Dates for young talent, training camp in Traverse City

The newest players will be integrated into an environment that has been familiar to the Detroit Red Wings for over a quarter of a century.

The team will return to Traverse City for training camp, which was made official Thursday with the announcement of the dates: youth players from the Wings and Dallas Stars will participate in two games on September 14 and 15, and then the main group from September 19-22.

It’s a great opportunity to network, which is especially valuable for rookies, who this year include forward Vladimir Tarasenko, goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Erik Gustafsson. Although Patrick Kane was with the Wings last season, he didn’t join them until late November, so this will also be his first training camp with the team.

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The sheer number of players attending the main camp – NHL players, junior players and tryouts – allows the coaching staff to form three teams and provides ample opportunity to experiment with different line combinations. There are daily practice games and off-ice workouts – followed by free time when players can enjoy Traverse City’s many attractions, particularly golf and fishing.

The highlight of the event on the ice will be the Red-White game on September 22nd, after which the team will break up training camp and return to Detroit to begin the test season.

For ticket information visit www.mynorthtickets.com/organizations/centre-ice.

It was Scotty Bowman’s idea to bring the then defending Stanley Cup champions to Traverse City in the fall of 1997. And spending a week in such a beautiful place at the ideal time of year was so well received that it has been repeated every year since then (except during labor disputes and the coronavirus pandemic).

After training camp, the Wings return to Detroit to begin an eight-game exhibition season. That should be especially interesting this year, given the competition between Talbot, returning No. 1 Alex Lyon and Ville Husso, who was No. 1 last season until he missed the final two periods with an injury. On offense, it will be a test of whether Kane and Tarasenko are a good fit, whether Gustafsson can lead one of the power play units and whether Albert Johansson, a 2019 draft pick, is ready to make the lineup. He is one of eight defensemen on the roster and the Wings need to figure out what they have in him now that he is off the waiver list.

The Wings open the regular season on October 10 at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.comFollow her on Twitter @helenestjamesHer books “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies are available via email.

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