The next generation

By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com

The Detroit Red Wings annual development camp is a time or optimism as everyone gets to see the latest crop of draft picks hit the ice for the first time along with many of the team's other prospects.

The five-day camp runs from July 7-11 at Centre I.C.E. Arena in Traverse City but it's not designed to evaluate the players. Instead, the focus is on teaching the players some of the things it takes to become a pro hockey player.

The Red Wings have invited 45 players to Traverse City and we've taken a look at some of the players to watch (listed in alphabetical order). For the complete list of players and the daily schedule, click here.

Photo by Brendan Savage | MLive.com

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Jack Adams

Position: RW |Age: 20

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 211

Drafted: Sixth round (162nd overall) 2017

Last season: Fargo (USHL) 56 Gm, 37 G, 23 A, 55 PIM, plus-24

After two years in the USHL, where he led the league in goals last season, Adams will play for Union College next season.

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Dennis Cholowski

Position: Defense |Age: 19

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185

Drafted: First round (20th overall) 2016

Last season: St. Cloud State 36 Gm, 1 G, 11 A, 14 PIM, minus-9; Grand Rapids (AHL) 1 Gm, 0 G, 0 A, 0 PIM, plus-1

Cholowski's college days are over after he signed an entry-level contract last season and joined the Grand Rapids Griffins late in the campaign. If he doesn't stick in Grand Rapids after training camp this year, he'll head to Prince George of the WHL and can't return to the Griffins until after his junior season ends.

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids Griffins

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Cole Fraser

Position: Defense |Age: 17

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 195

Drafted: Fifth round (131st overall) 2017

Last season: Peterborough (OHL) 61 Gm, 6 G, 13 A, 82 PIM, plus-4

Fraser is a guy who isn't shy about fighting. He finished second in the OHL with five fights last season. He'll return to his junior team for at least one more season.

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Zach Gallant

Position: Center |Age: 18

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 188

Drafted: Third round (83rd overall) 2017

Last season: Peterborough (OHL) 60 Gm, 21 G, 26 A, 74 PIM, plus-4

Gallant, who had no goals two years ago after Peterborough made him the fifth overall pick in the OHL during his draft year, will be heading back to juniors this season.

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Brady Gilmour

Position: Center |Age: 18

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 170

Drafted: Seventh round (193rd overall) 2017

Last season: Saginaw (OHL) 65 Gm, 26 G, 21 A, 4 PIM, minus-8

Gilmour, who was one of Saginaw's alternate captains last season, will be returning to the Spirit for at least one more year.

David C. Bristow | MLive.com

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Patrick Holway

Position: Defense |Age: 20

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 201

Drafted: Sixth round (170th overall) 2015

Last season: University of Maine 33 Gm, 4 G, 9 A, 16 PIM, minus-1

The Red Wings liked Holway's size when they drafted him. A Bangor Daily News story described him as having "an impressive freshman season" last year and he'll be returning to Maine for at least one more season.

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Filip Hronek

Position: Defense |Age: 19

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170

Drafted: Second round (53rd overall) 2016

Last season: Saginaw (OHL) 59 Gm, 14 G, 47 A, 60 PIM, plus-15; Grand Rapids (AHL) 10 Gm, 1 G, 1 A, 4 PIM, plus-1

Hronek is looking like he could be one of the steals of the 2016 draft. He was Saginaw's MVP before handling himself well in 10 regular-season with the Grand Rapids Griffins after turning pro. He also appeared in two playoff games as Grand Rapids won the Calder Cup. He's headed to Grand Rapids in the fall after Red Wings training camp.

Photo by Daytona Niles | MLive.com

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Kasper Kotkansalo

Position: Defense |Age: 18

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 190

Drafted: Third round (71st overall) 2017

Last season: Sioux Falls (USHL) 47 Gm, 1 G, 11 A, 43 PIM, plus-12

The Finnish defenseman will play for Boston University next season.

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Adam Larkin

Position: Defense |Age: 22

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 182

Drafted: Undrafted

Last season: Yale (ECAC) 32 Gm, 3 G, 11 A, 18 PIM, minus-2

The free agent invite, who spent the past three seasons at Yale after a year with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, is the older cousin of Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin. He led Yale defensemen in scoring last season. Adam and Dylan were instructors at the Larkin Hockey School last August.

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Gustav Lindstrom

Position: Defense |Age: 18

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 187

Drafted: Second round (38th overall) 2017

Last season: Almtuna (Sweden) 48 Gm, 2 G, 7 A, 26 PIM, minus-11

Lindstrom was taken much higher in the draft than expected but the Red Wings selected him based on the recommendation of European superscout Hakan Andersson. He'll likely head back to Sweden for at least one more season.

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Matej Machovsky

Position: Goalie |Age: 23

Height: 6-2| Weight: 187

Drafted: Undrafted

Last season: Pizen HC (Czech Republic) 46 Gm, 21-25-0, 2.25 GAA, .925 save%, 2 SO

The Red Wings signed Machovsky as a free agent and will be sending him to Grand Rapids to compete for one of the Griffins' two jobs between the pipes, according to Detroit's assistant general manager Ryan Martin.

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Chase Pearson

Position: Center |Age: 19

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 189

Drafted: Fifth round (140th overall) 2015

Last season: Maine 36 Gm, 14 G, 8 A, 56 PIM, minus-4

Pearson was looking to add more offense to his game after the Red Wings drafted him and he did that last season, leading Maine's freshmen in goals. He'll be heading back to college for another season with the Black Bears. His father Scott played in the NHL from 1988-1997.

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Alex Peters

Position: Defense |Age: 21

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 217

Drafted: Third round (75th overall) 2014 by Dallas

Last season: Flint (OHL) 68 Gm, 10 G, 24 A, 76 A, plus-24

Last season, Peters won the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy as the OHL captain who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice while displaying a passion and dedication to hockey and the community. He helped the Firebirds reach the playoffs for the first time.

Photo courtesy of Flint Firebirds

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Keith Petruzzelli

Position: Goalie |Age: 18

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 180

Drafted: Third round (88th overall) 2017

Last season: Muskegon (USHL) 35 Gm, 22-10-1, 2.40 GAA, .918 save%, 2 SO

The Red Wings got high marks from some observers for taking the Massachusetts native. He was the second-ranked North American goalie available, according to NHL Central Scouting, which ranked him No. 1 at midseason. He'll play for Quinnipiac University next season.

Photo by Shannon Millard | MLive.com

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Michael Rasmussen

Position: Center |Age: 18

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 215

Drafted: First round (ninth overall) 2017

Last season: Tri-City (WHL) 50 Gm, 32 G, 23 A, 50 PIM, minus-13

It's unlikely anybody at the camp will be scrutinized more than the big center who was the Red Wings' highest draft pick since Keith Primeau went No. 3 overall in 1990. Unless Rasmussen shocks everyone and sticks with the Red Wings out of training camp, he's headed back to junior hockey for at least one more season.

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Vili Saarijarvi

Position: Defense |Age: 20

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 165

Drafted: Third round (73rd overall) 2015

Last season: Mississauga (OHL) 34 Gm, 11 G, 20 A, 14 PIM, plus-20

Although a bit undersized, Saarijarvi has played well in his two OHL campaigns and was one of six finalists for the league's defenseman of the year award last season. He also helped Finland win the 2016 World Junior Championship. Saarijarvi will begin his pro career in Grand Rapids this season.

MLive File Photo

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Dylan Sadowy

Position: Left wing |Age: 21

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 195

Drafted: Third round (81st overall) 2014 by San Jose

Last season: Grand Rapids (AHL)-Toledo (ECHL) 44 Gm, 5 G, 5 A, 32 PIM, 0 plus-minus

Sadowy has as much to prove as anyone this season after a disappointing beginning to his pro career. After scoring a total of 114 goals during his final three junior seasons, Sadowy struggled as a rookie pro. He's penciled in to start the season in Grand Rapids but can't afford to have another slow start.

Photo by Brendan Savage | MLive.com

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Jordan Sambrook

Position: Defense |Age: 19

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 193

Drafted: Fifth round (137th overall) 2016

Last season: Erie (OHL) 61 Gm, 15 G, 25 A, 61 PIM, plus-38

Sambrook (pictured on the right) has one more year of junior hockey remaining and that might not be a bad thing given the way last season turned out. He helped Erie reach the Memorial Cup Final before losing to Windsor. Sambrook had five goals and five assists in 22 postseason games for the Otters. His ties with the Red Wings go back to 1998, when he was pictured sitting in the Stanley Cup.

Photo by Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

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Malte Setkov

Position: Defense |Age: 18

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 192

Drafted: Fourth round (100th overall) 2017

Last season: Malmo (Sweden) 48 Gm, 6 G, 15 A, 28 PIM, plus-14

Not much is known about the big defenseman, who will be returning to Sweden again this season. He did represent Denmark in international competition last season but was not ranked by NHL Central Scouting heading into the draft.

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Dominik Shine

Position: LW |Age: 24

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 175

Drafted: Undrafted

Last season: Northern Michigan (WCHA) 33 Gm, 20 G, 10 A, 30 PIM, plus-3; Grand Rapids (AHL) 8 Gm, 0 G, 3 A, 7 PIM, minus-2

The Grand Rapids Griffins signed Shine as a free agent last spring after he completed his fourth season at NMU by scoring 20 goals, the most since he bagged 26 in his final USHL season.

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Givani Smith

Position: Right wing |Age: 19

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 209

Drafted: Second round (46th overall) 2016

Last season: Guelph (OHL) 64 Gm, 26 G, 18 A, 139 PIM, minus-9

Many fans are excited about the possibility of someday seeing Smith (pictured on the right) in a Red Wings uniform given his fondness for playing a rough style and his willingness to fight. He can also score, having put up at least 20 goals in each of the past two seasons. Smith, who is headed back to junior hockey for one more season, spent three games in Grand Rapids last season. He signed an entry level contract with the Red Wings last year.

Photo by Rachel Woolf | MLive.com

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Libor Sulak

Position: Defense |Age: 23

Height: 6-2| Weight: 207

Drafted: Undrafted

Last season: Znojmo Orli (Austria) 54 Gm, 10 G, 18 A, 41 PIM, plus-19

The Red Wings like Sulak's potential and signed him as a free agent in May. They were impressed with the way he handled himself in the World Championship but will likely send him to Finland this season unless he can make the team out of training camp in September. He's expected to see action in at least one or two exhibition games before that decision is made.

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Reilly Webb

Position: Defense |Age: 18

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 192

Drafted: Sixth round (164th overall) 2017

Last season: Hamilton (OHL) 12 Gm, 0 G, 1 A, 5 PIM, plus-3

Webb has to be considered a project after being limited to 20 games the past two seasons because of shoulder injuries but he did appear in seven playoff games last season. He'll be heading back to junior hockey this season.

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Lane Zablocki

Position: Center |Age: 18

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 190

Drafted: Third round (79th overall) 2017

Last season: Red Deer (WHL) 31 Gm, 19 G, 10 A, 49 PIM, minus-5

A dependable scorer who averaged 23 goals during two WHL seasons, Zablocki scored six goals in six playoff games last season after scoring seven in 12 postseason games two years ago. He'll be returning to Red Deer for at least one more season.

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Closer look at draft class of 2017

The Red Wings had 11 picks in this year's draft thanks to several moves they made at the NHL trade deadline. That will give the club's brass plenty to watch during the five-day development camp. Here's a closer look at the players the Red Wings selected in this year's draft.