Red Wings' Filip Zadina 'ready to go' after stint in Czech Republic

Detroit — Filip Zadina already has been through the start of one hockey season — and is ready to begin another.

Zadina had been playing in a pro league in his native Czech Republic before returning to Detroit recently for the start of the upcoming NHL season.

Zadina feels the head start of playing in Europe has helped.

“It was good," Zadina said on a Zoom call with media members Sunday after practice. " I played on a good team with great boys, a good coaching staff and we were winning a lot. It was a good experience to get your body in the game again, and I was happy to get to play in those games.”

Zadina was joined by Red Wings teammate Filip Hronek in the Czech Republic — they played on different teams — while a variety of other Wings prospects were in Sweden or Austria.

The Wings felt it was important for younger players to have an outlet to continue playing while the NHL, AHL and numerous junior leagues have been shut down in North America because of the pandemic.

“Playing in Europe, it was good for us,” Zadina said. “We’re still young, so we need to play a lot and not be out of the game for a long time. We were lucky to play, and now we have to use it as advantage in this camp and show we are ready to roll.”

Zadina, 21, was the Wings’ 2018 first-round draft pick, and showed during a promotion last season he may be ready to make an impact.

Zadina had eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in 28 games, before an ankle fracture and the pandemic ended his season.

Getting a head start to this season, said coach Jeff Blashill, was beneficial for Zadina.

“If he had been out 10 months like a lot of us, it would have stunted some of the growth,” Blashill said. “Playing in a hard league, it was a good for him.

“He had a lot of growth (last season), missed some hockey last year, but he had a good year in terms of growth.”

Zadina believes he took a step forward in his NHL career during that first extended stay, but isn’t taking anything for granted.

Blashill has put Zadina on a line with Robby Fabbri and Bobby Ryan, which has the potential to be an effective scoring line.

Still, Zadina feels it’s important to prove himself every day at the NHL level.

“It’s a tough league to play in and I have to be better every day,” Zadina said. “I want to do my best and I believe I can be on this team and I’ll do anything for it.

“I played some (NHL) games last year, obviously I feel better than I felt the first two years in camp. I am more confident in a way, more than before. Playing in the Czech Republic made more comfortable on the ice.

“I’m ready to go.”

Back to center

Michael Rasmussen, the Wings’ 2017 first-round draft pick, is playing at his natural center position this camp.

Rasmussen played more on the wing when he spent the 2018-19 season in Detroit, then transitioned back to center last year in Grand Rapids (AHL).

Injuries cut into Rasmussen’s season, also, so the Wings placed him in an Austrian pro league in October.

Rasmussen played center there, too, and found some game rhythm in Austria after seeing his AHL season cut short.

“It’s nice to play center again,” Rasmussen said. “I played mostly at center in junior and growing up. It’s different than wing, but I enjoy playing center and I played overseas at center, and it was nice to get some games and reps in.”

Rasmussen seems to be facing an uphill battle making the NHL roster at this camp. But Rasmussen could be a candidate for the taxi squad (up to six players practicing and traveling with the team), if he’s not assigned to Grand Rapids, if the AHL season can get underway.

“He’s worked real hard on his skating,” Blashill said. “You can see it for sure, when he gets the puck in the middle of the ice, he is more explosive than he was. He put a lot of time into it, and it’s crucial for him to transport the puck through the neutral zone as a centerman.”

Ice chips

Darren Helm didn’t practice Sunday, Blashill saying he was “unfit to play." The term is the new catch-all NHL phrase, as teams aren’t allowed to disclose whether a player is injured, or potentially exposed to the coronavirus.

Blashill wouldn’t say if Helm is day-to-day to return to practice.

… New Wings defenseman Marc Staal, obtained in a trade with the New York Rangers in September, is being paired with Patrik Nemeth, which would provide the lineup with at least one physically big pairing.

Staal has liked what he’s seen of his team in these early training camp practices.

“It’s been a lot of fun coming to the rink,” Staal said. “There’s been tough practices and the guys work hard and there’s good energy around the rink.

“I’ve really enjoyed it, and excited to be part of this thing and starting the season on the right foot.”

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan