DETROIT – Several young players competing for roster spots with the Detroit Red Wings have maximized their opportunity in the preseason.
If they are sent to Grand Rapids, in some cases it will be more due to numbers than their performance.
Elmer Soderblom and Joe Veleno, forwards on the bubble, scored goals in Friday’s 4-2 exhibition victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Little Caesars Arena. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson also capitalized on his final preseason showing.
Edvinsson and Soderblom won’t dress in tonight’s exhibition finale in Toronto (7 p.m., no local TV). Veleno will get one more look before the Red Wings (3-4-0) finalize their season-opening 23-man roster by Monday.
Soderblom, a 6-8 winger selected 159th overall in 2019 (sixth round), likely will get some development time in the AHL, where he would log a lot of minutes in all situations, as opposed to Detroit, where he would get limited minutes on the fourth line and little or no power-play time.
“It’s the tough balance of what kind of minutes and touches they would get in Grand Rapids vs. what it would look like here in Detroit,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said.
Soderblom has shown he is not far away from being NHL-ready. He scored a slick goal by taking the puck from the corner, eluding a defender and firing in a backhand shot from the net front.
“Everything’s faster (in the NHL) … so you got to be fast in your head, making fast decisions. I think I’m getting the hang of it every single game,” Soderblom said.
“It is impressive that he has hands in those tight areas,” Lalonde said. “We’ve seen through camp his puck play’s improved. If someone’s gapped in his face, he trusts putting it in behind them and going and getting it, which is going to have to happen in pro hockey, especially in North America.”
Lalonde, however, noted that Soderblom, 21, still has a lot of work to do.
“I still think he exposes too many pucks,” Lalonde said. “I think there’s some detail with him protecting pucks, wanting to spend time with the puck. I think you’ve seen throughout camp -- he’ll have some zone time and then he’ll have a rush play to the slot, or a hope play to the slot. I think there’s still some growth in his game where he can protect the puck and protect his hands and be really hard to play against, especially in the O-zone.”
Soderblom said he needs to continue utilizing his size to his advantage.
“There’s not a lot of forwards as big as I am, so I need to really play with size and keep working hard and pay attention to small details,” Soderblom said. “All in all, I just need to work hard and listen to the guys and take in as much as I can to improve and be ready to play at the NHL level.”
Veleno is hoping to remain in the NHL after playing 66 games with Detroit last season. Being waiver-exempt, however, gives the Red Wings the option to send him to Grand Rapids.
“I want to play with an edge and a chip on my shoulder and I want to give them no reason to send me back down,” Veleno said.
He dropped some weight in the offseason and feels faster. He wants to be a 200-foot player.
“Playing at the center position, being good defensively, being strong, winning puck battles and using my speed to my advantage,” Veleno said. “I’m a fast player. The game’s fast and I want to bring a lot of speed to the game, so just playing the right way, paying attention to small details. Just working hard out there and every time I’m on the ice try to make something happen, whether it’s a little play that leads to something big, being hard on the forecheck or stripping pucks.”
The most intriguing decision is whether to keep Edvinsson, 19, around as a third-pair defenseman or send him to Grand Rapids, where he would log more ice time in all situations.
Lalonde said there will be much internal discussion about that this weekend.
“I’m impressed that he’s a little harder than I had probably anticipated,” Lalonde said. “He’s willing to be physical and try to get stops, which we’re asking all of our guys to do.”
Tonight’s lineup
Here is the roster the Red Wings are taking to Toronto tonight:
Forwards: Pontus Andreasson, Jonatan Berggren, Kyle Criscuolo, Adam Erne, Cross Hanas, Taro Hirose, Dominik Shine, Givani Smith, Pius Suter, Joe Veleno, Jakub Vrana, Filip Zadina.
Defensemen: Albert Johansson, Gustav Lindstrom, Jared McIsaac, Wyatt Newpower, Jordan Oesterle, Donovan Sebrango, Eemil Viro.
Goaltenders: Victor Brattstrom, Jussi Olkinuora.
More: Robert Hagg joins players competing for spot on third defense pairing
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