Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings JVR Happy to Trade Pain For Productivity
New Detroit forward works the net front
Once, while talking to legendary Detroit Red Wings enforcer Joe Kocur, he was explaining the nuances of making it as an NHLer if you’re not blessed with the skillset of a Connor McDavid or a Sidney Crosby.
The key, Kocur suggested, was to locate one skill that you do really well, then focus on doing it better than anyone else.
James van Riemsdyk would concur with that assessment.
Columbus goal!
Scored by James van Riemsdyk with 04:59 remaining in the 2nd period.
Assisted by Boone Jenner and Kent Johnson.
Detroit: 1
Columbus: 4#CBJvsDET #LGRW #CBJ pic.twitter.com/IYpKiXiWPa— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 28, 2025
The place where he’s earning his keep on the ice – the opposition net front – is not a locale that those who are faint of heart are frequenting.
Red Wings van Riemsdyk Did the Math
You go there, you pay a painful price. However, long ago, van Riemsdyk did the math. If taking punishment meant increased productivity, bring it on. His calculations told him that the tradeoff was an equation he was happy to make.
“I’m kind of, in that way, I guess, a little bit of like a numbers math person,” van Riemsdyk said. “And your odds are very good around the net if you want to score goals and be productive. So I think that’s definitely a big part of it.”
James van Riemsdyk, signed 1x$1M by DET, is a veteran net-front winger. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/8I1Th9Puyg
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2025
As a teen, he was playing for USA Hockey’s NTDP in Ann Arbor. A young van Riemsdyk was studying the work of Red Wings net-front icon Tomas Holmstrom. More lessons were coming early in his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers. Every day in practice he was battling for space near the blue paint with future Hall of Fame defenseman and noted punisher Chris Pronger.
All the while, van Riemsdyk was being schooled on how to play at the net front. And he was learning that being a net-front presence is more than just parking your carcass on the edge of the blue paint.
Learning the Nuances Of The Role
“Yeah, I think just the nuance and timing and things like that that go to it,” van Riemsdyk said. “You don’t just want to be anchored at the net and let the other guys kind of play on the cycle. Then you’re not being an out for them, or an option for them. So it’s trying to balance some of those things out.
“I feel like the more I’ve done it, the more natural it seems to become. And like I mentioned before, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs, it seems like that’s where you need to go to have the success and score the goals. So I think that’s ultimately why it’s for me, just an attractive place to be on the ice.”
He is lazy and does ,not backcheck!
Sounds like a good PP guy
Maybe he can teach that lazy Rasmussen how to play in front of the net and be productive. If I’m GM Rasmussen would be the first one I would trade. One of the biggest guys in the league and he plays lazy, doesn’t hit anybody, doesn’t fight in the corners, and is invisible most nights.