Christoffer Ehn isn't ready for pro hockey yet.

The Detroit Red Wings know it and so does the club's fourth-round pick (106th overall) in this year's NHL draft.

So when the Red Wings open training camp in Traverse City two weeks from today, Ehn will remain in his native Sweden, continuing his junior career in an effort to fulfill the potential that led to him going higher in the draft than many people had anticipated.

But thanks to July's development camp in Traverse City, Ehn at least has a better idea of what it will take to perhaps crack the Red Wings' lineup someday. Ehn got his first taste of what it takes to play in North American during the annual gathering for Red Wings prospects at Centre ICE Arena, where the club will hold training camp beginning Sept. 19.

"It was really fun and a great experience to (play on) the smaller ice surface," Ehn said. "It's kind of a big adjustment because the time and space is much (more) limited. You've got pressure coming from all angles.

"You have to be more ready for physical contact every time you touch the puck and the corners are so much narrower. I backed into the boards a couple of times. But I like it."

Ehn's number's last season -- four goals and four assists in 45 games for Frolunda of Sweden's J-20 Super Elit League -- were hardly impressive. And his three assists in seven World Junior Championship games didn't do anything to turn heads.

In fact, his statistics paled in comparison to the ones put up by fellow Swede Axel Holmstrom, whom the Red Wings chose in the seventh round (196th overall) of this year's draft. Holmstrom had 38 points in 33 SuperElite games to go with three goals and eight assists in the U-18 World Championship.

Holmstrom clearly appears to be the better player -- right now.

But Ehn's long-term potential makes him the better prospect, according to European scout Hakan Andersson, the guy who who uncovered the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom before recommending the Red Wings draft Ehn as well.

"Ehn is a better skater," Andersson told RedWingsCentral.com. "He has better size, a bigger body, so by the time he fills out, he will be a bigger, faster player. Hockey sense, creativity are similar, but that's why I see Ehn as (having) a little better potential down the road.

"I like his size, his potential, his work ethic — a lot — and I like his hockey sense. I see him as a good-sized kid who will be a hard worker and have some playmaking ability. Some point production is within reach."

Ehn gave the Red Wings a glimpse of what he's capable of at the prospects camp when he scored a pretty goal in the first scrimmage while the players still were getting to know each other on the ice.

"He showed nice poise carrying the puck through the neutral zone," said Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings' director of player development. "He's not afraid to try to beat guys one-on-one. He was certainly very good at the U18 World Championships. That's one of the reasons he caught our scout's eye.

"On the faceoffs and in battles, once he gets stronger, he'll be fantastic."

Strength is one thing Ehn knows he needs to add to his 6-foot-3, 181-pound frame before returning to North America next summer for his second development camp.

His first trip to North America last year was to attend a camp in Los Angeles that mostly involved skating drills and the visit to Traverse City gave him an idea of how much more physical hockey here is compared to what he sees in Europe.

"This is the first time with the real thing," Ehn said. "My shot needs to get better. I need to get stronger on the puck, put on more muscle. It's a different kind of game than we're used to back home (playing) against Finland and Russia."

Ehn calls his "skating ability and hockey IQ" his two biggest strengths, something that shouldn't surprise Red Wings fans considering how many Swedes have showed the same traits in Detroit over the years.

Given the club's Swedish connection, Ehn couldn't have been more thrilled when he found out who drafted him.

"It's just unreal," he said. "It's been my favorite team since I was a kid with the history and all the Swedes. I'm just real excited. The Swedes usually have great work ethic and want to improve themselves. They work really hard.

"They are real team players."

Ehn said his goals this season are to assume a bigger role on his junior team Frolunda and play well enough to get called up by the parent club in the Swedish Hockey League.

The Red Wings project him to be a two-way center in the NHL.

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