Albert Johansson, Todd McLellan Media | Oct. 4, 2025

Albert Johansson, Todd McLellan Media | Oct. 4, 2025

uh final game of the preseason tonight. What’s the group’s I guess confidence level and comfortability level at this point in the preseason? Uh no, I mean overall it’s been it’s been a good camp and uh um yeah, last game against Toronto was was a good road game. So um just want to try to build from that one. Um last one at home, I mean try to to find our game uh our pace um even more. So, um, yeah, it’s a good good last test for the preseason. You talked about building from the last game, but it seems throughout the preseason you guys have built on each and every game. What have been some of the key areas that you feel that you’ve done that as a group? No, I mean just overall like from the start I think we’ve been uh coach has been very um they’ve been challenging us and uh um yeah working on our our system and I think uh we’ve been taking steps every game and um trying to to get there um like how we want to play and everything. Um but um yeah, I mean it’s never going to be perfect, but I think overall our game um I know we can we’re a good group of skaters in here. So uh we want to play play fast and I think last game we did and yeah want to continue to to build on that. So much of the talk on the ice is just ramping up for the season, but off the ice too. You guys are dealing with the schedule, the travel. How I guess important is that to get ready for the regular season as well, maybe something that isn’t going as unnoticed as well. Yeah, I mean uh it’s it’s part of it, but uh I mean um it’s it’s fun. I mean uh to go play games and and the travel and then upcoming season. I mean uh travel is a big part, but um we’re we’re pretty used to it and you know having pretty good uh travel. So I mean um just overall when we’re home taking care of bodies and everything and then um yeah be ready when we we travel and and play on the wall games. And then for your game as well, what are an area I should say that you’re looking to maybe take some steps and build on last season? Uh yeah, I mean I still u still want to be uh play good defensively. I think that’s that’s my main focus, but um I want to use my uh my skating and and my vision and help to to set up teammates and and transport clubs out there. And I think um with more confidence to I think there’s some uh offensive game uh in my game uh that I can bring too. But I mean I just want to be a two-way two-way defenseman that um yeah playing play and steady in all three zones. Thanks. Obviously one preseason game left tonight, but in terms of the physical aspect of ramping up to the season, how has that evolved for this group from the start of training camp to now to this point and obviously still a week of practice next week? Yeah. Um, I guess you can define physical as a couple different things like the bodies and getting used to the game and the the pace and the the lungs and the legs. Where are they at? And then there’s the physical play part of it where um, you know, we’ve got to improve in that area as well. But both have gone fairly well. Um, you know, it’s hard to believe we’re at at game eight already. It feels like we were just going to Traverse City, but yet it’s been a a two and a half week adventure for us. And I think during that 2 and 1/2 weeks, we’ve built our physicality. We’ve got stronger. We’ve got our our lungs are better now. Our legs are a little bit better. Are they where they need to be? Um, you know, you have to look at individuals. I I think the team is kind of where it needs to be, but there’s some that can still improve. Um, you know, we’ll uh we’ll always want more. And we have uh tonight and then we have three days of practice leading up to day one. And then after that, we just keep trying to build our our program and make it better day after day. I know you had limited viewings on Michael Bransard coming into this camp, but are there any areas of his game that you’ve kind of grown more of an appreciation for as it’s progressed? Yeah, I I got to see Brans play. He came over at the end of the season last year, so it was a playoff game. I got to see him play in one playoff game, but it’s difficult to really um get to know an individual in one game, especially when you’re watching the whole team. Uh but as as camp’s gone on here, um appreciation’s grown for his competitiveness, his his heaviness, if you will. Always thought he had a a real good shot and could find the ice to get it off. He’s he’s proven that. Uh but I think his his skating and his understanding of of how to use his skating has got better throughout camp. um he’s not wasting energy. His give go game has got better. Um you know, so he he’s improved. And then just teamwise as a whole, like I guess what do you expect from this group based on what you’ve seen from them through seven after tonight, it’ll be eight preseason games going in? Yeah. So I guess if you’re asking me what do I expect from them tonight or like this season? This season more the season. Yeah. Um, well, we we’ve got to talk about or we have talked about an identity. You know, I think we’re we are a better team when we’re playing and skating. When we’re quick to to our jobs, to our tasks, um, and aggressive, we’re a better team. When we’re sitting back and kind of slow and letting it come to us, not so good. Um, so that’s an identity that we’re going to keep pushing. Um, I think the the Pittsburgh game at home and the the two to follow is is evidence of it. We didn’t skate well against Pittsburgh and didn’t go good. The next two games we were aggressive and skated. Um, as we go forward, our special teams are going to have to play a big role. Um, our goalending is is going to have to help us some nights, which uh we feel confident that it it can. And um you know from there we’re going to like any other team you you have these grand ideas of playing guys with you know pairs of players with certain guys and uh sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. So it’s a ever evolving lineup until you kind of get settled in and um run it for a little while and hope you get results. uh you know, can you get an indication here in the preseason games and practices of just where the PK is at even without having your full lineup in any particular game? Um you you we hope to um you know, the first couple games it’s it’s so erratic and we haven’t even really worked on it, so we we kind of throw that out the window. But you know, following that we uh we’ve talked about some of the the situations where we’ve allowed goals. Um, you know, some have been off the rush, some have been in the D zone, and then we talked about some of the real good things we’ve done. I thought the last two games especially uh was major improvement. The goal in Toronto, faceoff loss, it’s ping pong all over the place really. There’s not much uh structurally that we’re going to do different there and those are going to happen. But when we do get chances to uh you know to operate and work on things that we we want to put in place, it’s been showing up. um still not happening quick enough for me or naturally enough, but it it it will come. And with a power play when it’s as successful as it was last year and pretty much all is the same parts are back this year. Is there I know you always looking to improve, but is there a tendency to to to not tinker as much with something like that? Well, we’ll give um you know, tonight will be the first night where that group is actually completely together in a game. this became third game and he obviously plays a big role on it but that that one unit this the first game scenarios that they’ll face um so it’s good for them to play there the second group’s uh evolving um we expect both groups to be effective um and uh again it’ll need some reps it’ll need some time uh the one thing we could count on for the most part last year was production from those units And um you know, can we keep that up? We certainly hope we can. Um it’s hard to keep a power play at 27 28% throughout the whole season. It it es and flows, but it’ll be important to have it up and running, especially to start the season. See you tonight. Okay.

Albert Johansson and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Red Wings morning skate at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday October 4, 2025.