Why Detroit Red Wings draft pick Albin Grewe is a coveted teammate

Helene St. James
Detroit Free Press

A reply during an interview with his coach morphed into a nickname. Contemporaries covet him as a teammate.

One of the more entertaining stories to come out of the Detroit Red Wings’ 2019 draft class is Albin Grewe, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound right wing with a penchant for vexing opponents and contributing points.

The best scouting report of this week’s development camp came courtesy of fellow draft pick Gustav Berglund, who knows Grewe from playing against him in their native Sweden.

“He likes to get opponents angry and then score some goals,” Berglund said. 

Detroit Red Wings prospect Albin Grewe knows when he's getting to an opponent

Elmer Soderblom reiterated what Berglund said and followed up with, “it’s always good to have a player like that on your team.”

Grewe was home watching TV when he saw the Wings picked him in the third round, 66th overall. Soon after he received a text from Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall welcoming him to the organization. 

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Grewe grabs attention for his style of play; his favorite NHLer to watch is Boston uber-pest Brad Marchand, who combines skill with tactics that earn the ire of opposing fans.

“I’ve always played as I do, and then I also watch Brad Marchand,” Grewe said. “I think I play like he do.

“I’m a great goal scorer, and I can pass to my teammates. I have combination of physical play and score goals.”

Grewe scored 13 goals and had 21 assists in 25 games for Djurgarden’s SuperElit team last season, and played 15 games for their Swedish Hockey League team. He didn’t produce any points but he sure impressed the coach, who, chief European scout Hakan Andersson said, “every time this kid came up and practiced with the men’s team, the whole intensity of the practice, the physical part of the practice, would go up.”

Grewe thrives on physicality, but knows there’s a line he can’t cross. 

“It’s a balance,” he said. “I can be better there and not taking stupid penalties. Sometimes it happens, but I can be better.”

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Andersson said Grewe’s stock – he’d been expected to go in the second round - fell after he suffered a concussion. Grewe shrugged it off saying, “I was out for like three weeks, and after that I was good.”

Grewe’s style of play stands out in Sweden, which is the point his coach, Robert Ohlsson, made when he described Grewe as a “T-Rex – eats everything and believes that everything is under him.” 

“He said it once in an interview,” Grewe said with a smile, “but now it’s a like nickname for me. It’s funny.”

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.