Rasmussen’s performance could see him stay with Red Wings
KAMLOOPS — Coming out of the World Junior Showcase, it’s easy to wonder if Michael Rasmussen is going to be too integral to the Detroit Red Wings to loan him out to Team Canada over the holiday season.
The rangy Rasmussen was one of the better players for coach Tim Hunter’s home side here at the Sandman Centre.
Detroit is in the midst of a rebuild, having missed the playoffs the past two campaigns, and they made the 19-year-old Surrey native the ninth overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Vancou- ver Canucks had chosen Elias Petterson four spots earlier.
It’s easy to surmise that Rasmussen could stick in Detroit for the long term starting this coming season.
“I’m just going to do my best where ever I am,” explained Rasmussen, a centre who scored 30 goals the past two WHL seasons with the Tri-City Americans despite being plagued by injuries, including a wrist ailment last year that required surgery.
“At a camp like this, I’m going to do my best. At Detroit’s camp, I’m going to do my best. I want to make the team there. I’m going to go in there, put my head down and work hard.”
At6-foot-6 and 221pounds, Rasmussen easily has the size to play at that top level. And, while he’s always skated well for a big man, the O kan ag an Hockey Academy product looked even quicker this past week.
Rasmussen had two goals and two assists in his three games. He looked capable penalty killing. He showed well physically, highlighted by a hard check on Canucks prospect Quinn Hughes in the early going of Team Canada’s 6-5 win over the U.S. on Saturday.
Rasmussen was highly effective without being a regular on the power play, and that’s been his calling card the past couple of campaigns at least.
Rasmussen had 31 goals in an injury-shortened 47 games last season with the Americans, and 17 of them came on the power play, so you can understand why Hunter didn’t feel the need to see what Rasmussen could do in those situations.
“I think I got better every day here. I got to know the guys. It was a good experience,” Rasmussen explained.
He also agreed that his skating has improved.
“It’s just from my training,” he said. “I worked hard at that. It’s something I need to get better at.”