When he was a student at Notre Dame, evidently Riley Sheahan didn’t spend much time delving into the theory of probability.
As he heads into his third NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings, it’s a definite that Sheahan fits into the picture of what the Wings are seeking to assemble. But just where he’ll be slotted into that assembly is still up in the air.
In a perfect world, he’d likely start the season as Detroit’s third-line center behind Pavel Datsyuk and Brad Richards on the Wings’ depth chart. But the world isn’t perfect, and Datsyuk won’t start the season when the rest of the team does. He’ll be on the injured list, meaning someone will be left with the impossible task of filling the skates of the Magic Man.
Sheahan wouldn’t mind if he was that guy.
“Yeah, obviously we want Pav back as quick as we can,… Sheahan said. “You don’t like seeing guys get injured, but if someone’s going to have to step up, hopefully that can be me.
“It’s huge shoes to fill but I think he’ll be back soon.…
Sheahan produced career highs last season with 13 goals and 23 assists in 79 games, but many within the Wings organization believe that with his combination of hard shot and quick release and his 6-2, 212-pound frame, Sheahan, 23, can evolve into even more of an offensive threat as he gains more experience and confidence.
“I think confidence is a big thing for me,… Sheahan said. “As soon as I can figure out how to play every game and maybe create a few more scoring opportunities, take the puck to the net a little, I think that will help me.
“I feel like when I know I’m playing well then I can continue to do so, but as soon as I maybe get in a little rut, it takes a little time to get out of it. So as soon as I can figure that out I think I’ll be good.…
New Detroit coach Jeff Blashill has also hinted about trying to utilize Sheahan’s bulk as a winger, and although it’s not a position he’s played with any frequency, if that’s the call then Sheahan is ready to get after it.
“Here and there I’ve dabbled with it a bit,… Sheahan said of skating on the wing. But I mean, whatever I have to do, whatever position put in I think I’ll be comfortable with.
“I think we’re confident in the decisions that he’ll make and if that’s one of them it’s OK with me.…
“I played the wing a little bit last year, a little bit at Notre Dame, and a little bit when I was actually playing junior hockey (in St. Catharines), so I’ve kind of stayed familiar with it.
“It takes a little bit of time to adjust, but it’s not a big deal. I think going from center to wing is easier than going from wing to center. You just have a little less responsibility. You’ve got to know your position a little more, know your side of the ice and go from there.…
The X-factor in this down-the-middle equation for Detroit is rookie Dylan Larkin, the club’s 2014 first-round draft pick who signed a contract with the Wings over the summer.
If Larkin wows them at training camp, there’s always the outside chance that he could fill the center void at least until Datsyuk is good to go.
“I’ve just seen highlights of him with Grand Rapids and when he was playing for the USA there at the world championships,… Sheahan said. “I got to work out with him over the summer a little.
“He seems like a great kid and I heard he’s a great player, so if he can help our team that would be amazing having him.…
Prospects Camp The Wings will host seven other NHL teams during their 17th annual NHL prospect tournament at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich. from Sept. 11-15.
The tournament will divide the participating teams into two four-team divisions: the Gordie Howe Division (Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Detroit) and the Ted Lindsay Division (Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues). Teams will play each opponent in their division in a round-robin format before a crossover on the final day of the tournament, capped off with the first-place finishers in each division meeting for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup on Sept. 15.
The tournament’s championship trophy was renamed this summer in honor of Wuest (pronounced WEEST), known for his work on the website CapGeek.com as well as his exclusive coverage and statistical archiving of the NHL prospect tournament on RedWingsCentral.com, spanning back to the inaugural tournament in 1998. Wuest died in March 2015 after succumbing to a two-year battle with colon cancer.
Over the tournament’s history, 479 players have gone on to skate in at least one NHL game, including 22 who played for Detroit in 2014-15: Justin Abdelkader, Joakim Andersson, Dan Cleary, Datsyuk, Jonathan Ericsson, Landon Ferraro, Darren Helm, Jimmy Howard, Tomas Jurco, Niklas Kronwall, Brian Lashoff, Alexey Marchenko, Tom McCollum, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist, Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen, Kyle Quincey, Sheahan, Brendan Smith, Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg.
Mortson Dead For the second time in as many weeks, a former Red Wings defenseman has died. Gus Mortson passed away Saturday in Timmins, Ont. at the age of 90.
Mortson’s tenure with Detroit was brief, just 36 games during the 1958-59 campaign, his farewell season as an NHLer and in truth, he was more of a thorn than a rose to the Wings. Mortson won four Stanley Cups as a member of the Leafs, including the 1947-48 and 1948-49 titles, which both came at the expense of the Red Wings.
Morton’s death follows the loss of Leo Reise Jr. at 93 one week earlier.
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