Considering how he earned a punishing, often thankless living with the Detroit Red Wings as a net-front presence, perhaps it was only natural that Tomas Holmstrom would gravitate toward coaching following his playing days.

Holmstrom is working behind a bench in his native Sweden, and he’s doing quite well.

He took over as coach of Pitea in Hockeyettan, Sweden’s third division, in January. At the time, Pitea was languishing in the basement of the standings.

It COULD have been that Tomas Holmstrom was never a Red Wing… and did not develop into that net-front great. He tells the story on Ozzy and Keats. Why not subscribe? It’s free! ⁦@ozzyandkeats⁩ ⁦@DetroitRedWings⁩ ⁦@PodcastNation_⁩ pic.twitter.com/396ktiFOTR

— John Keating (@JohnKeatingTV) November 1, 2025

Under Holmstrom, they rallied to make the playoffs. His reward for that turnaround was that this week, Pitea presented Holmstrom with a contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season.

Holmstrom was coaching Pitea’s U18 team when he was summoned to take over the struggling senior team, even though he had no coaching experience at that level. He played for Pitea in 1992-93.

Holmstrom was a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings. He retired from the NHL in 2012 after playing his entire 15-season career in Detroit. Holmstrom played 1,026 games for the Red Wings, scoring 243 goals.

Red Wings Prospect Scores Again

The incredible late-season rally of cellar-dwellers Leksands in Sweden’s top league, the SHL, continued thanks to a 4-3 victory over HV71. And once again playing a role in the success story was Red Wings defense prospect, Anton Johansson.

Anton Johansson(4th round’22 for Leksands if)
1 Goal 2 PIM 1 SOG 4 Hits 18:07 TOI in a 4-3 win#LGRW pic.twitter.com/ufa89fuE7O

— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) March 7, 2026

Johansson scored a goal in the victory, his second goal in as many games. The win moved Leksands out of the basement, two points ahead of HV71.

Sprong On A Roll

In the KHL, former Red Wings forward Daniel Sprong continues to ignite on a heater. The Avtomobilist forward extended his points streak to eight games. He has 13 points during this hot run, including seven goals and six assists.

This run included an assist on Semyon Kizimov’s game-winner on the road against Sprong’s former club, CSKA Moscow. He followed that up with a goal and an assist in a win over Moscow Dynamo.