Red Wings Prospect Notebook: Sandin Pellikka Back in Action

Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka appears ready to answer the bell. That’s music to the ears of his Skelleftea teammates.

The Swedish club is facing a crisis due to injuries along the blueline. Facing Finland’s Lahti Pelicans on Friday in Champions Hockey League play, Skelleftea is showing three defensemen on the shelf. Rearguards Arvid Lundberg, Mans Forsfjall and Frans Haara are out.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka only played 02:38 today before stepping aside, but had time for some trickery all the same: pic.twitter.com/jmjxdysFI7

— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) September 6, 2024

Sandin Pellikka was also on the injury list. He’d been hurt in the club’s opening CHL game. He was missing for the second game, a loss to German’s Straubing Tigers, after aggravating an old injury.

Skelleftea has been using four defensemen from its junior club. Also recruited on loan was defender Fredrik Granberg. He plays for Pitea in HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division.

However, there appears to be good news. At Thursday’s practice, Sandin Pellikka was no longer wearing the red no-contact jersey.

“Axel Sandin-Pellikka has taken off the red shirt,” Robin Lindgren reported on Swedish website Norran.se. “Looks to be ready again.”

Fast Start For Red Wings Prospect

Russian hockey watchers were projecting big things to happen for Red Wings draftee Dmitri Buchelnikov following his move to Vityaz of the KHL. “Buchelnikov will become the star of the new Vityaz,” predicted KHL.ru following the deal.

Another look at the snipe from Dmitri Buchelnikov 🎯 pic.twitter.com/9s0Yul5CRj

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 16, 2024

Four games into the KHL regular season, the player chosen 52nd overall by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft is living up to that billing. As Vityaz readies to face Lada on Friday, Buchelnikov’s ledger is showing a goal and three assists. He’s picked up a point in three of the four games played by Vityaz.

Former Griffins Defenseman Eating Well In Russia

The Red Wings signed veteran NHLer Steven Kampfer in 2022. However, the journeyman defenseman never made it into Detroit’s lineup. Kampfer played all his games in the organization with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins. He was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes near the end of the 2022-23 season.

Last year, Kampfer was making the decision to return to the KHL. That’s where he was playing with the Red Wings were signing him in 2022. The 35-year-old defenseman plays for Traktor and he’s finding it to be a tasty experience.

In an interview with Russian website Metaratings.ru, Kampfer was boasting that the food in Russia is far superior to what he was eating in the USA.

“The quality of the products is high, of course,” Kampfer said. “In the US, it is common to shop for at least a week in advance, and, of course, there are also preservatives in the products. Here, if you don’t eat something quickly, it will spoil in a couple of days.

“Both my wife and I appreciate quality products. Even milk tastes different here, fruits and vegetables also taste better. You literally enjoy the food.”