A few things in Wings land worth mentioning...

Camp Tryouts

It's no secret that the Wings are not shy about bringing free agent prospects to camp and giving them contracts... Brent Raedeke, Willie Coetzee, Brian Lashoff, Travis Ehrhardt, and guys like Jordan Pearce, Sebastien Piche, and Francis Pare who came more in the offseason. So they announced three names that they'll be bringing to their summer prospects camp and then training camp in the fall. Luckily, all three of them come with pretty entertaining YouTube videos.

Darren Archibald is a super pest out of the OHL who made himself internet famous a few months ago after running Windsor goaltender Philippe Grubauer in the OHL Finals. Check out the hit and the ensuing brawl here. He's known for being tough but also useful, as he put up 59 points in 57 games for the Barrie Colts.

Trevor Parkes is a teammate of 3rd round pick Louis-Marc Aubry on the Montreal Juniors in the QMJHL. Parkes was a rookie in the league, finishing 3rd on the team in points and 2nd in goals with 27. He also led the team with a +19 rating, with only one other player hitting the double digit plusses. He's got a video up after scoring a hat trick in a game back in November.

The final player is Alex Cord, possibly the only long shot after only playing in 10 OHL games, the rest in Jr. A -- not a place that a legitimate prospect who isn't going to play NCAA hockey plays. However, he does have a video in Jr. A where he absolutely lights some poor kid up. There's another video of him removing blood from another player in a fairly even fight.

Restricted Free Agents

As was assumed, Detroit qualified all major restricted free agents. Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Patrick Eaves, Drew Miller, and Derek Meech were all unsurprisingly qualified. They also qualified a pair of Griffins in Sergei Kolosov, who as I pointed out in my prospects post was no guarantee, and could be a potential KHL defectee, as well as Griffins captain Jamie Tardif. Tardif was no guarantee since he's still a long shot, but his leadership abilities in GR make him more valuable there, despite lacking in ability in other areas. In more surprising news, they also qualified Daniel Larsson (HV-71) and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (MODO). Larsson was a guarantee, but both of these players are playing in Sweden next year. Detroit will hold on to their exclusive rights this way and will get a chance to lure them back next summer.

This leaves five players unqualified. None are huge surprises.

Johan Ryno -- Three years of an entry-level contract, and 12 AHL games to show for it. Ryno left Grand Rapids after he was homesick, and was merely a secondary player in second-tier Sweden. He showed in training camps his obviously high skill level, but his commitment level was always in question and he never got the high level coaching he needed. As soon as his club, AIK, was promoted to the top Swedish league, they cut him, so he'll play in second-tier Sweden again. He'll likely spend the rest of his career in Europe.

Evan McGrath -- The reason that some aren't excited about the Jarnkrok/Pulkkinen picks is because of players like McGrath. He was supposed to be a first round pick in 2005, but slipped through the rankings over the course of the year before Detroit snapped him up in the 5th round. He went on to score 114 points his final season in the OHL, but his best two AHL seasons came with 35 and 47 points. This past season, he was a team worst -18, on pace to have his worst offensive season since his rookie year, so Detroit loaned him to Syracuse, Columbus' (Anaheim this season) AHL affiliate. It was no big secret he'd be let go, so hopefully now he can find an NHL club where he might have a better shot at a roste rspot.

Ryan Oulahen -- Oulahen is another former OHL product, a 2003 draft pick known for his excellent defensive play. He brought that to Grand Rapids for four straight seasons, serving as the team's captain for a time as well. He suffered a rather gruesome hip injury at the end of the 2008-09 season. Detroit gave him another one-year deal, but the injury kept him out of play all season and he didn't play a single minute. He's 25 now, and with a glut of checking type prospects in the system, it seams time Oulahen try a new organization.

Jeremy Williams -- No surprise, since the team picked him up as an unrestricted free agent last summer after he wasn't qualified by Toronto. He came in and scored 32 goals, playing an integral role on the Grand Rapids powerplay. Most of these players live off one year deals though, so it's more common to see Detroit and not hang on to them like they did with Doug Janik. Williams could probably fill a 4th line role on a bottom feeder, but will likely end up in the AHL since he's more of a one dimensional player.

Riley Armstrong -- The brother of Colby's tenure with Detroit was short, acquired at the trade deadline from Calgary for Andy Delmore. His toughness and grit were appreciated, but he didn't make a huge impression in Grand Rapids.

New teams for new prospects?

Just a few rumors to pass along. After the draft, Bob McKenzie speculated that Riley Sheahan might leave NCAA hockey after one season for the OHL. Usually I don't like when prospects jump from college to juniors, because they played in lesser leagues to keep their NCAA eligibility, but since Sheahan was among the youngest in the NCAA last season, he doesn't lose much. As a '91, he can spend the next two seasons in the OHL, which is likely the same time he'll spend in the NCAA since most top prospects turn pro after their junior year. Notre Dame is a really defensive system, so I think it might be his best bet to develop his offensive game, since he won't score much unless he gets a first line job -- very possible, but uncertain. His OHL rights are held by Erie, not a sought after destination. If his rights are traded, look for him to make the jump to the OHL.

Secondly, although he's under contract in Jokerit for one more season, there's talk that Kelowna is making a push to acquire the services of Teemu Pulkkinen. They drafted him in the CHL Import Draft last season, knowing it was a long shot to get him over. It seems like Pulkkinen will get top six minutes in Finland next season, but he could follow in the footsteps of his friend and frequent teammate Toni Rajala, who joined Brandon last season and enjoyed a fairly successful season. It sounds like the chances of both of these moves are slim, but it's nice to see that our picks are in high demand.

Andreas Lilja, probably not in the cards

Lilja seems to like Detroit, but has stated his desire to play top four minutes and less of a penalty kill only role, and he's learning he isn't going to get that in Detroit. Basically, it sounds like he wants out of town, though he's enjoyed it here. Playing in his favor is the fact that he's really solid, but playing against him is how limited he was last season due to injury. Though he's obviously been medically cleared, it's probably enough where some teams will steer clear.

I'd like him back, but I do really think he's a solid #6. Good enough to be a mediocre #4 elsewhere. If that's the opportunity he wants, I'm happy for him. There's not necessarily someone out there who I'd want to replace him (I'll do a free agent post in the middle of July, since I really don't see Detroit going out and spending money in the first week), but I think he goes above and beyond what a #6 defenseman is in the rest of the league. Hope he stays, but I think the cap and his own desires might price him out.

Free Agent Targets?

As I said in the last paragraph, we'll wait and see how things shake out. This got brought up on Twitter earlier today but it was dismissed as too pricey. But, as everyone now knows, Mike Modano won't be brought back to Dallas. As sick as it makes me to picture a franchise Yzerman/Sakic player in another uniform, it doesn't sound like Mike is done. Stars fans won't like it -- but they should really blame their own organization for not taking care if its legends the way Detroit does -- but I wouldn't mind seeing Modano wear a Wings jersey, if Detroit is really looking for a veteran 4th line forward the way Ken Holland claims. If he wants to play a season in his hometown for a cheap enough price, I really think Modano offers a lot of heart and can drive this team in a more skilled Dallas Drake role. Because the one thing I worry about on this team, since I know it's talented enough to succeed, is finding the reason to take their game into that gear where no one can touch them. I think Modano's presence alone can get them there.