Red Wings Holl Is A Beauty

Justin Holl certainly isn’t the most popular player with Detroit Red Wings fans, but the defenseman will be coming to training camp nect month as a champion. Holl was part of the team that won it all in Da Beauty League, the popular Minnesota pro summer league.

Team Tria won the John Scott Cup as champions of Da Beauty League for the third straight season. Along with Holl, other NHLers on the roster included Erik Haula (New Jersey Devils), Nate Schmidt (Florida Panthers), Brady Skjei (Nashville Predators), Anders Lee (New York Islanders), Brenden Dillon (New Jersey Devils), Jason Zucker (Buffalo Sabres) and former Red Wings defenseman Jon Merrill (Minnesota Wild).

.@DaBeautyLeague champions! 🏆

〽️ Nate Schmidt
〽️ Erik Haula
〽️ Justin Holl
〽️ Kyle Rau#PrideOnIce pic.twitter.com/EzspJlnDgD

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) August 29, 2024

Holl is often a magnet for criticism. The much-maligned defender was a healthy scratch for all but three of Detroit’s final 32 games during the 2024-25 NHL campaign.

There were calls from parts of the fanbase for Holl’s contract to be bought out during the summer. He’s entering the second year of a three-year deal with an AAV of $3.4 million.

By contrast, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has been suggesting over the summer that Holl, a right-hand shot, may be filling a role of more prominence during his second season in Detroit. The Red Wings are bereft of right shot defensemen beyond Moritz Seider.

“He’s an NHL defenseman,” Yzerman said of Holl. “Justin was a good player in the NHL and will be.”

Son Of Larionov At Heart Of KHL Controversy

Suspended last season by Torpedo, the KHL club with Red Wings icon Igor Larionov as coach, defenseman Adam Sizov is speaking out about his removal from the club. And he’s strongly hinting the entire episode had to to with Larionov’s son Igor Jr.

Rumors persist that the cause of Sizov’s suspension were harsh criticisms he made of Larionov’s son, a forward on the Torpedo roster. The suspension came following a 6-1 loss last February against Dynamo Minsk. According to those close to the team, Sizov’s continued presence was viewed as toxic by club officials.

“I had a conversation with Igor (Larionov Sr.) in Minsk before the match with Dynamo,” Sizov explained to Russian website Sport-Express. “And after that I was suspended.”

While he denied having a quarrel with Larionov’s son, Sizov did appear to suggest that something involving Igor Jr. led to his departure from the Torpedo roster.

“It’s better to be toxic than a hothouse child,” Sizov said. “That’s what I can say, and you decide for yourself who I’m talking about.”

For his part, coach Larionov was suggesting that he felt Sizov was a bad influence on the team’s younger players.

“When a person crosses the line . . . We want the youth to receive the right example of how to go through life, how to approach the game,” was Larionov’s explanation for the suspension.

A similar scenario unfolded last season in the SHL involving Red Wings draftee Anton Johansson. Linkoping player Jonas Junland was suggesting the only reason Johansson was playing in the league was because of his father. Tjomme Johansson is the sports director at Leksand.

Red Wings First Round Pick A Winner

A Red Wings first-round draft pick was in action on Friday and he came away a winner. Tom McCollum was the winning goalie as the Stena Line Belfast Giants of the UK-based EIHL were recording an 8-2 preseason victory over visiting Canadian university team the Carleton Ravens.

🥅 Manning the crease for us tonight is your #️⃣3️⃣3️⃣!#WeAreGiants #GiantsTogether pic.twitter.com/WIob5nrwAP

— Belfast Giants (@BelfastGiants) August 30, 2024

Detroit made McCollum the 30th overall selection of the 2008 NHL entry draft. He’d play in just three games for the Red Wings, going 1-0 with a 2.96 GAA and .879 save percentage. McCollum was also with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins from 2009-16 and again in 2017-18.