Dylan Sadowy-development camp.jpg

The Red Wings acquired prospect Dylan Sadowy in a trade with the San Jose Sharks.

(Brendan Savage | MLive.com)

There's no telling where Dylan Sadowy would have been drafted in 2014 had NHL teams knew then what they know now.

But it's a probably a pretty good bet the Detroit Red Wings prospect might have gone higher than 81st overall.

Sadowy was coming off a 27-goal season for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit when the San Jose Sharks selected him the third round of the 2014 draft. He followed that output by scoring 42 goals in 2014-15 and 45 last season, when he split the year between the Spirit and Barrie Colts.

The 45 goals tied him for fifth in the OHL with undrafted Aaron Berisha of Memorial Cup champion London and Sault Ste. Marie's Zachary Senyshyn, a first-round pick (15

th

overall) by Boston in 2015.

Whether Sadowy can continue that type of prolific goal scoring when he begins his pro career this fall remains to be seen. But early indications are the Red Wings might have gotten a bargain when they traded a 2017 third-round draft choice to San Jose for Sadowy.

The Red Wings liked what they saw from Sadowy the first time he suited up in one of their jerseys during a game situation.

He registered a hat trick in the first development camp scrimmage while also scoring during a shootout. In the second and final scrimmage, he had a goal and assist.

"It's just going to the net hard," said Sadowy, who will almost certainly start this season with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. "That's my game, just going to the blue paint, taking the crap from the defenders and just getting those greasy goals.

"I'm hoping to put up a couple numbers in Grand Rapids first and then hopefully get the call. Just keep playing my game, keep going to the net hard and hopefully they'll see something and give me a shot.

"Obviously I have personal goals and team goals as well. Personally I want to make that big jump to the big league next year. If I get the opportunity, just run with it. If not, just keep working hard, going at it every practice and see how next year goes."

Making it to the NHL next season won't be an easy task given the Red Wings abundance of forwards heading to the training camp.

But at the same time, if the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Sadowy can produce in Grand Rapids, there's no telling what could happen given the way the Red Wings struggled to score goals for much of last season.

Todd Nelson, who conducted the on-ice portion of the development camp and is the head coach in Grand Rapids, liked what he saw from the 20-year-old left winger.

"Besides the goals, I liked the way that he played," Nelson said. "He plays hard. He's quicker than I thought he'd be. He's got good speed and he has a good finish around the net."

Last season, Sadowy had 20 goals and 14 assists in 36 games for Saginaw before getting 25 goals and 11 assists in 28 games for Barrie. He had two more goals in eight postseason games.

Sadowy also had a plus-17 rating last season.

During four OHL seasons, Sadowy had 116 goals, 72 assists, 245 penalty minutes and a plus 23 rating in 258 games.

"Saginaw did wonders for me," Sadowy said. "I've got nothing but good things to say about them. I was there for three and a half years. They came to me and said, 'Do you want a shot at being part of a winning team?'

"We had a really young team and we weren't high in the standings and when the time came, Barrie knocked on the door and asked if I'd go there. The opportunity came and it was in my best interest and my agent said go there.

"It worked out for the best for me, I ended up having a strong finish to the year and now I'm back here in Detroit."

Although he averaged .58 goals per game during his final three OHL seasons, Sadowy doesn't want to be known as a one-dimensional player as a pro.

"In Saginaw, I was just looked at (as) just putting up the points because we were such a young team," he said. "I was one of the older leaders on the team. But yeah, I can put up numbers.

"But I want to be a two-way forward, block shots, get in dirty areas and just make the guys around me better."

Even though the Sharks made the Stanley Cup Finals this season, Sadowy didn't see himself as being a good fit in San Jose. When the Sharks weren't able to sign Sadowy, they struck a deal with the Red Wings.

"Spent two years in the organization, they're a great organization, they made the finals last year," Sadowy said. "But I got a call from my agent, late May, and he said I got traded to Detroit.

"It's an honor to be a part of an Original Six team. They saw something in me that they liked and I'm happy to be here."