Bernier would like an extension, and Berggren has signed his ELC. Yzerman had just inked Eemil Viro and exit interviews are in full swing. Grand Rapids could be a fantastic watch next year as some of these players make their way over. I’m hoping that camp is high tempo and competitive. These young players are being told that jobs are available. But, they have to take it. Jiri Fischer has a welcome speech he gives to the new prospects. (He has for the past few years kept in constant contact with prospects all over the world. He’s made a huge impact in development). Essentially, to get to the NHL you have to take someone else’s job.
It feels like for the past several years (pre Yzerman) no matter how well a prospect did in camp, the veterans were safe. Rasmussen bucked that trend a couple years ago, though he ended up struggling a bit. Cholowski also showed well at camp a couple seasons ago. He even had a decent start to the year, but seems to disappear after a while.
The above “Coffee with Carly” shows some back and forth with Cholo. He’s a hard worker when it comes to offseason training. He’s made sacrifices to be around Larkin and Co to try and take some steps forward. The expectation for DC is that he is a “high IQ/hockey sense offensive defenseman”. That puts him in a tough spot when it comes to grabbing ice time.
When he talks, he’s pretty laid back. That can be mistaken for lack of intensity, but there are times when it feels that “laid back” shows up on the ice as well. It’s hard to know what to do with him. This is a player that is expected to join the rush, join the cycle, take chances. But, he just hasn’t managed to take a spot yet. The right side looks to be Hronek/Seider/Stecher(?) next year. Lindstrom is a physical bottom pair D who may end up being the 7th defenseman. The left side feels wide open. McIsaac, man we just need this kid to stay healthy to see how he’s developing. Johansson is coming over but will be in Grand Rapids. For his game, Cholo needs to be paired with someone who is solid defensively. He and Lindstrom could well be a 3rd pairing at some point.
The back and forth of whether a prospect can make the jump can sometimes be a bit “fuzzy”. Rasmussen grabbed ahold of being a bottom 6 center this year. He’s finding that physicality, and it seems to be a good fit. What is the breaking point of sending a player down to GR to get high minutes or bringing them up for NHL experience? Cholo has to find a way to break through at some point.
We’ve talked a bit about Veleno as he tries to grab a spot. At this point, he can play wing better than he can play center. He can look to Zadina at how to improve his defensive game. Filip Zadina shocked me (and a few of you) by how hard he’s worked at back checking. Joe has fantastic speed and could be a huge boost to himself and the club by adding that component. Should Cholowski knuckle down and try to become stronger defensively? Is it a confidence issue, and he just has to find consistency?
Cholo is still relatively young. Some of the pundits swear that you need between 250-300 games in the NHL as a defenseman to really solidify in that position. Cholowski passed his 100th this past season. Maybe a strong summer in the gym and a good partner to work with could help him take a big step forward next season. It’s tough to figure out his ceiling right now.
So, where do you so Cholowski fitting in? 3rd pairing, 2nd power play? Could he work his way up to 2nd pairing, working with either Hronek or Seider? Who would be the best complement to his game right now?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I was a bit surprised that Cholo sits by himself on the plane. The coaches used to use those situations to get a mentorship going. Is there a player Cholowski could learn a lot from? Marc Staal might be a good candidate for that.
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