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Red Wings prospect Marc McNulty could be facing a make-or-break year in his final junior season.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Red Wings)

For more than a year, the Detroit Red Wings have talked about wanting to see Marc McNulty play with more urgency.

The time has come to do it.

The Red Wings selected McNulty in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 2013 NHL draft and there's a lot to like about the big defenseman.

• He's got great size at 6-foot-6.

• He's not shy about getting physical.

• And he's strong offensively.

All things considered, McNulty has a tremendous upside.

But the one knock on McNulty dating back to before he was drafted is that he's not intense enough and doesn't always play with a sense of urgency. His Prince George Cougars junior team even sat him down for one game last season.

McNulty is aware of the Red Wings concerns and is hoping to show them this season that he's worth an entry level contract before the June 1, 2015 deadline.

If not, McNulty could jeopardize his future in the Red Wings' organization.

"Every time we see Marc, we talk about urgency," said Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings director of player development. "Urgency in self-committing, the push in self-committing to try and dominate, not just every game but every shift.

"We love the fact that he's 6-foot-6. We love the fact that he can skate. Now it's just a matter of wanting to outplay everyone he gets into a battle with on the ice to win the pucks."

McNulty will get that chance beginning this week during the Red Wings annual prospects tournament at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City.

The Red Wings – who won the tournament for the first time last year – play their opening game at 7:30 Friday night against the St. Louis Blues and McNulty already has a head start on the other prospects as Prince George has already played four WHL exhibition games.

McNulty appeared in one game against Edmonton – the reigning Memorial Cup champion – drawing two assists and two penalty minutes to go with a minus-1 rating in a 5-3 victory.

"I'm trying to have a good year, take a leadership role, help out the younger guys, make the playoffs," said McNulty, 19. "It's a contract year so hopefully I'll have a good one and make (the Red Wings' contract) decision easier for them.

"I'm just going to try and not think about it and have a good year."

McNulty said he's added about 15 pounds since last season – "I was pretty skinny then," he said – and is still working to get stronger, which is something else the Red Wings would like to see from him.

On the flip side, they like his lengthy wing span and mobility but would like to see him become more difficult to play against in the defensive zone.

"I'm trying to get into the gym and get a little stronger," said McNulty, who tips the scales at about 200 pounds. "It's a lot easier battling in the corners. It helps out. Every year, I'm going to work hard and try to get stronger and improve every year.

"That's going to be a big thing next year."

The Red Wings project McNulty to be a two-way defenseman and he's displayed the type of offensive skills that it would take to fulfill that assessment.

In 67 games last season, he had 17 goals and led Prince George defensemen with 42 points. Ten of his goals came with a manpower advantage and the Red Wings see him as somebody who could potentially quarterback their power play.

McNulty also had fight fighting majors among 115 penalty minutes.

"He had a good season," Fischer said. "He was the best defenseman on the team. He's put on some muscle, which is really going to help him down the road. We love the way he can move the puck."

After the prospects tournament and training camp, McNulty will return to Prince George for his final junior season before hopefully turning pro with the Red Wings next year.

"Obviously, the game in the pros is a lot faster and a lot bigger with stronger guys," he said, adding that he needs to "get in the gym, work on my skating and keep up with the pace."

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