Notes: Athanasiou embraces playing center

TRAVERSE CITY - If the Red Wings are going to be able to improve in the absence of captain Henrik Zetterberg, one player who has a chance to make a big difference is Andreas Athanasiou.
Athanasiou, 24, signed a two-year, $6 million contract this past summer and comes into camp ready to take on a bigger role.

The first step is coach Jeff Blashill returning Athanasiou to his natural center position.
"He played center for me in Grand Rapids and I thought he did a very good job," Blashill said. "Certainly, there's some benefit on the wing, getting behind guys with your speed, but there's also speed up the middle. I just want him to play real good hockey. He's been real good so far. His work ethic has been great. His compete level has been great. If he does those two things, he's an excellent hockey player. I'm hoping he can build on the first two days of camp."
Athanasiou has maintained that he is comfortable playing either center or wing but he welcomes the idea that he will get to settle into one position.
"It was spot duty here and there," Athanasiou said of last season. "Whenever he needed me at center he put me there. I never got a chance to be comfortable in that position where you get into a game and mid-game you go and take a face-off and you haven't taken a face-off for two periods, but you got to be ready for that. I think it's just getting comfortable in the position and getting the reps in as a centerman and the rest will take care of itself."
Face-offs are one area where Athanasiou felt he could improve with more consistent repetitions. Last season he was at 41.6 percent on face-offs.
"All these guys are so good because they take face-offs all the time, so when you go in the game at that position it's one draw, you take face-offs in practice and take a couple at a time," Athanasiou said. "It's a little bit different. You got that one opportunity in the dot and have to make the most of it."
Although he knows the Wings will miss Zetterberg, Athanasiou knows that the 19:30 ice time Zetterberg averaged last season will now have to go to other players.
"It's definitely a good feeling for sure knowing that you can be the player, a lot of minutes are available and as long as you take care of business on the ice and get out there and do your job, you should be OK," Athanasiou said.
When Athanasiou played with Thomas Vanek in part of the 2016-17 season, the two seemed to have good chemistry.
"If I'm an offensive player I want to play with Thomas Vanek," Blashill said. "He thinks the game at a level that very few guys think it at the NHL level. He knows how to create space. He knows how to draw people towards him and put pucks into space, so I think, I don't want to speak for Double-A, but I think he'd be really happy with (Vanek) on his wing right now. I think it's win-win. To play with Thomas you have to be a fairly smart player. You can't just be skilled. And I think Double-A is a real smart hockey player, too. I think it can be a real dynamic combo."
Athanasiou confirmed that he thoroughly enjoyed playing with Vanek.
"I think just playing with a player that's so highly skilled like him, it makes the game so, so much easier," Athanasiou said. "When the puck's on his stick, I don't have to worry too much and know that it's going to be in the right spot. As long as I put myself in the right position, I have a good feeling that it's going to be right on the tape. It's a lot of fun playing with that amount of skill."
Vanek, who scored 24 goals last season with the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets, is one of the more creative offensive players in the league.
"He's so good with the puck and I think my speed opens up a lot of ice for him," Athanasiou said. "We both have that mindset where we know how to use each other and work those give and goes and find that open ice and create the offense."
With Dylan Larkin slated to take over most of the No. 1 center duties that he shared with Zetterberg last season and Frans Nielsen moving up to No. 2, if Athanasiou and Vanek stay together, the third line could be a difference-maker.
"There's no question that with Double-A and Vanek and whoever else is in that spot, if I played them together they would be as dangerous an offensive line as we have," Blashill said. "Those two have special abilities with what they're good at offensively. That's a real positive."
ZADINA EAGER TO LEARN FROM VANEK & AA:Filip Zadina does not lack confidence, but after the Wings prospects lost in the championship game to Columbus, 7-3, he was frustrated with the loss and with his performance.
He was mired in a scoring drought, received a hard hit at center ice which sent him to the locker room and after he did return to the ice, he said during his post-game comments that he should have stayed in the room because he did nothing to help his team win.
"Prospect Tournament was tough because everyone was trying to show other people they're good. I got a couple hits. I get up. It was a new experience for myself because it was actually my first tournament against rookies and AHL players," Zadina said. "It was such a good time. We tried our best, but we ended up in second place. We played well. New experience for myself. I'm trying to improve on the ice.
"I want to win so bad the game, win this tournament, but I didn't score three games in a row, I was kind of disappoint(ed) in myself, but I said it was start of the season, preseason, whatever, just trying to be a better player right now and I think I'm doing well. On the ice I'm feeling way better than I felt during the tournament. It's just going to take some time. Feel better. Hopefully I will do better in the preseason."
Zadina was a refreshed player during day two of training camp with a lot of energy and a swagger, scoring two goals in the Wings scrimmage.
"I was glad could score the goals. We (his team) felt a little bit better than yesterday because we didn't have a practice before the game, so we played well. Finally won, so that was good," Zadina said. "It was so tough, but we were battling, trying to get through. We did our best the other day (Friday's scrimmage, a 5-1 loss) but it was so hard. Today was way easier because we didn't have practice before."
For his effort in Saturday's scrimmage, Zadina will play on a line with Athanasiou and Vanek in Sunday's Red and White game. It's an opportunity the Wings rookie is looking forward to.
"It's going to be huge game. I got an unbelievable line, AA and Vanek, they are pretty good players, so it's a pleasure for me to play with them," Zadina said. "I will try my best to play with them the same level. It's going to be huge game for me.
"They're such good players, I can learn something from those players. It's going to be huge game. Good for myself I can play with them. It's going to be good."
Sunday's Red and White game will give everyone a barometer of where Detroit's prized 18-year-old rookie stands. Zadina understands he is under the microscope, but his approach in training camp has been to learn the NHL game.
"I'm playing right now against men, so it's way quicker on the ice but it's not a big deal for me," Zadina said. "Just trying to get used to it for the intensity for this level. I'm doing well so far, just trying to be better. I played so far with the young players. It's going to be my first time I'm going to play with the other guys, so I'm going to enjoy the time with them.
"Maybe be the last time play with them, or not. I'm just going there and play my best. It's going to be good game because they're unbelievable players and I'm a rookie. I'm going to try my best against other players."
DAY 2 THOUGHTS:On the first day, Blashill was impressed with the competitive level of the practices and scrimmage. The second day had a little different feel as the emphasis was different.
"The first group (Team Lindsay) wasn't very good to start," Blashill said. "They just weren't very good to start at all but I thought they got better as it went along. I thought the second two groups (Team Delvecchio and Team Howe) were great. So after a real hard day on day one, today was a different hard. Today was more of a skating hard but I thought the guys were really, really good. I thought the best group was the last group after the scrimmage and I thought they were great. Overall, I was happy with it. I wasn't happy with the start of the first group but like I said, I think they got better."
Blashill had Team Lindsay do some laps to get things moving in the right direction.
"We couldn't make a tape-to-tape pass or do easy drills, a little bit we didn't know what we were doing," Blashill said. "Let's plug in and be ready to go. We weren't plugged in yet, we were still sleeping a little bit but I thought they got better as it went along."
INJURY/BABY UPDATE:Justin Abdelkader, the player Blashill originally wanted to see play with Athanasiou and Vanek, has not been in training camp. Abdelkader was excused to be there for the birth of his first child back in Detroit.
"Justin and I have to have a conversation," Blashill said. "I was letting him work through the birth of his child and then I'll talk to him this afternoon. He will not participate in the Red and White game. It was one of those things where we thought we had more time. That didn't work out."
Also not playing in Sunday's Red-White Game is Martin Frk, who left practice early Friday. Joe Veleno also left practice early.
"Frk will be out at least until we get back to Detroit," Blashill said. "I'll know more once we get back to Detroit. Veleno, I hope plays in the Red-White Game tomorrow. I don't know that answer for sure. We'll decide in the morning."