Zablocki displays versatility in tumultuous season

DETROIT -- You couldn't really blame Lane Zablocki if he had a hard time remembering where he was by the time the 2017-18 season ended.
After starting the year with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, Zablocki was traded twice, first to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Dec. 8 and then to the Victoria Royals on Jan. 10.

"It was an interesting season," Zablocki said at Red Wings youth camp at the BELFOR Training Center at Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 3. "Bounced around a little bit, but I feel like at the end I kind of got back to myself and more the way I could play. Throughout the year it wasn't the best year I've had. Obviously you could see that. But I'm having a good summer right now and I'm looking forward to going to camp pretty quickly here."
The year before, Zablocki, Detroit's third-round pick, 79th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, was traded from the Regina Pats to the Rebels.
"You've just got to take it in," Zablocki said. "Every time it's a new place, new rink, new coaches. You've got to take it in as much as you can. Each team, each coach has a lot that you can learn from. I think maybe that's a good thing about it. Maybe the only good thing, but it was good. I learned a lot from all the different coaches I had."

In 31 games with the Rebels, Zablocki had nine goals and 10 assists.
In just nine games with the Hurricanes, Zablocki had two goals and four assists.
In his final 25 games of the regular season with the Royals, Zablocki had one goal and five assists.
So in 65 combined games, Zablocki had 12 goals and 19 assists compared to 28 goals and 26 assists in 64 games with the Pats and Rebels the previous season.
In the postseason, Zablocki recorded two goals and an assist in 10 games.
All that moving around was a bit chaotic but Zablocki tried to learn from his many experiences.
"I think I got mentally stronger throughout the year, and that's a big thing for my game," he said. "At the start of the year I was kind of up and down, emotionally-wise. Going into this year, I know how to handle different situations and stay calm throughout everything, so I think that's huge."
Zablocki said he was fortunate that he had a good support system to help him navigate through the challenging season.
"I have a lot of people," Zablocki said. "I have a lot of support through friends, family, relatives. That's huge. That really helped me throughout this past year."
Another thing that helped Zablocki is the fact that although he is listed as a right wing, he is not limited to that position.
"One of the pleasant surprises for me was I actually didn't know before he came in how versatile he is as a forward," said Dan Price, Victoria Royals head coach. "To give you an example, we started him on his strong side wing. We learned quickly he can play his off-side wing as well, more of a shooting winger, but in the playoffs when we had a few injuries at the center position he actually played center for us and did that very well. He's strong in the face-off circle, he's strong physically generally, which helps him be good down low and he's very competitive, he's really hard to play against. We were able to manufacture a center we didn't know we had."
For Zablocki, that position was not completely unfamiliar to him.
"When I was younger I was always a centerman, so when he told right before the game that I was going to play center, it didn't bother me at all," Zablocki said. "In practice I work on a lot of stuff that centermen do anyways. I felt like it was an easy role to get into. Throughout the playoffs I continued to play it, so I was comfortable."
The Wings have plenty of wings in the system but not quite as many centers, which could create an opportunity for Zablocki if he chose to focus on that role.
"I think, yeah, center is most valuable because it's easier to adapt to the wing than center," Zablocki said. "That's one thing I've been working a lot on throughout the summer, so we'll see how that goes."
It sounds like Price will give Zablocki a chance to continue to use his versatility next season with the Royals.
"That's a real positive as a coach when you have a player you can move around at all three positions (who) can play anywhere on the ice and can have an impact offensively and defensively," Price said. "It's a real opportunity for him to grow (next season) and to demonstrate to Detroit what he can do, not just what he can do now, but what he could become, which is obviously such an important part of the evaluation from the pro team - 'what will this player be in a few years?' So with that speed and physicality that he brings, the versatility at all three positions and he's also really good around the net and that's obviously a big part of Detroit's success in the past with people like (Tomas) Holmstrom as an example. And with a person like Lane potentially a candidate for that type of role, whether it be junior, American League or NHL, I think that's really exciting for Detroit."
This summer the Wetaskiwin, Alberta native is staying in Detroit in order to train at Barwis Methods in Plymouth, Mich., where a lot of the Wings work out.
"There's a couple of us that are living here and training here," Zablocki said. "It's really good. The gym's top notch. Skating every day, so it's really good leading into the prospects tournament coming up here pretty quick."
The prospects tournament starts in Traverse City, Mich. on Sept. 7.
Shawn Horcoff, the Wings director of player development, and Dan Cleary, player development assistant, introduced Zablocki to Barwis Methods.
"The workouts there, they're really intense," Zablocki said. "You go there with all the other guys and you see how hard they work every day, it motivates you to want to do the same thing. It shows what they do and to get to the next level, that's what you have to do."
Zablocki knows this upcoming season is going to be an important one for him.
"I want to continue to work out hard this summer and make the best impression I can coming into camp and prove people wrong," he said. "I want to try and turn pro if I can and just continue from there."
First up is the prospects tournament, where Zablocki hopes to show some of the things he can do. Zablocki said he's already taken a look at the preliminary roster.
"Being there last year is huge," Zablocki said. "You know what to expect. It's a fast, hard-hitting tournament. I think that kind of plays into my style, too. I can use that to my benefit there."
During his first development camp, Zablocki said he liked to be an agitator-type player like Andrew Shaw.
He hopes to remain with one team all season so he can get back to being that guy.
"Last year I didn't really get under people's skins," Zablocki said. "This year it will be different."