Detroit City Wire

A group of Detroit Red Wings prospects will compete against the Dallas Stars' young players at the 2025 NHL Prospect Games, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The event precedes the Red Wings’ annual Training Camp in Traverse City, Michigan.

Dan Watson, head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, will lead the Red Wings’ prospects during the games. Watson expressed optimism about both the competition and developmental opportunities for his players.

“We want to see players on a team that competes and works really hard,” Watson told DetroitRedWings.com on Friday afternoon. “We gave them a ton of information, so we’re going to see how much that sticks. Sometimes, you can see how a player understands the information given, so that’s another part of it. We just want them to go out and play. They’re all here for a reason, so go be the best version of yourself and show why you are here. It’s also the first impression for management to see what the guys’ summers looked like. And for us as a staff, it’s a great opportunity to get back to presenting to teams and coaching on the bench. There’s a lot that goes into this weekend versus just seeing it as two games."

The games will be available via live stream on DetroitRedWings.com and through the team's app.

Forward prospect Alexandre Doucet highlighted what is at stake for participants: “Everybody is going to be competing this weekend,” Doucet said. “There’s going to be a lot of eyes on us. It’s a good way to show what we’re capable of.”

Watson also noted some players would try new positions during these games as part of their development process: “There’s going to be some guys playing different positions so we can see how they perform, whether it’s a center playing wing or wing having to play center,” Watson said. “The same goes with the defensemen too - some guys are going to be playing their off hand. It’s giving guys opportunities to play different roles within the lineup that maybe they aren’t going to play this winter and to keep developing them.”

Nate Danielson, who was selected ninth overall by Detroit in 2023, sees these matchups as an important step before training camp begins: “Just go there, play hard and get your legs under you,” Danielson said. “It’s a little different to start when you haven’t played competitively all summer, and you want to feel good going into Training Camp.”

Watson emphasized team-building benefits beyond gameplay: “All of this is great,” Watson said. “Whether it’s going north to Traverse City or south to Frisco, it’s an opportunity for these guys to be together. Whether it’s at the hotel or on the flight, they’re all going to be together. Hopefully, they’re playing together at some point in time too, whether it’s in Grand Rapids or in Detroit. They can really gel…And for the staff, this is a great opportunity for us to come back together. We can see each other face-to-face, meet face-to-face and really talk about what we want to do and how we want to achieve a successful weekend.”