For newcomers, the Detroit Red Wings annual prospects tournament is an opportunity to display their talents and play some games before reporting to their respective training camps.

For the returnees, it's a chance to show they might be worthy of playing in the NHL.

The Red Wings have invited 24 players to represent them in the tournament, which begins tonight at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City. Detroit is the defending champion for the first time.

The tournament runs through Tuesday and many of the players taking part in it will report to the Red Wings training camp beginning Sept. 19 at Centre ICE.

"It's kind of good to get games in right away before going into main camp," said defenseman Ryan Sproul, one of 11 players who helped the Red Wings win last year. "It's good hockey up there. A lot of guys are just trying to make the team.

"It's a good time to go up there before main camp and work hard and show ... what you've got. The intensity is big, too. We're there for about a week before (camp) so to have that game-ready feeling before camp is really good."

Sproul, the club's fourth-ranked prospect who spent last season in Grand Rapids of the AHL and played one game with the Red Wings, is among the headliners on Detroit's team.

At the top of that list is Anthony Mantha, the Red Wings' No. 1 prospect after being selected in the first round (20th overall) of the 2013 NHL draft.

Mantha had 57 goals among 120 points last season, was named the QMJHL Most Valuable Player, led his Val d'Or Foreurs team to the Memorial Cup Finals and was the CHL Player of the Year.

"Before the tournament last year they told us that it's even better than World Juniors," said Mantha, a 6-foot-5 right winger who turns 20 next week. "Last winter I went to World Juniors and I could say the same thing. I think everyone wants to show themselves so it's high-paced games and everyone wants to impress.

"It's a great tournament up there. We were last year's champion, so we have a little more pressure. But it's just to go out there and try to impress the organization and maybe some other players that are out there."

The Red Wings have said Mantha will be given every opportunity to begin the season in Detroit but barring a rash of injuries or spectacular performance in camp he'll start his pro career in Grand Rapids.

Mantha has already been skating for about a week with many Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

"Obviously this was a week to prepare for the Prospects Tournament then I'll get another week at prospects tournament to get ready for the main camp," said Mantha, who had 107 goals in his final two junior seasons. "So it's just one thing after another to build off of and I need to be ready once the real camp starts.

"It's a great tournament and if you do well there you just need to continue on to the main camp."

Other top Red Wings prospects will include Swedish defensemen Mattias Backman; forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Tomas Nosek and Zach Nastasiuk; and goaltender Jake Paterson.

Backman is No. 6 among the Red Wings prospects and although he's destined to play in Detroit someday he'll almost certainly start this season in Grand Rapids.

Athanasiou is ranked No. 8 after scoring 49 goals in the OHL last season; Nosek is No. 9 after finishing among the top 10 scorers in the Czech Elite league at age 21; and Nastasiuk, the club's second-round draft pick (48th overall) last year who is ranked No. 13, had back-to-back 20-goal seasons in the OHL.

Paterson was the No. 1 netminder for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit the last three seasons and is second among goalie prospects behind Jimmy Howard's heir apparent, Petr Mrazek, who played nine games with Detroit last season and is behind only Mantha among prospects.

The Red Wings team will be coached by Jeff Blashill, head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins. The tournament gives Blashill an early look at some of his future Griffins.

But as much as anything, he wants to win it again.

"That tournament is a great, great thing," said Blashill, who led Grand Rapids to the 2013 Calder Cup. "Some of the best young players in the world. I thought it was fun to be a part of (last year) and things are always better when you win than when you lose."

Eight teams are in the field and will be divided into two divisions. Detroit is grouped with the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. The Red Wings play the Blues at 7:30 tonight, the Blue Jackets at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and the Wild at 7 p.m. Monday.

The championship game is 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Admission is $10 per day and tickets are good for all four games.

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