Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Oct. 17, 2025

Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Todd McLellan Morning Skate Media | Oct. 17, 2025

Axe, what are some of the biggest things that you think you’ve learned through the first four games of the season? Um, mostly the pace. I think uh it’s uh it’s a quick game out there, so uh you know, you got to be alert at all times. Uh sometimes you don’t have you don’t have a play. Uh just get a glass out, stuff like that. And what is the key to adjusting to that for you? Um I think just experience, getting these experiences, playing against very good teams. Um you know, getting help from uh my teammates too. I think that’s uh that’s a very helpful thing. So uh just getting the experiences of of these games. You felt like you and Simon have complimented each other on the ice. I mean he’s a he’s a big guy. Uh he’s a sweet too. So uh a little connection there. And then u you know he’s very good in the D zone. Uh that I think that helps me a lot. Uh and I think we um yeah we play simple from our own end like um try not to do five DD passes before getting it up. just one DD pass and straight up. So, uh, yeah, I think we complement each other good. You played so early. Do you think that I’m sure there’s a challenge to that, but does it maybe speed up the learning curve a little bit too of how much you’ve been able to play these first four or five games? Oh, yeah. I mean, uh, the just the experiences like uh um playing a lot of minutes, uh, having a puck on my stick, uh, playing in the D and just positioning and, uh, knowing who we play against. I think that’s, uh, very um, yeah, very helpful. What’s the comfort level for you at this point? Uh I I don’t know. I just uh I just try to go out there and play hockey. I don’t try to think too much. Uh really just uh go out and play. The mistakes that you have made the Has Todd been able to point those out to you or or how do you go about it when there is something that you might get wrong on the ice and something that you need to fix? Uh yeah, I mean uh there’s uh you know can’t always be perfect, you know. Uh that’s uh it’s unfortunate part but I think uh like I know I know myself when I’ve done something wrong uh like and they um yeah they’ll come with tips and tricks and how to avoid that stuff but uh most of the times like I know I know what I did wrong and what I got to do instead. What have your early impressions of Trent Yanni been worked with so many top young defenders throughout the league? Um yeah he’s um he’s a great guy. Uh he’s fun fun to be around uh off the ice here at the ring. So, um, and a great coach, too. Like he, um, he tells you, uh, I can’t find a word. Like, he tells you what he feels. Uh, he doesn’t like hold back on anything. So, I really like that. And he, uh, he’s direct and wants to win. So, I really like that about him. Thank you. Uh, Todd, it looked like Lucas not ready yet or what’s his status? No, he uh he won’t play today. Remains dayto-day, but getting better. Better. Okay. Uh just uh these last three games just what have you thought of Bernard Docker? He seems to have brought like a kind of a stability there. I mean I know you don’t read a lot into plus minus but plus four. Just what have you thought of his play? You use the word stability when you ask the question and I think we get that from him. Um it’s a pretty good idea now that he’s been around um pro hockey for a while what he is and how he can excel using the toolbox that that he’s been given. Um and that that steadiness simplicity has come out uh since we put him in the last three games. Him and Albert have been a pretty good pair. Uh one that we we really trust. you called JBR essentially a a savvy veteran. Um, what have you liked the most about his play or his conduct off the ice in terms of his leadership, especially with so many young rookies in the room? Well, he’s been tremendous when it comes to that, but he’s also been uh, you know, the group, forget the management and the coaches, the groups allowed him to take care of what’s really important, and that would be his obviously his family and his little ones. And uh since he’s been back, he’s it feels like he wants to give back, too. So, it’s a real good combination. Um I see him every morning sitting with the guys having having uh breakfast or lunch before or after practice. And wide range of seatmates, if you will, uh from young to old. Um doesn’t ever really seem or hasn’t seemed down or grumpy uh or uh you know, out of sorts. and he’s still got things going on at home, but he’s been able to manage that well. And then you put him on the ice and, you know, on the bench, he talks to his linemates. He talks he asks questions um of the coaches and um you know, so he’s he’s comfortable. He’s played so many games and for so long on so many teams, he’s he’s comfortable carrying himself the way he does. The other night, JVR made some comments about Dylan Larkin as a captain. really positive comments about what he’s experienced since joining the Red Wings. Just what does that tell you about Dylan from the perspective of somebody that’s been in the league so long that JVR is to think that way so early on? Yeah, he just confirms what we all think of Dylan. Um, you know, when when outsiders uh come into the locker room, they’re paying attention maybe more so than the than the family that’s already here. Uh, they’re looking around. They’re trying to figure out who the alphas are. They’re trying to figure out how this this goes down. Uh not just for our team, for any team. And um you know, the fact that he’s noticed that Dylan has a presence and that Dylan um you know, steps up for the in front of the group and for the group, uh those are real good signs and and there’s nothing that he’s telling us that we didn’t know. He’s just confirming it. Um, you may have just answered a little bit of what I’m going to ask you about here, but uh, we all know what the goal is for the ultimate uh, prize at the end of this regular season, but you’ve got a really interesting mix of young and old and this to help you accomplish that goal. Um, how has that come into play to quickly turn things around after, you know, subpar opening night and help you maintain this success that you’ve uh, built the last three games? Yeah, there’s been a lot of um attention put on the three 20-year-olds that have gone into the lineup and um rightfully so. They’ve from day one at training camp to uh what are we at? Game five now. Um they’ve earned that attention, respect if you will, uh from the outside world, through through the people that are in in here telling the story, but also from the fans and moreo more and most importantly through uh the teammates. So, they’ve provided some energy and some enthusiasm. It’s taken away uh some attention uh on some veteran type players that have now been able to find their games. The focus isn’t on them quite as much. Um we’re still pushing them behind the scenes to to make sure that they’re where they need to be, but um the mixture has been really good. And the arrival of young players only works if they’re accepted. And they’re accepted by the the group themselves. And our group, I give our veterans credit, um even the younger veterans credit for um making these three feel comfortable and allowing them to have an impact. What did you think of Elmer getting back into the lineup last game? I was happy he did and I thought he played uh uh more like Elmer can play straight lines using his big body, his long reach. Um we need that from him on a nightly basis. He’s a player who coming up I think could kind of be defined a little bit by the east west too with the hands that he had. Like how do you how do you coach him to know when to use that part of his game versus those straight lines? Well, actually with when he has the puck and he’s transporting and he’s he’s he gets the job done for the most part. sometimes is the play without the puck where um you know he’s got to get uh reading plays a little bit quicker and and north south um anticipation skills. Uh but Elmer’s still a young player like you know we want we want the everybody wants the finished product. They want it right now. They want it every day and they want it mistakeless. I don’t know who that is. It doesn’t even exist in our you know in our league. Um, so we’ve got to give him time and we’ve got to work with him and encourage him and sometimes we got to poke him a little bit, but um, he’s going to be fine. Todd, how has rookies changed since you first came into the league? And has your thought process changed about the line? Yeah. Um, well, it’s changed immensely. Um, they they get here better prepared. um their I guess their entourage. I don’t know how other you know their team away from the rink is way stronger than yours was probably Brian when you were a rookie like the the help they get from uh fitness people, nutrition people, um the home network, the mental skills. Um at our age we never had any of that. We just got into uh the locker room, we put the gear on and and I think that the team around the players now is a little bit different. They’re a little more open and accepting of them. Um and probably think back to your your starting days. You didn’t know if you belonged and probably at Christmas you were still wondering if you belonged simply the way you were treated sometimes. Um you no none of the veterans ever wanted to give up their jobs. Nobody does now. uh but we allow it to happen because the players are good enough. And then the the last thing is their their skill level and their talent is allows them to fit right in. They’re they’re not afraid. They they don’t play and maybe we help them with that by putting them on the ice, but they don’t play with a big fear factor that if I make a mistake, I’m you know, I’m not one I’m not going to play tonight. Two, I’m not playing tomorrow and three I’m probably going to Grand Rapids. That doesn’t happen as often as it did even when I started. In a way does that kind of put a little bit of the double-edged sword on potential pressure for a guy though too where when you talk about all of that the support base and they’re never been ready more than they are and everything that’s where when a guy doesn’t look like hey he’s ready right away after four or five games does it does it add a little bit more of that on the pressure side on the other end. Um you’re talking from the players perspective or the teams well you know usually that player knows before we even do that he might not be ready but he’s going to try and push his way through it. Um, again, I don’t think our three are are um telling us that and I don’t think they feel that way, but I’ve been around younger players. You’re keeping them here and you’re trying to force them into the lineup and they know before you do and their play kind of reflects it. They’re a little tentative. They’re um they’re not sure of themselves. they’re just going to play a safe game and they don’t work towards their strengths or play towards their strengths and all of a sudden it’s just not working and and pressure can be one of them. Uh fear of rejection, not being on the team anymore and having to go work. Um we live in a hurry up world right now. Like you know the 20-year-olds are expected to be 35 and have that poise and doesn’t happen that way. They they’re going to have moments. We we talked a lot about the preseason, right? But I’m just curious, this is a group or next year it’s going to be smaller. You got your three 20-year-olds, they each played seven games and then they also played two games in a prospect. They played nine games before they came to this. That’s an opportunity that a lot of future kids are not going to get when it comes to the comfort acclamation time. Yeah. And you know, that’s I haven’t put any thought into that. That’s so far away. We know that the exhibition type schedule for next year is limited to two per veteran player. Well, these kids keep going the way they are. They’ll be veterans. are only going to get their two games and then away they go. But um you know everybody including the coaching staff’s all going to have to adjust um their preparation for a season. Now it’s happened. Uh we played coming out of co without any exhibition games. Um you know you better know your the organization better know their players well because you don’t get seven games to keep testing them and trying them. Um, and that’s hard to do when you don’t see him, especially for from a coaching perspective.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Todd McLellan speak with the media following Detroit’s morning skate on Friday October 17, 2025.