Dan Cleary pleased with Day 1 of Red Wings 2022 Development Camp

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings' young and promising prospects have officially arrived in Hockeytown.

Detroit opened its 2022 Development Camp on Sunday afternoon at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena, marking the first of five days of on-ice and off-ice instruction.
After the coronavirus pandemic shelved development camp for two years, Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary was thrilled seeing the players all together.
"Guys learn a lot," Cleary said. "There's lot of different things coming at them, but Day 1 went great. Day 2 is tomorrow, and we'll be able to have the skating skills portion of it."

This year's camp currently features 39 total players, including six of the nine prospects Detroit selected at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. All eight of the club's picks from the 2021 Draft are scheduled to take the ice, along with nine players from the 2020 Draft and four from 2019.
With former first-round picks like Marco Kasper (eighth overall in 2022), Simon Edvinsson (sixth overall in 2021) and Sebastian Cossa (15th overall in 2021) slated to skate this week, Cleary is excited to help attendees take the next step in their professional hockey journeys.
"This is not an evaluation one bit," Cleary said. "It's educational. Go enjoy it, get to meet all these guys they haven't seen, take whatever information we're giving you and ask questions."
As the players learn what it takes to succeed on the ice, the Red Wings' player development staff will also focus on the value of organizational culture, diet and mental health.
"It's all information to try to give them as much as you can," Cleary said. "Even if they take a little bit here and a little bit there, that's what this camp is for."

Cleary, a former first-round pick (No. 13 overall in 1997) of the Chicago Blackhawks, said he acts as a sounding board for every player - regardless of their draft status or experience.
"If I see that some kid is going on a path that I don't think is the path he should be going, hopefully it's a quick fix," he said. "At the end of the day, you need to really buy into and believe it. So far, we've been very fortunate that a lot of kids we've had to work with have been terrific."

When reflecting on his time trying to break into the league, Cleary noted today's NHL prospect is more advanced than those of years past.
"You really got to adapt to them," Cleary said. "They have a different mindset, but a good mindset. We've had great kids to work with, don't get me wrong, and some kids who are way more mature at 18 or 19 (years old)."
And while the Red Wings' 2022 Development Camp concludes on Thursday, the players' evolution doesn't stop.
"When they go back, they're going back to their trainer and their nutritionist," Cleary said. "They're gonna continue to do it, but they already know what they're doing."