Trending: Red Wings advance to championship game with 5-0 win

TRAVERSE CITY -- After Detroit lost 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild in their first game of the Prospect Tournament last Friday, the Red Wings vowed they were going to commit to playing team defense.
With some encouragement from head coach Ben Simon and his staff, Detroit's players have become a defensive juggernaut.

Paced by solid goaltending and a fearless defensive corps when it comes to blocking shots, the Red Wings limited the Dallas Stars to 17 shots in Saturday's 3-1 victory and on Monday, Detroit's defense held the New York Rangers to 14 shots in their 5-0 shutout win.
Both the Stars and the Rangers came into their games against the Red Wings on an offensive roll, but the Wings played with a lockdown mentality which carried them to victory.
Center Joe Veleno paced the Wings attack against the Rangers with three points. He notched a pair of goals (one on the power play) with an assist and was plus-1.
Alex Holmstrom, Zach Gallant (shorthanded) and Michael Rasmussen (power play) were the other Red Wings goal scorers.
Despite only facing 14 shots, goalie Patrik Rybar was stellar in net, making several key saves and showing tremendous rebound control.
With the victory, the Red Wings advance to Tuesday's championship game looking to become just the second Detroit team to win the tournament.
They will face the Columbus Blue Jackets, who beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 Monday and are 3-0 in the tournament.
The Wings' only tournament win came back in 2013.
1. Joe Veleno: Based on his performance at the Prospect Tournament, it's easy to understand why Veleno was granted exceptional player status, allowing him to play in the QMJHL as a 15-year-old. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound center has shown a smooth skating style with terrific passing skills and a shot which seems harder than advertised and is also accurate. He has jelled well with Filip Zadina and Rasmussen, forming a No. 1 line which has been dominant when they're on the ice. It also is apparent that Veleno has a chip on shoulder because he fell to the Wings as the 30th pick in the first round of the draft, despite being projected to go in the middle of first round. But when it's all said and done, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise if Veleno emerges as the steal of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Quotable: "It's been a great experience so far. I'm really enjoying it and really taking it in, the draft and all this, the Traverse City tournament, so it's been a really good experience and to do it with these guys (Zadina and Rasmussen), it's been a huge honor. They're two great players. It's a real privilege to play with them. I think we just fit each other so well. Z with his shot and Ras, with his big body out there creating some room. I think we all fit each other's positives and I think we've been having good chemistry ever since we've been playing together. We've been creating offense, playing well defensively and I think we're just playing good hockey right now. It's always nice to score goals, for sure. But again, I just try to do both. I want to contribute both ways, not just playmaking, score goals. Today I was finally starting to shoot the puck and it resulted in two goals. I like doing that for sure. -- Veleno
Quotable II: "Another smart hockey player. He does a lot of little things that maybe not the average fan can see. He does a lot of little things in positioning his stick, getting himself to open areas and just little details of his game that reflect in the success he's had in his young career so far." - Ben Simon, Grand Rapids Griffins head coach
2. Patrik Rybar: Although the Wings lost their first game against the Minnesota Wild, 4-2, Simon singled out goaltender Patrik Rybar for his play. Rybar faced 34 shots and stopped 31. Rybar had far less work against the Rangers but stopped all 14 shots to earn his first victory and first shutout. At 1:35 of the first, defenseman Ryan Lindgren had a good look but Rybar made the save. Since that first game, the team's defensive effort has greatly improved, with every player on the ice committed to blocking shots and preventing second chances.
Quotable: "It's fine. It's my second match and a shutout but I have to say thank you for my guys because they play very well. So many times they helped me and I have easier than the first match. I think because the first game, the first game is a lot of mistakes. I think we do better and better. Four games, we do better more. It's fine. I'm happy that I have a shutout but I'm more happy that we won this game." -- Rybar
Quotable II: "He was great again. He just has a calmness. It's not only on the ice but off the ice. He just has a calm demeanor to him. He doesn't panic. You can kind of sense that in just how he handles himself at the rink every day. He's just a cool, calm, collected guy, so I don't know that's a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes you want a little bit of a reaction. Just a good kid. He works hard, it seems like he plays a pretty clean game. He's not really all over the place, he doesn't scramble. He seems to have a pretty simplistic attitude." -- Simon
3. Axel Holmstrom/Zach Gallant/Trevor Hamilton: It's not always the first and second-round draft picks who shine during the tournament. Against the Rangers, it was Axel Holmstrom who kicked off Detroit's scoring with a rebound goal at 2:32 of the second period, assisted by defenseman Jared McIsaac. Holmstrom was the Wings' seventh-round pick, 196th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Earlier in his career, his development was hindered due to knee injuries that required surgery. Last season he played the entire year with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. Zach Gallant was the Wings' third-round pick, 83rd overall, in the 2017 draft. At 13:39 of the second, with the Wings killing off Rasmussen's holding penalty, Gallant broke free for a shorthanded goal, his first of the tournament. Defenseman Trevor Hamilton, who signed an AHL contract, helped the Wings limit the Rangers to just 14 shots as he was one of many blocking shots in front of Rybar.

Quotable: "I feel a lot better. First game was a little rusty after a long flight and stuff like that. I've been taking steps since last year and I think it was a huge year for me being here and playing a whole season for once, being quit of all the injuries. I feel like my confidence is getting there and still a lot of stuff that I need to work on, but I feel like it's going uphill and I'm happy for that." -- Holmstrom
Quotable II: "Being two years older, being in the gym for an extended period of time, you get bigger, faster, stronger. So just working on that on a consistent basis and staying positive. Just (want to) have a solid tournament, show the guys that I can play. It's my contract year, hopefully I can have the opportunity to sign a contract." - Gallant
Quotable III: "I just try and make it a part of my game. I like to help out the goalies as much as I can, if that's blocking a shot, it's blocking a shot. I've broken a lot of bones in my life, but it's all for a good cause. Right now, I go down and just hope for the best, hope it doesn't hurt." -- Hamilton
Quotable IV: "This is Homer's third rookie camp. You can see his maturity in his game. When we first got Axel here he was coming off knee surgery, that's a tough injury to come back from. I think it speaks to his commitment to getting back where he needs to be. He's had a good summer, he had a good year last year and I think he's ready to take the next step. This is a big camp for him, a big tournament for him, so they can parlay that into camp and then get going for a good season here.
"(Gallant's) predominantly a center and we put him on the wing. To be a versatile guy like that, he's proven in the last couple games, is tremendous for him. It gives us maybe a little more potential opportunities as a wing in the organization as opposed to just pigeon-holing him as a center. He did a great job of keeping things simple. He's moving his feet. He had a few opportunities that he capitalized on." - Simon