Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary spoke with “The Word on Woodward” crew regarding the Red Wings’ 2022 prospect tournament team a couple of days ago…
And, this morning, DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills posted an article in which he discusses Cleary’s remarks:
Cleary said the NHL Prospect Tournament is valuable because it helps players feel more comfortable heading into training camp.
“You get some games under your belt going into training camp, on the ice with the competition, get familiarized with Traverse City and you can get the nerves out a bit before main camp opens,” Cleary said. “It’s a nice little segue into main camp.”
The Red Wings’ 2022 NHL Prospect Tournament roster features 24 recent draft picks, free-agent signees and tryouts. In particular, Cleary is excited to see blue line prospects Simon Edvinsson (sixth overall pick in 2021 NHL Entry Draft), Eemil Viro (70th overall in 2020) and Albert Johansson (60th overall in 2019).
“They’re all smart players,” Cleary said. “Edvinsson skates very well, a big guy. Johansson is a beautiful skater as well, a nice handler of the puck. Viro is just real steady, calm and doesn’t stress a lot at all out there.”
Cleary also spoke highly about former first-round pick Sebastian Cossa, who was Detroit’s 15th overall selection in 2021.
“He is doing what he needs to do,” Cleary said. “He listens and is a really nice kid. I don’t think we’ve seen the type of goaltender that he can be because it’s only a small sample size.”
Continued; Centre ICE Arena’s prospect tournament page is here, and tickets are available here.
