NHL.com’s Dave Hogg profiles Red Wings prospect and 2022 8th overall draft pick Marco Kasper this morning. Kasper, of course, is Austrian-born, but plays for Rogle BK of the Swedish SHL, and he’s learned Swedish so that he can finish high school in Sweden:
“It was a difficult decision to leave home and leave my family, but I think it has been a good decision to go play in Sweden against better competition,” he said. “We have a good team and I’ve really developed as a player.”
[Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan] Cleary said the main focus of development camp wasn’t to evaluate players, but to make sure they had the best possible tools to evolve as players.
“We work on skills with them, but a lot of what we are teaching is about proper recovery techniques,” he said. “We also have a nutritionist here, so the kids can learn what to eat and when to eat it — that’s an important aspect — and a sports psychologist to deal with the mental side of things.”
So, Kasper, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Detroit on July 13, is heading back to Sweden with homework, even if his workload might be lighter than others.
“We know Rogle runs a legit program that’s already dialed in,” Cleary said. “We might have some suggestions about making it a little better, but they are already in a good position.”
