University of Michigan coach Brandon Naurato and 15 of his players watched former Wolverines captain Jacob Truscott in the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in preseason NHL action at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.
Truscott, a 23-year-old defenseman who signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings’ minor-league affiliate in Grand Rapids this year, was paired with Moritz Seider to start the game and played 16:57 with one assist, five shots and two hits.
“It’s an unbelievable story,” Naurato said on a Zoom call on Michigan Hockey Media Day on Thursday. “He grew up practising at Little Caesars Arena and Belfor, and he played for Little Caesars and Kris Draper and then Steve Yzerman and Draper went and signed him later on.
“I think it’s every kid’s dream to play for their hometown team whether they get signed by that team or not. It’s really cool when they find a fit.”
Truscott, the 144th overall pick in 2020 by the Vancouver Canucks, finished his fifth season at Michigan with 16 points (3-13—16), 27 penalty minutes and a minus-three rating in 36 appearances, earning a spot on the Big Ten Honorable Mention All-Star Team.
The Port Huron native was a two-time Big Ten champion as a Wolverine (2021-22, 2022-23) and served as a two-time captain from 2023-25, becoming just the ninth multi-year captain at the university and the first since Luke Glendening (2010-12).
At Michigan from 2020-25, Truscott registered 70 points (12-58—70), 119 penalty minutes and a plus-44 rating in 166 outings. Prior to joining the college ranks, Truscott spent two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Florida captain Aleksander Barkov needed to be helped off the ice after appearing to sustain an injury to his right leg during the first full training camp practice of the season for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions on Thursday.
There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Barkov was getting further evaluation Thursday.
“I’ll have a better answer for you tomorrow,” Maurice said.
The Panthers have been in camp for a week – they’ve even made one round of cuts already, paring what was a 72-person roster down to 55 – but Thursday was the first day that most of the veterans were expected to participate.
It was not clear what exactly happened to Barkov. He wasn’t able to skate off under his own power when he left the ice and headed to the team’s locker room.
“Not a guy you want to see go down, for sure,” Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist said.
Barkov led the Panthers in assists last season with 51 and was second in points with 71 – then added six goals and 16 more assists in the playoffs when Florida won its second consecutive Stanley Cup.
He is Florida’s franchise leader in countless categories, with games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782), power-play goals (84) and game-winning goals (52) among them.
The Panthers already expect to be without forward Matthew Tkachuk for the first several weeks of the season while he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia. Now, they’re waiting to see if Barkov will be out for any significant time as well.
“Beyond our control, so there’s no concern,” Maurice said. “If we have to learn to win hockey games without good players, if that’s the adversity or the test that we face this year, that’s what we’re going to do. I’m not a doctor. Whatever the report is, it won’t affect how we handle that next day. If he’s not in the lineup on opening night, or if he misses an exhibition game, or he’s out long-term, it’s just not going to affect that day. We’ve got to win the hockey game and we’ve got to prep for it.”
St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Wild have yet to secure star forward Kirill Kaprizov beyond this season with a long-term contract.
Owner Craig Leipold is trying to remain patient and stay in his lane, fully confident in leaving the process to general manager Bill Guerin and his assistants.
“Billy’s the guy. He’s the one that does the negotiating, no matter who it is, and that’s his responsibility and his role,” Leipold said on Thursday night. “We’ve got a great relationship.”
Can the same be said about the dynamic between the NHL club and Kaprizov’s camp? That’s difficult to discern, with neither side divulging much about whether a new deal is still realistic before the regular season begins in two weeks. Leipold declined to discuss any specifics regarding Kaprizov, who has 386 points in 319 regular season games and 21 points in 25 playoff games.
Kaprizov said last week after the team’s first practice that he considers Minnesota his “second home” behind his native Russia and likes being in the Twin Cities area and playing for the Wild.
“We have a lot of time. It’s just 2025, and it’s one more year I have,” he said then. “I just want to play hockey and focus and win some games and go in playoffs and win there.”
At his annual preseason media address last year, Leipold confidently said no other team could offer Kaprizov a longer or richer contract than the Wild. Guerin expressed confidence at the beginning of the offseason in the completion of a deal, but that didn’t happen during the summer and Kaprizov has been on the ice with the team for a week with no news about the 28-year-old left wing.
“As we all know, this is a sport that is more than one player,” Leipold said. “But obviously he’s a special player, and special players do special things. So we’d love to have a player of his caliber on our team.”
Which they do now, clearly but for how long?
One complicating factor in the Kaprizov situation for the Wild has been the rising salary cap and the other stars around the league who also are unsigned beyond this season.
“That’s a lot of new money in the system that, frankly, a year or two ago we certainly had no idea was going to be available,” Leipold said. “So, it does change things, but we have to change with it.”
Leipold spoke to reporters during the Wild’s first home preseason game, their first time taking the ice at Grand Casino Arena. The 25-year-old facility has given the capitol city’s quiet downtown a boost of economic and social activity since it opened for the NHL club as Xcel Energy Center. The utility company’s naming rights for the arena expired earlier this year.
The Wild have begun talks with city, county and state officials about public help for a renovation project they believe is necessary to compete for revenue streams with newer NHL arenas and other venues in Minnesota.
Across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, new Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have begun to assess options for replacing the 35-year-old Target Center. But Leipold said the two teams will not consider sharing an arena like the majority of American markets with both NBA and NHL franchises do.
“We are going to stay in St. Paul, and they are going to stay in Minneapolis. It’s pretty hard to negotiate from that point.” As for the Wild finally getting out of the first round of the playoffs, a feat they have only accomplished three times – and not in more than 10 years?
“I believe in it. I believe in hard work and preparation. I like our team. I hope we’re lucky enough not to have injuries. I think this could be a really special year,” Leipold said. “I’ve thought that before, but one of these years everything’s going to kind of come together in a nice package, and hopefully it’s this one.”
Frisco, Texas – Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn will undergo surgery for a collapsed lung, the team said Thursday.
In an announcement by general manager Jim Nill, the Stars said Benn was diagnosed with the injury late in its preseason game Tuesday night against Minnesota. Nill said Benn is expected to make a full recovery and be re-evaluated in four weeks.
The 36-year-old Benn has spent his entire career with Dallas and is entering his 17th NHL season.
Matthew Schaefer being the first NHL No. 1 pick out of the Ontario Hockey League since Connor McDavid in 2015 is pressure enough. Then there’s following Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini into the league.
Bedard with Chicago and Celebrini with San Jose immediately were put into prominent roles. Bedard won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and Celebrini finished third in the voting.
Taken atop the draft by the New York Islanders, Schaefer may not be in that conversation this season, through little fault of his own. He is a defenseman, a position that traditionally requires a longer, steeper learning curve, and the team is not going to rush a potential franchise cornerstone of the future.
“We’re going to give him time,” said coach Patrick Roy, who made the all-rookie team as a goaltender on the way to the Hall of Fame. “We’re going to be extremely patient with him. He’s a phenomenal kid, has great values. He’s very humble. It was fun in that first conversation to see him. He looks you in the eyes, and you could tell he wants to learn and he wants to be the best he can be.”
Schaefer, who just turned 18 on Sept. 5, is not alone, as most of the top picks in this year’s draft need more experience. A look at the top of the NHL’s rookie class:
Roy was Colorado’s coach in 2013 when Nathan MacKinnon was the top pick with big expectations. Roy said he plans to follow a similar approach, starting Schaefer lower in the lineup and getting the chance to earn more ice time.
Schaefer opened training camp on the third defensive pair alongside veteran Scott Mayfield.
“My ears are wide open for him to let me know what I need to do better,” Schaefer said.
The Islanders consider it a collective effort to help Schaefer acclimate to life in the pros and the hype of going first in the draft.
“Obviously, there’s going to be some sort of pressure on him,” center Bo Horvat said. “If anybody’s going to handle it, it’s going to be him. … He’s a very likable kid and easy to get along with right away, so he’s going to fit into our group really well.”
How much did hockey-mad Montreal care bout Demidov signing an NHL contract and arriving from Russia late last season? There was a livestream dedicated to his international flight landing in Toronto on the way to join the team.
“I was like, ‘Oh man, this is crazy,’” captain Nick Suzuki said.
Demidov, the fifth pick in the 2024 draft, got a head start by playing in two regular-season and five playoff games last spring. He is the prohibitive Calder favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
“It’s super impressive to see someone have that much talent at that age, and he obviously had a great start with us and had some nice moments in the playoffs, as well,” Suzuki said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the roster this year.”
The second pick behind Schaefer joins a talented young core in San Jose headlined by Celebrini and Will Smith.
“He’s an awesome kid,” Celebrini said. “There’s a reason he went second overall. He’s a special player.”
Misa upon getting drafted said he intended to play in the NHL right away. General manager Mike Grier expects Misa’s play to dictate that..
“He wants to be the best,” Grier said. “He wants to play against the best. I’m sure this is what he wants to do, but we’re not gonna hand him anything. He’s got to come into training camp and try and take a job and earn a spot.”
Like Demidov, Leonard broke into the NHL late last season, playing a total of 17 games as Alex Ovechkin broke the career goals record and Washington reached the second round of the playoffs.
Leonard had just two assists, but he’s now counted on to be a regular contributor for the Capitals, even if his mindset was just to earn a roster spot.
“Nothing’s guaranteed, so just going out there and try to prove that I can make the team and play at the level,” Leonard said.
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