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Wings' Sproul, Ouellet know their time to shine is now

September 23, 2016, 10:54 PM ET [2 Comments]
Bob Duff
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet know that their time is now.

Dan Cleary knows that his time is done but he still wants to be around to do whatever he can to help the team.

Sproul, who signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings Friday before the team took part in their first on-ice sessions of training camp, and Ouellet, are two veteran minor-league defensemen who are out of waiver exemptions, meaning they either stay with the big club or must be offered up to the other 29 NHL teams before they can be assigned to the minors.

“It’s very important this year,” said Sproul, 23, whose only NHL action to date is a one-game stint with the Wings in 2013-14. “They’re looking for guys to step up in this camp.

“My goal is to step up and make it hard for them to send me down and put me on waivers.”

Ouellet, 23, has enjoyed a much healthier taste of NHL action, suiting up for 30 regular season and one Stanley Cup game for the Wings, but that also means he’s made the trip along I-96 from AHL Grand Rapids to Detroit with frequency.

Ouellet has been sent down and recalled a total of 34 times as a pro.

“For three years I’ve been moving a lot, up and down so many times,” Ouellet said. “It never gets easier getting sent down. The first time and the 15th time was the same thing.

“Obviously it wasn’t fun. It wasn’t easy. I guess I learned a lot. You get to realize to never take it for granted.”

Knowing that the Wings must give them a realistic chance this season, coupled with the departure of Kyle Quincey and the knee injury to Niklas Kronwall, someone must pick up the slack and odds are, it will be at least one of Ouellet or Sproul.

That doesn’t mean the two long-time Grand Rapids teammates are about to let a little competition affect a friendship forged over their years together on the way up through the ranks.

“We’ve been supporting each other for five years now, that’s not going to change,” Sproul said.

With more experience at the NHL level, the Wings have a better grasp of what Ouellet can give them on a regular basis.

“They know what I can do,” Ouellet said. “It’s being consistent, playing the same way every night. Obviously, it’s being really solid defensively, making a good first pass and I think the rest will come with itself.”

In Sproul’s case, he knows what’s kept him out of the show, and believes he has acquired the necessary ammunition to quell that fire.

“Defense has always been the knock,” Sproul said. “It’s something I’ve worked on a lot.

“It’s come around now and I look forward to showing these guys.”

Ouellet is also ready to display his wares and make the Wings aware that his time to be an NHL is upon us.

“Every training camp I’ve come to I’ve thought I could make it,” Ouellet said. “I’ve always had that mindset since day one. That doesn’t change.

“I think my situation contract wise helps me more. The decisions they had to make the last two years because of contracts and stuff won’t affect me anymore. Now it’s about my game and how I play.

“I guess my whole mindset was to actually make this team and play. I want to be in the lineup and help this team to win and make the playoffs again.”

Cleary Back
The Wings made it official Friday, signing veteran forward Dan Cleary to a minor-league deal with AHL Grand Rapids, where he’ll fill the same role as least season, serving as a mentor to Detroit’s top prospects.

“It was a great experience for me last year to go down there and work with young players,” Cleary said. “At 38, I know it’s the end of the line but certainly I loved seeing the maturity and the growth of some young players. My goal is to be a good leader for these young guys, help them become great Red Wings.

“I love the red and white and I’ve already seen huge strides in a lot of these young players that are going to come up here and be good Red Wings for a long time.”

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