All eyes on rookie as Wings' prospects report September 6, 2002
TRAVERSE CITY -- Henrik Zetterberg is not your run-of-the-mill rookie. How can you tell? Well, there he was Thursday as the Red Wings' prospect camp opened, zooming around in a red No. 15 sweater. Was he nervous? Nah.
KEY WINGS DATES Prospects camp: Through Tuesday at Centre I.C.E. Arena, Traverse City. Training camp: Sept. 13-18, Centre I.C.E.
Intrasquad game: Sept. 19, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids.
Exhibition opener: Sept. 20 at Dallas.
Exhibition home opener: Sept. 24 vs. Toronto.
Regular-season opener: Oct. 10 at San Jose.
Regular-season home opener: Oct. 17 vs. Montreal.
"It's really great," he said, helmet nudged back on his mess of hair, an easy smile on his face.
Sure, he'd been in the country for only a week. But defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom had helped him feel comfortable, picking him up at the hotel and taking him home for dinner Monday, helping him get a car and a cell phone Tuesday.
"It's nice to have Swedes on the team," Zetterberg said. "If I didn't have other Swedes here, I don't know what I should do."
How much should be expected of Zetterberg this season? That's a delicate question at this point, although he clearly has much potential.
Zetterberg, a forward, will turn 22 on Oct. 10, and he hasn't played a second in the NHL. The Wings don't want to put too much pressure on him.
Pavel Datsyuk was such a pleasant surprise as a rookie last season in large part because he wasn't overhyped, and he was insulated from any talk about him because he spoke little English.
People already expect a lot from Zetterberg. He played well at the Olympics -- winning his first face-off cleanly against none other than Eric Lindros -- and won the Golden Puck as the Swedish Elite League's top player last season, after he was rookie of the year the season before. Toronto and Team Sweden captain Mats Sundin has compared him to Colorado superstar Peter Forsberg.
As the prospects warmed up Thursday, two teenagers stood against the glass.
"Where's Zetterberg?" one asked.
"Yeah, Zetterberg," the other said. "He's (bleeping) awesome."
Because he speaks English fairly well, Zetterberg will soon hear a lot about himself.
"We're just hoping he can come in and contribute, be a regular full-time player for us," assistant general manager Jim Nill said.
No one knows if Zetterberg will be awesome, let alone (bleeping) awesome. At 6-feet, 180 pounds, he needs to get stronger.
"Back in Sweden," he said, "all the defensemen are maybe 10 centimeters shorter than the ones here."
Having played on the smaller North American surface only for five games or so four years ago, he has to adjust to a new style of play.
"The corners are a lot quicker here," he said. "There's not so much room as there was back in Sweden."
That said, the Wings hope Zetterberg can make the same kind of impact Datsyuk did last season, when he finished fourth -- a distant fourth, but fourth -- for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Zetterberg made progress with a personal trainer during the summer. "You hate him when you train with him, but afterwards you like him," he said.
He lifted weights. He ate.
"I ate a lot," he said. "All of the time, I think, I ate."
And he has a knack for coming out of the corner with the puck.
As for the smaller ice surface, it might work to his advantage, as it did for Datsyuk. The game is quicker on the smaller surface, and he might be able to take advantage of that with his skill.
"When you're at the blue line," he said, smiling, "you have an opportunity to score."
Zetterberg is confident and expects to stick around.
Asked what were his strengths and weaknesses, he said, "It's difficult for me to answer that. You have to wait and see, and then you can judge me in a couple months."
· 
Zetterberg at ease in camp
All eyes on rookie as Wings' prospects report
September 6, 2002
TRAVERSE CITY -- Henrik Zetterberg is not your run-of-the-mill rookie. How can you tell? Well, there he was Thursday as the Red Wings' prospect camp opened, zooming around in a red No. 15 sweater. Was he nervous? Nah.
KEY WINGS DATES
Prospects camp: Through Tuesday at Centre I.C.E. Arena, Traverse City.
Training camp: Sept. 13-18, Centre I.C.E.
Intrasquad game: Sept. 19, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids.
Exhibition opener: Sept. 20 at Dallas.
Exhibition home opener: Sept. 24 vs. Toronto.
Regular-season opener: Oct. 10 at San Jose.
Regular-season home opener: Oct. 17 vs. Montreal.
"It's really great," he said, helmet nudged back on his mess of hair, an easy smile on his face.
Sure, he'd been in the country for only a week. But defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom had helped him feel comfortable, picking him up at the hotel and taking him home for dinner Monday, helping him get a car and a cell phone Tuesday.
"It's nice to have Swedes on the team," Zetterberg said. "If I didn't have other Swedes here, I don't know what I should do."
How much should be expected of Zetterberg this season? That's a delicate question at this point, although he clearly has much potential.
Zetterberg, a forward, will turn 22 on Oct. 10, and he hasn't played a second in the NHL. The Wings don't want to put too much pressure on him.
Pavel Datsyuk was such a pleasant surprise as a rookie last season in large part because he wasn't overhyped, and he was insulated from any talk about him because he spoke little English.
People already expect a lot from Zetterberg. He played well at the Olympics -- winning his first face-off cleanly against none other than Eric Lindros -- and won the Golden Puck as the Swedish Elite League's top player last season, after he was rookie of the year the season before. Toronto and Team Sweden captain Mats Sundin has compared him to Colorado superstar Peter Forsberg.
As the prospects warmed up Thursday, two teenagers stood against the glass.
"Where's Zetterberg?" one asked.
"Yeah, Zetterberg," the other said. "He's (bleeping) awesome."
Because he speaks English fairly well, Zetterberg will soon hear a lot about himself.
"We're just hoping he can come in and contribute, be a regular full-time player for us," assistant general manager Jim Nill said.
No one knows if Zetterberg will be awesome, let alone (bleeping) awesome. At 6-feet, 180 pounds, he needs to get stronger.
"Back in Sweden," he said, "all the defensemen are maybe 10 centimeters shorter than the ones here."
Having played on the smaller North American surface only for five games or so four years ago, he has to adjust to a new style of play.
"The corners are a lot quicker here," he said. "There's not so much room as there was back in Sweden."
That said, the Wings hope Zetterberg can make the same kind of impact Datsyuk did last season, when he finished fourth -- a distant fourth, but fourth -- for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Zetterberg made progress with a personal trainer during the summer. "You hate him when you train with him, but afterwards you like him," he said.
He lifted weights. He ate.
"I ate a lot," he said. "All of the time, I think, I ate."
And he has a knack for coming out of the corner with the puck.
As for the smaller ice surface, it might work to his advantage, as it did for Datsyuk. The game is quicker on the smaller surface, and he might be able to take advantage of that with his skill.
"When you're at the blue line," he said, smiling, "you have an opportunity to score."
Zetterberg is confident and expects to stick around.
Asked what were his strengths and weaknesses, he said, "It's difficult for me to answer that. You have to wait and see, and then you can judge me in a couple months."