The name Pavel Datsyuk is synonymous with perfection, leadership, and consistency. It’s not surprise that he’s had a great start to his 2012-13 year of hockey currently playing in his native land of Russia. In the KHL, Datsyuk has netted 6 goals and 19 points for CSKA Moskva, and currently 8th in points-scored of all NHL players currently playing overseas. It isn’t Datsyuk that the Wings need to worry about, as his play at the NHL level has never waivered. Last year Datsyuk totaled 19 goals and 67 points, and has led his club to not only capture two Stanley Cups (2001-02, 2007-08), but his four Lady Byng Trophies and three Frank J. Selke Trophies have spoken of his abilities year after year. Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula is playing in his native land of Finland currently in the SM- Liiga. After setting a career-best in point totals of 23 goals and 66 points last year with the Red Wings, he has started well with 6 goals and 15 points in 15 games with Jokerit Helsinki. Currently 17th in the league in points, he is also helping his brother Ilari take his game to the next level as his teammate. Ilari Filppula is currently 3rd best in the league, having a brief history with the Red Wings’ organization last year – a relationship that has since ended, but will hopefully resume one day.
It’s a bit deeper down the charts that Detroit is really looking primed for a good season, if and when that season should happen. Despite losing Cory Emmerton, Darren Helm, Dan Cleary, Patrick Eaves, and Joey MacDonald to various injuries before the season has even begun, the depth charts of the Wings’ roster is flourishing around the world.
Henrik Zetterberg is another big name on Detroit’s impressive roster. The Swede has done nothing but great things for the club, also paying his dues in the Cup run of 2007-08, where he was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner and raised the Stanley Cup for the only time in his career – a year after claiming the Gold Medal for Team Sweden. Last season the Swede played all 82 games for the Red Wings, scoring 22 goals and 69 points. In 668 games with the Wings he has totaled 252 goals and 624 points. In 109 playoff games, he totals 51 goals and 102 points.
Currently playing in Swizterland with the EV Zug Lions, Zetterberg is off to a flying start, but the story goes much deeper. In the off-season, the Red Wings signed free-agent Damien Brunner, the League MVP of the Swiss League last year. The signing of Brunner, though relatively unknown amongst the common NHL fan, was nothing short of brilliant. The Red Wings’ organization has proved time and again with their rich history of finding the right guys through free-agency and the draft, and they look to continued success with the experiment going quite well in Switzerland."In talking to Zetterberg, he likes him and thinks he should be able to play in the NHL," said Zug coach Doug Shedden.
The Swiss-born winger was signed as a free-agent to a one-year entry-level deal at a bonus salary rate of just over $1.3 million on January 7th with the sole intention to play him on a line with Henrik Zetterberg to spur on the Swede’s point production or the coming season. On October 8th, Zetterberg resigned his immediate hopes of the lockout ending, and subsequently signed with EV Zug of the Swiss Extra League – the same club that Brunner himself has spent his last four seasons playing pro hockey. The story has a brilliant twist, as Zetterberg then contacted his future teammate and asked him to join in on the fun.
"Detroit said they were going to put Brunner on a line with Zetterberg, so I got to do it first," Shedden said in an interview. "I texted Red Wings GM Kenny Holland and said: `It works."
“It works” may be an understatement, as the two have dominated from the start. While Zetterberg light up the scoring sheets early, he currently sits fourth on the team in points with eight 8 goals and 13 points in just 7 games. Brunner, his line-mate, has appeared in 17 contests and has netted 17 goals and 28 points, which leads the entire league. Furthermore, teammate Linus Omark is second in the league with 26 points, and Zetterberg, having played ten less games, is 38th overall. "If you take a Zetterberg, Brunner and (Montreal Candiens defenseman) Diaz out of our lineup, we're in deep, deep, deep water," he said. "But 75 per cent of our games are played before Christmas. So if those guys ... can help us get into a playoff situation before they've got to leave, I'm certainly going to shake their hand and thank them very much."
If the lockout ends is the key, but even while the Swiss League may not compare to the NHL, the pair are not the only high profile names currently playing in Switzerland as John Tavares, Jason Spezza, Rick Nash, Joe Thornton, Patrice Bergeron, Patrick Kane and Tyler Seguin are among the players to have come over during the lockout.
182nd overall 2006 draft pick Jan Mursak isn’t doing too bad, either. Mursak currently is top-five among all NHL players to have gone overseas during the lockout as he is posting up big numbers for his club, Ljubljana Olimpija HK. He has totaled 7 goals and 22 points in just 13 games – second on his team. Mursak may not be guaranteed a roster-spot come the start of the NHL season, but it’s not for a lack of ability or compete level. Mursak was marred by injury in the pre-season last year, but managed to appear in 22 games where he scored a goal and 3 points. The power-forward native of Slovenia will most likely suit up for the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids when the lockout ends, which has proven to be a grow house of great talent for the organization, and is proving to be just that thus far in the AHL regular season.Speaking now of North American Hockey, the Grand Rapids Griffins' team is one to play for these days.
Sitting in third place overall in the AHL points race is none other than the highly touted Gustav Nyquist. The 23 year-old Swede, who signed with the Red Wings to a two-year entry-level contract in March of 2011 is in his second year with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and looking ever so much better. He led the team in goals last year with 24, and tied three-ways for team lead in points as he totaled 58 points in a full 20 games less than teammates Tomas Tatar and Jamie Johnson did – 56 compared to 76. His performance was so great that he was called up for 18 games with the Red Wings last year, and scored 1 goal and 8 points. In pre-season, the prospect of Nyquist’s skating and puck-handling abilities next to the brilliance of one, Pavel Datsyuk, was enough to make a Red Wings fan blush with excitement. Nyquist has wasted no time as in 13 games with the Griffins this year, he has scored 6 goals and 15 points and a +9 rating, a rating that also leads his Griffins’ club. In fact, the Grand Rapids’ Griffins roster is proving to be full of future Red Wings. 21 year-old teammate Tomas Tatar hasn’t looked too bad, either. The 2009 60th overall draft pick of the Red Wings put up big numbers last year, and is 21st overall in the AHL in 2012-13 having scored 5 goals and 12 points with a +6 rating.
Large-framed defenseman Brendan Smith, who is a likely lock for a spot on Detroit’s blue-line this coming season is off to a flying start as well. The slick puck-moving defenseman who was drafted 27th overall in 2007 by the Red Wings added two more goals on Friday night to help his team win – brining his totals to 3 goals and 8 points in 13 games with a +5 rating. At this rate, he is looking to eclipse his totals last year where he posted 10 goals and 34 points in 57 games. Smith also appeared in 14 NHL games with the Red Wings, scoring 1 goal and 7 points.
“I think I played well and showed them what I've got,'' Smith said. “The biggest thing for me is to hit the gym really hard this summer and get bigger and work my way into the lineup. I'm pretty excited to have played as many games as I did, and hopefully that will give me that much more of a chance to jump right into the lineup.''
Though these are just some of the stand-out names on the Grand Rapids gleaming roster, the simple fact of the matter is that the Red Wings’ depth is shining brighter perhaps than it has in quite some time. The great start that the AHL club has had this year, currently 3rd place in the Western Conference, combined with the compete level that the Red Wings players overseas have begun with are nothing but positive signs looking forward to the start of the NHL season. Though the lockout has darkened the skies above the world of North American Hockey, the Red Wings are beaming with confidence.
- Kendall Grubbs
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