Red Wings unveil opening night roster ahead of clash against Canadiens: 3 rookies set for NHL debut
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Detroit Red Wings have released their official roster for tonight's home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
Hockey is finally back at Little Caesars Arena tonight, with the Montreal Canadiens in town for the Detroit Red Wings' home opener.
The new season brings a lot of motivation for players, but the Wings will have an extra chip on their shoulder for tonight's game against Montreal, after the Habs beat them to last year's playoffs by only five points.
A few hours before the start of the game, the organization confirmed the roster that will be sent on the ice.
Three Rookies Set To Make Debuts Tonight For Detroit In First Game Of The Centennial Season
Kicking off the Centennial season on a high note is clearly a priority for Detroit, and here are the players that will be on the ice for the game:
Forwards
18 Andrew Copp
22 Mason Appleton
23 Lucas Raymond
27 Michael Rasmussen
28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
37 J.T. Compher
48 Jonatan Berggren
58 Emmitt Finnie
71 Dylan Larkin
85 Elmer Söderblom
88 Patrick Kane
92 Marco Kasper
93 Alex DeBrincat
Defensemen
8 Ben Chiarot
20 Albert Johansson
25 Jacob Bernard-Docker
44 Axel Sandin-Pellikka
52 Travis Hamonic
53 Moritz Seider
56 Erik Gustafsson
77 Simon Edvinsson
Goalies
36 John Gibson
39 Cam Talbot
18 Andrew Copp
22 Mason Appleton
23 Lucas Raymond
27 Michael Rasmussen
28 Michael Brandsegg-Nygård
37 J.T. Compher
48 Jonatan Berggren
58 Emmitt Finnie
71 Dylan Larkin
85 Elmer Söderblom
88 Patrick Kane
92 Marco Kasper
93 Alex DeBrincat
Defensemen
8 Ben Chiarot
20 Albert Johansson
25 Jacob Bernard-Docker
44 Axel Sandin-Pellikka
52 Travis Hamonic
53 Moritz Seider
56 Erik Gustafsson
77 Simon Edvinsson
Goalies
36 John Gibson
39 Cam Talbot
Todd McLellan opened up about the excitement surrounding the team ahead of the start of the season:
"I think we're antsy. You should never say this, but I think the guys are sick and tired of practicing after Training Camp and everything. They want to get going, and we do as well. We need some evidence now. We need to catch them doing things right and wrong. Where do we need to take our game? What do we need to work on? They need to experience the intensity of a real game. There's no doubt about it."
John Gibson, who will get the start, talked about the importance of getting in the win column early:
"We just need to keep doing what we've been doing, making sure everything is ready to go and that we're firing on all cylinders. You want to get off to a hot start and hit the ground running."
Three players will take part in the rookie games tonight: Emmitt Finnie, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
Here's what McLellan had to say about them:
"We don't want to be creating more anxiety for them. They know what's ahead of them. They're probably as excited as they could be. If I was going to tell them anything, 'Just go play. Play your heart out. If a mistake occurs, we can live with that. That's what we coach for. We'll help you fix it. You have teammates around you that will protect you in certain situations from mistakes.'"
James van Riemsdyk won't be taking part in the game, but McLellan did provide an update on his status, saying he looks closer to making his debut:
"Closer and looking better. Certainly, he's not going to play [on Thursday], but we play Saturday. I think that would be a good option for him if everything goes well. Getting updates from our training staff about him physically, but also from our sports science department that monitors his workload and all that type of stuff. He's starting to push numbers that are realistic for game situations."
The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned for all the updates ahead of the start of the game.
Previously on Red Wings Insider
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