Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

A handful of next-generation Red Wings hopefuls are showcasing their skills at the World Junior Championship, taking place through January 5 in Toronto and Montreal.

The Wings' headliner is Dylan Larkin, the Waterford native who was Detroit's 15th overall pick in last summer's NHL entry draft. The smooth-skating, left-shooting center was selected as a possible future set-up guy for right wing Anthony Mantha, the 2013 first-round pick currently playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Larkin had two shots on goal for team USA in their preliminary round opener, a 2-1 shootout victory over Finland. The U.S. next plays Germany today.

Larkin, 18, is a freshman at U-M, where he's quickly become a go-to guy for coach Red Berenson. Larkin is second on the team in scoring, with three goals and 13 assists for 16 points.

The Wings naturally have a couple of Swedes at the tournament, too. Christoffer Ehn and Axel Holmstrom, also centers, helped Sweden down the Czechs in their preliminary round opening game.

Ehn, 18, was a fourth-round selection last summer, picked for his hockey sense, play-making skills and various intangibles. He plays for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League. Holmstrom (no relation to Tomas Holmstrom), also 18, plays for the SHL's Skelleftea. A year ago, he was the second-leading scorer with eight points in seven games at the World U-18 Championship. The Wings selected him in the seventh round last summer.

The fourth member of the Wings' 2014 draft at the tournament is Finnish left wing Julius Vahatalo, 19. He skates very well for a guy who stands 6-feet-5, and was a consistent point-producer before injuries derailed his 2013-14 season. A sixth-round selection, he plays for HC TPS of the Finnish league.

Lastly, there's Joe Hicketts, who is part of Canada's quest for redemption after leaving the World Juniors without a championship since 2009. At 18, he's the team's youngest defenseman; at 5-8, the team's shortest player, and the only defenseman who wasn't drafted.

Hicketts turned an invite to the Wings' development camp last July into an appearance at the prospects tournament, where his mobility led to a three-year entry-level contract. His 38 points in 39 games for the Victoria Royals leads all WHL defensemen.