June 2010
Wings' Mike Babcock wants Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk on same line
By Helene St. James, Free Press, June 28th, 2010
The Wings are two months away from training camp
"I'm going to start Pav and Z together, for sure," Babcock said while in Los Angeles for the NHL
"I think Pavel had a good year, but I didn't think they were as dominant. Neither one had 90 points. I think you'll see them really be back next year."
Tomas Holmstrom will have the inside track on playing with them, because his puck retrieval skills and net-front presence are a big part of what has made the line successful in the past.
In Round 2, Detroit Selects (Swede) Calle Jarnkrok
By Rob Benneian, Detroitsportsnation.com, June 27th, 2010
It seems every year Detroit drafts a player not many people have heard of. Someone who got little to no hype leading up to the draft, and who wasn’t very high on many team’s draft boards. Recently, this has included the likes of Adam Almqvist, and Gustav Nyquist. Neither were very highly sought after leading into their respective drafts, but both went on to monster campaigns. Almqvist tore up the Swedish Elite League this year, while Nyquist was a finalist for the Hobey Baker trophy for the top collegiate player.
Calle Jarnkrok could be that player for Detroit this year. Jarnkrok has been excelling at every level he has played for his whole life. Two years ago, he played for the junior team of Brynas, a team located in his hometown of Gavle, Sweden. He helped his team to a league championship, contributing 7 points in 7 playoff games.
That year, he played for Sweden at the World U18 Championships. He led his team in assists in the tournament with 7 and was a +5 on a team that disappointingly finished out of the medals.
Last year, he made the jump from Brynas’ Junior team to the big club. In 33 regular season games with Brynas, he contributed 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points. In 19 games with Brynas U20 team, he ratcheted his notched 11 goals, 20 assists and 31 points.
The knock on Jarnkrok is that he is small – really small. He stands 5’11? and weighs just under 160 pounds. While that may be troublesome, it is not as bad as one might think at first blush. Remember, Henrik Zetterberg was a similar size playing in the Swedish ranks before coming over to Detroit. Ironically, Jarnkrok lists Zetterberg as his favorite player and the Red Wings as his favorite team.
As you can tell from his statistics, Jarnkrok is a pass first player. However, both Pavel Datsyuk and Zetterberg were hesitant to shoot in their early stages as Red Wing prospects as well, and they have been able to shake that tendency.
Nifty Jarnkrok Can 'Own the Puck'
By Matthew Wuest, RedWingsCentral.com, June 27, 2010
Calle Jarnkrok lists the Detroit Red Wings as his favorite team and Henrik Zetterberg as his favorite player. Given that, the nifty Swede is going to love what the Red Wings had to say about him after drafting him.
"I like to think of him like a Zetterberg," said Red Wings scout Ari Vuori. "He wants to have the puck, he wants to hold onto the puck all the time, he makes plays (for his linemates) and he knows how to score himself."
The Red Wings jumped all over Jarnkrok with their second-round pick (51st overall) in Saturday's NHL draft in Los Angeles. Central Scouting ranked him as the fourth-best European skater in the draft after bumping him up 13 spots from mid-season, and the Red Wings absolutely love his offensive upside.
The rail-thin 5-foot-11 156-pounder first caught the eyes of Red Wings' scouts at various under-18 international tournaments early in the year, but it was later in the campaign when he was called up to Brynas's Swedish Elite League club that he really started to skyrocket up their pre-draft ranking.
After finishing third in J-20 SuperElit scoring with 31 points in 19 games, he put up four goals and six assists in 33 games in the Elite League. He wasn't a spare part, either, taking a regular shift on the power play.
"He was good early on, but when he can go to the Swedish Elite League and play on the power play and pretty well own the puck for a lot of the time he's out there, that tells you something," said Red Wings director of scouting Joe McDonnell. "He has a lot of skill. His skating and playmaking ability are the big things with him. He's really good with the puck and he sees the ice really well."
Vuori raved about Jarnkrok's smarts and power-play instincts, calling him "involved" and saying he's "not shy playing against pros." He can carry the puck in top flight and his 1-on-1 skills help him make highlight-reel plays.
Teams may have been down on Jarnkrok because of his size.
"We met him at the draft ... 156 pounds might be a little light — I didn't pick him up, but he's definitely pretty slim," McDonnell said.
That's where the comparison to Zetterberg holds the most water. The Red Wings star almost didn't get drafted back in 1999 because he was virtually the same size as Jarnkrok. But Zetterberg dedicated himself to getting stronger and the rest is history. Can Jarnkrok do the same? The Red Wings aren't sure, but they give him high marks for on-ice work ethic and competitiveness.
Red Wings Draft
By George Malik, Mlive.com, June 26th, 2010
On Saturday, the Red Wings kicked off the second round by drafting Brynas IF center Calle Jarnkrok, and Los Angeles Kings scout Todd Woodcroft told the Hockey News's Rory Boylen that the Wings made a wise choice:
June 26, The Hockey News: Calle Jarnkrok, C, Detroit (51st overall): The fourth-ranked European skater in Central Scouting’s final rankings, Jarnkrok is undersized at 5-foot-11, 156 pounds, but held his own in his first taste of the Elitserien.
Woodcroft: “Shouldn’t be the Winged Wheel, it should be the Swede Wheel with the amount of Swedes they have and this kid’s going to fit right in. He’s a top-end talent, he’s a skinny guy right now and I think they’ll probably give him time to develop in Brynas."
Friend of Snapshots and Swedish journalist Marie Hallman pointed out that, back in January, she'd penned an article for Expressen in which Woodcroft, Colorado's European scout, Anders Carlsson, and eight other NHL teams' scouts had watched Jarnkrok extensively, and assumed he'd be a first-round draft pick at the time, and she duly notes that it comes as a shock that Janrkrok was the fourth Swede picked, not the first. As of Saturday morning, Expressen's Gunnar Nordstrom had expected to see Jarnkrok go in the last five picks of the first round, and Hakan Andersson had this to say about the smallish center to the Free Press's Helene St. James:
June 26, Detroit Free Press: “We like everything except his size,” said Håkan Andersson, director of European Scouting. “He’s a highly talented guy. He can skate. He’s got very good hockey sense, works hard. He needs to fill out, for sure. If he doesn’t do that, he won’t play. He’s got top-two line potential, for sure. He’s a creative player. He was the leading scorer in the Swedish junior league up until Christmas, then they promoted him to the men’s team of the Swedish Elite League, and he ended up playing on their power play. They used him on the point, so he has a good, quick shot, but he’s also a bit of a scorer. He’s not only a playmaker. We had him ranked in the top 30, and we get him late in the second round, so we’re happy.”
Jarnkrok was thrilled.
“It’s a great organization and they’ve got many Swedes,” he said. "I like Henrik Zetterberg. He's a highly skilled center and a good two-way forward, I like him."
Pavel Datsyuk wins third straight Selke Trophy
By Joe Yerdon, Prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com, June 23rd, 2010
It's a three-peat for Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk as he wins his third straight Frank J. Selke trophy as the league's best defensive forward. Most folks anticipated this year's vote to be a tight one as Vancouver's Ryan Kesler and Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal have emerged as other great shut down forwards. The vote would reflect just how close things have gotten.
Rank Player Team Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th)
1. Pavel Datsyuk, DET 688 (37-26-21-8-7)
2. Ryan Kesler, VAN 655 (36-26-15-10-8)
3. Jordan Staal, PIT 528 (24-17-21-19-7)
4. Jonathan Toews, CHI 408 (17-15-19-10-8)
5. Patrice Bergeron, BOS 185 (8-8-4-8-5)
6. Travis Zajac, N.J. 73 (0-5-3-6-5)
7. Mike Richards, PHI 71 (2-3-4-1-7)
8. Patrick Marleau, S.J. 65 (0-2-5-6-8)
9. Henrik Zetterberg, DET 61 (2-1-4-3-5)
10. Nicklas Backstrom, WSH 51 (1-3-1-4-3)
NHL Awards: Five Players That Should've Been Up for Selke Trophy
By Matt Hutter, Bleacherreport.com, June 18, 2010
Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit Red Wings - 23 G, 47 A, +12
Ask Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, or Rick Nash what kind of cologne Henrik Zetterberg wears and they'll tell you the brand.
They'll also tell you it makes them nauseous.
When it comes to defending against top-end talent, Zetterberg is Detroit's go-to guy.
An offensive star himself, it's likely he knows better than most what elite forwards are going to do before they do it, and as such, is one of the best shut-down forwards in the game.
Along with his buddy, Pavel Datsyuk, Zetterberg is continuing the legacy of outstanding two-way excellence set forth by Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, and Kris Draper before them.
All of them have won Selke Trophies and in so doing have made Detroit the second winningest franchise (Montreal is the first with seven Selke wins) in that category since the award was introduced in 1977.
Who's better...Datsyuk or Zetterberg?
By Michael Fenkell, Examiner.com, June 15th, 2010
Henrik and Pavel doing what they do best.
Doing big things in small places
For the past few seasons I’ve been asked the same question: Who is a better hockey player, Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg. After years of watching both of them compete, and win a Stanley Cup with one another in 2008, I can give a credible answer to this debate. First though lets dissect the issue as one should when examining a hockey player. Offensive and defensive abilities combined with a player’s knowledge of how to play the game. On paper it’s a tough call, and it’s even tougher when you watch them on ice.
Lets just start by illustrating how comparable these two Red Wings are. Pavel is listed at 5’11 194 pounds. Henrik is listed at 5’11 195 pounds.
This is what you’ll see when looking at their career numbers offensively.
I just want to start by saying that when either of these two players have the puck its exciting to watch and I learn from it. The poise and skill these two guys have is not found in too many players.
So, Hank has scored 206 goals and tallied 269 assists for a total of 475 points in 506 games played. Hank scores 11.8% of the time he shoots the puck. Pavel however, has scored 198 goals and passed for 394 apples amounting a total of 592 points in 606 games played. Pavel’s scores 14.5% of the time he shoots the puck. If you look at those numbers they’re relatively equal. I know how some hockey fans think. Whoever scores more points is better. So for those of you who want the exact numbers on their points per game here it is: Datsyuk averages .977 points per game and Zetterberg averages .938 PPG. Those numbers don’t separate one from the other as a better offensive player in my opinion.
Defensively however, it’s tough to say that Hank is a stronger player on the defensive side of the puck. This is simply due to the fact that Pavel has won the Selke trophy, as the best defensive forward the past two seasons as well as the Lady Bing the past 4 consecutive seasons. (The Lady Bing is awarded to the player who demonstrates the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with overall talent) It is unreal when you think about it. Four consecutive Bing’s and the past two Selke’s. Tough to top that hockey fans. Zetterberg though was a finalist to Datsyuk for the Selke in 2008 and that’s about it award wise for Hank. In general, when I watch these two studs in action its fair to say that Pavel is stronger defensively. Both of these players anticipation skills are incredible and their hockey IQ is tops in the league. After all of these numbers and opinions, I’ll finally answer the question you’ve been waiting for. Who’s better Zetterberg or Datsyuk?
And my answer is... neither. They’re both equally great to me and this is why.
They both bring leadership, consistency and outstanding talent night in and night out. AND…as long as both the 31-year-old Russian in Pavel Datsyuk (born July 20th and is a Leo like me) and the 29-year-old Swedish sensation in Henrik Zetterberg are wearing winged wheels on their jersey, I simply don’t care about who’s better, and either should you if you’re a Wings fan. Right?
The player with the most (post-season) points since the lockout,
By John in Minnesota, Buffalonews.com, June 10th, 2010
At least by my research, is Henrik Zetterberg of the Red Wings. Zetterberg has played in 81 games, and scored 43 goals and 43 assists in that time, for 86 points. Briere has now played in 80 games, and has 84 points, 2 behind Zetterberg (which shows what a great player Zetterberg is!). For comparison purposes, let’s look at Briere, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Henrik Zetterbeg, Johan Franzen, Marian Hossa and Alex Ovechkin.
All stats are post season, and all are since the lockout.
Player GP G A Pts +/- PPG GWG
Zetterberg 81 43 43 86 +39 17 7 [1] Johan Franzen, LW, Detroit (94.30) [2] Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh (91.37) [3] Henrik Zetterberg, C, Detroit (90.97)
Briere 80 33 51 84 +8 16 10
Crosby 62 30 52 82 +22 9 5
Malkin 62 29 44 73 +5 16 7
Franzen 75 35 34 69 +37 11 11
Hossa 69 21 35 56 +14 7 4 (and 7 in 120 total)
Ovechkin 28 20 20 40 +14 5 3
2010 NHL Playoff Player Rankings
