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On The Wings Of Tomorrow: Andreas Athanasiou

July 13, 2015, 11:57 PM ET [17 Comments]
Bob Duff
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
If he were part of the Detroit Tigers, AA would be a long way off from the big leagues.

In the Detroit Red Wings system, AA is quietly on track to make it to the show.

Left-winger Andreas Athanasiou, who will enter his second pro season in the fall, doesn’t get the hype of Anthony Mantha or the press clippings of Dylan Larkin, but talk to NHL pro scouts who spend more time watching minor-league hockey than anyone and they’ll tell you that Athanasiou - AA to his Grand Rapids Griffins teammates – is on track to play in the NHL.

“My first year in the AHL was a learning experience,” Athanasiou said. “I was fortunate enough to have a season that I was happy with and do as well as I could.”

One year removed from the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, where he scored 49 goals and collected 95 points in 2013-14, Athanasiou tied for fourth on the Griffins with 16 goals and tallied a respectable 32 points despite being limited to 55 games by a broken jaw.

“It’s such a tough injury to have. I lost like 25 pounds in that six weeks it was wired shut,” said the 6-2 Athanasiou, who dropped from 195 pounds down to 168. “It was definitely tough coming back and playing at that weight, but I thought I handled it well and made the most of it.

“Right now I’m about 175 so the goal is to get back up to 195 by the end of the summer.”

Like all young prospects, Athanasiou, who turns 21 in early August, is still working to increase his physical strength, but equipped with blazing speed, Detroit’s fourth-round draft pick in 2012 is of the belief that his game without the puck is already solid.

“I think I’m learning defensively,” Athanasiou said. “I had a great 200-foot game last year. I very rarely get beat back to my own net. I feel I can always get between my man and the net, which is a big thing.

“I can use my quickness to my advantage to break the puck out of the D-zone. I think I’ve become a defensively sound player. It was a big step into the AHL but coach (Jeff) Blashill helped me with that. I learned so many things from him. In practice and in games he taught me so many things.”

Now that Blashill has been promoted from coach of Grand Rapids to the man behind the Red Wings bench, Athanasiou figures it can only help the chances of young prospects like him seeking to be noticed.

“I think it’s a big thing,” Athanasiou said. “I played for him for a year so he was able to see me and the rest of the guys. He’s got a perspective of how the players are and he pays attention to that.

“He knows what each player is capable of and knows what each player’s strengths and weaknesses are.”

Deals Done
The Wings locked up a couple more unrestricted free agents Monday, signing minor league forward Mitch Callahan and defenseman Nick Jensen to two-way deals.

Right-winger Callahan, 23, who resumed light skating during Detroit’s development camp last week, is looking to rebound from ACL surgery last season on his right knee. He signed a one-year pact that would pay him $600,000 in the NHL.

Callahan’s NHL experience is limited to one game with the Wings in 2013-14 and while he brings a physical presence to the ice, it’s unlikely that Callahan figures prominently in Detroit’s long-range plans.

On the other hand, there are those in the Wings organization who are of the belief that Jensen, 24, WCHA defenseman of the year with St. Cloud State in 2012-13, might have the best shot of any of Detroit’s young blue-line prospects to make an impact at the NHL level.

Jensen signed a two-year deal worth $1.175 million. The breakdown on the pact would be $575,000 in the NHL and $90,000 in the minors the first year and $600,000 (NHL) and $225,000 (minors) the second year.

The Wings still have three restricted free agents left to sign – forwards Tomas Jurco, Teemu Pulkkinen and Louis-Marc Aubry.

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