Trending: Wings come up short against Blue Jackets in title game

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Detroit Red Wings had the high draft picks and the home ice advantage but the Columbus Blue Jackets seemed to have the motivation.
In Tuesday night's 2018 NHL Prospect Tournament championship game, the free agent-laden Blue Jackets skated to a 7-3 victory to earn their fifth title.

Columbus passed St. Louis for most championships in the 20-year history of the tournament.
The Blue Jackets went 4-0 during the Prospect Tournament while the Red Wings finished 2-2.
Givani Smith scored twice, once on the power play, and Dennis Cholowski scored on the power play for the Wings.
Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno assisted on Cholowski's goal. Veleno finished tied for second in points with two goals among seven points in four games while Rasmussen had three goals and two assists.
Kevin Stenlund had two goals (one on the power play), Eric Robinson (power play), Sam Vigneault, Garret Cockerill (empty net, shorthanded) and Kole Sherwood (shorthanded) scored for the Blue Jackets.
1. Filip Zadina: The entire Detroit organization likely held its collective breath at 12:25 of the third period when Zadina got the puck on a pass from Michael Rasmussen and was hit in what appeared to be a high hit by Columbus defenseman Justin Wade. Zadina crumpled to the ice and had to be helped off. Meanwhile, Detroit defenseman Vili Saarijarvi responded by immediately hitting Wade, breaking his stick in the process. After the referees conferred, they deemed it to be a clean hit and Wade and Saarijarvi received roughing penalties. At 16:45, Zadina skated back onto the ice, much to the relief of the Wings fans and front office staff. Zadina finished the tournament with one goal and two assists in the four games. Now his focus shifts to Red Wings training camp, which starts Friday.
Quotable: "I got a pass from Ras and I tried to shoot the puck but the guy, the second guy from behind, he step in and he hit me. I hit my wrist beside my chest and it just squeezed it so it hurt but it's going to be good. Nothing changing, we are lost. I didn't help the team to win. They were just checking my wrist and just said I want to go back. But I probably should stay in the room because I didn't help the team. It was a horrible game." -- Zadina

Quotable II: "We saw it and I looked at it on tape. Whenever you cut across the blue line you are somewhat vulnerable and there is an onus on the player making the hit not to hit him in the head but we looked at it on tape, but I didn't see it live so I didn't make a big stink with the referees. They made the right calls. Maybe it was a little late but he didn't catch him in the head at all. The biggest thing is he competes and he cares, almost cares too much at times. He's got high expectations and he'll have to learn to measure those highs and lows. That's part of growing up and being a pro." -- Ben Simon, Grand Rapids Griffins head coach
Quotable III: "I saw it happen, I saw a hit to the head. I guess in the ref's opinion, he had a different view, but when a guy is cutting in the middle, you want to be careful and not go at him too fast. I think that's what the other guy did. I think he did it on purpose. He's a physical guy. It's good to see he's all right." -- Joe Veleno
2. Givani Smith: Although Smith hadn't scored in the first three games of the prospect tournament, he was a physical presence who played in every situation - even strength, power play and penalty kill. Although opposing players tried to get under Smith's skin, the young power forward just laughed it off and continued to play his game. After the Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead in the first period, Smith responded with a power-play goal at 14:39, assisted by Saarijarvi. The Blue Jackets carried a 2-1 lead into the third period but Smith struck again. He tied the game again, scoring at 1:06 of the third period. Although Smith is likely to end up in Grand Rapids with the AHL's Griffins, he is going to work to earn a spot with the Wings once training camp begins.
Quotable: "I scored a few goals, I scored the first one to tie the game, helped the guys out, and the second one. I'm happy I was able to contribute to the team. I pretty much play the same game, I finish my checks and I shoot the puck and go to the net. I can score so it doesn't come as a surprise to me. I was happy to get two goals, I'm very fortunate for it." -- Smith

Quotable II: "I thought Givani played fantastic tonight. When he's moving his feet he keeps things simple, he plays with energy, that's when he's most effective. It's tough to play that kind of game over a course of a season, for 76 games in the American League, 82 in the NHL, but if he can learn to figure that out and I don't want to say pace yourself but kind of pick and choose his spots and still be effective playing that way, he's going to be OK." -- Simon
3. Dennis Cholowski: Despite being a minus-3, Cholowski was a stalwart on the Detroit blueline. He unofficially logged the most ice time on the team and was creating offensive opportunities from the back end, which is something the Red Wings need from their defensive corps. Cholowski spent the entire summer working out in Detroit with several Red Wings players and it was evident during the tournament that his commitment to improving his game has really paid off. Cholowski was the Wings best defenseman among a group that collectively played well. He showed poise, speed, a hard, accurate shot from the point, and a high hockey IQ in making terrific decisions with the puck. At 1:35 of the third period, Cholowski gave the Wings a brief 3-2 lead with a power-play goal. His six points in the tournament were tied for third-most in the tournament. By most accounts, the former first-round pick was slated to begin the year in Grand Rapids, but his elevated play has put him squarely in the mix to nab a spot on the Red Wings coming out of training camp.
Quotable: "You can tell he put a lot of work in over the summer. The fact he can play four games in five nights and log the amount of minutes he did and have the success he did in this quick little tournament speaks to the work he put in over the summer. I'm sure he's tired but he serviced himself well." -- Simon