MLive’s Ansar Khan filed an article about Lucas Raymond having made the Red Wings’ roster, according to the perspective of, well, Lucas Raymond:
“Of course, to play in the NHL has been a dream of mine since I started playing hockey at 2 years old,” Raymond said. “So, they really supported me and always helped me along the way. It’s really exciting for all of us.”
He will make his NHL debut in Thursday’s season-opener against Tampa Bay at Little Caesars Arena (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit). He’ll start on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi and play on the power play.
Raymond, 19, impressed the team with his passing, shooting and attention to detail during the Prospects Tournament, training camp in Traverse City and in the exhibition season. He led the Red Wings with six points (two goals, four assists) in six preseason games.
“Getting used to the (smaller) playing surface is a bit different, but I feel really comfortable,” Raymond said. “You always have expectations or how you think it’s going to be, but it’s almost impossible to guess until you get out there. But it is for sure a special playing style and it’s really intense, a lot of speed, but I enjoy it.”
Playing against better players and more loaded teams in meaningful games will be another big step.
“It’s a lot of great players in this league and to be able to play against them will be a lot of fun and a really good challenge,” Raymond said.
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Update: The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan spoke with Raymond regarding the same topic:
“I was unsure. I didn’t know what to expect,” Raymond said Tuesday. “If it goes well, it goes well. If it doesn’t, we’ll take it from there. But I’m glad it was good. Steve told me I played good during the preseason, but it’s a lot of work still to do and (just because he made) the opening-night roster doesn’t mean I’ll play the entire season (in the NHL). I’m excited to get going and start playing.”
Raymond called his parents and family members in Sweden soon after.
“They were real happy for me,” he said. “To play in the NHL has been a dream of mine since I (started) playing hockey at 3 years old.”
Raymond, the Wings’ 2020 first-round pick who was selected fourth overall, was penciled to begin the season in the AHL in Grand Rapids while getting acclimated to the North American professional game.
With a smaller ice surface, playing against the best players in the world and the adjustment to simply living in a new country, there was a lot to ask of a teenager. But Raymond had an impressive prospects tournament, carried that performance over to the preseason and essentially played himself onto the NHL roster.
“Going into camp my mindset was I was do everything I could to make the team and block everything else out,” Raymond said. “Then you prepare for whatever happens. If you don’t (make the roster), and if that would have been the case, I would have been ready for that as well. But my main focus and goal was to make the team.
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