The Detroit Red Wings’ three most-recent first-round picks will highlight development camp at Little Caesars Arena this week.
Forwards Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno, selected sixth and 30th in 2018, and defenseman Moritz Seider, taken sixth this year, highlight the roster of 47 prospects at the camp, which runs from Tuesday to Saturday at the Belfor Training Center.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman called it a good week of education and development.
“Get to know the kids a little bit and try to set them up, educate them if they need it,” Yzerman said. “They all have varying experiences as far as training and eating properly, so they’re all at different stages from different countries and different backgrounds. We want to educate them on what they need to be doing on the ice and off the ice this summer.
“The ones we get to bring back in September (for rookie tournament and/or training camp), make sure they have a good summer. The ones we don’t get back, who are in college or play in Europe, make sure they understand what they need to do, the lifestyle, the dedication, the work ethic, the training, to get to the NHL. It’s a good week.”
Prospects will be divided into two groups -- Team Howe and Team Lindsay – and take part in on-ice skill development and off-ice workouts, culminating with a three-on-three tournament on Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Red & White Game Saturday (noon).
Red Wings director of amateur scouting Tyler Wright said it’s a “100 percent learning process.”
“I like the fact that we have it right now,” Wright said. “You test them. You get some kind of baseline value of where they’re at physically and what they need to work on. And you continue to test them as they come back. You don’t have to tell us how much work you’re doing. When you come back and do the test, we know how much work you’ve done. There’s no hiding it.
“In this day, development is such a big process at the National Hockey League level. You’ve got to be able to draft right. You’ve got to be able to develop. You’ve got to sit there and cross your fingers and hope the players turn out.”
Ten of the 11 players the Red Wings selected in this year’s draft will participate, including their three second-round picks: defenseman Antti Tuomisto and wingers Robert Mastrosimone and Albert Johansson.
Taro Hirose and Ryan Kuffner, a pair of free-agent college forwards signed in March who finished with the season with Detroit, will take part.
Other highly regarded prospects at camp include forward Jonatan Berggren, defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and goaltender Filip Larsson.
Here is the development camp roster:
Forwards: Jack Adams, Jonathan Berggren, Albin Grewe, Taro Hirose, Otto Kivenmaki, Ryan Kuffner, Robert Mastrosimone, Ryan O’Reilly, Chase Pearson, Ethan Phillips. Elmer Soderblom, Joe Veleno, Filip Zadina.
Free-agent forward invitees: Mathieu Bizier, Samuel Bucek, Thomas Casey, Alex Limoges, Troy Loggins, Jarid Lukosevicius, Gregor MacLeod, Cody Morgan, Owen Robinson, Odeen Tufto Chad Yetman.
Defensemen: Seth Barton, Gustav Berglund, Patrick Holway, Albert Johansson, Kasper Kotkansalo, Gustav Lindstrom, Cooper Moore, Alec Regula, Moritz Seider, Malte Setkov, Antti Tuomisto.
Free-agent defensemen invitees: Charles-Edouard D’Astous, Marc-Olivier Duquette, Owen Lalonde, Alec McCrea.
Goaltenders: Victor Brattstrom, Jesper Eliasson, Kaden Fulcher, Carter Gylander, Filip Larsson, Keith Petruzzelli.
Free-agent goaltender invitees: Robbie Beydoun, Drew DeRidder.
Tickets for development camp are free and available in limited quantities on a first-come, first-served basis, by clicking here and using “PUBLIC” as the promo code. Fans may reserve up to six tickets for each day. Parking will be available in the Little Caesars Arena Garage for $7 per day.
The complete schedule can be accessed here.