The Mitten Weekly: Oct. 12-18

Dylan Larkin trade talk hung over every Red Wings night last week, but Detroit answered with a seven-year deal for Alex DeBrincat and back-to-back wins over Philadelphia and San Jose. In Denver, Michigan swept the defending national champions to reach 6-0, Western Michigan outscored Notre Dame 10-1, and John Leonard’s hat trick capped a perfect weekend for the Griffins.

Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings (2-0-1 last week, 3-3-2 overall). The Wings opened the week with a 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey on Tuesday, when DeBrincat scored twice and Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård also scored before Jack Hughes won it on a breakaway. Thursday, rookie defenseman Anton Johansson scored his first NHL goal and Andrew Copp’s late winner gave Daniil Tarasov a 2-1 win over the Flyers. Saturday, DeBrincat tied it with 1:33 left and Lucas Raymond scored the only shootout goal in a 4-3 win over San Jose that stretched Detroit’s point streak to four games. John Gibson started the other two games. Previews: Devils, Flyers, and Sharks.

DeBrincat’s week. The Farmington Hills native signed a seven-year extension on Wednesday at a $13 million cap hit, about $91 million in total, after TSN and The Athletic had reported the deal was close. By Saturday he was wearing an “A,” joining Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond as alternate captains on a team that still has no captain. Todd McLellan described how that shared leadership works, and earlier in the week said he wants more offense from Nate Danielson.

Front office and roster. Owner Chris Ilitch said he shares fans’ frustration and gave no timeline for hiring a president of hockey operations: “I’ll make the hire when I find the right person.” Unsigned restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson was placed on the injured non-roster list as his contract dispute continued, and interim GM Shawn Horcoff said he has “zero interest” in trading him. Defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, who had not played this season after a camp injury, was placed on waivers Saturday and assigned to Grand Rapids Sunday. Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton remain on injured reserve. Larkin also spoke about the “We Want Larkin” chants in Montreal.

Rumors (unconfirmed). TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Thursday that Detroit wants two top prospects, a first-round pick, and a top-nine forward in any Larkin trade, and ESPN’s John Buccigross said on Frankly Hockey that he expects a Larkin trade within 7 to 10 days. The Red Wings have not confirmed or denied either report, and Larkin remains with the team as of Monday. A report that Edvinsson had left Sweden to train on the East Coast is also unconfirmed by the team. The DeBrincat extension report was confirmed on Wednesday.

Prospect watch

Trey Augustine (G, Grand Rapids Griffins; 2023, second round) made 27 saves at Rockford on Saturday for his first professional win.
Victor Plante (F, Minnesota Duluth; 2026, second round) scored his first college goal and added two assists in Friday’s 7-1 win over Minnesota.
Max Plante (F, Minnesota Duluth; 2024, second round), the reigning Hobey Baker winner, is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
JP Hurlbert (F, Michigan; 2026, first round) picked up his first assist of the season as the Wolverines swept Denver.
Eddie Genborg (F, Timrå IK, SHL; 2025, second round) had the game-winner and two assists in a 3-0 win over Björklöven on the night Timrå retired Henrik Zetterberg’s number.
Adam Levac (F, Peterborough Petes, OHL; 2026, fourth round) was suspended indefinitely after a match penalty against Sudbury, and the OHL later settled on four games.

PWHL

PWHL Detroit: Off this week. The team has not yet announced its official name; training camp opens Nov. 18.

Minor Pro

Grand Rapids Griffins (2-0 last week, 5-1-1-0 overall). After a week off, the Griffins won 4-2 at Rockford on Saturday, with John Leonard scoring twice, Carter Bear adding his second goal of the season, and Augustine earning his first pro win. Sunday at Van Andel Arena, Leonard scored three times in a 5-1 win, his second hat trick as a Griffin, and Michal Postava made 27 saves to improve to 4-0-0. Grand Rapids is first in the Central Division on points, and the team calls it the third-best start in franchise history. Postava was named AHL Player of the Week, and captain Dominik Shine reached 100 professional goals. Forward Tag Bertuzzi was reassigned to Toledo. Previews: at IceHogs and vs. IceHogs.

Toledo Walleye (0-1-0-0 last week and overall). Toledo named a 27-player opening roster that includes veteran scorer Chris Terry, then opened the season at Fort Wayne on Saturday. Sam Craggs scored the first goal of the Walleye’s season and Tanner Dickinson scored twice to tie it 3-3, but the Komets scored the last four in a 6-3 loss. The home opener is Nov. 7 against Fort Wayne.

NCAA

This Monday’s national polls were not out when this was published; for last week’s, see our Oct. 12 rankings post.

Michigan (2-0 last week, 6-0-0 overall). In a Frozen Four rematch at Magness Arena, Malcolm Spence scored twice in a 4-1 win on the night Denver raised its 2026 championship banner. Saturday, defenseman Asher Barnett’s goal with 4:53 left, upheld after a Michigan challenge, won it 4-3. Jack Ivankovic made 60 saves on the weekend and passed 1,000 for his career, and Michigan is 6-0 for the second straight season for the first time in program history (series wrap, Saturday preview). Michael Hage and Jayden Perron were named to the U.S. Collegiate Selects for the Spengler Cup.

Michigan State (1-0 last week, 3-0-0 overall). In their first road game, the Spartans won 5-1 at RIT before a sellout at Blue Cross Arena. Chase Reid’s first college goal was the game-winner, and Joshua Ravensbergen made 25 saves.

Western Michigan (2-0 last week, 4-0-0 overall). Fresh off a sweep of the NCHC weekly honors, the Broncos opened a home-and-home with Notre Dame by winning 6-1 at Lawson Arena, with Adam Benák scoring his first college goal and Joona Väisänen adding three assists. In South Bend on Saturday, Quentin Miller made 17 saves in a 4-0 shutout. WMU has outscored opponents 21-2 (series wrap).

Michigan Tech (2-0 last week, 5-1-0 overall). On Hall of Fame weekend in Houghton, Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped all 30 shots in a 3-0 win over Alaska, his fifth career shutout. Saturday, transfer Luke Shipley scored the tying and winning goals in the third period of a 4-2 win (series wrap).

Northern Michigan (1-1 last week, 2-4-0 overall). Freshman defenseman Darik Olson scored twice and Owen Pitters scored his first college goal in a 5-1 win over Stonehill. Nik Gudmundson scored his first college goal Saturday, but Stonehill won 2-1 in overtime (series wrap).

Ferris State: Off this week (0-3-1 overall).

Lake Superior State (1-1 last week, 2-2-0 overall). Markus Loponen and Adam Belusko scored their first college goals in a 5-2 loss at Alaska Anchorage. The Lakers split the trip Saturday with a 4-2 win, as Carter Batchelder scored the winner on a breakaway and Andrew Oke made 26 saves. Charles Savoie set up goals both nights (series wrap).

USHL

Muskegon Lumberjacks (1-0-0-1 last week, 4-4-0-2 overall). Captain Rudolfs Berzkalns forced overtime with his first goal of the season on Friday, but Youngstown won 3-2 in an eight-round shootout. Saturday, Zaac Charbonneau’s first USHL hat trick and two goals from Maxim Simko ended a four-game winless run in a 5-2 win (series wrap). Charbonneau was also named to Canada Red for the World Under-17 Challenge.

USA Hockey NTDP U17 (0-2 last week). The U17s lost 7-2 at Youngstown on Tuesday and 6-3 at home to Dubuque on Sunday after leading 3-1.

USA Hockey NTDP U18 (2-0 last week). Cannon Thibodeau led a 6-4 win over Dubuque on Friday in Plymouth. Saturday, Nash Roed scored twice and the U18s blew a 4-1 lead before Braden Horton’s late goal won it 7-5.

OHL

Flint Firebirds (1-0-1-0 last week, 6-2-1-0 overall). Goaltender Trenten Bennett made 26 saves in his Flint debut, a 3-2 overtime loss at Guelph that ended a three-game winning streak. Darian Anderson scored twice in the third period, including a late short-handed goal, in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Owen Sound.

Saginaw Spirit (3-1 last week, 6-3-2 overall). Stepan Shurygin made 34 saves and Dima Zhilkin scored in regulation and in the shootout in a 3-2 Thanksgiving win at Windsor, where Braidy Wassilyn’s record seven-game goal streak ended. Brody Pepoy’s hat trick led a 9-2 rout at Sarnia, and Levi Harper had four points in a 7-4 win in the rematch (series wrap). Owen Sound ended the run Sunday with a 2-1 win, despite Zhilkin’s power-play goal that extended his goal streak to seven games. Drew Bate, Kyler Lauder, and Flint’s Cole Guizzetti were named to Canada Red for the U17 World Challenge.

Around the hockey world

Former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg had his No. 20 retired by Timrå IK in Sweden on Saturday, with Nicklas Lidström and Steve Yzerman sending video messages.
Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, a three-time Stanley Cup winner in Detroit, left his post as SKA St. Petersburg’s head coach by mutual agreement.
Michigan’s Hage and Perron will play for the U.S. Collegiate Selects at the Spengler Cup, Dec. 26-31 in Davos.
Four of our players will wear Canada Red at the World Under-17 Challenge, Nov. 1-7 in Oakville, Ontario: Muskegon’s Charbonneau, Saginaw’s Bate and Lauder, and Flint’s Guizzetti.

Looking ahead

Red Wings: Western road trip at Seattle (Tuesday), Vancouver (Thursday), and Calgary (Saturday).
Griffins: Home vs. Manitoba (Wednesday) and Cleveland (Friday and Saturday).
Walleye: At Indy (Friday) and Wheeling (Saturday).
NCAA: Western Michigan visits Michigan at Yost on Friday; Michigan State is at New Hampshire Friday and Saturday; Michigan Tech opens CCHA play at Ferris State Friday and Saturday; Lake Superior State hosts Bowling Green Friday and Saturday; Western Michigan hosts Wisconsin in an exhibition Saturday; Northern Michigan is off.
USHL: Muskegon at Lincoln (Friday and Saturday); the NTDP U18s play college games at LIU (Friday) and Army (Saturday).
OHL: The Firebirds and Spirit meet in Saginaw on Friday and Flint on Saturday; Flint hosts the Soo on Sunday.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply