TRAVERSE CITY - Like every other player at the Detroit Red Wings development camp this week, forward Dylan Larkin wants to play in the NHL.

Few, if any, have a better chance of doing it.

Some would say he's ready now after Larkin quickly established himself as arguably the Red Wings top prospect since being the 15th overall selection in last year's NHL draft.

He was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year for the University of Michigan, played well for Team USA in both the World Junior Championship and World Championship and finished the year with a flurry in the AHL playoffs.

All that at the ripe old age of 18.

So yeah, young Mr. Larkin has a very bright future, and nobody would be surprised if he makes an appearance in a Red Wings jersey at some point this season, even if it's later rather than soon.

Just don't expect Larkin, who is mature beyond his years, to be down in the dumps if it doesn't happen.

"Not at all," said Larkin, a 6-foot-1 native of Waterford. "I think Grand Rapids, if I'm there for the whole year or most of the year or however long, I'll develop better with the younger group of guys and the new coach (Todd Nelson) that I've heard great things about.

"I think I want to make the jump. I signed for a chance to play in the NHL, and (after) my time in Grand Rapids, I'm more than comfortable spending time there. The coaches they brought in and the players we have, we're going to have a good team again.

"I'm just going to training camp and having as much fun as possible and playing some games and having fun."

The last year has been loads of fun for Larkin, who was drafted by the Red Wings after spending two years playing in the U.S. national program.

A week after the draft, he was in Traverse City for the Red Wings annual development camp before starting college in Ann Arbor, where he had 18 goals, 32 assists and a plus-18 rating in 35 games for the Wolverines.

At the World Juniors in Canada, he had five goals and five assists in five games for Team USA, and that helped earn him a spot on the U.S. team that competed on the World Championship that competed in the Czech Republic, where he had one assist in 10 games as the Americans finished in third place.

Larkin's big season finally ended with his pro debut for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the AHL playoffs. He had three goals and two assists in six games during the Western Conference Finals.

It was a big performance at the most important time of an event-filled season.

"All of them have been great, something I'll have with me for the rest of my life," Larkin said. "Being drafted in the first round by your hometown team, playing at the University of Michigan, having a good World Junior and good World Championship and winning a bronze medal. It's all been pretty great.

"It was a major step up from college to the World Championship with the skill and speed and then coming back to the AHL was another step, jumping into the playoffs. It was a physical series, and it was on a smaller rink, and things happened a lot more fast. It was a long year, but it was a good year.

"(The AHL playoffs was) probably one of the things that gave me the most confidence going into the summer."

Now, Larkin is back where his journey began a year ago - at the Red Wings development camp in Traverse City.

But things are obviously different this year.

He's no longer trying to get accustomed to how things are done in pro hockey while learning what is expected of him. Instead, he's one of the leaders that players look up to despite being younger than many of the other campers.

That's what happens when you're somebody who has been called the No. 1 NHL prospect of 2015.

Larkin's big year has many fans clamoring to see him start the season with the Red Wings, but that's probably not going to happen, according to general manager Ken Holland.

The Red Wings already have too many legitimate NHL forwards on the roster, and they're not going to bring Larkin to the NHL until he's ready to assume a spot among their top six forwards.

So unless something totally unexpected happens in training camp, he'll return to Grand Rapids to begin his first pro season. But he's obviously a big part of the club's plans down the road.

"Basically, since we drafted him, he's been portrayed in hockey circles as one of the best prospects outside the NHL," said Jiri Fischer, the Red Wings director of player development. "He's an elite character. He wants to be a hockey player.

"We're very excited about his future."

Unlike fans, Larkin understands why he'll likely be headed back to the minor leagues for more seasoning.

"I'm still young," he said. "I still have a lot of work to do and still have a lot of hockey to play, so I'm just trying to focus on the development camp and get better for the training camp."

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