Add Filip Hronek to the list of young Detroit Red Wings who will tune up for the next NHL season in Europe.
The Wings have loaned one of their top defensemen, Filip Hronek, to Mountfield HK in the Czech Republic.
That brings the total of Red Wings playing overseas this late summer and fall to five players. Filip Zadina, the Wings’ top pick in the 2018 draft, is also playing in the Czech Republic for HC Ocelari Trinec.
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Defenseman Moritz Seider, Steve Yzerman’s first-round selection last year, was loaned to Adler Mannheim of Germany, while Gustav Lindstrom (Almtuna IS) and Mathias Brome (Orebro HK) were loaned to Swedish teams.
Hronek, 22, had a breakout season in his second NHL campaign, notching nine goals and 22 assists in 65 games. He had 23 points in 46 games as a rookie.
The Czech Republic native began his career there with the U-16 club in 2011-12 and has a wealth of international experience. Hronek is a member of his country’s national team and compiled four goals and 10 assists in 18 games during the 2018 and 2019 World Championships.
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Though the 14-team Czech league doesn’t start its regular season until October, both Trinec and Mountfield are currently participating in the Generali Ceska Cup playoffs. In his Trinec debut, Zadina scored on a pair of goals on Monday in a 7-1 win over Mountfield.
The handful of Wings’ loanders will return to the U.S. in time for training camp, which is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17. The proposed regular-season start date is Dec. 1.