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Impressions from the Prospect Tournament


SpikeDDS

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Don’t know if anyone else has been paying attention, but last night the Red Wings prospects won the Prospects Tournament for the second time ever. This follows up last year’s runner-up performance at the same tournament. Here are my impressions from the tournament:

 

1. HOW they won was almost important as winning. I think they came back in every single game they played. Their 3rd periods were VERY strong periods. They came back from 2 goals down in multiple games in the 3rd. You’ve gotta like a team that doesn’t quit mentally!

 

2. Joe Veleno had an an excellent tournament. He scored in every game, had 3 games with multiple goals (the other was an EN only), but he really showcased his shot, especially on the PP. the Red Wing PP was the difference-maker if the tournament, scoring 10? goals, and Veleno was involved in a lot of them. This kid looked really good. I’m not going to say he’s better than Zadina, but he LOOKED. better than Zadina in this tournament, and he was looking good before this tournament. He is making his case to be considered for the big club this season. I liked his demeanor in his post-game interviews. I am becoming a quick fan.

 

2. Sean Romeo in goal was outstanding. He played the last 3 games of the tournament and looked good enough to win the prestigious Ken Kal award. 😉 No, seriously, if you have a guy who did what Veleno did, and as a goalie you somehow outshone him, you’ve done something. What he did was make sure people like Stevie Y are paying attention. Good for him. I had not heard much about him before. Like what I saw.

 

3. Hirose still crafty. He didn’t score as much as others did, but he is really crafty, just like he was with the Wings at the end of the season. And he had a couple of goals where he picked a tight spot and hit it.

 

4. Giavanni Smith has his best game I. The final, scoring a couple and playing tough like he always tries to do. It was a good game for him to have a good game.

 

5. Mo Seider looked solid and comfortable. This was my first chance to see him play. He mad a few mistakes, but there is GOING to be an adjustment for the smaller sheet. I don’t recall him scoring, but he has several assists including shots that were deflected in for goals. 

 

Now the not-so-good:

 

5. Zadina, though he didn’t play badly, didn’t shine like I was hoping he would. Veleno had much more impact than Z did. In fact, Z’s big plus is his one-timer from the circle, but it was Veleno showing that he had one more than Zadina. I hope he impresses more at camp.

 

6. High scoring affairs. All of which had the same pattern: First period close, Wings staying even or going down by a goal; second period, Wings would get outplayed and go down a goal or two by the end of the period; third period Wings score several to come back and either tie (opening game) or win.

 

7. The high scoring affairs beg the question—what do our defensive prospects look like? Well, opponents had opportunities, but Romeo was solid in net which saved us to a degree. 

 

8. We were not as strong 5v5 as our special teams were. The PP and PK were the difference-makers, including the play of Romeo in net. I suppose that the obvious strength of the PP is more good news than bad, but you also want to see dominance 5v5. Not as much.

 

Overall, far more good than bad. Other players made their mark too, like Chase Pearson getting a hattie in the third game. And they won the tournament, which says a lot. I hope our guys bring confidence from this into camp. 

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