Monday, the Detroit Red Wings gave Dennis Cholowski another look. Tuesday, the message to Cholowski was to look to next year in terms of a pro career.
The Wings assigned the 19-year-old defenseman, their top pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft, to Prince George of the WHL, meaning he can’t be called up to the pros until his junior season is completed.
It’s the right call.
As much as it might have been tempting to start Cholowski with AHL Grand Rapids, the reality is that teenaged defensemen not named Bobby Orr or Raymond Bourque rarely make an impact in the pro ranks, and after a poor NCAA season with St. Cloud State in 2016-17, the best thing for Cholowski’s long-term future is to go somewhere where he can play among his peer group, skate in the team’s top four defensemen and dominate.
The Wings need Cholowski to be a stud on the back end, someone who can join the rush and be a puck carrier as well as a puck mover, and he has work to do in the former area.
“I thought Cholowski showed some real good signs, but there is obviously (some) growth (to be done) there,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “He should take the experience he’s had here and have lots of confidence moving forward. But it’s an everyday world and he’s got to make sure - I would say the big step that he’s got to take is controlling the play.
“I think he’s got the ability to really control the play, have the puck on his stick lots, make tons of plays, not just kind of be out there and make good breakout passes. There’s nothing wrong with that but I think he can be way more than that if he takes command and attacks the game a little bit.”
Sproul Returns
Already behind the eight ball somewhat in terms of a battle for ice time among Detroit’s top six defenders, Ryan Sproul saw his first game action in Monday's preseason tilt against Pittsburgh since he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
For Sproul to become more than the part-time player he was for much of last season, he will need to step up his level of consistency and show the coaching staff that he can play the game at high tempo for 60 minutes.
“Yeah, that’s been the thing that’s been said for an ongoing time now,” Sproul admitted. “I think that instead of trying to be more offense, I’m going to try to change my game a little bit and just be more defensive and steady.
“That’s the way the game is now. As a defenseman, I need to just be steady and let the coaches trust me in playing all zones.”
Roster Moves
The Wings shipped three bodies to AHL Grand Rapids. Sent to the Griffins were goalie Matej Machovsky, right-winger Zach Nastasiuk and defenseman Dan Renouf.
As well, forwards Mike Borkowski, Austen Brassard, Connor Crisp, Luke Esposito and Dominik Shine, defensemen Simon Denis, Pat McCarron and Kevin Tansey and goaltender Pat Nagle were released from their tryout contracts.
Butz Dead
Though he never played for the Wings, Craig Butz was one of the elements in what is known in NHL entry draft annals as the toughest draft ever, Detroit’s 1983 draft class.
Butz, who died Monday in Clearwater, Fla. at the age of 52 when the jet ski he and his daughter were riding was in a collision with a boat, never played pro hockey, but was selected 146th overall by the Wings in 1983. An educator who worked as an executive director at a Tampa, Fla. charter school for students with learning disabilities, Butz liked to joke that he was the only two-time WHL penalty minute leader to earn a Ph.D.
After selecting Steve Yzerman in the first round in 1983, among the Wings’ following picks that season were Lane Lambert (25) Bob Probert (46), Joe Kocur (88) and Stu Grimson (186).
Probert, Kocur and Grimson combined for 7,932 NHL penalty minutes, and all three played for the Wings.
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