Christoffer Ehn talks about being drafted by Red Wings, development camp experience

 

By Nick Barnowski –

TRAVERSE CITY – Like the rest of us, Christoffer Ehn was tracking last month’s NHL Draft on his phone.

Unlike the rest of us, Ehn saw his name, and got a special phone call shortly after.

“It was Jiri Fischer and he told me I was drafted,” the Detroit Red Wings’ 106th overall pick said. “The Red Wings have been my favorite team since I was a kid, so it felt great.”

Life has gone at the speed of light since draft day, but the Skara, Sweden, native is doing his best to take it all in.

Skating in front of Detroit management at the club’s annual development camp in Traverse City, Ehn said he’s felt better on the ice after each day.

“I think it’s going pretty good,” the 6-foot-3 forward said. “At first you’re a little rusty with the stick and everything, but the skating is getting better and I have more power in my legs.”

 

The Red Wings like Ehn’s size and skating ability. He performed well for Frölunda’s junior team this past season, putting up 11 points in 45 games.

“I’m trying to do a lot of work on my skating because I think it’s really important for my game,” he said. “To go up and down the ice as a centerman you have to have good skating, so I try to do that.”

Ehn had no idea that the Red Wings were going to take him in the fourth round. He said that he talked to Director of European Scouting Hakan Andersson in March, but wasn’t expecting anything to come out of it.

He must have made an impression. At the end of last season he was called up to Frölunda’s senior team in the Swedish Hockey League and played in two games that gave him a little taste of what professional hockey is like.

“When I got the call up I was just so excited,” he said. “We had a crowd of 12,000 and it was crazy. That’s something you dream about.”

The forward said he’s wants to take on a bigger role with Frölunda’s junior team this upcoming season in hopes of being called up by the senior squad again.

The legacy of Swedes in the Red Wings organization is something he’s thought about since being drafted, but for now, Ehn’s just taking it one day at a time.

“It’s really fun to just be with all of the great players here,” he said. “I’m really getting a challenge. It’s perfect.”