Well, the NHL is back, that is. But for the rest of us hockey nuts out there, we’ve been dialed in for over a month now. From NHL preseason, to European pro leagues, to junior-A, there has been no shortage of this great sport to go around in the month of September.

A lot of the action that has gotten underway involves drafted prospects. While the Red Wings were busy winning the Traverse City prospects tournament with North-American based players, Europeans from the farm system got their seasons going, spanning all over the globe — including nations like Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.

In what will be a monthly feature here at WingsNation, we’ll dive into some of the storylines involving Red Wings prospects from the past month, covering both the good and the bad. To recap the month of September (and parts of August), see below:

Training Camp Standouts

The preseason can be quite the drag after a hand full of games. But there is a purpose to it. Mainly, to give players on the bubble a chance to show their worth and, hopefully, stick with the NHL club. The three bubble players that made the Wings were Dennis Cholowski, Taro Hirose, and Christoffer Ehn. All three were quite deserving, but depending on who you talk to, there were other standouts who made a strong case.

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Givani Smith was certainly quite noticeable all throughout training camp. He scored timely goals, including a late tying marker against the Maple Leafs. He may still have parts of his game to work on, specifically his skating, but he gave us a reason to believe he isn’t just a write-off within the organization. In time, he could prove to be a hard nose power-forward for Detroit one day. One thing is for sure though — he’ll be an instant fan favorite if/when he gets here.

Ryan Kuffner also had a sneaky good training camp. He was on fire at the prospects tournament, netting several goals. A performance like that surely had to help build confidence, which could go along way as he embarks on his first full season of pro hockey.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Filip Zadina failed to register a goal in Traverse City nor preseason. The 2018 first rounder has been very streaky since being drafted by the Red Wings. As he returns to Grand Rapids, he’ll have to work on consistency. He still played with a hunger to score, it’s just about building that confidence. If he does that, he’ll have plenty of chances to be a regular in the goal column.

Some quick notes on two other GR-bound first rounders: Michael Rasmussen should be in for a big year. He found the back of the net on several occasions during the preseason, so hopefully that momentum will carry on over. Moritz Seider will also be heading to GR, despite having a strong training camp. Ultimately, this was the correct decision. The last thing the Wings want to do is rush their new blue-chip prospect.

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Injuries Galore

Injuries and such are apart of the game. There really isn’t a way around it, especially for the players who battled through pain to participate in their respective league playoffs the season prior. But this year it just feels like the injury bug has hit the Wings harder than in years past. We don’t have a timetable on the return for some, but signs have pointed in the right direction, health wise.

The injury report so far:

Jared McIsaac underwent shoulder surgery back in early June, with the recovery time listed at 5-6 months. Meaning, he could return to play as late as December. So far he has missed Halifax’s first four games, being listed on the Red Wings roster over that time. But earlier this week Detroit assigned him to Halifax, rather than place him on injury reserve. That might not mean much in terms of McIsaac playing soon, but it could mean he is making progress. This will be an interesting one to follow.

Staying in the CHL, Alec Regula sustained a concussion in Traverse City. He missed the first two games of London’s season, but has now returned to the ice.

Elsewhere, Kirill Tyutyayev has not played a single game all season. Slated to be on Avto of the MHL, he has missed their first 12 games so far. Tyutyayev seems to be out with a right arm injury, based on the video below (posted on July 31):

МХЛ | Junior Hockey League

@MHL_rus

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Кирилл Тютяев забрасывает шайбу одной левой🤟 Что ждать соперникам, когда у него восстановится и правая рука?🤔💪🏒🥅 #ЛигаСильных

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2:55 PM · Jul 31, 2019

Notes

Jonatan Berggren has already recorded 3 points in 6 SHL games. He had 3 points all of last year.
Gustav Berglund made his SHL debut for Frolunda, and looks to be sticking with the mens team. However, he has yet to crack 5 minutes in a single game.
Albin Grewe had an eventful first month. In an SHL game he was ejected for an ugly-looking hit. In the junior division he picked up a match penalty, which resulted in a two game suspension.
Elmer Soderblom scored 4 goals to open Frolunda J20’s season. So far he has 8 goals in 6 games.

Statistics

All the statistics below are from games in September, and very late August. It only includes regular season stats, so no preseason or tournament numbers are included. To keep track of each prospect’s season on a game-by-game basis, make sure to check out the Red Wings Prospect Master Schedule spreadsheet:

Red Wing Prospect Master Schedule for the 2019-20 Season

Skaters

PLAYER	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	P
JONATAN BERGGREN	SHL	6	0	3	3
GUSTAV BERGLUND	SHL	2	0	0	0
GUSTAV BERGLUND	SuperElit	4	1	1	2
ALBIN GREWE	SHL	2	0	0	0
ALBIN GREWE	SUPERELIT	3	1	1	2
ALBERT JOHANSSON	SUPERELIT	6	1	0	1
ALEXANDER KADEYKIN	KHL	8	0	2	2
OTTO KIVENMAKI	LIIGA	4	0	1	1
COOPER MOORE	BCHL	8	4	2	6
RYAN O’REILLY	USHL	2	0	1	1
ALEC REGULA	OHL	2	1	3	4
MALTE SETKOV	SHL	5	0	0	0
ELMER SODERBLOM	SUPERELIT	6	8	1	9
Antti Tuomisto	Jr. A SM-Liiga	11	4	10	14
Kirill Tyutyayev	MHL	0	0	0	0

Goaltenders

PLAYER	LEAGUE	GP	GAA	S%	RECORD
VICTOR BRATTSTROM	ALLSVENSKAN	4	2.20	.924	4-0-0
JESPER ELIASSON	ALLSVENSKAN	3	2.95	.888	0-2-1
CARTER GYLANDER	AJHL	4	3.55	.885	4-0-0
JOREN VAN POTTELBERGHE	NLA	2	2.03	.933	1-1-0

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