Filip Zadina will be with Detroit Red Wings or in juniors next season

Helene St. James | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Detroit Red Wings prospect Filip Zadina on baseball Red Wings draftee Filip Zadina spent last evening at Comerica Park. He had fun, even if he didn't quite get it. June 28, 2018.

The Detroit Red Wings and Filip Zadina were both under the impression he could play in the AHL in 2018-19, but have been told his junior team wants him back if he does not make the Wings.

During last week’s development camp, Zadina, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, said he had been loaned by his Czech team to his junior team. That was also what the Wings believed. It’s a significant distinction because if Zadina were on loan, he could be sent to the AHL if he does not make the Wings. That would make it easy to call him back up.

Tuesday evening, Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press he had been informed Halifax Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell wants Zadina back if he’s not in the NHL.

More Detroit Red Wings:

Detroit Red Wings: Veterans important, but 'kids get an opportunity'

Red Wings prospect David Pope has shot to vie for spot

It may end up not mattering. Zadina is what the Wings need: An exciting new face who can win them games with his scoring ability and with that, sell tickets. He has a personality that’s highly marketable: Whether it's vowing to make teams who passed on him in the draft pay (“I want to fill their nets with pucks”) or discussing baseball (“when the players hit the ball, it’s good”) or superheroes (“I like Spiderman ‘cause he’s flying like me on the ice”).

The Wings can give Zadina as long an audition as they want — the only repercussion of it lasting past nine games is that it burns a year of his entry-level contract if he doesn't end up going back to Halifax before then.

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