TRAVERSE CITY, MICH . - When the Red Wings defense prospects arrived in Traverse City earlier this month, one player stood above them all - literally.

He was not in Chicago for the draft but was excited when his name was called.

"I was very glad," Setkov said. "I was sitting home playing Playstation, actually. Very nervous. But I got very glad when my agent called me, of course."

Setkov was born in Rodovre, Denmark and has been playing in Sweden for the Malmo Redhawks.

"I think the level in Sweden is higher than Denmark," Setkov said. "Of course I could go play pro in Denmark but I feel like for my development, the chances are better playing junior in Sweden."

Hakan Andersson, the Wings' director of European scouting, talked about Setkov at the draft.

"The junior coach told me they have a junior A and a junior B team," Andersson said. "He started the season on the junior B team and the junior A coach said, 'When I was watching the junior B team practice in August, I kind of laughed at this big, wobbly kid. Come January-February, he was on my power play' on the junior A team. He's 6-foot-6 and still growing."

Setkov, who still lives in Denmark with his family, has been making the trip to Sweden each day, even after the end of the season.

"There's a big bridge between Sweden and Denmark, and he travels across the bridge," Andersson said. "He comes in, he works out and during a lot of (school) breaks and in the summer, he'd do twice a day. The junior B coach said he's been coming there for two years and never once has he complained, or said, 'Can I train at home?' He comes happily every time."

During development camp, Setkov said the drive was not onerous for him.

"The trip from Copenhagen to Malmo is like one hour so I'm driving in the car with my friend," Setkov said. "Yeah, I'm glad that I'm doing that 'cause I'm still living with my family and stuff like that."

Andersson said that once Setkov started to adjust to his quickly growing frame, the improvement came quickly.

"He has really started to improve," Andersson said. "He's been unbelievable in practices. It used to be, he was a young kid, he was immature and he was having a good time. Now it looks like he's on a mission."

Setkov described the way he sees his game.

"I think I'm a two-way defenseman, I play in both zones, love the offensive game as well as the defensive game," he said. "Play on power play and stuff like that."

Of course at 18, Setkov has not yet filled out. Camp was an opportunity to learn some of the things he needs to do in terms of nutrition and training.

"We know he's a big, 6-foot-6 kid that looks like he's about 12 years old," said Tyler Wright, the Wings' director of amateur scouting. "You can see he needs strength, he needs a lot of time, he needs to play competitive hockey. But you get excited to where the process could go."

Setkov said he learned a lot from his first development camp.

"Practice off the ice is important as well as on the ice. Doing it with the guys, just practice hard," Setkov said. "I've been playing here in the summer before in camps. I love being here, I love being in the locker room with the guys, just talking, meeting new friends."

As Wright indicated at the draft, the days of letting players like Setkov really blossom in junior hockey and the minors for a long time could be over.

"If they're physically mature enough and they're mentally mature enough to go, I think we should expose them to that," Wright said.

If Setkov adjusts quickly enough, he could join his fellow countryman Frans Nielsen at Little Caesars Arena in the not-too-distant future.