the second period, allowing Jan Bednar to take over.

Cossa let in two tough goals, though it was seemingly more on the fault of the play in front of him, leaving him out to dry. Nonetheless, he allowed two goals on 16 shots against. The defensive work in front of him was not the best, and the Red Wings did end up dropping the game by a 4-2 margin.

However, there were some positives to point out. Elmer Söderlom picked up a goal (assists for Cross Hanas & Nate Danielson), which was good to see from the big man, working hard on the forecheck, and then after the puck was rimmed around, he went to the front for a quick tap-in goal.

On top of that, Antti Tuomisto picked up a power-play goal (assists to Nate Danielson & Riley Sawchuk) with a booming slapshot through traffic from the point. It’s another good thing to see from the Finnish defender looking to prove he belongs.

On the flipside, Carter Mazur missed time after departing the game early. It was labeled a lower-body injury that the Red Wings continue to evaluate. The Red Wings dropped the opener, but they showed some things to be happy with moving forward.

Game 2: Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

In Game 2, the Detroit Red Wings came out looking to get in the win column, and a nine-goal second period would end up being the dagger. The Red Wings were outscored 7-2 in the second period, and even though Detroit put up two goals in the third, it was not enough, as they fell 10-7 to Columbus.

This was a game that finished with both teams going out and executing offensively. It was like stick-n-puck when a bunch of the college players are in town, and it turned into an all-out free-for-all scrimmage. The highlight of the game came from Columbus, with Adam Fantilli putting on a show.

The former Wolverines standout and no. 3 overall draft pick from this summer put on a show, making the most of his opportunities, notching a hat trick and two assists for five total points. However, on Detroit’s side, Nate Danielson had three more assists, and Cross Hanas found the back of the net twice.

For the Red Wings, both teams, really, it was a game full of undisciplined play, which left each team with the opportunity to create scoring chances; it just seemed that, more often than not, it was Columbus who was able to convert.

Detroit’s goaltending was left to dry again, though it was another challenging game for both Cossa and Bednar. Cossa allowed six goals on 21 shots against, and Bednar allowed three goals on 15 shots against.

Game 3: Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs.

Looking to avoid an 0-3 start, the Detroit Red Wings headed into game three on Monday, taking on Toronto’s prospects. They fell by one goal in a 6-5 loss to Toronto. Detroit was outshot 47 to 33 during the game, and several costly mistakes buried Detroit.

For the Red Wings, they played a better game, but a couple of mistakes ended up proving costly for Detroit. Cross Hanas potted two more goals, and Riley Sawchuk added three assists in his performance.

One of the common things among all three games was the team’s starts. They were able to come out and do some things well, almost setting the tone as most teams try to do. It was good to see from Detroit, even though they came up short.

While the Red Wings dropped game two with a really tough second period, they had another excellent start in game three against Toronto. They continued into the rest of the game, maintaining their performances, outside of the few mistakes that proved costly to allow Toronto to capitalize on opportunities.

It’s unfortunate for Detroit to drop all three games as they did, but there were some things to be excited about the performance as a whole. With all three games in the books, there were some things to look back on; let’s talk through some of the takeaways.