Forget Grand Rapids -- Marco Kasper is coming straight to Detroit.
After news broke earlier this week that their top forward prospect is coming over from Sweden, the Red Wings announced Thursday evening that Kasper is being summoned to the NHL. The eighth overall pick will join the Wings this weekend.
Detroit has eight games remaining, starting Friday night in Winnipeg. For Kasper, it's a chance to get acclimated to the NHL before he tries to win a spot on the Opening Night roster next season. And for Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings, it's a chance to evaluate the 18-year-old center without burning a year of his entry-level contract.
"We don't have a lot of centers within the system," Yzerman said after drafting Kasper last July. "Don't want to say he's absolutely going to be a centermen, but that's what we feel he is."
Ideally, Kasper will soon slot in behind Dylan Larkin in Detroit's lineup. He had eight goals and 23 points in 52 games this season with Rogle of the Swedish Hockey League, impressive production for a player his age in the top league overseas. In fact, among players age 20 or younger, Kasper ranked second in the league in points.
Now he gets to show the Wings what he's got.
"I'm a competitive player, I really want to win," Kasper said the night of the draft. "Good playmaking skills, good hockey sense, good skating ability, a solid 200-foot player. And I think it's a really good team here with the Detroit Red Wings."
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