ANN ARBOR - Dylan Larkin was born and raised a Detroit Red Wings fan.

Growing up in Waterford, he had the themed comforter and the bobble heads to decorate his room. He watched the Wings on TV any chance he got, and he chooses to wear No. 19 - even now at the University of Michigan - after retired Detroit captain Steve Yzerman.

That made the 2014 NHL Entry Draft even more special. Larkin was ranked everywhere from ninth to 26th in mock drafts, with heavy interest coming from Toronto, Winnipeg and Anaheim with picks 8-10.

"Once Winnipeg didn't pick him at nine, Dylan and I at the draft started counting down," said Kevin Larkin, Dylan's' father. "We were saying five more, four more. And when we heard his name (at No. 15); it was a dream come true."

Nine months after the Red Wings selected him in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft with the 15th pick, Larkin is proving Detroit's good faith worthwhile. He grabbed attention for his breakout performance in the 2015 World Juniors in January, tallying a team-high seven points, and has now taken over the Big Ten as the 2015 Freshman of the Year.

"Dylan Larkin has been outstanding," said Michigan coach Red Berenson. "He's right there (with the best freshmen I've coached). You look back at Brendan Morrison and all the rookie of the years we've had over the years and Dylan's right there with any of them. He really is. Whether it's his skating, his scoring, his puck touches, his work ethic, he's a special player."

Larkin, 18, isn't in any rush to make a jump to the AHL or NHL. Likewise, his parents, Berenson, and members of the Wings organization remain patient.

"I'm happy where I am right now and I'm happy about how this season is going," Larkin said. "I haven't had that talk. I think it will be when I feel ready and if coach (Berenson) and the Red Wings think I'm ready as well. I'm not looking to go as soon as possible. I think it will have to be the right time and when it's a good fit for me."

Related: Red Wings remain patient though pleased with Michigan freshman Dylan Larkin

Asked about the future, Larkin said he's focused on the Big Ten tournament, which kicks off Thursday when the Wolverines take on Wisconsin at Joe Louis Arena.

Humble beginnings in a hockey family

Armed with his mother's humility and his father's competitiveness, Larkin's love for the sport was fostered at an early age.

At 2 years old, Larkin was rollerblading down the driveway, pacifier in mouth, with his older brother, Colin, and cousins, Adam and Ryan.

"He was cute as can be, smiling all the time," said his mother, Denise. "I think he's loved hockey since putting skates on; it just brought joy to him."

When he and Colin weren't outside playing hockey, they were inside watching any televised game or their favorite DVD, "Wayne Gretzky: Above and Beyond."

"Some kids watched Barney over and over. My kids watched that," Denise said. "I could quote it to you."

Larkin started in mini-mites at 4-years-old, playing with Colin on his father's team. He climbed the ranks over the next 10 years, starring at each level from the Lakeland Hawks, to the Honeybaked Triple-A program, to the Belle Tire program.

Hockey wasn't Larkin's only sport - he played basketball, baseball, soccer and football as a kid - but by 14 he gave up four of those to focus on his dream: to play in the NHL.

In four seasons with Belle Tire, he won three state championships and the 2011 national title alongside fellow Wolverine Zach Werenski.

"He had years like this in Belle Tire," Werenski said. "Back then (we talked about) making it to the national team. When we went on to the national team, luckily we were both fortunate to play there. He had a great year and was drafted pretty high."

In 2012, Larkin committed to playing college hockey at Michigan and was selected for the USA National Team Development Program. He became the third of four Larkin boys to play at the collegiate level behind Colin (University of Massachusetts Boston) and Adam (Yale).

Next fall, Ryan will make it 4-for-4 when he attends the University of Miami (Ohio).

"Adam is a defenseman and my two boys are forwards," Denise said. "With Ryan being the youngest, when they played road or pond hockey, he was thrown in net. Now it's interesting how he's excelled and again he's following his brother and cousin's footsteps. And he's up for the NHL draft, too."

Denise never watched a game of hockey in her life before meeting Kevin, an avid fan and coach of the sport. She's making up for it since, attending almost every Michigan game this season and a handful of Colin's out in Boston.

"I think every level that Dylan gets to is amazing to us," she said. "When USA invited him, it was like, you've got to be kidding me, is this really happening? Then Michigan came calling and we're like, no way. He gives us so much excitement and fun, and his brother does, too."

The Larkin-Hyman scoring duo

Larkin entered his freshman season at Michigan wanting to reach 40 points - 20 goals and 20 assists - on top of team goals of winning the Great Lakes Invitational and Big Ten.

"I didn't expect to have a season like I did to be honest with you," Larkin said. "I had goals set and I exceeded them, which is exciting to me. I didn't get the 20 (goals) but I got 40 points, so I have to credit Zach (Hyman) and Alex (Kile) and (Justin) Selman who I've been playing with, for putting the pick in the net when I pass it to them."

The jump from juniors to college carried little change for Larkin. He said the speed, style and skill are about the same, though he enjoys playing at Yost Ice Arena.

From the beginning, Hyman and Larkin were assigned to the same forward line and it didn't take long for the matchup to prove a success. The senior alternate captain said Larkin was quiet at first, but never arrogant. By meeting him, he said you'd never know he was the No. 15 pick in the NHL Draft, and by seeing him skate, you'd never guess he was a freshman.

"I just thought Zach Hyman was our most skilled senior forward and I wanted to put Dylan with an experienced player that was stable, was a good role model and worked hard every day," Berenson said. "Dylan is a special player and I don't think it could have worked out better.

"I don't know who helps who the most but they've been successful together and whoever plays with them gets the bonus of playing with two good players."

The duo has combined for 33 goals, or 25 percent of the Wolverines total tallies this season. Their point totals are 49 and 43, ranking first and second in the Big Ten, respectively.

Hyman came into the season with just 35 points in his collegiate career. He said extra work in the offseason and the confidence of being an upperclassman has helped him, along with playing on a line with Larkin.

"We just kind of fed off each other from the beginning and having a senior to freshman is kind of a cool bond, just because I got to show him what college hockey is about," Hyman said. "I didn't have to teach him much because he's got all the skill in the world, but maybe just getting paired with an older guy helped him out."

Next season Larkin will set a new slate of goals, which will include getting physically stronger. Larkin's expectation is to be back in a Wolverines jersey next season, and recent history suggests the Wings are on the same page.

"It's going to be sad to see Zach go but he's had a great career and great season," Larkin said. "The future is bright and I think with all of us coming back, we will be even stronger next year."

Justin P. Hicks is a sports reporter and storyteller for MLive / The Ann Arbor News. If you have a unique story you'd like to share, you can reach me at jhicks3@mlive.com. I'm also on Twitter, Facebook and MLive.