Eyebrows were raised when the Red Wings picked 6,’ 185-pound left wing Dylan James with the 40th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, but the Red Wings were satisfied with the progress the 19-year-old University of North Dakota player made this past season, as the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted:
James, 19, showed during his freshman season glimpses of why he’s a legitimate prospect. Playing for one of the nation’s best programs, James had 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 36 games and was playing on special teams and late in games as the season progressed.
The 6-foot, 180-pound winger wasn’t overly thrilled with his season. James didn’t like his start to the season and was surprised the transition to college hockey was so bumpy. But if you ask Dan Cleary, the Red Wings’ director of player development, he felt James did just fine.
“He had a good season, the opposite of what he thinks,” Cleary said. “He came in (to North Dakota) and had to find his way. He made some freshman mistakes and had to sit, but that’s all part of it. At the end of the day, I always look at where you are at the end of the season, (and) he was trending upwards. Out there in the last minute, I was in Omaha watching and he scored a great goal shorthanded. He’s playing in the regionals as an important player. … That’s what I look at.”
James, who Cleary described as a “rink rat,” insisted that all went well over the course of the past season…
“Coach [Brad Berry] started to trust me at the end,” said James, who feels his biggest area of improvement needs to come offensively. “Just being able to get into scoring opportunities better, and that comes with my skating. I had a different role (last season). It was hard to score goals. Hopefully I’ll get that opportunity (this season). It was hard as a freshman. You have to gain the trust of your coaches. You usually start at the bottom of the lineup, and I was completely fine with that.”
Continued; James was one of the fastest and most competitive players out there during the summer development camp, so he’s got some skills going for him.
