Mitten State hockey, from the NHL to the NTDP.

Mitten Hockey story card: The Mitten Weekly roundup
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The Mitten Weekly: Nov. 2-8

The Red Wings go 1-3-0 as John Gibson is hurt, Dominik Shine climbs the Griffins’ record book, and the NTDP U17s win World U17 Challenge gold.

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8–12 minutes
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The Red Wings went 1-3-0 last week, losing John Gibson to a lower-body injury in Tampa and ending the week with three straight losses as the Dylan Larkin standoff dragged on. In Grand Rapids, Dominik Shine scored five times and moved to second on the Griffins’ all-time points list, and the Plymouth-based NTDP U17s won gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings (1-3-0 last week, 7-8-3 overall). The week started well in Sunrise, where Carter Mazur scored his first NHL goal and Justin Faulk and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård scored early in the third in a 5-3 win, with Daniil Tarasov making 23 saves against his former team. A night later in Tampa, Gibson left after the first period with a lower-body injury, and Tarasov stopped all 12 shots in relief of a 4-2 loss. Back home Thursday, with Gibson day-to-day, Anton Johansson scored and Tarasov made 32 saves, but Trevor Connelly scored with 1:42 left to give Vegas a 2-1 win. Detroit wore its new Hometown Remix jerseys for the first time that night. Saturday’s road-trip opener in Denver ended in a 4-0 loss; Martin Necas scored twice, Colorado scored three power-play goals, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves.

Goalie shuffle and roster moves. With Gibson hurt, Detroit recalled Michal Postava under emergency conditions on Wednesday, fresh off being named AHL Goaltender of the Month, and moved Carter Gylander from Toledo to Grand Rapids. Gibson returned to practice before the Colorado game. On Sunday, the Red Wings assigned Nate Danielson, John Leonard, and Postava to the Griffins.

Rumors (unconfirmed). Larkin remains suspended without pay, and no trade had been announced by Sunday night. During the week, assistant GM Kris Draper was reported to have scouted a Capitals-Wild game and a recent Boston game. Pierre LeBrun reported that Detroit asked Larkin’s camp to expand his trade list and was turned down, Chris Johnston reported a significant Buffalo offer (the Sabres are not on the list), and Utah was reported to be monitoring the situation. Elliotte Friedman also linked Nikita Kucherov to Detroit as a possible fit. On unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson, San Jose was reported to have made three prospects available, Johnston called the Sharks the likeliest landing spot, and Friedman said Nashville remains interested. Edvinsson must sign or be traded by Dec. 1 to play this season. The Red Wings have confirmed none of these reports.

Prospect watch

  • Eddie Genborg (F, Sweden U20; 2025, second round) had five goals and eight points in three games, including a hat trick against Switzerland, at the Five Nations tournament.
  • Michal Postava (G, Grand Rapids Griffins; signed as an undrafted free agent) was the AHL’s October Goaltender of the Month after going 4-0 with a .954 save percentage, then was recalled to back up Tarasov in Detroit.
  • Trey Augustine (G, Grand Rapids Griffins; 2023, second round) won both of his starts, making 24 saves against Texas and 25 against Milwaukee.
  • Axel Sandin-Pellikka (D, Grand Rapids Griffins; 2023, first round) scored on a 5-on-3 in Rockford.
  • Nate Danielson (F, Grand Rapids Griffins; 2023, first round) was sent to the Griffins on Sunday after two assists in 13 games with Detroit.
  • Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (F, Detroit Red Wings; 2024, first round) scored early in the third period in Sunrise and has 10 points in 17 games.

PWHL

PWHL Detroit. Detroit has eight players at the Women’s World Championship in Denmark, including Hilary Knight, Hannah Bilka, Jesse Compher, and Cayla Barnes on the U.S. roster. Bilka scored twice and Knight added to her tournament records in a 7-0 win over Switzerland, and defender Nina Jobst-Smith scored both goals in Germany’s 2-0 win over Austria before facing the Americans on Sunday. Off the ice, Detroit’s only regular-season trip to Toronto will be the Battle on Bay Street at Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 17, and the team’s name and logo will be revealed Tuesday. Training camp opens Nov. 18, and the home opener is Dec. 12 at Little Caesars Arena.

Minor Pro

Grand Rapids Griffins (2-1-0-0 last week, 10-2-1-1 overall). Shine scored four goals, including a natural hat trick, in a 6-2 win over Texas on Wednesday (preview), then scored again Friday as the Griffins beat Milwaukee 4-2 and he moved to second on the franchise points list. Dylan James scored in all three games. The nine-game point streak ended Saturday in Rockford, where the IceHogs won 6-4. The Griffins still lead the AHL. They recalled Tag Bertuzzi Thursday, then sent Gylander, Nolan Moyle, and Bertuzzi back to Toledo on Sunday. Our analysis looked at the Griffins’ crease without Postava.

Toledo Walleye (3-0-0-0 last week, 6-2-0-0 overall). Toledo swept two more games in Kalamazoo, winning 3-2 on Wednesday on Quinn Preston’s winner and 4-3 on Friday. Saturday’s home opener drew a sellout at the Huntington Center, and Chris Terry scored his first ECHL goal and Mitch Lewandowski had three points in a 6-4 win over Fort Wayne. Preston scored in all three games.

NCAA

Michigan: Off this week (8-1-0 overall, 1-1-0 Big Ten). Jayden Perron was named the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Forward of the Month for October after leading Division I with 10 goals. The Wolverines dropped to No. 2 in last Monday’s polls, and our look ahead found a November that runs through Michigan State.

Michigan State (1-1 last week, 6-2-0 overall). Anthony Romani opened the week as the Big Ten’s Second Star. Boston University built a 4-0 lead and won the series opener at Munn 6-2 on Friday, but the Spartans regrouped Saturday, when Gavin O’Connell scored 32 seconds in and Joshua Ravensbergen stopped all 25 shots in a 5-0 win. Cayden Lindstrom scored in both games (series wrap). Our analysis says the Spartans belong in the top three.

Western Michigan (0-1-1 last week, 6-2-1 overall). The Broncos opened NCHC play in Grand Forks, where Adam Benák scored 52 seconds in and Ty Henricks tied it on a third-period power play in a 2-2 tie on Friday; William Whitelaw scored the only shootout goal for the extra point. North Dakota won Saturday’s rematch 4-1 (series wrap). Benák shared the national Rookie of the Month award for October.

Michigan Tech (0-0-2 last week, 6-2-2 overall, 1-1-2 CCHA). Both games with unbeaten Augustana at the MacInnes ended 2-2, and the Huskies won both shootouts for the extra CCHA point. Teydon Trembecky scored at the first-period buzzer Friday, and Lauri Raiman scored his first goal of the season Saturday. Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 60 saves on the weekend, and Max Koskipirtti scored in both shootouts (series wrap).

Northern Michigan (1-1 last week, 3-7-0 overall, 1-3-0 CCHA). Oliver Auyeung-Ashton returned from a two-game absence and made 35 saves as Branden Piku’s third-period goal gave the Wildcats a 2-1 win over Minnesota State, their first CCHA win of the season. The Mavericks won 3-0 on Saturday (series wrap).

Ferris State: No CCHA games this week (1-5-2 overall); the Bulldogs’ only date was a Saturday home game with Maryville.

Lake Superior State (exhibitions only; 2-4-2 overall). The Lakers split two exhibitions with Maryville, winning 6-0 on Thursday before Maryville scored four times in the first period of a 4-3 win on Friday; Calem Mangone scored twice in each game. The CCHA suspended freshman Raoul Boilard four games for a check from behind in the Oct. 31 game at Minnesota State.

USHL

Muskegon Lumberjacks (1-1 last week, 7-6-0-2 overall). Back from a break, the Lumberjacks won 3-2 in Dubuque on Friday, when Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz made 30 saves, including a penalty-shot stop, and Maxim Šimko scored the winner. The Fighting Saints won 7-2 on Saturday. Aiden Janz had a goal and two assists on the weekend (series wrap).

USA Hockey NTDP U17 (3-1 last week). The U17s won the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Oakville, Ontario. After splitting with Canada Red and Finland in the preliminary round, they beat Canada White 5-2 in the semifinal, and Carter Morris scored twice and Mason Martin made 30 saves in a 3-0 gold-medal win over Czechia (preview).

USA Hockey NTDP U18 (2-1 through Friday). At the Five Nations Tournament in Kloten, Switzerland, the U18s beat Sweden 3-1 with Muskegon native Eli Winters in goal and Czechia 4-1 behind two Braden Horton power-play goals, then lost 3-1 to Finland despite Cannon Thibodeau’s penalty-shot goal. They closed the tournament against Switzerland on Sunday. Our feature explains how the two NTDP teams work as one pipeline.

OHL

Flint Firebirds (0-2-0-0 last week, 11-5-1-0 overall). Erie ended Flint’s six-game home winning streak with a 6-4 win Friday, when Bryson Morgan scored his first goal of the season. Saturday, Rylan Fellinger scored twice for the first time in the OHL and Jude Bray had his first two career points, but Brampton won 5-4 on a late goal. Our feature looks at what’s powering Flint’s start.

Saginaw Spirit (2-1-0-0 last week, 8-8-2-1 overall). Nikita Klepov made his season debut back from Anaheim in a 5-3 loss at London on Friday, when Braidy Wassilyn scored against his former team. The Spirit then snapped an eight-game losing streak as Dima Zhilkin scored twice and Brady Knowling earned his first OHL shutout in a 5-0 win over Erie, and Brody Pepoy’s hat trick led a 6-4 win over Brampton on Sunday.

Around the hockey world

  • Former Red Wings captain and general manager Steve Yzerman joined Hockey Canada’s new National Teams Advisory Group, which will help plan for the World Cup, World Championships, and Olympics.
  • Former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg told Sweden’s Expressen that the way Yzerman’s tenure as GM ended was handled wrong.
  • Eight PWHL Detroit players are at the Women’s World Championship, and Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg starred for Sweden’s juniors at the Five Nations tournament ahead of the World Juniors, which open Dec. 26.

High School

The MHSAA season’s first full week opened with Detroit Catholic Central beginning its chase for an eighth straight Division 1 title atop the preseason top 10, with Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Hartland, Flint Powers Catholic, and Houghton among the teams to watch. Saturday’s scoreboard included a 6-0 Hartland win over South Lyon/South Lyon East and a 7-6 L’Anse Creuse North win over Anchor Bay. Hartland visits Catholic Central on Saturday in an early-season showdown.

Features this week

Looking ahead

  • Red Wings: The road trip continues at St. Louis on Tuesday, at Florida on Thursday, and at Tampa Bay on Saturday.
  • PWHL Detroit: Team name and logo reveal on Tuesday; the Women’s Worlds quarterfinals are Friday, with the medal games Nov. 16.
  • Griffins: Host Rockford on Wednesday morning, then visit Iowa on Friday.
  • Walleye: At Wheeling (Friday), Fort Wayne (Saturday), and Indy (Sunday).
  • NCAA: Michigan hosts Penn State and Western Michigan hosts Colorado College (both Friday and Saturday); Michigan State is at Notre Dame (Thursday and Friday); Michigan Tech hosts Lake Superior State (Friday and Saturday); Northern Michigan is off.
  • USHL: Muskegon is home Friday and Saturday, and the NTDP U18s host the Chicago Steel at USA Hockey Arena (Friday and Saturday).
  • OHL: Saginaw hosts Ottawa on Thursday, and Flint hosts Ottawa on Friday.
  • High School: Hartland at Detroit Catholic Central on Saturday.

Sources

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