Much of Evgeny Svechnikov’s summer was spent chasing after a job in Detroit.

“I was at the track a lot, just getting my feet moving,” Svechnikov said after an informal skate at Little Caesars Arena. His audition heats up Friday when the Red Wings start training camp, as Svechnikov is among the leading prospects expected to push for a role. There is at least one opening up front, as captain Henrik Zetterberg is sidelined by back issues.

Svechnikov knows what he has to do to make the opening night roster.

“I want to show that I can play really good defensively and be strong in the zone, cycle the puck,” Svechnikov said. “Make less mistakes.”

Last season was a tough one for Svechnikov: He came into camp on a high note after hitting 20 goals as a rookie in the AHL and winning the Calder Cup, but suffered an injury during the exhibition season. When he started the season with Grand Rapids, he found it hard to score, with just five goals his first 39 games. The Wings gave Svechnikov a 14-game look late in the season, during which he produced two goals and two assists.

More:

Libor Sulak, Filip Hronek vie to upgrade Wings' defense

With Henrik Zetterberg out, who will fill in for Wings?

To improve his odds of sticking with the Wings this autumn, Svechnikov spent his summer trying to improve his speed.

“I did a lot of skating and a lot of running, a lot of sprints, a lot of long runs,” Svechnikov said. “It was hard, really hard. I did it for two months, three days a week.”

It helped that he was training alongside his younger brother, Andrei, who was drafted No. 2 overall in June by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Evgeny Svechnikov was selected by the Wings 19th overall in 2015. At 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, his assets include size and strength. He has the ability to make plays in tight areas and be heavy on the puck — and that’s what he’ll need to do during exhibition season to stick around.

Svechnikov, 21, described his confidence level as “very high. There’s more expectation, even though I had last year a lot of expectation for myself.”

The absence of Zetterberg puts the Wings at 10 regulars up front, plus Martin Frk. Michael Rasmussen, the Wings’ first-round pick from 2017, is the front-runner to earn a job in Detroit, and other prospects include 2018 first-round pick Filip Zadina and Dominic Turgeon. Rasmussen and Zadina have the skill sets to boost the offense, while Turgeon could serve as a fourth-line grinder.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.