Marco Kasper scored two goals during the Red Wings’ 4-3 OT loss to the Ottawa Senators last night, and if you’ve watched Kasper play this preseason, you know that he’s transformed from a raw rookie to a player who is very close to making the Red Wings’ NHL roster.
This morning, MLive’s Ansar Khan discusses Kasper’s journey over the past year:
“Just trying to get out there and work really hard to do the best you can,” Kasper said. “That’s what I’ve tried to do. I think that’s what everybody has tried to do. “Obviously, it’s always fun to score. Just trying to help the team win. And I think it’s always good to score for me, for everybody, for a team, just to get two quick goals. And now we got to work on keeping the lead, not losing games like that.”
Kasper’s added weight and got stronger in the offseason. It’s made a difference.
“I think just the confidence managing his game, puck play,” Lalonde said. “You guys saw last year; he looked like a deer in the headlights. He was turning pucks all over the place, opening himself up for hits. It’s a credit for him how much he’s developed in the year. Probably a credit to the guys in Grand Rapids. He had a really good camp and he’s an exciting player for us.”
Despite his strong camp, Kasper likely will start the season with the Griffins since the Red Wings have 12 waiver-exempt forwards ahead of him on the depth chart and injuries. He’ll get an opportunity to continue playing a big role in all situations and figures to be among the first recalls.
“Can use him in every situation,” Lalonde said. “Obviously, he wasn’t on the power play today, but I trust him on the penalty kill. Trust him in some face-offs.”
Continued; if you know the history of the 20-year-old Innsbruck native, you probably know by now that Kasper’s father, Peter, was a professional hockey player with EC-KAC of the Austrian league, and that Kasper inherited his father’s meticulous sense of preparedness and desire to self-improve.
Kasper may never be a 60-point scorer, but, like Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur, he looks like a player who has matured and gained mental and physical strength over the course of the summer, and as such, Kasper’s game is mature and well-rounded for his age. He’s also got a gritty edge to his game, and he doesn’t shy away from scrums or stopping at the front of the net to engage in battles for pucks.
Ultimately, Kasper’s going to serve the Red Wings very, very well as a second-line center in the future, and there’s no doubt that he and the aforementioned Danielson and Mazur will all be called up at some point this upcoming season because he’s “ready to go.”
