Detroit Red Wings Clips July 12, 2016

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips July 12, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Strength coach relies on GVSU to help test Wings' draftees, prospects PAGE 4 Red Wings Alexey Marchenko proving to be a solid decision-maker PAGE 5 Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith grateful to learn nutrition PAGE 7 Arbitration dates set for Wings Mrazek, DeKeyser PAGE 8 Development camp notes: Top draft pick Dennis Cholowski makes strong first impression

2 Strength coach relies on GVSU to help test Wings' draftees, prospects Brandon Folsom 9:49 p.m. EDT July 11, 2016 TRAVERSE CITY Mike Kadar said the medical and fitness testing of all 40 prospects participating in the Red Wings developmental camp last week at Center Ice Arena would have taken him more than a day. But with help from Grand Valley State students Wednesday, the team s strength and conditioning coach completed the testing in two hours. Kadar enters his second season with Detroit after enjoying eight years in the same role with the Pittsburgh Penguins, including winning the 2009 Stanley Cup over the Red Wings. But even with his experience, he knew he couldn t complete those examinations, which included testing all six of the Red Wings recent draft picks, alone, so more than 20 GVSU students assisted him. For me, it means everything to have them here because I can t do everything on my own, he said. It s a win-win for both of us. They get to come in and get experience, but I get to meet these kids and get to know them on a personal level in a short amount of time. They come in, help me gather all the data and do testing, and it helps me tremendously. Kadar s crew first orchestrated medical exams, which included gathering height, weight and body composition data, and then screened each prospect for their mobility. Twelve GVSU athletic training students were on hand to examine each player s range of motion while the exercise science majors ran sprint and balance tests, among other screenings. The biggest thing is having them do what we teach them in the class, said GVSU associate professor Ross Sherman, who oversaw the students. It s great to get them out and get real world hands-on experience. They get to work with their classmates (at school), but they re working with athletes here and testing and doing what they ve been taught tons of times. It wasn t too hard to convince the students to work during their summer vacation. It s awesome because if you asked any kid in Michigan if they d want to help the Red Wings out, they d be like, Oh my God, oh my God, I m doing it, Sherman said. It s really neat for them to see some of the players of the future, but it s also good for them, professionally, because they get to work with elite athletes. We teach them a ton of stuff in the program, but this is kind of the real stuff, getting out and testing people and putting their knowledge to use. One of those students, senior Ryan McNichol, went out of his way to ensure he worked his second Wings camp. 2

3 He cut short his July 4 break and drove 13 hours from Nashville, Tenn., to Traverse City the night before to assist Kadar. It s a great experience learning from someone (Kadar) who works with professional athletes on a daily basis, and it s just awesome, McNichol said. It s great being able to learn, especially with the other students you learn with in class. McNichol wasn t the only one learning new things about exercise science. I kind of had an open forum with a lot of the different stations that we put together, Kadar said. I m like, You guys are in school, and you guys are learning the newest, greatest stuff out there, so you tell me. This is what I m doing, so show me what you guys do. Hopefully, I m doing the right stuff. If there is anything you want to show me beyond that, by all means, I m an open book that way. It s good to create a good dialogue and get the kids thinking. Kadar also appreciated how having GVSU students on hand helped the Wings community outreach efforts. As an organization, if we can do a good job and help them learn and give them the opportunity to expand a little bit and do something a little bit different than they re used to, they re going to go back and tell somebody, he said. They re going to talk about the organization, how well we do things and how well they were treated. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

4 Red Wings Alexey Marchenko proving to be a solid decision-maker Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press 8:55 p.m. EDT July 11, 2016 The NHL is in its quieter days, offering a fine opportunity to take a look at individual Detroit Red Wings and assess expectations for the coming season. D Alexey Marchenko Looking at :Two goals, nine assists, 11 points, 10 penalty minutes and a minus- 5 in 66 games. Zero points, 10 penalty minutes and minus-1 in three playoff games. Looking at money: Signed through with an average annual value of $1.45 million. Actual salary next season is $1.3 million. Looking back: Marchenko, 24, began last season with Grand Rapids after finishing in Detroit, including making three playoff appearances. His service in the minors didn t last long, as he was called up in late October after Mike Green and Kyle Quincey were injured during the same game. Marchenko played so well he stayed in the lineup over Brendan Smith or Jakub Kindl, earning minutes with steady play. Marchenko helped kill penalties and finished second on the team with 100 blocked shots. Marchenko got hit during Game 3 of the playoffs against Tampa Bay and missed the last two games because he wasn t feeling well. He spent some of the series paired with Danny DeKeyser and was used against the Tyler Johnson line. Looking ahead: Marchenko s assets are that he shoots right and makes good decisions with the puck. He doesn t give up many chances-against, makes a lot of defensive plays and makes good passes. He performed well at the World Championships this spring, with three points and a plus-12 in 10 games to help Russia win the bronze. Marchenko also made the cut for Russia s World Cup roster, which should give him a nice boost of confidence going into next season. Marchenko isn t flashy, but he s highly serviceable as a defensive defenseman and penalty killer, capable of being trusted against good opposing lines. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

5 Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith grateful to learn nutrition Brandon Folsom, Special to the Detroit Free Press 2:15 p.m. EDT July 11, 2016 TRAVERSE CITY Long days and long nights. The Detroit Red Wings wanted each of the 40 prospects at their development camp last week at Centre Ice Arena to get the most out of the experience. That meant having players arrive to the rink at 8 a.m., practice until almost 2 p.m., take an hour break and then learn in the classroom until 9 p.m. They did so for five days straight. Red Wings director of player development Jiri Fischer, who ran the camp, said he wanted each prospect, including all seven of the team's 2016 draft picks, to leave with knowledge of two or three nuances about being a professional hockey player. Whether it was learning how to conduct themselves around reporters or use social media without making themselves look bad, the Wings piled on the information. Second-round draft pick Givani Smith said learning about nutrition from team dietitian Lisa McDowell was an eye opener. "I think it's big, knowing what you put into your body and how it affects you," Smith said Sunday. "It really affects how you play on the ice, and it's good to hear that kind of stuff. "I'm going to take what I learned here, especially from the nutritionist, Lisa, and bring that back and carry that on." Smith will return to the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League next season. He was second on the Storm with 23 goals and 42 points this season and led the OHL with 146 penalty minutes. Part of why the Wings drafted him was because of his size (6-feet-2 and 204 pounds) and his ability to use his body near the crease to create scoring chances and harass goalies. An improved diet and knowing what his billet family should be feeding him will only make him stronger. "My billets cook really good for me, but we don't get (into) what's really good to eat and all the effects it has on us with all the foods, and that plays a huge role," Smith said. "It's nice to come here and enjoy camp and get to listen to what Lisa had to say." Smith said eating healthy will be a challenge. He noted that, when he returns to Guelph, his first trip will be to the grocery store. Smitty TV When the Wings selected Smith 46th overall in last month's NHL draft, the 18-year-old instantly became a fan favorite because of the personality he displayed during his TV interview. 5

6 Fans got another dose of Smith's personality last week, as he took over the Red Wings' Snapchat account and gave followers a peek inside the team's dressing room. He interviewed players and more. "It was a little TV from Smitty," he said. Smith said the Wings offered other players the opportunity to Snapchat, but not many appreciated the spotlight as much as he did. His interest in interviewing players started as a child, watching games on TV. "Some guys get a lot of fun with it and some don't," he said. "I think it's pretty cool. When I was young, I always wanted to know what was going on in the dressing room." Detroit Free Press LOADED:

7 Arbitration dates set for Wings Mrazek, DeKeyser Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News 4:36 p.m. EDT July 11, 2016 Detroit Dates have been set for the Red Wings two salary arbitration cases. Goalie Petr Mrazek s club-elected arbitration case is set for July 27, while defenseman Danny DeKeyser s player elected case is schedule to take place July 28. Both players are restricted free agents. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is negotiating with both players representatives and it s likely new contract agreements will be worked out with both players. Generally speaking, neither the team or player wants to take the matter all the way to arbitration where the sides argue their cases. Mrazek, 24, was with a.921 save percentage, 2.33 goals-against average and four shutouts, while earning $737,500. After an outstanding January in which he was with a 1.32 GAA and.952 SVS, Mrazek struggled the last two months of the season being pulled five of 14 starts. DeKeyser, 26, had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 78 games with a plus-2 rating while earning $2.25 million. Detroit News LOADED:

8 Development camp notes: Top draft pick Dennis Cholowski makes strong first impression Brendan Savage July 11, 2016 TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. Few players made a better impression during the Detroit Red Wings annual development camp than first-round draft pick Dennis Cholowski. Cholowski, a defenseman taken with the 20th overall pick in this year's draft, was unknown to many fans because he played the last two seasons in the British Columbia Hockey League. But during the five-day development camp at Centre I.C.E. Arena, Cholowski displayed the skills that led the Red Wings to draft him after they traded down four spots in the draft. "He impressed me from day 1 from the first skill sessions," said Grand Rapids Griffins coach Todd Nelson, who conducted the on-ice sessions at the camp. "Just the way that he moves out there, his skills set. He passes the puck like a pro right now. He passes it crisp and firm. "We got a really good indication from the scrimmages, what he's able to do and see how he can control the play and make simple plays. He makes the game look easy out there. That was my first time watching him play and I was pretty impressed." During the two scrimmages, Cholowski had two assists and scored a shootout goal. Playing for Team Lindsay, he picked up an assist Friday in a 6-3 victory over Team Howe while also scoring in the traditional post-scrimmage shootout. Then, in the second scrimmage that ended the camp Sunday, he had an assist in Team Lindsay's 3-2 shootout loss. "I absolutely love his demeanor and the mentality he has," said director of player development Jiri Fischer. "No extreme highs and no extreme lows and the bigger the moment, the better he plays. The bigger the moment, the harder he tries. "That's a trait that when guys go through the highs and lows they have a hard time managing that. So for Dennis, he's got that advantage of hopefully the higher level he's going to be play he will be able to elevate his game." Fischer said this year marked the first time players had their heart rates monitored during fitness activities and he was impressed with the way Cholowski passed those tests. The tests are designed to measure how quickly players recover, how well they stay calm while exercising vigorously and how well they bounce back after being completely fatigued. "He was one of the guys who has a natural gift of not being overly hyper," Fischer said. "Whenever he decides to turn pro then I'm excited to watch his game develop." 8

9 Cholowski, 18, will play for St. Cloud State University this season and said he'll turn pro whenever the Red Wings decide he's ready. This year's message: Each year, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill who ran the camp for three years when he was coaching in Grand Rapids has a presentation for the players. This year, Blashill's message was that if anyone wants to earn a spot in Grand Rapids or even Detroit something Dylan Larkin did last year they're going to have to take a job. "You can't just be as good as the guy who is an established player," Blashill said. "You have to be way better in order to knock him out of the box. That's the way it works, just the way it works in the real world, because those people have resumes and you're building yours if you're a young player. They got a great opportunity here, some of them, they got a great opportunity in camp to show that we have to take them. That's the approach they have to take to be successful." Glut of forwards good for Griffins? The Red Wings are overloaded with forwards after signing free agents Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott, which could end up benefiting Grand Rapids since guys like Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha are waiver exempt. "We'll see what happens," Nelson said. "If we have everybody at training camp, trades could happen. You just never know. But right now, it's a situation where there's a lot of forwards in the organization and it's going to push some players down if it stays like this." Nose for the net: Dylan Sadowy, acquired in a May trade with San Jose, impressed everyone by scoring four goals in the two scrimmages after recording a total of 87 in his final two OHL seasons. "I thought he did a good job," Blashill said after Sadowy's hat trick in Friday's scrimmage. "I take this a first viewing. It's the middle of the summer. It's 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 so it's a little bit different. But I think the thing I've heard about him is he goes to the net, he's got hands around the net and he showed that (Friday) night." Sadowy will likely play for Nelson in Grand Rapids. "He's providing some offense out there," Nelson said. "This is a camp where, once again, I don't think the intensity is as high as we'll in training camp but I like what I see." Michigan Live LOADED: