Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has done it again with a shrewd free-agent signing that has the potential to work out in spades.
Former Chicago Blackhawks C Pius Suter arrives in the Motor City with a two-year deal, and he’s excited to be able to grow with his new teammates.
“One thing was to grow as a player, and then to get the opportunity,” Suter said. “Before when I went to those camps, I always knew I’m going home after that. It was more about the experience — take it in, learn from it and see what I have to do better.
“And then it was just about getting the opportunity, get your foot in and show yourself. My development didn’t go crazy-high in one year, it was just kind of slow, keep going, and that’s what it’s been. That’s why I was a bit older when I got a chance.”
Suter, who scored a hat trick against Detroit last season, has scored 14 goals with 13 assists in 55 total NHL games. After helping the OHL’s Guelph Storm to a league championship in 2013-14, he would break out offensively the following year with 43 goals and 29 assists in 61 games.
He’d eventually return to his native Switzerland, playing several years before being sign ed as an undrafted free-agent by the Chicago Blackhawks. And when Yzerman came calling, it wasn’t a tough decision.
“There was interest, I took it as a compliment,” Suter said. “It happened pretty quick. I wanted to make a decision and not wait. There was no point in waiting.”
“I try to score and grow as the team grows, grow as a player,” he said “Grow together so we can win more games, kind of have a mutual benefit that way.”
– – Quotes via The Detroit Free Press Link – –
