from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
Several young forwards are experiencing the rigors of the NHL, struggling for offense as the season winds down.
It’s one of the reasons the Detroit Red Wings are having difficulty scoring....
“That adrenaline maybe has worn off,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s a hard league this time of year, too. People are fighting for position. The league ramps up a little at the end of the year, so I think it’s a good experience for him to fight through.”
Berggren admits it has been difficult.
“I have a high standard for me, so when I don’t produce like I want, like I feel I can, of course the confidence gets a little bumpy,” he said. “Every hockey player has ups and downs. I know what’s working, so I need to just continue to do that. Like I said, when I get one, I’ll probably get more.”...
Raymond has experienced a streaky second season. He has remained on Dylan Larkin’s line through much of it but practiced Monday with Andrew Copp and Pius Suter.
“You’ve seen at times the tools and the compete. I still think he’s learning that,” Lalonde said. “We’re trying to play the right way, holding everyone accountable and not cheating, being on the right side of the puck. He’s in the middle of the process and it’s going good.”
That said, Raymond is getting chances.
“I’d like to see more finish because he has been around those chances,” Lalonde said. “I still think he’s learning how to compete every day. You can see when his compete is at a very high level he’s a great player. All the tools are there.”
from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
Having watched these prospects, and many others during last summer's development camp, coach Derek Lalonde is excited to see the former draft picks take the next step in their careers.
"It's very important for the organization and for the players, too," Lalonde said. "Pro hockey is a lot different; no matter what they think they're getting into, it's going to be an experience. It's just part of the process. I'll be watching with curiosity, having seen these guys in development camp, and obviously having a connection with (University of) Denver (Mazur's school) and (coach) David Carle and watching them closely. I feel familiar with the players, and I'll be very curious, I'll be tuning in .... especially where we are and we're trying to build and grow as an organization."...
"Obviously, the SHL is a pro league and you're playing against men, but just less time and space and the forecheck is right on top of you immediately," Lalonde said. "You just have to play a little more faster. (There) are different habits, your habits change, your attention to detail has to change, and it's a natural process. Everyone has to go through it, and I'm excited those guys will get their feet wet right now."
Forward Marco Kasper, the Wings' first-round draft pick, is also expected to turn pro next week and arrive in Detroit next week, according to reports out of Sweden. Kasper already signed an entry-level contract in July. Kasper would also likely finish this season in Grand Rapids.
more ($)
from the Metro Times,
Detroit City Council on Tuesday approved more than $615 million in tax incentives for two white billionaire developers — the Ilitch family and Stephen Ross — to build new residential units, hotel rooms, and office space in areas that should have already been transformed.
Following more than two hours of public comment, the council voted 8 to 1 in favor of the transformational brownfield tax incentives for the $1.5 billion District Detroit proposal. In all, the tax incentive package is worth nearly $800 million.
The total cost of the project is roughly $1.5 billion.
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from Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket,
Aside from shoulders that tower over the crossbar, limbs that loom like a spider’s and a gaze that might have made Ken Dryden blink, the first thing that stands out upon seeing Sebastian Cossa in net are the pads: they don’t match his jersey. Because one day they will. One day, the winged wheel on the front of Cossa's helmet will be on the center of his chest.
The Toledo Walleye wear yellow and blue. Last Friday, on DC Super Hero night at their home arena, they wore Wonder Woman jerseys featuring the same colors. Cossa wears red and white, he said, because "signed goalies, I think they look at the next level."
"When I'm up there," Cossa said, "obviously you're repping those colors."
He was standing on the ground floor of the 8,000-seat Huntington Center, after another game on the ground floor of his career. He was wearing a blue Walleye bucket hat and doing his best to keep himself in the present. But he had been asked about the future and whether his mind occasionally wanders an hour north up I-75. Whether it wanders 'up there.'
"For me, it’s little steps at a time," Cossa said. "I gotta get to Grand Rapids first and dominate at that level, and then Detroit will be my next. Right now, I want to win hockey games, I want to do well with this team and next year’s focus is the Griffins and keep going like that."
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