Athanasiou on fast track

DETROIT — Nothing is going to slow Andreas Athanasiou down.

Athanasiou’s blend of speed and skill turns heads when he’s on the ice, making him one of the more exciting players the Red Wings have had in recent years.

Athanasiou was not really showing off those abilities during the Wings’ youth camp at Joe Louis Arena Monday, where he served as a guest instructor along with former Wing and current pro scout Kirk Maltby.

Kids ages 6-14 are taking part in three days of camp.

Athanasiou, who turns 22 on Aug. 6, is not a lot older than some of the campers. He said he once took part in a camp run by former Toronto Maple Leafs Darcy Tucker and Shayne Corson.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Athanasiou said after the morning session. “You can see how happy the kids are to be out here and just to get the opportunity to skate on this ice, it’s probably a dream come true for them. Being around them, they’re having a lot of fun and it’s always fun to be a part of that.”

Athanasiou was pleased that some of the kids were able to pronounce his name but none of them asked him to show how to score on a breakaway.

“No, they haven’t asked me that but some of them have asked me to race,” he said with a laugh.

In 37 games last season with the Wings, Athanasiou had nine goals and five assists while averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time.

Although he never got more than the 15:30 he played Feb. 23 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Athanasiou was …

continue reading in source redwings.nhl.com

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