The Left Wing Lock

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Trevor Parkes hasn’t taken the easy road as a hockey player. The 21 year-old forward was passed over twice by the OHL and eventually accepted a walk-on tryout for Montreal of the QMJHL where he would not only earned a roster spot, but also became a key contributor. Despite his strong play during his draft year, Parkes went unselected. After the 2010 draft, he accepted a try-out with the Red Wings and earned a contract with his gritty hard working style.

“Getting that contract with Detroit means the world,” he said. … Continue Reading

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The Red Wings have had their eye on Xavier Ouellet for a long time. So when they acquired an extra second round pick in the 2011 NHL draft it was only a matter of time before they called his name.

“Everytime I talked to people from Detroit they were always telling me they were really high on Ouelett,” teammate Trevor Parkes said. “It’s good to have another Montreal junior with the Red Wings.”

The 6-foot, 174 pound defenseman was thrilled when he was selected by the Red Wings. Not only was he … Continue Reading

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This wasn’t the performance that Tomas Jurco had hoped for heading into the 2011 NHL Prospects Tournament. The 6-foot-2, 187 pound forward suffered a minor hip flexor injury in just the second tournament game limiting him to two shifts in the final period against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

“It feels better today,” Jurco said of his injury. “I didn’t play two games just to not get it worse. I hope I will be alright for main camp then I can show all I have.”

In his two tournament games, the Kosice, … Continue Reading

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Joakim Andersson quietly had a very good prospect tournament for the Detroit Red Wings. The soft spoken Swede centered the top line alongside Gustav Nyquist and either Willie Coetzee or Tomas Jurco. Nyquist and Andersson were particularly good together with Andersson scoring two goals and three points.

“I played a little bit with Gustav on the Swedish National team when we were 17 or18,” Andersson said. “I enjoyed playing with him back then too. He’s just a smart skilled player and he likes to move the puck. That’s the way I … Continue Reading

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It was just a year ago that Jeff Skinner was just another prospect trying to land an NHL job. After a whirlwind rookie season which saw the 19 year-old forward net 31 goals and 63 points, he’ll start the upcoming season having locked up a spot on Carolina’s top two forward lines.

“It’s a little overwhelming when you step back from it and realize everything that has gone on,” Skinner said. “When I look back at the whole year it’s been crazy and fun. I went from being drafted to playing … Continue Reading

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Ryan Sproul has set the bar high with his strong performance at the NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City, MI. His big game ability was a key reason for the Red Wings strong finish on Wednesday night. The 6-foot-3, 176 pound defenseman potted two goals and assist to lead Detroit to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes earning the team a seventh place finish.

“For me personally it’s been a pretty good tournament,” Sproul said. “Obviously for the team it was been tough after losing the first few games, but … Continue Reading

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If Mitch Callahan had it his way, he’d fight as often as possible. The 5-foot-11, 186 pound forward cut his penalty minutes in half last season, while playing for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. His penalty totals dropped from 165 in 2010 to 87 in 2011.

“It wasn’t really my choice to cut down the fighting,” he said. “If I could I would still get 20 plus fights a year, but my coach wanted me to be the best all around forward on the team. He wanted me on the … Continue Reading

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