Every prospect in the Detroit Red Wings’ system is becoming familiar with the objectives and sacrifices required to build a professional career.
For two recently signed players, they’ve been allowed a unique look into the inner workings of the hockey world. That’s because their fathers work within the game.
In essence, they’ve been given a peek behind the curtain. They’ve gained a better understanding of how decisions are made in the front office.
When defenseman Anton Johansson was playing in the Swedish Hockey League for Leksands, his father Tjomme was the club’s sporting director. That’s what they call the GM in Europe.
Now that he’s signed an AHL deal with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Red Wings draftee Kienan Draper can officially call his father his boss. Former Red Wings player Kris Draper is Detroit’s director of amateur scouting and one of the club’s assistant GMs.
“We talk about hockey a lot,” Kienan Draper said. “We love watching hockey together. I would say it’s probably the main topic of our conversations. Just kind of chopping it up and seeing what we think.
“I think he’s one of the smartest hockey minds I know, so I love talking hockey with him.”
New Life Experience For Red Wings Hopeful
The Johansson family went three-deep in Leksands. Anton’s younger brother Victor was also skating among the club’s defensive pairings.
Next season, all three will be gone. Anton will be with the Griffins, unless he finds a way to crack the Detroit roster. Victor is joining the SHL club Brynas. And Tjomme was fired as sporting director during the season.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit weird, but we move on,” Anton Johansson said. “Leksands has been great to me and great to my family. So we’re so happy that we had the six years there.”
Johansson admitted that staying with the club after his dad was let go was a difficult time in his life.
“Of course, you never want to see a dad or family member get kicked, so, yeah, it was tough, but you’ve just gotta handle it,” Johansson said. “And I think I did it pretty well.”
When they talk hockey these days, the tone has certainly changed.
“He’s my dad now,” Johansson said. “He’s not my boss anymore, so that’s pretty nice, I would say. But we handled it pretty good, when he was my boss too. Now he’s my dad only.”
It’s the same approach in the Draper household.
“To me, he’s just my dad,” Draper said. “He’s always been that way. He’s never put any pressure on me to do anything. So, seeing him around [the rink] is fine, but he’s just my dad, so I don’t feel any pressure at all.”