TRAVERSE CITY -- The Detroit Red Wings had just completed their off-ice testing Friday morning at Centre ICE when coach Mike Babcock was asked about the results.
"I didn't look," he said. "I'll look (today on the ice)."
That evaluation process begins today as the defending Stanley Cup champions take to the ice for their first official day of practice. Most of the veterans participated in informal workouts in Detroit the last couple weeks while the prospects just completed a tournament here.
"I've watched them (veterans) skate, the majority of them, for two weeks," Babcock said. "They did a real good job. They're enthusiastic. They're looking forward to the opportunity and getting after it."
Although just a few roster spots appear open, Babcock said competition will be "hotly contested."
"We know we have really good players," Babcock said. "And we have a lot of them."
Players to keep an eye on:
-- Andreas Lilja, Brett Lebda, Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey and Jonathan Ericsson are battling for three available spots on defense.
-- Aaron Downey, Darren McCarty, Ville Leino, Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader are vying for one forward slot.
-- Ty Conklin and Jimmy Howard are competing to be Chris Osgood's backup in goal.
"There's only 23 guys that can be here (on the opening day roster)," Babcock said. "I don't know how that's going to work out, but what I do know is that the best players get to play and that'll be the same this year."
Hockeytown North fans will get an opportunity to see the Wings' most recent prized acquisition, forward Marian Hossa. The 29-year-old All-Star turned down turned down lucrative long-term deals to sign a one-year contract with the Wings during the off-season.
"I see something special here," he said.
Hossa said he's been impressed with the team's work ethic during the informal workouts earlier this month at Joe Louis Arena.
"There's so much talent," he said. "The guys work hard. It's just excellent. You don't see that from a lot of teams."
Babcock said he plans to start Hossa on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom.
"But where he ends up, I have no idea," Babcock said. "I'm just going to watch."
Autograph seekers lined the parking lot Friday morning as players exited the arena and returned to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa for an afternoon golf outing.
"We're always excited to come up here," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "The people are so nice. They treat us so well.
"When September hits, you just want to be here, and you want to be out there skating again."
Kris Draper agreed.
"When the kids go to school, you know hockey's getting close," Draper said.
Although, this year the Red Wings had to wait a little longer to get to camp, as the NHL pushed back the starting dates by a week.
"It's a great opportunity for the guys to get together," Draper said. "When we're at the rink, guys work hard, and we know that. But after that we've got beautiful weather, and after that we can do some golf with guys ... we have a lot of fun as a team. We have a great dressing room and a great bunch of guys, and that certainly starts here."
Team captain Nicklas Lidstrom said the trip north helps set the tone for the season.
"I enjoy coming up here," he said. "It's a great chance to have all the guys together. If we were doing this at home (Joe Louis), guys would be splitting and going back to their families once they were done with their off-ice or on-ice training. Here, we get to come together as a group."
Mark Urban, Mike Eckert and Dennis Chase contributed to this report.
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