As the world junior championship gears up for the medal round, all five Detroit Red Wings prospects remain in the hunt and one of them is truly turning heads.
Team USA center Dylan Larkin, Detroit’s top pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft, is lighting it up for the 2-1-1 Americans, who will tangle with Russia in Montreal Friday at 1 p.m. EST in one of four quarter-final match-ups.
Through the preliminary round games, Larkin leads all goal scorers with five and is tied for second in points with seven. His plus-seven rating is also tied for second-best in the tournament.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland, who has been scouting the world juniors in Montreal, thinks Larkin’s accomplishments so far put him ahead of the curve.
“It's a tournament of potential and prospects,… Holland explained. “It's really a 19-year-old tournament. As the tournament wears on, the best players usually are 19 years old.
“Larkin's an 18-year-old, so he's got another year to come back to the tournament. He's had a very good tournament.…
While his numbers are flashy, Holland likes the all-around package that Larkin is already bringing to the ice at such a young age.
“He's a good skater, a good two-way player,… Holland said. “He plays hard both ways. He can transport the puck up the ice, he makes little plays. He competes hard. He's a good prospect, a good player.
“I think he's done everything that Team USA would want. I was very impressed with the way he played.
“Our scouts liked him a lot when we picked him. Certainly the way he's played at Michigan (in the NCAA) and now the way he's played at World Junior, we're very happy with where he's at with his development.…
One of five Red Wings prospects skating in the event, four of them are 18 and outside of Larkin and Sweden’s Axel Holmstrom, are for the most part playing lesser roles for their respective countries.
Defenseman Joe Hicketts, an undrafted free agent signed by the Wings in September, is part of the unbeaten (4-0-0) Canadian squad that captured Pool A and will play host to upstart Denmark in a quarter-final game Friday at 8 p.m. EST in Toronto.
“Hicketts, again he's an 18-year-old, he's got another year to play,… Holland said. “He's had a fabulous year with Victoria in the Western League. Just before he was assigned to the world junior camp, I think he was the fourth-leading scorer in the entire league as a defenseman.
Through four games, Hicketts has one assist and an even rating.
“He's played regular, he's played safe,… Holland said. “He competes hard, he blocks shots. They dress seven defensemen, they rotate seven defensemen.
“They've got three, four defensemen that are go-to defensemen. Again, they're the 19-year-old guys. But it's good experience for him for his development.…
Friday’s Sweden-Finland quarter-final game at 3 p.m. EST in Toronto will feature a trio of 2014 Detroit draftees.
Forwards Holmstrom and Christoffer Ehn are both part of the 4-0-0 Swedes, pool winners in Group B. Holmstrom enjoyed a strong pool performance, collecting a goal and four assists in four games. Ehn garnered a solitary assist in four games.
“(Detroit special assistant to the GM) Kris Draper was over in Toronto and he saw the Swedes,… Holland said. “Axel Holmstrom has had a very good tournament. He’s got good hockey sense, good hands. Skating is probably the area that he needs to improve but he goes to the hard areas, he's gritty, he's determined, and he goes to the front of the net. “He's an important player on the Sweden team. And then Ehn, he's more of a two-way player. He plays solid.…
The Wings future prospect seeing the fewest amount of action in the tournament is Finnish forward Julius Vahatalo, the lone 19 year old among the group, who was scoreless and plus-one in four games.
“He didn't play much,… Holland said. “He played very sparingly so I only saw him play a few shifts.…
Holland especially likes that the majority of the Detroit future hopefuls in the event will also be eligible to return to play again in 2015-16.
“Most of our players are 18 years of age, and will be back in the tournament next year,… Holland said.
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