Notes: Zadina sidelined with sore hamstring, plans summer in Detroit

DETROIT -- Filip Zadina wanted desperately to play in the Detroit Red Wings' new development camp 3-on-3 tournament.
But a sore hamstring and the training staff wouldn't let him.

"Sure, obviously I would love to be on the ice," Zadina said. "I actually tried to ask the physio, Russ (Baumann), if he can put me out there but he said no, we have to hold you back. It was kind of sad moment but obviously I'm still having a good time here in development camp."
One of the reasons Zadina is having a good time in camp is that the Wings drafted Ethan Phillips, whose family was Zadina's billet family in Halifax when Zadina played for the Mooseheads.
"We're actually roommates this week so it's been pretty nice just hanging out with him, seeing him again," Phillips said Wednesday. "I hadn't seen him in about a year, since last year's draft. It was pretty cool. Right after I got picked I went up to the suite and (executive assistant and immigration manager) Kim Brodie told me Filip had called and asked if we could room together. So that was pretty cool."
On Thursday, Zadina did participate in some of the Power Edge Pro skills work on the ice but has otherwise been told to work off the ice and get treatment.

"I just wanted to go on the ice to just try, to feel like if it's getting better at least," Zadina said. "I was there and I didn't feel it too much, almost I didn't feel it at all. Hopefully I'll be ready and I'll be healthy soon."
The injury happened during Zadina's offseason training.
"I was trying to do lots of lower body to get my legs stronger and quicker," Zadina said. "But it happened, the injury, two weeks ago so I couldn't do much right now. So I'm just trying to be patient and get healthy as soon as possible and then start again and just probably get, I don't know, stronger and quicker and be probably more, I don't know, faster on the ice."
Zadina spent most of last season with the Wings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, except for a nine-game stint with the big club from Feb. 24-March 14.
In those nine games, Zadina scored his first career goal, had two assists and was minus-5.
In 59 games with the Griffins, Zadina had 16 goals, 19 assists and was minus-17.
"Obviously lots of new experiences during the season, ups and downs," Zadina said. "Obviously I enjoyed the time here in Detroit. I think I'll take it. I'll take it as it was and I think it was a good season for me, I got to learn something and I hope and I believe that next season will be way better."
Unfortunately for Zadina, the Griffins did not have a long playoff run, ending in Game 5 in the first round against the Chicago Wolves.
Zadina had two goals, an assist and was minus-2.
"Obviously it's tough to change the leagues," Zadina said. "When I was in the NHL, it was, in my opinion, a little bit easier to play with those players because they know how to pass the puck and those things. It was kind of easier but when I was back, it's obviously the AHL, it's way different league. While we were before the playoffs, we didn't have the best results that we could. Unfortunately, it didn't go the way that we wanted."
Zadina said he has met with new general manager Steve Yzerman about expectations going forward.
"He talked to me a couple times about what I gotta do better and where I have to improve my game, improve myself as an athlete," Zadina said. "That's one of the reasons why I'm staying here and I do believe that they make me a better athlete and then help me for the season."
The young forward plans to go home to the Czech Republic for a brief visit and then return to Detroit to train for the rest of the summer.
"They told me to just have a good summer and be ready for the next season because we want you as a member of the Detroit Red Wings," Zadina said. "I said I'll do anything for it so that's the reason why I'm staying here and I believe that they can help and make me a better athlete and make the team."
Zadina wanted to make the Red Wings out of training camp last year.
Although that did not happen, he did get a small taste and feels he is ready to show that he is ready for the show.
"I'll go to the training camp with the mindset to make the first team," Zadina said. "I don't think I gotta show them something, I just think I gotta go there and show them myself, that's what I know the best. I don't act like someone else, I just want to be there as Filip Zadina. They drafted me as a goal scorer and that's what I got to focus on. That's probably how I want to be there in the training camp."
TEAM DELVECCHIO WINS: Everyone in the Wings front office has emphasized to the prospects that development camp is for just that, developing.

But when you add an event like a 3-on-3 tournament, the competitive juices get flowing and players want to win.
"This was like the first time all week we were competing," said Team Delvecchio's Ryan Kuffner. "Obviously, we try to have scoring competitions with ourselves just to try to keep us going against each other, but this was the first time we were competing one-on-one. So, it was just a lot of fun. I think it was a blast and obviously that's going to help out tomorrow, getting that under our belt and just trying to enjoy it just as much tomorrow."

There were four teams -- Team Delvecchio, Team Howe, Team Lindsay and Team Lidstrom.
Each team had 5-6 forwards, 3-4 defensemen and 1-2 goaltenders.
The first game was tied through the 20-minute regulation, 4-4, so it went to a shootout. Every member of Team Delvecchio who went in the shootout scored -- Robert Mastrosimone, Taro Hirose and Jack Adams, with Adams getting the clinching goal.

Adams also had two of his team's goals in regulation, with Owen Robinson and Kuffner getting the others.

"I felt a lot better today," Adams said. "I had a 25-minute massage from one of the guys on the training staff, that had to have helped. I felt really good today. I was playing with Rosie (Taro Hirose) which was obviously a benefit, a hell of a player. I felt really good today."

On his second goal, Adams poked the puck away from Team Howe's Joe Veleno, then beat the speedy Veleno and scored on a breakaway.
"He's a pretty fast guy, a pretty good player, it was just stick on puck with him, which we've been preaching all week in video and just get the boots moving and a pretty good shot against him," Adams said.
Now 6-foot-6 and nearly 220 pounds, Adams has worked diligently on his skating since the Wings drafted him in the sixth round, 162nd overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
"Yeah, that's actually what (Shawn) Horcoff (director of player development) has been preaching - foot speed, using your length and your size," Adams said. "I felt fast today. I've got a long way to go, but it's exciting for me and my family, so I'm really happy with the way I played today, but at the same time I just got to keep getting better."
After signing with the Wings as a free agent out of Princeton on March 12, Kuffner played in 10 games with the Wings but failed to record a point in limited ice time.
But in the 3-on-3 tournament, Kuffner scored twice.
"I think it's all about trying to get as comfortable as possible and compete as much as possible," Kuffner said. "I always want to try to put myself in the best position to succeed and I'm just going to compete day in and day out to do that. Whether it's up there playing with the Wings or in development camp, I feel like the mindset is the same. I just want to keep grinding and keep working hard, get myself into spots where I can have fun and just be comfortable and work hard."
Team Lidstrom beat Team Lindsay, 8-4; Team Howe then won the consolation game, beating Team Lindsay, 4-2.
Team Delvecchio prevailed in the championship game, beating Team Lidstrom, 5-3.
Other standouts included Hirose, who had two goals and an assist plus his shootout goal; Kasper Kotkansalo had two goals and two assists; Chase Pearson had two goals and an assist; free agent invitee Mathieu Bizier had a hat trick. Jesper Eliasson was the winning goalie for Team Delvecchio.

"It's just summer hockey, but at the same time we've got Steve Yzerman watching us, so we're all trying to compete for a job at some point in the future," Adams said. "We're all trying to showcase our skills and our ability as people and hockey players, so we're all buddies but at the same time we're evaluated 24-7 so you have to have a chip on your shoulder and go to work every day."