The Daily: Detroit Draftees Among Top WJC Players; Veleno Hot

One of Canada’s favorite holiday traditions is watching the World Junior Championship on television. Bob McKenzie’s take on the WJC is always a respected element of that coverage.

On TSN’s World Juniors Preview show,  McKenzie spotlighted four players to watch at this year’s event, and two of those players are Red Wings draft picks.

Merry Christmas, Red Wings fans! That’s probably a gift this fan base needs, given how poorly the Detroit team is performing.

USA goalie Trey Augustine (No. 41, 2023), and Swedish defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka (No. 17, 2023) are Red Wings draft picks, joining Washington Capitals pick Ryan Leonard (No. 8, 2023) and San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Halttunnen (No. 23, 2023). Leonard is expected to be a top American scorer, and Halttunnen is a Finland impact forward.

#WorldJuniors Preview Show – @TSNBobMcKenzie spotlights four players to watch for at the World Juniors: https://t.co/RsUf4WHUR5 pic.twitter.com/2EV102xkcF

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 25, 2024

USA plays its first WJC game Thursday against Germany at 2:20 on NHL Network. Detroit 2024 second round pick Max Plante is also on the U.S. team.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

A former NHLer believes he should have won one of the Norris Trophies that Detroit superstar Nicklas Lidstrom owns.

Bob Duff opines that the Red Wings team are “broken at the break.”  Not much is going right for coach Derek Lalonde’s team.

The line of Joe Veleno, Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren is one of the few bright spots for Detroit over the past week. Veleno has three goals in four games.

Red Wings Extra

Detroit, with only three wins in its past 12 games, doesn’t play again until Friday when it plays on the road against Toronto. Detroit’s 4-2 win versus Toronto (with Ville Husso in net) 11 days ago is one of the three wins the Red Wings have had since Nov. 29.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Andrew Fantuccio writes that the Bruins passed a massive test by beating the Washington Capitals Monday. Boston Bruins.

Colorado: Colleen Flynn explains why the holiday break is so important to the Colorado Avalanche.

Pittsburgh: Dan Kingerski graded the Penguins with a “B” for their win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Does that make him Scrooge? Pittsburgh Penguins.