Cross Hanas looking to show he belongs in Detroit

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- As an aspiring professional hockey player, Cross Hanas doesn't want to have a label affixed to him.

But if there's one word the Detroit Red Wings forward prospect doesn't mind being associated with, it's "playmaker."
"I like making plays and setting guys up," said Hanas, who was Detroit's 55th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. "That's what I find joy in, and I've been like that my whole life."

Last season, the 20-year-old showed he can generate offense by tallying 26 goals and 60 assists in 63 games with the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks.
"They (Portland coaching staff) had a lot of confidence in me being one of the older guys and being one of the scorers for the team," Hanas said about his 2021-22 campaign. "I was in a lot of situations, which was really good for my game."
The Highland Village, Texas, native said that spending time on Portland's penalty-kill unit was valuable.
"One of those things I liked to focus on was my defensive side of the game," Hanas said. "I got to be part of the penalty kill last season with Portland for the first time and was really growing there."

After notching five goals and 20 points in 33 games between the USHL's Lincoln Stars and the Winterhawks in the shortened 2020-21 season, Hanas said he was motivated to prove a point last year.
"I wanted to get better there by proving that I'm not just an offensive guy," Hanas said. "And that I can play both sides of the puck and special teams."
Hanas said while his overall game continues to evolve, playing with an aggressive mindset has always been part of who he is as a playmaker.

"It's one of the little things that I grew up doing, having that competitive edge," Hanas said. "Getting into a battle is pretty fun."
At Detroit's 2022 Development Camp, Hanas revealed that his goal was to make the Red Wings roster before his three-year entry-level contract expires in 2025. And on Sunday at the 2022 NHL Prospect Tournament, he reiterated that objective.
"For me, it's just proving that I can play and that I belong here," Hanas said. "I think just sticking with what I'm best at, making smart plays, being a good offensive guy and growing in my defensive area of the game."