2020 Traverse City Prospect Tournament cancelled
Stupid pandemic
Today, the Detroit Red Wings announced that the 2020 Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament has been cancelled. The Red Wings are also moving their 2020-21 training camp to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as a result of concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The #RedWings today announced changes to their annual events held in Traverse City, Mich., including the relocation of the team's 2020-21 Training Camp to Little Caesars Arena.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 29, 2020
More » https://t.co/9TxHvN1STe pic.twitter.com/cYpmyzvCqv
“The health and safety of our fans, players and staff is our top concern,” said Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman in the team’s release. “Based on discussions with local health experts, we have decided to hold our 2020-21 training camp at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. We look forward to returning to Traverse City next year. The Traverse City community is extremely hospitable to our organization, and Centre Ice Arena is an ideal location for us to hold our events each September.”
The New York Rangers have sent their prospects to the Traverse City tournament for years. It has served as an interesting if imperfect barometer of how prospects measure up against each other and where they might be in their development. Of course, the tournament is brief and there’s very little structure in regards to strategy and tactics introduced to players during training camp.
Kaapo Kakko wins it in OT by himself. pic.twitter.com/1tej5nuenL
— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) September 9, 2019
In 2019, Adam Fox and Kaapo Kakko turned a lot of heads in Michigan with their performances in the tournament before beginning their rookie NHL campaigns. Last year’s tournament ran from Sept. 6 to Sept. 10. The Rangers’ prospects finished in fifth place after defeating the St. Louis Blues’ prospects by a score of 5-3 in the fifth place game on Sept. 10.
