(Another in a series of player profiles prior to training camp Sept. 18-23.)

Luke Glendening

Position: Center

Age: 25

Height/Weight: 5-11/195

2013-14 stats: 56 games, one goal, six assists, seven points, minus-8 rating, 22 penalty minutes; (playoffs) five games, one goals, no assists, one point, minus-2 rating, no penalty minutes.

Career stats: Same as 2013-14 stats.

Contract status: Three years remaining at a salary-cap hit of $628,333. He'll be an unrestricted free agent when the deal expires.

2013-14 in review: Started the season in Grand Rapids and moved back and forth from the Griffins to the Red Wings five times before earning a permanent spot on the NHL roster on Dec. 31. ... Centered the fourth line most of the season and was a regular on the penalty kill, averaging 2:43 per game shorthanded, second on the team among forwards. ... Ranked fourth on the team in hits (92). ... Won only 48.5 percent of his faceoffs. ... Scored his lone career goal on April 5 in Montreal, in his 52nd game. It's the longest a Red Wing has ever gone before scoring his first goal. ... Scored his first playoff goal in Game 2 vs. Boston. ... Was the only player to appear in the organization's two outdoor games – for the Griffins on Dec. 30 at Comerica Park and for the Red Wings in the Jan. 1 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium. ... Recorded 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 18 games for Grand Rapids.

2014-15 outlook: The former Michigan captain quickly became one of coach Mike Babcock's favorite players because of his grit, determination and work ethic. Glendening seized an opportunity, due to a rash of injuries, to secure the fourth-line center spot. He maintained it over Joakim Andersson late in the season when the team got healthier. He brings a different dimension than most of the other forwards with his physical play and abrasiveness. He needs to be hard to play against to be effective. Babcock occasionally matched him up against the opponent's top center. With the team's depth at center (Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Stephen Weiss, Riley Sheahan, Darren Helm, Joakim Andersson), Glendening could end up playing the wing, where he played much of collegiate and AHL career, on the fourth line with Helm. He's not counted on for offense but it helps when your fourth line and contribute some points, so Glendening must produce more than he did last season. He also needs to improve in the faceoff circle, if he stays at center.

Key question: If Glendening, Andersson and Daniel Cleary are competing for one spot in the lineup, who should win that battle?

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