TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Detroit Red Wings are hosting the 2022 NHL Prospect Tournament at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City beginning Thursday, which will feature some of the NHL’s brightest young prospects all competing in the same rink.
Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary said he can’t wait to return to Traverse City and get underway for the action.
“It’s gonna be exciting,” Cleary said in a Sept. 13 episodes of The Word on Woodward. “We got a lot of invites. I think it’s gonna be good to see some of the European guys that are coming over for the first time and turning pro.”
This year’s tournament, which runs from Sept. 15-19, features prospects from five NHL teams including the Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Participating teams will play three or four games, with Detroit set to battle the Blue Jackets on Friday afternoon, followed by the Stars on Saturday night. After an off day Sunday, the Red Wings will conclude tournament play against the Maple Leafs on Monday morning. Due to the unbalanced schedule for 2022, there will not be a championship game.
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 familiar 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 the 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 the 2021 NHL Entry Draft), Emil Viro (70th overall in 2020) and Albert Johansson (60th overall in 2019).
Video: Red Wings Draft Gems | Simon Edvinsson
“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 Cossawho 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.”
Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Ben Simon will guide the prospects throughout this year’s tournament. Then the 2022-23 Red Wings and new head coach Derek Lalonde will take the ice on Sept. 22 for the start of training camp.
Tickets for all September Red Wings events in Traverse City are available online at CentreIce.org/DRWtickets and will also be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the Center Ice Arena entrance on the day of each event.
More information on ticket prices and the full 2022 Training Camp schedule of events is available here.
.