Red Wings forward prospect Dylan James adapting to new experiences

DETROIT --Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Dylan James enjoyed a standout 2021-22 season in the United States Hockey League, earning 61 points in 62 games for the Sioux City Musketeers and being named the USHL's Rookie of the Year.

The 6-foot, 181-pound forward also had five goals and three assists in 10 postseason games, helping Sioux City capture its fourth Clark Cup championship.

But James knew making the jump from the USHL to NCAA Division 1 college hockey would be a major transition.

And after compiling 16 points (8-8-16) in 36 games his freshman year at the University of North Dakota, the 19-year-old is focused on the process of improving his overall game as the competition increases.

"I thought I did pretty well from the start to the end (of last season)," Detroit's 40th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft said on July 4. "I wish I started a little bit better, but I feel like it was just getting comfortable with the coaches and understanding what they wanted. I feel like my adaptation to the level of play got better throughout the year."

Navigating his first college hockey season was difficult at times, but James said he appreciated when Red Wings director of player development Dan Cleary offered advice throughout the year.

"He would get in touch with me every couple months," James said. "Tell me something I would need to work on and how I've been playing. It's good to hear what he has to say. He had a good career in the NHL, so I'll take what he says to heart."

Cleary said he felt James "had a good season" as a freshman with the Fighting Hawks.

"He came in and had to find his way," Cleary said on July 5. "Some weekends, he made freshman mistakes and would sit. But that's all part of it. At the end of the day, I always look at it as where are you at the end of the season? At the end of the season, he was trending upward."

Earning the trust of the UND coaching staff was a process, according to James, but helped the forward prove himself within a new system.

"You start out, usually, at the bottom half of the lineup," James said. "I was completely fine with that…Near the end of the year, I was on the (penalty) kill and (in) at the end of games."

In addition to the differences in competition and pace of play at the college level, James said he learned how to manage his time as a student athlete.

"First year is probably the hardest because you're not used to it," James said. "I thought I did pretty good, though."

James, who is majoring in kinesiology, said completing his schoolwork before weekend games was the most important off-ice strategy he learned.

"You obviously don't wanna be stressed about that during the game," James said.

With a crucial season of development at UND now under his belt, James is taking things one day at a time and is looking to improve his overall game as a sophomore in 2023-24.

"I don't really have a major goal right now," James said. "I just take it day by day, try to learn something every day, get better and see where it ends up."