Detroit AHL head coach Dan Watson notes goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa will be in the conversation for the Red Wings backup goalie spot

The Detroit Red Wings are heading into a pivotal season for the franchise, marking their 100th anniversary while also aiming to break free from years of playoff struggles, they haven’t reached the postseason since 2016 and have just one series win since 2012.

After rebuilding the team over the last nine years, the Red Wings have built up an elite prospect pool that will hopefully come into fruition in the near future. Goaltending has been a longstanding issue since the days of Chris Osgood and GM Steve Yzerman made a temporary fix to the problem by adding former all-star goaltender John Gibson, who is signed on for two more seasons. The long term plan includes two high end goalie prospects in Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa. 

Red Wings Bring Back Famous 'Hockeytown' Slogan for 100th SeasonThe Detroit Red Wings have put their famous slogan "Hockeytown" back at centre ice.

Augustine is expected to go back to Michigan State for one or two more years. This leaves him a longer timetable than the Red Wings' 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft in Cossa, who may be finally nearing the jump to the NHL.

The Hockey News spoke with Grand Rapids Griffinshead coach Dan Watson and he explained to us that the uncertainty of if Cossa will be returning to the Griffins is at an all-time high. 

“He's committed, dedicated, he wants to get better, he wants to be the guy, whether it's in Grand Rapids, I know he's gonna be challenging mentally for a spot in Detroit," Watson explained "We're looking for him to take that next step and be a good starting goaltender for us in Grand Rapids, If not, he's going to be in Detroit."  

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Watson emphasized that another season with the Griffins would be valuable for Cossa as he would have the opportunity to handle the majority of the starts, just as he did early last season when his strong performance earned him a spot at the AHL all-star game. Veteran goaltenders like Jack Campbell and Husso would go on to limit his workload later on in the season. If he returns to Grand Rapids next season, Watson expects him to take on the bulk workload for the team.

“This year, I'd love to see him take the reins and then if he's in Grand Rapids, be the guy, get those as many starts as you possibly can where we obviously have to manage his workload and everything, but he can get a lot of starts and get to feel the puck and then see it well, like he did this our last year," Watson said "I think that's going to elevate him to that next step is being the guy in Grand Rapids." 

Cossa has played 84 games with the Griffins and during that stretch has posted a 44-25-15 record with a 2.52 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. The 22-year-old Hamilton native made his NHL debut in December 2024, coming in as relief for starter Ville Husso. He stopped 12 shots and turned aside two shootout attempts against the Buffalo Sabres to secure his first career win.

Having coached Cossa throughout his time with the team, Watson knows his game better than most and noted that the two share a strong relationship. 

"We have a great relationship, being with each other now for the last three seasons. I want to make sure there's invested interest with him, and I want to make sure that we do everything we can and provide the resources necessary for him to have success," Watson stated.  

Cossa will likely be competing with another veteran goaltender in Cam Talbot, currently serving as Detroit’s backup, during training camp. The 38-year-old journeyman will be challenged by the youngster, setting up an intriguing storyline to watch as camp unfolds. From the sounds of it, Cossa is closer than ever to bridging the gap and claiming the role, with a slow start from Talbot potentially being the difference.

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Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar certainly took a nice step in the right direction with his development this past season with the Original Six club. In 53 games with the Blackhawks on the year, he set new career highs with 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points. With this, he certainly demonstrated that he can provide solid offense at the NHL level already. 

What's even more encouraging about Nazar is that he ended the 2024-25 season on a high note. In his final eight games of the campaign, the 2022 first-round pick recorded five goals and nine points. This included posting three goals and five points in the Blackhawks' final three games of the season, so he undoubtedly impressed. 

With Nazar being a young player on the rise, he should have zero trouble hitting new offensive career highs for the Blackhawks in 2025-26. This is especially so when noting that he only got better as this past season rolled on and that he should have a spot in Chicago's top six and on their power play. 

It will be very interesting to see what kind of campaign Nazar will put together for the Blackhawks in 2025-26, but it is hard not to feel optimistic about his future in Chicago. 

Blackhawks Have Decision To Make With 20-Goal ScorerIlya Mikheyev was among the Chicago Blackhawks' bright spots from their 2024-25 season. After being traded by the Vancouver Canucks to the Blackhawks in a cap dump move, Mikheyev proved to be a nice fit on the Blackhawks' roster. In 80 games on the year, the 6-foot-2 winger scored 20 goals and recorded a career-high 34 points. 

The Montreal Canadiens have brought in multiple new players this off-season, and forward Zack Bolduc is undoubtedly among the most notable. The Canadiens acquired Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux last month. With this, Montreal and St. Louis swapped two 2021 first-round picks in one of the most intriguing trades of the summer. 

There is no question that Mailloux has the potential to become a nice part of the Blues' defensive group, as he is a promising prospect who should give them a much-needed boost on the right side of their blueline. However, the Canadiens bringing in a forward like Bolduc for him undoubtedly has the potential to benefit them immensely, as he has the tools to blossom into a very impactful NHL forward.

Bolduc already took a notable step forward in his development this past season for the Blues, as he set new career highs with 19 goals, 17 assists, 36 points, and 108 hits in 72 games. With numbers like these, he has shown that he can produce solid offense at the NHL level, and he should only improve as he continues to gain more experience. 

Bolduc has the potential to become a big piece of the Canadiens' roster. When looking at their current group, he should have a real shot of playing in their top six and on their power play. Thus, he could end up being a significant part of their group moving forward, especially if he continues to trend in the right direction.

Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Bolduc can put together for the Canadiens from here. 

Canadiens Veteran Is Big Player To WatchThe Montreal Canadiens are one of the NHL's most intriguing teams, as they have several promising young players who have the potential to become big parts of their future. However, they also have some veterans on their roster to watch in 2025-26, and forward Brendan Gallagher is certainly one of them.

By Sal Barry, Puck Culture and In The Cards writer

Since 1982-83, the Professional Hockey Writers Association has selected an NHL all-rookie team, comprised of six of the best first-year players. Along the way, there have been some interesting selections – and a notable omission.

1. We Three Kings

Luc Robitaille, Jimmy Carson, Steve Duchesne (1987)

Two players from the same NHL club have been named to an all-rookie team several times. Brock Faber and Marco Rossi of Minnesota were the most recent teammates to achieve this when both were named to the 2024 team.

But only once have three players from the same team received this honor. It happened when left winger Luc Robitaille, center Jimmy Carson and defenseman Steve Duchesne of the Los Angeles Kings were named to the 1987 all-rookie team. Robitaille also won Calder Trophy honors as the league’s top rookie.

2. Rocket Rejected

Pavel Bure (1992)

Usually, the player who wins the Calder Trophy is also named to the all-rookie team. But Pavel Bure was an inadvertent snub. Although he got the most votes for the Calder Trophy in 1992, ‘The Russian Rocket’ was not selected for the all-rookie team. He had split the season between playing left wing and right wing, so Bure’s votes were also divided among the positions.

Tony Amonte ended up with the most votes at right wing, while Gilbert Dionne won the most votes for left wing.

For 1993, the rule was changed so that voters chose two wingers and a center. Two years after that, votes went to the best three rookie forwards regardless of position.

3. Eagle Takes Flight

Ed Belfour (1991)

Sometimes, the top rookie picks up another award in the same season. Tony Esposito won the Calder and Vezina Trophies in 1970. Tom Barrasso repeated this feat in 1984.

However, only one time has a freshman won three awards.

Ed Belfour accomplished it for his stellar rookie season in 1990-91, when he led NHL goalies in games played, wins, goals against average and save percentage. Belfour was awarded the Calder, Vezina, and Jennings Trophies. He was also named a first-team all-star.

4. Old Flame

Sergei Makarov (1990)

Former Russian star Sergei Makarov led rookies in scoring during 1989-90, when he scored 86 points for the Calgary Flames. He also happened to be 31 years old. Makarov was 12 years older than Mike Modano – who finished second in rookie scoring – and had 13 years of prior pro experience in the Soviet League.

Despite being over a decade older than his peers, Makarov was still considered a rookie by NHL standards. He won the Calder Trophy and was named to the all-rookie team in 1990, becoming the oldest NHLer to accomplish each feat. The following season, the NHL deemed that only players 25 and younger could be eligible for rookie honors.

5. Two-Time Teamers

Jamie Storr (1998 & 1999) and Jake Allen (2013 & 2015)

Two players have been named to the all-rookie team twice – and both were goalies.

Jamie Storr played 17 games with the Kings in 1997-98, posting a 2.22 GAA and two shutouts, which landed him on the 1998 all-rookie team. Since Storr played in fewer than 25 games that season, he was still considered a rookie the following year. In 28 games during 1998-99, Storr posted a 2.40 GAA and four shutouts to win all-rookie team honors for a second time.

Fifteen years later, Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues accomplished the same feat – though in non-consecutive seasons. Allen played 15 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, earning nine wins and one shutout, resulting in his first all-rookie-team nod. Two seasons later, Allen posted a 22-7-4 record, including four shutouts, and he gained all-rookie-team honors again in 2015.

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This article appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on the 2025 Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the Cup final. We also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans. In addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL season.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.

Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Ville Koivunen certainly left a strong first impression during his full professional season in North America this past campaign.

Koivunen spent the bulk of the season in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and undoubtedly made a big impact. In 63 games with the AHL squad in 2024-25, he recorded 21 goals, 35 assists, and 56 points. With numbers like these, he demonstrated his offensive upside. 

Koivunen also ended the regular-season at the NHL level with Pittsburgh, and it could not have gone much better for the 2021 second-round pick. In eight games with Pittsburgh, he recorded seven assists. This included him ending the season on a five-game point streak, where he posted six assists over that span.

Overall, Koivunen has shown early on that he has the potential to become a solid NHL forward, and he certainly could take a major step forward in his development next season because of it. When looking at the Penguins' current group, he has a strong chance of playing in their middle six and getting power-play time. This could end up benefiting a young and skilled player like Koivunen tremendously.

It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Koivunen can put together for the Penguins in 2025-26. If he continues to trend in the right direction, he could cement himself as a big part of Pittsburgh's roster moving forward. 

Penguins Have Interesting Goalie Battle To WatchWith it now being the middle of August, NHL training camps are not too far away, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for an interesting one. After bringing in several new players this off-season, there will be plenty of players fighting for spots on their NHL roster.

The Minnesota Wild did not qualify defenseman Ryan O'Rourke following his fourth season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild.

O'Rourke, 23, had spent the last four years playing in the Wild's organization. He has recorded six goals, 34 assists and 40 points in 229 career AHL games.

The Wild selected O'Rourke with the 39th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He recorded two goals and 12 points in 59 games last season for the Iowa Wild and was a minus-eight. The season before he had three goals, 12 points and was a minus-30.

The 6-foot-1 defenseman was not qualified by the Wild and entered free agency. He signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Laval Rocket of the AHL. They are the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate.

Other Wild News

Where Wild's Zeev Buium Ranks In Calder Trophy VotingMinnesota Wild rookie defenseman Zeev Buium burst onto the scene in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round. He had just finished his sophomore season at the University of Denver where he was up for the NCAA's Hobey Baker Award as the top player in College Hockey.Minnesota Wild Potential PTO Candidate: Victor OlofssonThe 2025-26 season is just a few months away. Training camp for the Minnesota Wild will begin in just over a month from now. Wild hockey will be here before we know it. Where Wild's Kirill Kaprizov Ranks Among Wingers In The NHLThe NHL Network is putting together some lists of the top players in the NHL among different positions before the 2025-26 season starts. They just dropped the top-20 wingers in the NHL list.

On August 11, 2020 the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning started their first round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fans of the CBJ were hoping that the Jackets could pull off another huge upset against the Lightning. 

Long story short, the Lightning would go on to get their revenge by beating the Blue Jackets 4-1 in the series. But game one is something that no one will soon forget. 

Columbus and Tampa played the 4th longest game in NHL history. The game lasted 150 minutes and 27 seconds, or 6 hours and 13 minutes in real time. The game started at 3 PM and ended at 9:22 PM. The game would end in the 5th overtime when Brayden Point scored his second of the game to put the Lightning up 1-0 in the series.

But for CBJ fans, it was watching Joonas Korpisalo that made it the most exciting. The young Finnish goalie would take the loss, but would set an NHL playoff record for most saves in a game with 85 saves. That record still stands today. 

The Lightning pumped 88 shots at Korpisalo, which included 12 or more shots in 6 of the periods, and 14 shots in four of the periods. The Lightning were trying their hardest to bury the Blue Jackets all game, but Korpisalo just wouldn't let it happen. 

The Jackets would lose the game and series, and send Columbus off into a rebuild, but Jackets fans always look back at this game will pride and will always cheer for Joonas Korpisalo. 

Did you watch this game and Korpisalo's performance? 

Let us know what you think below.

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