Detroit Red Wings Clips August 2, 2016

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1 Detroit Red Wings Clips August 2, 2016 Detroit Red Wings PAGE 2 Andreas Athanasiou wants to make Detroit Red Wings' decision 'easy' PAGE 3 Wings' Athanasiou not worried about surplus of forwards PAGE 5 Andreas Athanasiou not worried Red Wings' glut of forwards could send him back to Grand Rapids

2 Andreas Athanasiou wants to make Detroit Red Wings' decision 'easy' Helene St. James, 1:48 p.m. EDT August 1, 2016 Andreas Athanasiou took delight in how many kids wanted to prove that they can say his name. He's hoping that he'll hear it more often from the Detroit Red Wings, too. Athanasiou was today s guest instructor at the annual youth hockey camp at Joe Louis Arena, catering to players aged They were coming up and saying, Happy-to-see-you,' Athanasiou said, referring to how people learn to pronounce his tongue-tripper of a last name. Athanasiou, who turns 22 this week, is eagerly preparing for training camp, when he'll be tasked with making a team that has a glut of forwards. He turned heads with his performance after joining the Wings in February, finishing with nine goals and 14 points even as he averaged just 9:01 minutes of ice time per game, lowest on the team. It's such a tough situation with the team we had, Athanasiou said. There's reliable players that the coach has and, when you step in halfway through the season and produce, it kind of puts them in a situation where they have to juggle lines. Unfortunately, I got the minutes I got, but I'm not complaining. I'm OK with that. Obviously, I wanted it to be more, but it was just my foot in the door there. Athanasiou wants to gain a bigger foothold (he sounded somewhat Olympian in referring to his summer training program as being focused on getting bigger, faster, stronger ) but he's vulnerable. The Wings have 13 forwards signed to one-way contracts -- though Teemu Pulkkinen is doubtful to start the season after shoulder surgery -- plus sure thing Dylan Larkin. There's also forward Martin Frk, who is out of waiver exemptions. Athanasiou, like Anthony Mantha, can be sent to the minors without needing to be exposed on waivers. That's what happened to Gustav Nyquist in the fall of 2013, when he was sent down even as he had shown the previous season that he belonged in the NHL. All Athanasiou can do is make a strong case for staying, like Larkin did last year. I'm just going to stick to my plan this summer and work hard, Athanasiou said. Come September, I'm going to be ready to play. It's in their hands what they want to do. I ll try to make their decision as easy as possible. I'm fortunate enough to be blessed with speed -- everything else can come hand-inhand with that. I've got one of the hardest parts of the game down pat, so the other parts can come. It's just going to be fun. Detroit Free Press LOADED:

3 Wings' Athanasiou not worried about surplus of forwards Staff Detroit With the glut of veteran forwards on the roster, there s a chance Andreas Athanasiou might be headed to Grand Rapids once the regular season begins. The situation is similar to three seasons ago when Gustav Nyquist, who also had waiver-exempt status at the time, was sent to Grand Rapids with the Red Wings overstocked with forwards. Teemu Pulkkinen s shoulder surgery will keep him from starting the season, which could open a spot for Athanasiou. But nothing is a foregone conclusion. All Athanasiou can do is make the Red Wings choice difficult. I m not worried about that, I m confident in my abilities, said Athanasiou, who was a guest instructor Monday at a Red Wings youth clinic at Joe Louis Arena. It s their decision. I m going to do the best I can to make it as easy as possible (to stay in Detroit). It was a learning experience of sorts for Athanasiou last season in the NHL, playing in 37 games and scoring nine goals (with five assists) while playing just over nine minutes per game. It s such a tough situation with the team we had, Athanasiou said. There were reliable players the coach has and when you step in halfway through the season and produce, it kind of puts them in a situation where they have to juggle lines and we did a pretty good job of it. The minutes I got, I m not complaining. Obviously I would want it to be more, but I got my foot in the door and somehow I have to do better. In 26 games last season with Grand Rapids, Athanasiou had eight goals and eight assists. With his elite speed and knack for scoring goals, Athanasiou is confident he belongs in the NHL. Anytime you get a chance to play you re always going to learn, to develop, said Athanasiou, a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. I want to just keep going from there. Getting to play in the NHL was a dream come true. My confidence just comes from what I ve been through, growing up and getting to the NHL. That s where you build your confidence and getting a chance to play here is a big thing. I know my game and I know what I m capable of. I m just going to work on my strengths and weaknesses and come September, I ll be ready. 3

4 Athanasiou was pleased to be at Monday s camp, working with kids excited to be on the Joe Louis Arena ice. It s a lot of fun, you can see how happy they are to be here, Athanasiou said. Getting the opportunity to skate on this ice, it s probably a dream come true for them. They re having a lot of fun and it s always fun to be part of that. Detroit News LOADED:

5 Andreas Athanasiou not worried Red Wings' glut of forwards could send him back to Grand Rapids Brendan Savage on August 01, 2016 at 2:41 PM, updated August 01, 2016 at 7:01 PM DETROIT With a glut of forwards on the roster, the Detroit Red Wings could have some difficult decisions to make when it's time to pare the roster down for the start of the regular season. Not counting Johan Franzen and Joe Vitale, who are sidelined by concussion issues, the Red Wings have 14 forwards on their roster. That number will be trimmed by one assuming Teemu Pulkkinen (shoulder) is placed on long-term injured reserve. So if the Red Wings don't move one of their forwards, they'll have one spot open on the roster and that could leave youngsters Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and Tomas Nosek battling to make the team. All three are waiver exempt and could be sent down to Grand Rapids to start the season, the same way Gustav Nyquist did in before finally joining the Red Wings for good. But Athanasiou, who made a splash in his rookie season last year, doesn't plan on being the one who goes back to the AHL in October. "I'm not worried about that," Athanasiou said Monday at Joe Louis Arena, where he was serving as an instructor at the Red Wings annual youth camp. "I'm confident in my abilities. "I do what I can out there and like I said, it's their decision and I'm doing to do the best I can to make it as easy as possible. Just take it day to day. Come September I'm going to be ready to play. "It's in their hands what they want to do. I'll try to make their decision as easy as possible." As easy as possible in terms of keeping him on the roster. Athanasiou served two stints with the Red Wings last season. He made his NHL debut Nov. 8 against the Dallas Stars and played in six games with one goal before being sent back down. Athanasiou returned to the NHL in February and this time played so well the Red Wings kept him on the roster for the remainder of the season. He finished with nine goals, five assists and a plus-1 rating in 37 games while making a strong impression with his blazing speed and slick moves. 5

6 Athanasiou did that despite averaging 9:01 minutes of ice time per game. None of the Red Wings who played more than 10 games saw less action. "It's such a tough situation, obviously, with the team we had," said Athanasiou, who scored once in five playoff games. "There's reliable players that the coach has and obviously when you step in halfway through the season and produce, it kind of puts them in a situation where they have to juggle lines and stuff. "We did a pretty good job with it. Unfortunately, I got the minutes I got. I'm not complaining. I'm OK with that. Obviously I want it to be more but that's just my foot in the door there, so now I've got to kind to come in." Athanasiou was the Red Wings' fourth-round pick (110th overall) in the 2012 NHL entry draft. He turned pro late in the season after scoring 49 goals for the OHL's Barrie Colts during his final junior campaign and had 16 goals and 16 assists in his first full season with Grand Rapids in Last season, he had eight goals and eight assists in 26 games with the Griffins. Athanasiou has always been filled with confidence but finishing last season with the Red Wings just added to that. "Yeah, definitely," he said. "Anytime you get a chance to play, you're always going to learn, you're always going to develop. Just keep going from there. Obviously getting to play in the National Hockey League was a dream come true. "I think my confidence just comes from what I've been through, everything I've gone (through) growing up and getting to the National Hockey League. That's where you build you confidence and just getting a chance to play here is a big thing. "I know my game. I know what I'm capable of. So I'm just going to work on my strengths, work on my weaknesses and come September I'll be ready." Michigan Live LOADED: