Good start #9 Albert Johansson - 2LD - 2nd 2019 - 1 Assist #16 Theodor Niederbach - 3C - 2nd 2020 - 1 Goal #18 Lucas Raymond - 1LW - 1st 2020 - 1 Assist #25 Elmer Soderblom - 3RW (6’7”) - 6th 2019 - 1 Goal 1 Assist
Sweden wins 4-0 vs Austria #7 Gustav Berglund - 3RD - 6th 2019 - 1 Assist #9 Albert Johansson - 2LD - 2nd 2019 - 1 Assist #16 Theodor Niederbach - 3C - 2nd 2020 - 1 Goal #18 Lucas Raymond - 1LW - 1st 2020 - 1 Goal + 1 Assist #25 Elmer Soderblom - 3RW (6’7”) - 6th 2019 - N/A
Some predictions for the season - We aren’t last in the Central, but we actually get some lottery luck this season and we end up picking third - Larkin and Mantha both hit a PPG average - Zadina scores 20 - Rasmussen scores 10 - We make four trades (Ryan, Nemeth, Helm and Bernier) by the TDL - Seider comes in after the TDL and burns a year of his ELC
Also, it’s not likely, but I want us to trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois so bad. He is about to hit his peak and would immediately become our 1C. Plus, he and Mantha ruining IHHH life for the next seven years would be sweet.
IMO this means Blash is likely considering the following Bert - Larkin - Mantha Zadina - Fabbri - Ryan Fil - Namestnikov - Gagner Helm - Glendening - Erne
Quick WJC thoughts Raymond - He’a been solid, but Sweden’s issues at center have impact he and Holtz. Raymond plays hard as hell, and isn’t afraid to mix it up. He is also as advertised with the puck on his stick. He’s pressing right now, but it wouldn’t shock me if he has a big game against Finland. Neiderbach - He’s been very good, but he’s still a project. His all around game has been impressive, but I feel like he’s trading offense for defense right now. That’s great for his development, but it’s hurting Sweden’s offense. This kid has top 6 potential, but he’s a ways off. Johansson - IMO he’s as good as any of the first round picks on Sweden’s blue line. He is going to be a top 4 D for us by 2023. Berglund - He hasn’t played much, but he’s fine. Soderblom - It’s hard not to notice him. He has great skill, and he is very good on the cycle. He still struggles with what all tall guys struggle with though, and that’s using his frame to his advantage. If he can get stronger on the puck, and stay on his feet, he’s a pro.
Johansson’s skating looks below average for the NHL. Otherwise he looks like a solid middle pairing prospect. Soderblom uses his size effectively offensively but would like to see it defensively as well. Will be interesting to see if his puck protection abilities translates to the NHL level. I noticed Raymond lost his edge at least 3 times last night. Can’t believe that it’d be an equipment issue so that was odd and hopefully not an issue.
Neiderbach wins the battle along the boards, up to Raymond, over to Johansson, back to Raymond, Raymond fakes the pass to Johansson, snipe. Everything Red Wings.
Helm was deemed unfit to practice. Could be injury or illness. That would potentially open up a spot for Ras.
Except the Red Wings have been very good before, and seem like they will be again. The Lions are feckless and hopeless. Keep a mental firewall between those threads.
They wouldn't blend as much if you edited the titles to put the icons back in. Just throwing it out there.
Fair enough. The icons for the Red Wings and Lions threads don't show up. There are only 5-6 threads on the front page without icons for me, and those are two of them. Maybe its a Chrome thing.
Spartan legend Matt Ishbia is the CEO of UWM. His family owns it I believe. They are going public, with the IPO set for Jan 22nd, in a deal that is going to make him (and the rest of the Ishbias) a billionaire. Hopefully Ishbia decided to use his new funds to start buying Detroit sports teams owned by idiots.
That Ras line is clear the first line for the Griffs. Speaking of which, the AHL announced yesterday that the season will begin on 2/5. I think that’s dubious at best though.
Happy to see Nielsen out of the main group. He’s a perfect taxi squad candidate. I believe the Wings actually get some sort of real dollars savings from having him there too
Most interesting parts of those lines is it appears they plan on Fabbri to be the 2C and it appears Brome has a roster spot at the moment.
His name is Mat. One T. It was his lawyer dad's side-business mortgage company. His brother runs an private equity company in Chicago. The soon to be public company is a joint venture of sorts with Gores' brother Alec, so maybe they can do something with the Pistons.
Also, how did we get Brome back from Sweden when the other ones weve been told can't come back until season is over?
Seeing a lot of Brome fluff pieces last 24 hours. Think there is a good shot he gets some regular minutes this year