Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a set of pregame prospect notes ahead of Detroit’s 2 PM EDT-starting game vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospects, and this bit about Red Wings prospects/players Anton Johansson and Nate Danielson caught my eye:
Center Nate Danielson and defenseman Anton Johansson will both get long looks in the main Red Wings camp. They were back in the lineup for Tuesday’s Rookie Tournament finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Watson was looking to both players to deliver more than just their talent level.
As seasoned pros, the coach is expecting both players to show the younger kids the right way to do things.
“They’ve got to be leaders,” Watson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. They’re thrust into these leadership positions now. Even Anton, this is his first prospect tournament, but he’s still looked upon as a guy who knows what we as a staff want, what the organization wants, because he’s been around it.
“So these guys are leaned upon heavily to make sure that the guys know the schedule, that they’re on time for everything. They understand the systems. They understand the structure we want to play with and how we want to play, the sort of mentality side of it.
“And you can already see they’re taking that leadership seriously. And I think it’s good for their growth and their development in those types of roles, besides just putting on weight.”
