Axel Holmstrom

The Red Wings hope they have another late-round draft gem in Axel Holmstrom.

(MLive/Brendan Savage)

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings hope to have another Holmstrom in their lineup in the not-too-distant future.

This one isn't related to Tomas, and isn't as big, but has a similar style.

Swedish prospect Axel Holmstrom has joined the Grand Rapids Griffins and is expected to make his North American debut Tuesday at the Manitoba Moose.

"He's excited for the opportunity to play, because he hasn't played a lot of hockey this year, and we're excited to have the chance to evaluate him on the North American ice surface as he prepares to come over here next year," Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said. "He hasn't had a real strong year statistically and he's been hampered by injuries, but the positive is he's playing well lately in his recent return."

Holmstrom (6-0, 198) was limited to 17 regular season games (one goal, one assist) with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish League due mainly to two knee injuries. He had a decent playoff series, with three goals and four assists in seven games.

He had 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 15 playoff games in 2015, breaking the Swedish League record previous held by Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

The Red Wings selected Holmstrom, 20, in the seventh round of the 2014 entry draft (196th overall).

"He plays a similar game to Tomas Holmstrom in the sense that he does a lot of his work in the hard, greasy areas around the net," Martin said. "He's got good hands and hockey sense. He's not quite as big as Tomas was, but that's how he makes his living, down low below the goal line, little give-and-go plays.

"He's an offensive guy. What we like most about him is his hockey sense. He's got to continue to work on his skating and his quickness, but that's normal for a player who's just 20 years old."

Tomas Holmstrom was the NHL's premier net-front player during 15 seasons with the Red Wings, from 1996-97 to 2011-12.

The Red Wings signed Axel Holmstrom to a three-year entry-level contract in 2015. They planned on bringing him to North America in 2015-16, but after his knee injury both sides agreed it would be best for him to spend another season in Sweden.

"He's had two very good years there, he's just been hampered by injuries," Martin said.