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Tomas Jurco (left), Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar are three of the young players who helped the Red Wings extend their playoff streak to 23 straight seasons.

(AP File Photo)

TRAVERSE CITY – It wasn't long ago that veterans ruled the Detroit Red Wings' roster.

And in many ways, they still do.

The Red Wings won four Stanley Cups in 11 seasons largely because they loaded their lineup with established players, some of whom signed in Detroit for one last shot at a championship.

And Detroit still has a veteran-laden roster with players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen and Daniel Cleary.

But the days of the Red Wings placing more value on veterans because of their experience rather than less-established youngsters who might be just as talented could be over based on what coach Mike Babcock has been saying heading into training camp, which begins today at Centre I.C.E. Arena.

"I used to walk in every year in training camp," Babcock reiterated Thursday on the eve of training camp, "and tell them the tie goes to the veteran."

Not anymore.

"Ties goes to the best player," Babcock said. "If you're ready to play, we got a young group, you're playing. We'll find a way to do that."

Part of the reason for the change in thinking might have something to do with last season, when a rash of injuries forced the Red Wings to recall players from Grand Rapids who otherwise probably wouldn't have been regulars in their lineup.

That group included Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening and Tomas Jurco. The Red Wings were also hoping Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar might provide some scoring punch but it's safe to say both exceeded expectations.

Nyquist was the hottest player in the NHL during January and February en route to a team-high 28 goals in only 57 goals and Tatar added 19 goals while finishing sixth on the team with 39 points in 73 games.

"We added six new forwards to our team last year," Babcock said. "Not at the start – Nyquist, Tatar ... you could say Nyquist played the year before but last year was his first time ... and he didn't start the year with us. You put in that group Riley Sheahan, you put in Jurco, you put in Glendening and you put in (Joakim Andersson), finally a full-time NHLer. That's six.

"We have four (defensemen) ready to do the same thing. The way the NHL works, sometimes you don't walk out of training camp with a job but you make an impression in training camp and you keep getting better so that we end up working things out so that you get a job."

• Babcock likes what he's seen from No. 1 prospect Anthony Mantha, who was hoping to make the team in training camp without playing in the minors but is out for 6-8 weeks after fracturing his tibia.

Mantha got hurt Monday during the Red Wings victory over Minnesota in their prospects tournament, where he scored four goals in three games.

"Every time he plays he scores," Babcock said. "Every time he plays he's 6-foot-5. Everyone says he's not good defensively; that's not what I see in him. To me he's an elite player and goes faster with the puck than without it, makes great plays, reads plays.

"He's got to learn to play with pace, 40 seconds at a time, instead of a minute, 30, like he played last year. That's time. When he's ready, he'll play here."

• Babcock is entering the final year of his contract but didn't have much to say about the possibility of negotiating during camp.

"No contract stuff," said Babcock, who has stated he won't negotiate once the season begins. "We haven't talked about it. I got training camp, that's what I'm doing. I don't know."

General manger Ken Holland, however, said he expects to talk with Babcock about an extension.

"Yeah, probably next week or so," he said.

• The NHL Network announced its preseason schedule Thursday and it includes two Red Wings games.

The network will air Detroit's games Oct. 1 vs. Pittsburgh at Joe Louis Arena and Oct. 4 in Boston.

The Red Wings open the season Oct. 9 against Boston at Joe Louis Arena.

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