Mantha, Larkin stand out in Red Wings’ final development camp scrimmage

 

By Nick Barnowski –

TRAVERSE CITY – Team Yzerman defeated Team Lidstrom by a score of 5-1 Tuesday morning to close out the Detroit Red Wings’ annual development camp.

Dressed in red uniforms, both Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin had assists in the game and helped set the tone offensively for Team Yzerman.

“It felt great,” said Mantha, the reigning CHL Player of the Year. “As the week went on it just got better for our team and I think we showed that today.”

Instead of 20-minute periods, the teams played two 25-minute running clock halves. All penalties resulted in modified penalty shots, with the other players on the ice following behind the shooter.

The red team got on the board early after Mantha set up Mike McKee with a nice pass in the slot for a one-timer that beat Team Lidstrom goalie Lucas Peressini.

“[McKee] played a great game and it helped us out up front that they joined the rush,” Mantha said.

The offense didn’t stop there for Team Yzerman.

Hayden Hodgson (Sarnia Sting) had a wraparound opportunity stopped by Peressini and a couple minutes later 2014 seventh round pick Axel Holmstom was denied on a point-blank shot.

Clarkson defenseman and 2012 sixth round pick James de Haas scored one minute into the second half of play to put the red team up 2-0. Larkin set de Haas up with a pass near the crease where he lifted it over Jake Paterson’s blocker.

Hodgson got in on the scoring four minutes later, sniping one over Paterson’s glove to give Team Yzerman a 3-0 lead.

Team Lidstrom got one back with 14:30 remaining in the game when Grosse Pointe native Trevor Hamilton’s pass into the slot was redirected by Blake Clarke (Saginaw Spirit).

The red team added its four goal with 2:17 left after Hampus Gustafsson fired one into an empty net. Shortly after, Lake Superior State’s Alex Globke tipped a shot from the blueline to make it 5-1.

“It was definitely exhilarating,” Globke said of scoring. “It was fun to put one in the back of the net. Anytime you score there’s definitely a big adrenaline rush.”

The quick pace and high intensity of the game was something felt by all players.

“The game felt fast paced,” Huntington Woods native River Ryshma said. “Pretty much all of the practices and the games were high in intensity. Everyone is working hard to impress everyone on the coaching staff.”

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Jeff Blashill said that although you have to take the scrimmage with a grain of salt, it was a good starting point to see how the players perform in game scenarios.

“If they’re going to take one thing away from this camp, take away the level of work ethic and the daily attention to detail that the Detroit Red Wings organization demands,” he said. “If they can walk away with that, it will help them a lot and prepare them to be Red Wings in the future.”