Six prospects to watch in Grand Rapids

The Grand Rapids Griffins open their season on Friday night, and the Red Wings will be watching with interest.
One of the things about being a team built around youth: your AHL affiliate holds outsize importance.
When the Griffins drop the puck against the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. on Friday, they'll do so with a roster that includes a number of players that could play for the Red Wings - either this year or further down the line. After a heated competition for roster spots during training camp, this group will be eager to prove themselves and earn call-ups to Detroit as soon as possible.

Here are six prospects to watch this season.

Joe Veleno

Veleno is the player on this list who could be in Detroit the soonest, and who has the most to prove in Grand Rapids.
On Monday, before the final roster was announced, Veleno was the 24th player skating with the Red Wings. Later that day, he was sent down.

During the preseason, Veleno scored four points in five games with two goals and two assists, showing his skill, along with some added strength.
"I think he's making his way to being close to NHL ready," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said after the Oct. 7 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. "I think there's a lotta guys that are kinda in that mix. And then it's that next step that is probably more important. Not being NHL ready but ready to help an NHL team be way better. And that to me is what we're looking for, how do you help the Detroit Red Wings be a way better team? Not just how can you make our team. I've said that lots but I think it's a good reminder.
"So is Joe taking steps in the right direction? 100 percent. He's worked his tail off over two years to change his body. I think he's bought into being really good on the D side of the puck. So then it depends where he would potentially fit in."
Veleno said his added size - he checks in at 200 pounds - has become a big part of his game.
"I worked really hard this offseason to build my body, be strong in the corners," he said. "Be more physical finishing hits and I guess I knew I wasn't as strong (before) and I'd be a little bit timid being in the corners against bigger guys and whatnot. But I think now I'm really confident going into battles and being hungry for the puck."

Jonatan Berggren

During training camp, Berggren was really the victim of misfortune. Thanks to injury, he wasn't a full participant in all of camp, playing in four preseason games but with limited effect. At the start of camp, executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman described Berggren's injury as mild, so it seems likely he should be back to his usual self early in the AHL season.
In Sweden last year, Berggren scored 12 goals with 33 assists in 49 games, a leap in production after back and shoulder surgery had limited his production the prior two seasons.
"Don't know if you've watched them skate, but obviously they're good skaters, but can play at an NHL level," Yzerman said of Berggren and Lucas Raymond prior to camp.
The 2018 second-round pick is playing his first season in North America, and once he settles into things after playing an abbreviated camp, could be ready to make some noise in the Red Wings' system.

Kirill Tyutyayev

At the Prospect Tournament, Tyutyayev was the breakout star, displaying a scoring prowess that no one saw coming after he played last season in Belarus, away from the eyes of the hockey world.
His production leveled off in the preseason, but Tyutyayev left an impression on the coaching staff in Detroit.
"I like Kirill," Blashill said after the Oct. 6 game at Columbus. "I think he's got a good package. It doesn't scream off the page at you, in terms of his size and skating and that, but when you really watch him play, he's strong on the puck."
Tyutyayev, a native of Russia, is still learning English, making communication an issue. But learning a language comes with time.
"I think there's stuff there," Blashill said. "... I'll be interested to see how he does in Grand Rapids."

Donovan Sebrango

Sebrango, the Red Wings' third-round pick in 2020, may not see action in Detroit this year barring something unforeseen. But at 19, he remains an intriguing prospect.
In 31 AHL games last year, Sebrango had four assists, showing flashes as a playmaker and the ability to get the puck up the ice. He's pegged in scouting reports as a good skater with hockey sense.
During the preseason, his physical and mental makeup alike stood out to Blashill.
"He's a competitive person," Blashill said Oct. 4. "He's tough, in terms of blocking shots and doing those things, so he brings a lot of different elements that I think are important for a successful defenseman to have."

Taro Hirose

In Hirose, who they signed as an undrafted player out of Michigan State, the Red Wings have found money - a player capable of giving leadership in Grand Rapids and producing if needed in Detroit.
The former 50-point scorer with the Spartans has seen NHL action in each of the last two years and it would be surprising if he didn't this season as well. In 64 games in the AHL over the last two seasons, Hirose has 55 points.
He has proven ability as a playmaker that can translate to the league if need be, with assists making up the bulk of his points in college and in the AHL. During the preseason, he skated with the power play units frequently, and scored a goal with three assists.

Jared McIsaac

McIsaac is the second player on this list whose preseasosn was affected by injury, though in a much more serious way than Berggren. During the Prospect Tournament, he was stretchered off after taking a hit, later getting diagnosed with a concussion, and the return date is unclear.
When he does return, the 2018 second-round pick will finally have a chance to show what he can do after shoulder issues had kept him out for much of the two years prior.
"A lot of people put in a lot of time with Jared, and Jared himself to his credit has worked his tail off to rehab from two significant shoulder injuries," Griffins coach Ben Simon told reporters during the Prospect Tournament. "To his credit, he has worked his tail off.
"You just feel terrible when things like this happen to him. But knowing Jared, knowing the people around him, that he's had the ability to work with, he's mentally strong. He's better for it. He's got a sense about him that he's not going to let anything stop him."