Savage keeping eyes on present and future

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Red Savage went through a season of growth and change in 2023-24.

Selected 114th overall by Detroit in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Savage played last season at Michigan State after transferring from Miami (Ohio), where he spent his first two collegiate seasons.

Adjusting to the competitive Big Ten Conference was advantageous for Savage, who believes he’s become a more well-rounded player.

“I think it helped me individually as well, playing with elite players and having that security on your back knowing that even if you don’t play your best, the team will still pick you up and force you into games,” Savage said during the Red Wings’ 2024 Development Camp last month. “It was a lot of fun. I think my game especially improved a lot throughout the year.”

Savage set NCAA career-highs in goals (10), assists (17) and points (27) in 38 games last season, helping the Spartans earn their first-ever Big Ten title.

“It’s definitely a really big change up for me, going from Miami to Michigan State,” Savage said. “It was a lot of fun playing for a super successful team under coach (Adam) Nightingale and the number of great teammates that we had throughout the whole ride.”

Savage said navigating the NCAA transfer portal was also a growth experience because the process involved a lot of self-reflection.

“(The transfer portal) is pretty much free agency,” Savage said. “You go in with different ideas of where you want to go or where might fit your needs the best. I had a group of five or six teams I know I wanted to talk to. It was important to get to know every coach, go over every different option and lay everything out to go over the pros and cons for each team.”

The 21-year-old forward considered turning pro after last season, but decided returning to Michigan State for his senior campaign would be best for his development.

“It’s really not all sunshine and roses when it comes to professional hockey,” Savage said. “I want to set myself up to be the best hockey player that I can be and the best person on and off the ice. A college degree is going to be a really good thing to have in my back pocket.”

Savage said he wants to get faster and stronger this season, which will help him reach his professional hockey goals.

“It’s easy to fall into the ‘you’re going to be in college forever,’ but going into senior year it opens your eyes that this is your last kick of the can,” Savage said. “I want to accomplish everything I can with Michigan State, but I really want to prepare myself for the next level and to play professional hockey.”