Red Wings forward prospect Amadeus Lombardi focused on improvement

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Amadeus Lombardi does has not let his 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame deter him from pursuing his professional hockey dreams.

"I was always small growing up," Lombardi said on July 3. "Late-bloomer, still kind of growing into my body. It's obviously gonna take time. I think it kind of helped me growing up, being so small, because I had to learn how to deal with it at such a young age and dealt with it my whole life. It's always gonna come up, but there's a lot of small guys who play."

That approach helped Lombardi enjoy a breakout 2022-23 campaign with the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League. This past season - his second with Flint - Lombardi recorded a team-high 102 points (45-57-102) in 67 regular-season games.

"Hockey is such a team sport," said Lombardi, who became the first player in Firebirds franchise history to reach the 100-point plateau. "I think we had a really good staff that helped give us a lot to go out and play our best. I had great teammates and linemates, and it all kind of clicked together. For my game, I'm a fast-paced player, more of a playmaker than a shooter. But this year, I really tried to shoot more and be more deceptive."

After tallying seven points in seven postseason games with the Firebirds, Lombardi made his American Hockey League debut on April 14 and finished with one assist in two contests for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

"As soon as I got there (Grand Rapids), I realized what a cool place this would be to play possibly next year," Lombardi said. "What I took from the games is how prepared they are. Even with two games left, everyone is preparing very well."

Lombardi said he kicked his weight training into high gear last offseason, which helped him generate more offense in 2022-23. Encouraged by the results, getting stronger remains a goal for the 20-year-old center this summer.

"After being drafted by the Red Wings last year, I only had 18 goals that season," Lombardi said. "More than double I had assists. I went into the summer knowing I needed to get a lot stronger and knowing I was going to go back to the OHL. I really worked on my shot and my strength as much as I could."

Selected 113th overall by the Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Lombardi is excited for the next step of his development path. But according to the Ontario native, whether he opens the 2023-24 campaign in the OHL or AHL is still to be determined.

"If I'm ready to make that jump, then that's awesome," Lombardi said. "If they [Red Wings player development staff] feel like I'm not ready to make that jump, then I have to work on some things, take that into my season and use it as motivation to try to come back stronger. I'm just gonna try to put in as much work as I can this summer."