DETROIT — It isn’t often that one gets to professionally suit up for the team he grew up watching as a youngster, let alone an Original Six franchise. But as they prepare for the 97th season in franchise history, the Detroit Red Wings feature several homegrown talents on their roster.
The most notable Michigan native is captain Dylan Larkin, hailing from Waterford and also having played for the University of Michigan. He’ll be joined this year by another fellow former Wolverine in forward Andrew Copp, who was among general manager Steve Yzerman’s multiple offseason additions.
As the Red Wings hit the ice Friday night at Little Caesars Arena for their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, Copp will have plenty of friends and family in attendance, and he explained that was part of the reason why he seized the opportunity to return home.
“I think you always dream of playing for your hometown team when you’re a Red Wings fan, especially with how good they were when I was growing up,” Copp explained. “I think once you get to the NHL, it gets a bit different; you can’t just choose to play for your hometown team. But the opportunity presented itself, and it ended up being a good fit. It was definitely an added bonus to be home in front of my friends and family.”
Having been traded to the New York Rangers from the Winnipeg Jets last season, it was certainly a culture shift playing in one of the largest cities in the world from his humble beginnings in Ann Arbor.
“New York was definitely a different animal, especially with the way the schedule worked and the practice rink being an hour away,” Copp said. “But I think you figure out your routine and rhythm wherever you are. I don’t think that’ll be too much of a difference for me coming here.”
Another member of the Red Wings who enjoyed a Michigan homecoming last offseason is goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who was acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. He had already lived in the area for nearly a decade while suiting up for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League before being selected in the 2014 NHL Draft by Carolina. But for Nedeljkovic, he simply wanted to break through the barrier of experiencing professional hockey before even thinking of suiting up for Detroit.
“I never really thought about it as a kid,” Nedeljkovic said. “It’s almost naïve in a way that I never truly thought I could play in the NHL, and it really didn’t hit me until my last year of junior hockey. I tried to have a good year and wanted to hopefully take the next step towards professional hockey. It took a while for it to set in.”
The Red Wings are aiming to take the next step by making a return to the postseason for the first time since 2016. For Copp, he’s already experienced deep playoff runs with the Jets and the Rangers, and based upon his early impressions of his new team, Detroit is close to reaching that point.
“I don’t think we’re far off at all,” Copp said. “You see the ability in the room is 100 percent there, so it will be all upon us in how we execute. We know how to play to be successful, and everyone has to do their job and be accountable, doing things that lead to winning hockey no matter how skilled you are. It will be a matter of how much we buy into that if we make the playoffs or not, because the ability in the room is there for sure.”
Among the key offseason additions to the Red Wings made by Yzerman came in the form of new head coach Derek Lalonde, as well as new assistant coach Bob Boughner, a former Detroit draft pick from 1989. With the new-look coaching staff as well as several new faces on the team, Nedeljkovic feels the Red Wings will be an improved product in all aspects.
“I think we’re going to be faster and be better in our own end,” Nedeljkovic said. “We’ve done a good job of trying to play to our structure in the preseason so far, and hammer it home a lot in practice, as well. I think, for the most part, we’ll be more consistent in all aspects of our game.”
The Red Wings take on the Canadiens Friday night starting at 7 with coverage on Bally Sports Detroit and the Bally Sports app beginning at 6.
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