A TRUSTED DEVELOPMENT

scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal but ultimately took place with teams convening via videoconferencing.

Sebrango’s excitement at being chosen by an Original Six team was tempered by the truth of a highly transmissible virus that had turned the sports world upside down. Indeed, it was a troubling situation for people from all walks of life, including young hockey players hungry for ice time.

“When you’re not playing and not doing what you love, it takes a toll on you, especially when you’re not sure whether you’ll ever get to play,” he said. “Once we found out that it was going to take some time before we would be able to play here (in North America), I went over to Europe and played there.”

While Sebrango enjoyed his short-lived sojourn to Slovakia, he was thrilled when he learned that he would be able to play with the Griffins last season. He made his pro debut on Feb. 11, 2021, in Chicago, then recorded his first point (an assist) in his seventh AHL game.

“Everyone is another level (better) compared to junior hockey, so it took a few games to get adjusted,” he said. “Everyone is faster, everyone is stronger, but once you get adjusted, you realize it’s the same game that you’ve been playing for a while. When you start to gain more confidence, you can stick to playing your game. You adapt.”

His adjustment to the AHL was made a little easier with the help of teammates who did what they could to make him feel more at ease, even when the league’s coronavirus protocols played havoc with team ideals like camaraderie and esprit de corps, concepts that were tempered by social distancing requirements.

“Everyone helped me out,” Sebrango said. “Being good teammates, they made me feel comfortable in the room, which allowed me to gain some confidence. The coaching staff showed they believed in me by giving me playing time, which enabled me to feel more comfortable.”

Sebrango played in all but one of the Griffins’ 32 games last season, recording four assists in the process.

He went into this past summer unsure where he would play. Normally he would have been ineligible to play in the AHL, but the NHL was able to negotiate a one-time exception for those players who took part in at least 20 AHL contests during the 2020-21 season when their teams were not operating.

Being sent back to his junior league could have been viewed as a step back in his development.

“When I got the word that I was going to be

Sebrango wants to improve his consistency as a shutdown defenseman.

able to play in the AHL again, I was definitely excited,” he said. “I was ready to get going with a ‘normal,’ or at least a full, season in Grand Rapids.”

Twenty games into this season, Sebrango got one last chance to compete with players in his age group when he was named a member of Team Canada for this year’s World Junior Championship. The 10-team tournament was scheduled for Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

“It was a surreal feeling once I got the word, almost a feeling I can’t describe,” he said. “It’s a huge honor.”

Sebrango was one of the final cuts at Canada’s camp the previous year, so being named one of the eight defensemen on the 2022 squad was a moment he will never forget. “I called my mom right away, seconds after I found out,” he said. “She was crying as soon as I told her. She couldn’t believe it.”

Representing his country on the world stage was an honor that Sebrango was more than happy to share with his mom. “She’s my rock. She’s my everything,” he said. Growing up, as a single parent, she had to be a father and a mom to me. I owe the world to her.”

He wasted little time in showing that he meant business. In Canada’s opening game against Czechia on Dec. 26, he quickly set the tone by hammering Buffalo Sabres prospect Jakub Konecny with an open-ice hit in the neutral zone, a play that elicited cheers from the Canadian faithful.

Playing physical and fearless is nothing new for Sebrango. “It’s definitely been a part of my game for a while and it’s something that keeps growing as I keep growing,” he said. “I think I’m a bit of an old-school defenseman with a little bit of new school. I think I’m a pretty tough, gritty kind of guy. But I think I add offense, so I got a little bit of the old-age hockey in me and a kind of new-era offensive defenseman.”

In his world juniors debut, Sebrango topped his check of a Czech by scoring the game-tying goal late in the first period. Capitalizing on a perfect backhand pass from Winnipeg rookie Cole Perfetti, he knotted the score at 3-3 on the way to his team’s 6-3 victory.

“It was an incredible feeling, especially since I hadn’t scored in awhile,” he said. “Getting that goal meant everything to me and having my mom there made it even more special.”

Canada defeated Austria 11-2 in its second

Sebrango scored a goal for Team Canada in his 2022 World Junior Championship debut.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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game on the strength of four goals from 16-yearold Connor Bedard, a nephew of former Red Wings goalie coach Jim Bedard. The rest of the tournament was canceled as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continued to spread.

Sebrango was disappointed by the premature end of the event, but he was pleased that he was able to experience the excitement around it, even on a limited basis. “You’re grateful for every moment you’re there,” he said. “Even though it was cut short, I wouldn’t take back any time I spent there.”

Upon his return to Grand Rapids, he scored his first pro goal in his second game back. His New Year’s Day tally was his first goal in 53 games with the Griffins. Given his Boxing Day goal in the world junior tournament, Sebrango chuckles at the suggestion that he needs to find more holidays to play on.

He knows his offensive play is still a work-inprogress. While his reputation will be built on being a shut-down defenseman, he hopes he can be counted on to chip in points when needed.

“When you’re playing in the AHL, you realize that it’s a tougher league,” he said. “When you’re playing against seasoned pros, it’s definitely more

11804 2021-2022 Griffiti Ads_Jan3.indd 1 of a challenge. You can’t take any shifts off or any nights off. You have to be ready to bring it every night. “I realize that this is my league now and where I will be playing for a bit. I do what I’m asked to do and then see what happens from there. My confidence is good because my teammates and coaches believe in me. It feels good to have them on my side.” Sebrango feels he is in a good place. His mom visited for a couple of weeks recently, which he says was “a good feeling.” “Being able to look up in the crowd and seeing her in Grand Rapids was great,” he said. “It was good to show her where I’ve been living. I love it here. I’m playing with a great bunch of guys and great coaches. I have nothing bad to say, so I’m having fun.” He realizes that he has been fortunate to pursue his dream in less-than-ideal circumstances created by the coronavirus. “It’s been a weird couple of years, but circumstances switched things around and pushed me forward,” he said. “I’m grateful for everything that has happened for me so far.”

12/20/21 2:29 PM

SOONER THAN LATER

Tyler Bertuzzi is hellbent on bringing the Red Wings back to playoff contention, and his recent play has shown that he can be the same difference maker in the NHL that he was in Grand Rapids.

When Tyler Bertuzzi scored four goals in the Red Wings’ 2021-22 season opener against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, it was as though he was shooting a flare with dramatic flair to signal his arrival as a legitimate star.

If some critics dismissed the 26-year-old’s performance as a one-night wonder, Bertuzzi soon proved that he is no flash in the pan. After Detroit’s first 10 games, Bertuzzi had already tallied nine goals and six assists.

“Bert’s a hell of a player,” Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said in post-game comments after Bertuzzi had two goals and two assists to rally Detroit to a 4-3 overtime win in Buffalo last Nov. 6. “He’s a hell of a competitor. He’s a great person, but he’s a hell of a player. And I don’t know if he gets his due all the time for as good a player as he is.”

Blashill knows what Griffins fans know. When the chips are down, few players are better at producing than Bertuzzi.

During his three-plus seasons in Grand Rapids, Bertuzzi recorded 23 goals and 16 assists in 42 playoff games. Blashill was coaching the Griffins during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs when the rookie Bertuzzi potted seven goals in

Bertuzzi likes to hustle to the hard areas on the ice. Goal celebrations were a common occurrence during Bertuzzi’s time in Grand Rapids.

his first 14 postseason games, including four game-winning tallies.

“I remember coming into my first playoff and Blash was the coach,” Bertuzzi said. “I think that playoff run was big for my career. Just getting that early playoff experience was helpful in terms of playing pro hockey.”

Bertuzzi, of course, was only getting started. After tallying seven more goals in just nine games before the Griffins’ second-round exit in 2015-16, he took home the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs when the Griffins won their second championship in five years.

“Winning a Calder Cup was huge for my development,” said Bertuzzi, who had nine goals and 10 assists in 19 playoff games that year. “In the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to elevate your game. You learn to battle every night and I think it ultimately helps your play.”

The current season has seen Bertuzzi elevate his game to a new level. After a great start, he went 11 games without a goal before he started possibly the hottest streak of his NHL career. In 13 contests from Dec. 16 to Jan. 22, Bertuzzi scored 10 goals while adding eight assists as the

Red Wings found themselves on a winning track halfway into the season.

As he often showed during his time in Grand Rapids, Bertuzzi seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time – and that’s not something that happens by accident. Call it good hockey sense or the good fortune that results from putting himself in the best position to score, he excels by creating the kind of chances that often result in points.

“I pride myself in going to the net and trying to create space for myself,” he said. “I’m always trying to go to the net, so I’ll score those types of goals. But I’m trying to expand my goal-scoring ability by trying to shoot from everywhere while still continuing to go to the net.”

Hockey observers often say that the puck follows certain players around the ice, but usually, it’s the other way around. Smart players instinctively put themselves into areas of the ice where the puck finds them, and they are able to create those high-quality scoring chances.

In terms of hockey sense, Bertuzzi’s talent is off the charts.

Like Wayne Gretzky famously observed, the way to become a difference maker is in skating to where the puck is going to be rather than where it has been. When you can anticipate the action, you are able to produce more points.

On Jan. 9 this season, Bertuzzi saw the puck squirt toward him on the far side of the net after defenseman Marc Staal tried a wrap-around chance. Without hesitation, Bertuzzi buried the shot into the open net behind the Anaheim Ducks goaltender.

“A lot of the pucks are going to go toward the net, so that’s where I like to go,” Bertuzzi said. “When you go to the net, you’ll often get rewarded, so I’ll continue to do that. It’s finding those little spots on the ice where you think the puck is going to go and trying to catch the goalie as open as possible.”

Five days earlier, Bertuzzi skated from behind the goal, then backhanded the puck toward the net. The shot surprised the unsuspecting San Jose netminder, allowing the puck to deflect off the goalie’s stick into the open cage.

Bertuzzi knows that today’s goalies are so skilled, it’s a good idea to shoot when they least expect it. Catch them napping or catch them when their guard is down and your chances of getting the puck past them will improve. Create havoc whenever possible to distract them or to catch them out of position.

On Jan. 15, the Red Wings converted on the power play after tic-tac-toe puck movement allowed Bertuzzi to bury a rebound, giving Detroit the first goal in a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena. If you blinked, you might have missed his shot.

The fact is that the puck never seems to be on Bertuzzi’s stick for long. He prefers a quick release rather than waiting for the perfect shot and possibly telegraphing his actions. “You want to get your shot off as quick as possible so they can’t get set in their position, that’s the biggest thing,” he said.

Most of Bertuzzi’s points come from those spots on the ice that are described as the “hard areas,” down low and close to the net where players have to fight for every inch. In another recent game, Bertuzzi was battling along the boards before he managed to free the puck to Robby Fabbri, who found Dylan Larkin coming off the bench and streaking toward the net.

“I was trying to keep working hard down low, hold onto the puck, and make a smart play,” Bertuzzi said. “Obviously ‘Fab’ made a good play to find Dylan in the slot.”

Bertuzzi and Larkin have been on the Red Wings’ top line for most of the season, having found chemistry in recent years. “Me and Dylan have always had a pretty good connection on the ice and we seem to draw off each other,” he said of his relationship with the Red Wings’ captain.

Larkin, meanwhile, contends that Bertuzzi doesn’t always get the credit he deserves. “I couldn’t be more proud of him,” Larkin told the media earlier this season. “When he’s been on the ice with us, he battles. He battles for his guys, his teammates, and he’s one of my best friends. It’s great to see his confidence just take off.”

Before the start of the season, there was some question of who would fill the other spot on the Larkin-Bertuzzi line. Lucas Raymond, now a candidate for this season’s Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie alongside teammate Moritz Seider, quickly filled the role.

“Raymond has been awesome for us,” Bertuzzi said. “He brings another ability to score from anywhere. If we can get him the puck and he can create some space, we know we’ll get our chances.”

It didn’t take long for the Red Wings to recognize that they had something extra special in the player that general manager Steve Yzerman had decided to take with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

“Even during our summer skates, Dylan and I were talking and Raymond looked really good,” Bertuzzi said. “Obviously you can’t judge him on that alone, but he continued to look good during the preseason and he managed to transition right into the regular season.

“He’s made a good name for himself and he’s been really good for us this year.”

Larkin and defenseman Danny DeKeyser are the only players who remain from Bertuzzi’s first substantial season (2017-18) in Detroit, which Bertuzzi called “crazy,” but which is evidence of the wholesale changes that the Red Wings needed to make to regain their reputation as a perennial Cup contender.

Bertuzzi said the team as a whole is building confidence.

“We’ve made positive steps this year,” he said. “We’re a very young team with a few older guys who are really good in the locker room and are key pieces on the ice. I think everyone is jelling together great, but we need to keep improving and keep getting wins.”

Although he missed most of last season with a back injury, Bertuzzi said he could see signs

Bertuzzi was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP for the 2016-17 season.