It was a rough weekend for the Red Wings at the NHL Prospects Tournament.
The Wings’ top young players ended a winless weekend Sunday at Centre I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City with a 6-5 loss to Toronto, the Wings’ third consecutive defeat.
Cross Hanas had his second consecutive two-goal game, and Amadeus Lombardi, Nic Sima and Elmer Soderblom added Wings goals.
Wings goaltender Jan Bednar stopped all 29 shots he saw. He was replaced by Sebastian Cossa, who made only 12 of 17 saves, struggling for the second straight game.
“Maybe a little bit of lack of focus at times that led to some of those goals against,” said Dan Watson, who coached the Wings’ prospects, of Cossa’s performance. “That’s part of refocusing, and I’m sure he feels pressure and that kind of stuff but with that said, he’s matured in that area and now the next step is the mental side of it. You let one (goal) in, you have to forget about it and move on and be ready to stop the next puck.”
Watson coached Cossa last season in Toledo, and likely will have Cossa in net in Grand Rapids this season, where Watson was elevated.
Watson felt the three-game tournament was a good learning tool for the young players on the roster.
“It was a grind, but every team went through it and from there, main camp doesn’t get any easier,” Watson said. “The intensity ramps up. There are guys trying to make the team, the details and habits are better, the game is quicker.”
Lombardi saw positives from the weekend.
“It was frustrating losing three games, we wanted to come here and win and compete,” Lombardi said. “But we are here to develop and learn and we understand that. We’re here to learn and to get better.
‘”Both games we were playing well and then a few mistakes happened and it ended up going in the back of our net. Maybe the bounces were a little unfortunate but aside from that, we’re learning new systems and learning how to play a pro style.”
Wings’ first-round draft pick Nate Danielson was held out of Sunday’s game as a precaution after getting hurt late in Saturday’s game.
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