Kasper on quest for full-time role with Red Wings

DETROIT -- Marco Kasper's NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings last season was considered a big deal.

The center, selected by the Red Wings with the No. 8 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is expected to be one of the fresh faces that will eventually help Detroit end its seven-season Stanley Cup Playoff drought.

Hopes were high when Kasper played his first NHL game, a 5-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, but they were quickly dashed when Kasper sustained a knee injury. He missed the rest of the season.

Still, Kasper, who was rehabbing his knee during Red Wings development camp last month, relished the moment.

"It was a great experience," he said. "I got to see how an NHL team operates and I got a taste of the speed and intensity of playing in the NHL. I also realized I have to be prepared to play on the small (North American) ice."

Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman is a big fan of Kasper, who is expected to be ready for training camp next month, but knows the 14:59 he played in his NHL debut didn't mean much for the 19-year-old's development.

"He was very good in Sweden all year and came over for one game," Yzerman said. "Good, bad, or indifferent, I don't want to assess him on one game."

Perhaps a better barometer would be Kasper's 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 52 games for Rogle BK, playing against men in his second season in the Swedish Hockey League.

But Yzerman, assistant GM Kris Draper and coach Derek Lalonde share the belief the worst thing for a young player is to put him in a situation where he's not going to play quality minutes, no matter the player's reputation or where he was drafted.

"We want our young guys playing significant minutes in significant roles, and we will decide where they can best do that after training camp," Yzerman said. "We have a full lineup in Detroit. If they want to stay, they are going to have to push someone out."

That's exactly what Kasper hopes to do.

"I'm trying to work as hard as I can to recover from the injury and get ready for camp," he said. "You are always working at getting stronger and scoring more goals, but in this league, it is all about getting the details right."