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Forward Tomas Nosek has quickly become one of the Red Wings' top prospects since signing as a free agent this summer.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Red Wings)

Much of the attention at this week's Detroit Red Wings prospects tournament will be on top prospect Anthony Mantha.

And rightfully so.

Mantha is one of the most heralded prospects in the club's storied history after scoring 107 goals during his final two junior campaigns and being named the CHL Player of the Year last season.

Also likely to draw attention when the tournament begins Friday are Andreas Athanasiou, who fell one goal short of cracking the 50-goal barrier last season; defenseman Ryan Sproul, who played one game with the Red Wings last season; and second-round draft picks Zach Nastasiuk and Tyler Bertuzzi.

But one player who might be flying a bit under the proverbial radar is forward Tomas Nosek, who was signed as a free agent this summer after finishing tied for ninth in the Czech Extraliga scoring race.

Like the other aforementioned prospects, Nosek probably isn't ready to play in the NHL fulltime yet.

But he's definitely somebody to keep an eye on and don't be surprised if Nosek emerges as one of the stars on Detroit's team when the prospects tournament begins Friday vs. the St. Louis Blues at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City.

"Year after year, he just gets better," said Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings director of player development. "He's a quiet guy. He takes information from everybody. He's all about hockey. He's not into advertising himself through various means.

"He's a great teammate. Year after year, he just gets better."

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Nosek indeed showed steady improvement during the last three seasons with HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga.

He had no goals and four assists in 27 games as a teenager in 2011-12, scored five goals to go with nine assists in 50 games the next season, and then had a breakout season last year with 19 goals and 25 assists in 52 games.

Nosek, who turned 22 last week, was disappointed that he was bypassed in four NHL drafts but was thrilled when his agent informed him this summer that the Red Wings were offering a two-way, free-agent contract.

He chose Detroit over a half-dozen other clubs who were pursuing him.

"It was great news and I was very happy," said Nosek, who is still struggling to master English and used fellow Red Wings prospect – and Czech native – Richard Nedomlel as an interpreter when he had trouble expressing himself during July's development camp.

The development camp marked Nosek's first trip to the United States. Prior to that, the only other time he visited North America was in 2010, when he played in the World Junior Championship in Canada.

Getting accustomed to the North American game could be Nosek's biggest challenge as he competes for a spot on the Red Wings roster in training camp before likely starting the season in Grand Rapids of the AHL.

"It's very different," Nosek said. "You have longer neutral zone (in Europe). It's more physical play than in Europe. Everything is new (starting with) training tactics. Everything is different.

"It's a good experience."

When the Red Wings signed Nosek, they viewed him as Pardubice's best player.

If Pardubice sounds familiar, it's because that's the hometown of Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek, who played on two of Detroit's Stanley Cup championship teams.

Hasek spent two seasons playing for Pardubice, one at the beginning of his brilliant career and one at the end.

"I played with him in Pardubice in 2010," said Nosek, who was also born in Pardubice. "It's good for Pardubice to play in Detroit. I try to watch some (Red Wings) games in Czech Republic on the Internet."

Nosek says his strengths are being a "clever player, smart player" and believes he needs to improve his shot, add strength and improve his skating to develop into an NHL player.

"It's a lot of things," said Nosek, who is already the club's No. 9 prospect despite not joining the organization until this summer.

Fischer has quickly become a fan.

"He had a great season playing in Pardubice, Dominik Hasek's hometown and the organization he grew up in," said Fischer, who is also a Czech native. "He was the youngest in the top 10 scoring in the Czech Elite League. He really worked on his shot.

"He just keeps finding a way. He does a lot of little things right (such as) he's on the half-wall, he makes a nice play through the middle, the team can come out of the defensive zone at full speed. He's a smart hockey player."

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