Detroit City Wire

Amadeus Lombardi, a 22-year-old forward for the Grand Rapids Griffins, is among the more experienced players participating in the Detroit Red Wings’ 2025 NHL Prospect Games in Frisco, Texas. Having once benefited from veteran guidance himself at this annual event, Lombardi now finds himself in a position to support younger teammates.

“I’m happy to be here, helping the younger guys and get some momentum going into [Training] Camp,” Lombardi said after Detroit’s 6-2 victory over the Dallas Stars at Comerica Center on Saturday night. “I’m excited for it.”

The Red Wings aim to sweep this year’s Prospect Games with another matchup scheduled for Sunday night. The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT and can be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com and the Red Wings Mobile App.

Lombardi was added to Detroit’s roster for the games on Saturday morning. He spoke about his goals for both the tournament and the coming weeks.

“Showing that I got stronger and can handle pressure,” Lombardi said. “I’m not going to be a guy that’s running around dropping guys left and right, but if I can be able to protect the puck a little better that’s going to be a big thing. The other thing is just defensively, being more responsible, playing a 200-foot game and getting trust from the coaches more. I’m going into my third year with the same staff, getting comfortable with them. Hopefully, they trust me more and I obviously need to earn that trust.”

Reflecting on last season in the American Hockey League (AHL), where an upper-body injury limited him to 44 regular-season games, Lombardi noted he made progress when healthy.

“It was a shortened season,” said Lombardi, who recorded 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) last season. “It was positive and trending upwards from my first year, when I was playing more of a limited role. Last year, I stepped into a big role…especially coming back from that injury.”

Selected by Detroit in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft (No. 113 overall), Lombardi continues to pursue his goal of reaching the NHL while focusing on steady improvement.

“It’s every kids’ dream to play in the NHL,” Lombardi said. “But it’s also important to stay focused and in the present, don’t worry about the past or the future. Stay in the now. There’s a plan above, so just follow that plan. Trust yourself, and hopefully good things will happen.”

He believes maintaining focus on daily progress will benefit his development as he works toward becoming a more well-rounded player.

“Last year, I figured out the offensive side of things,” Lombardi said. “I felt more confident…Now, it’s about reeling it back in, playing responsible, earning the coaches’ trust and being put in all situations. Growing that other side of my game. I think I can help the team with that.”