With Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids and Trey Augustine joining the organization at some point, Red Wings draft pick Jan Bednar didn’t see a clear path to success in the Detroit organization. When his Grand Rapids Griffins contract expired last summer, he decided to sign with a Finnish League team.

That move is paying off for him early in 2025-26. He won his first four starts for Assat Pori, giving up eight goals for a 2.00 goals-against average. He also boasts a .928 save percentage.

This is hardly a surprise: He played well for the Toledo Walleye for two seasons, posting save percentages of 2.66 (2023-24) and 2.24 (2024-25). In four games for the Griffins last season, Bednar showed a 2.12 GAA and .919 save percentage.

When Bednar announced, he was heading to Europe to play, he said his objective was to eventually return to North America. He thought the Finnish league would serve as a better steppingstone. If he continues to play at this level, that return might return after one season.

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Red Wings Extra

With seven games played, former Red Wings player Austin Czarnik is leading the Swiss National League scoring race with 12 points (four goals, eight assists). Czarnik, now playing for Lausanne, won the Swiss scoring title last season. Another ex-Red Wings player, Dominik Kubalik, is just outside the top 10 with seven points in seven games. By the way, former Detroit player Filip Zadina has four goals in his first seven games.

Hockey Now Network

Florida: Daniil Tarasov’s play suggests the Panthers made the right choice for Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup. Florida Panthers. 

Pittsburgh: Ryan Graves’ poor play could prompt the Penguins to make a harsh move, The Red Wings sent Justin Holl to the AHL last season. Pittsburgh Penguins.  

Vegas: Hannah Kirkell writes that the Golden Knights shouldn’t consider signing Carter Hart. Philadelphia Flyers.