Simon running show at development camp

DETROIT -- Ben Simon has been at Detroit Red Wings development camp before but this time is different.
That's not just because it's taking place at the BELFOR Training Center at Little Caesars Arena instead of in Traverse City.

This year, Simon is running the show since he replaced Todd Nelson as Grand Rapids Griffins head coach. Nelson is now an assistant with the Dallas Stars.
"I got a whistle and everything this year, it's crazy," Simon said after Day 2 of camp. "It's exciting for me, to get back to running practices and designing practices and helping teach guys. It's been fun for me, getting the rust off and putting the big boy hat back on."
Simon said he isn't the only one getting rid of some offseason rust.
"They're excited, a lot of them haven't skated in a while, so just getting used to their equipment and shaking the rust off," Simon said about the prospects at Development Camp. "I thought (Wednesday) went a lot better than the first day. Guys are a little bit tired, but I thought overall it's been pretty good so far."
Simon said he welcomes the challenge of helping develop some of the next generation of Red Wings, especially on the blue line.
"When they're with us in Grand Rapids, it's develop, it's teach, that's through video, through on-ice," Simon said. "There's no better development tool to teach than playing, so these kids are going to be forced to play a lot of minutes, give them a lot of responsibility and see who can accept that the most. If they're not playing, we're going to work them off the ice, we're going to work them on the ice. The next 3-4 years is something Grand Rapids is going to be judged heavily on, how these young defensemen are developing."
In addition to running Development Camp with Toledo Walleye coach Dan Watson, goaltending development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson, director of player development Shawn Horcoff, player development assistant Dan Cleary, goaltending scout Maciej Szwoch and others, Simon is working on hiring two assistant coaches for the Griffins.
"Sooner rather than later," Simon said. "We're taking the time to make sure we're going through the right people. We've talked to a lot of quality people, a lot of different resumes with tons of coaching experience, with tons of playing experience. We want to make sure, especially with the young D we have down there, to bring in the right people, not only have an understanding of what the expectations are, but the work ethic that goes into it. And the care meter. We want good people who care about these young defensemen that the Red Wings are bestowing their trust in us."
SMALL BUT SKILLED: When the Red Wings selected forward Otto Kivenmaki with their seventh-round pick, 191st overall, in last weekend's NHL Entry Draft, there was a little bit of a shock factor with his size. Kivenmaki was listed at 5-foot-8, 137 pounds.
For comparison's sake, defenseman Joe Hicketts is listed at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds.
But apparently Kivenmaki has been training and had put on a few pounds of muscle.
"I don't know," Kivenmaki said. "Like 70, 60, 55 kilos."
After doing the math, Kivenmaki is around 154 pounds if he's at 70 kilos.
Although he did not know much about the Red Wings, Kivenmaki was pleased to be selected.
"I wasn't expecting a draft," Kivenmaki said. "But I was happy. It's an honor and a dream come true."

At his diminutive size, Kivenmaki will have a lot to prove before he tries to make the Wings but he's not looking too far ahead.
"This year I just want to be good in the Finnish Elite League," Kivenmaki said. "Just get to play in there and hopefully in a couple of years play here."
The Finnish Elite League is a good league that is not comprised of just older players.
"Not all. There's some younger guys there, too," Kivenmaki said. "The older guys give tips, how to play out on the ice."
But Kivenmaki said he knows that he has to play a little differently because he's smaller.
"I just got to skate harder and I do turns and see kind of a little better," he said.
Kivenmaki said his favorite player growing up has been Sidney Crosby but he also enjoyed watching former Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk.
One good thing for Kivenmaki is that although the Wings are known for their Swedish players, there is another Finn in camp, defenseman Kasper Kotkansalo, who was drafted in the third round, 71st overall, in the 2017 Draft.
"I've never met him before but it's been fun to see him here," Kivenmaki said.
Kotkansalo said he hadn't crossed paths with Kivenmaki back in Finland.
"I didn't know him at all but I've got to know him now so that's very nice," Kotkansalo said.
ZADINA GAINING FOLLOWERS: Already popular among the hockey cognoscenti, Filip Zadina has gained even more recognition since getting drafted by the Wings with the sixth overall pick.
He could tell just from his Instagram account, filip_zadina.
"I had to turn off the notifications because I post a picture yesterday and if I had left the notifications on, probably my phone would just blow up," Zadina said. "It was unbelievable, lots of comments. It's awesome."
Currently Zadina has 32,500 followers on Instagram, a number that will keep growing, especially if he makes the Red Wings roster this fall.
Zadina, who appeared on 97.1 the Ticket with Mike Stone and Jamie Samuelsen Thursday morning, is starting to get a sense of the passion that Wings fans have.
"I'm so glad I can be part of the Detroit organization because the people here, especially the fans, they're awesome," Zadina said. "I see them at the development practice (Wednesday) and the rink was packed full. It's good for me and good for us that the people are coming to see us on the ice."
Zadina is gratified that Wings fans have responded well to his and Joseph Veleno's comments about making the teams that passed on them in the draft pay for their mistakes.
"That's pretty cool," Zadina said. "I'm so glad the people love me, especially me and Joe because we are from the same CHL league, QMJHL so we know each other very well. It's good for us."
One benefit of having Development Camp in Detroit instead of Traverse City is that Zadina and the prospects could attend a Detroit Tigers game, which they did Wednesday night as the Tigers faced the Oakland Athletics.

"It's going to be my first baseball game," Zadina said before the game. "I've never been there. It's not that popular sport back in Czech Republic, especially in Europe. If I will be here in Detroit, I'm just going to learn the rules and the game of baseball for sure."
Zadina enjoys tennis in addition to hockey but does he think he could have played baseball?
"I've never tried but maybe," he said. "I got a pretty good swing so maybe I can hit the ball."