Wings' Holland planning to scout prospects this week

After spending most of last week meeting with team scouts in Las Vegas, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he plans to watch the Grand Rapids Griffins play three times this week.

The AHL's Griffins host the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday, the Utica Comets on Friday and the Iowa Wild on Saturday. All three games start at 7 p.m.

Among the players on Holland's radar are forwards Landon Ferraro and Anthony Mantha and defenseman Ryan Sproul.

Ferraro, 23, was drafted in the second round by the Wings in the 2009 NHL draft. He scored 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 72 games for the Griffins in 2012-2013 and 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 70 games last season. He appeared in four games with the Wings, scoring no points.

Ferraro might be having his best season as a pro, with 16 goals and five assists for 21 points in 38 games. It sounds like Ferraro might be the next Griffin called up, should Wings coach Mike Babcock need another forward.

"I'm going to watch them," Holland said. "Last year, we brought up Riley Sheahan in November. He looked a little bit out of place, he went back down. I went (to Grand Rapids) a month later and came back and said, 'Babs, he's a different player. When we get a chance, I'm here to tell you he's hanging onto the puck.'

"That little bit of time in the NHL, he was more confident with the puck. Called him back about 10 days later, Babs put him in, and he's never been to the American league since."

Mantha, the 20th overall pick in the 2013 draft, has six goals and six assists for 12 points in 27 games in his first season as a pro.

Sproul, 22, is a right-handed defenseman. A second-round pick in the 2011 draft, he has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 35 games this season. He had 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 72 games with the Griffins last season.

NOTEBOOK: Tomas Tatar is the NHL's second star of the week. Last week, the forward had five goals and two assists during the Wings' four-game winning streak.

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.