Observations:

December 2016 – Activated from injured reserve Dec. 9 after nearly a month’s absence due to a knee injury, Athanasiou has eased his way back into the lineup and found himself a consistent role centering the fourth line. Producing only one goal in his six games since returning, he’ll be hard-pressed to find the back of the net while between wingers like Steve Ott and Tomas Jurco, who have a combined two goals this season (both by Ott). While AA has always had a knack for chipping in on the scoresheet while playing limited minutes in a bottom-six role, being separated from the team’s top-end talent like Larkin and Zetterberg could be a major detriment to the speedy youngster’s development. While the whole squad is starved for offense, and feeling the effects of the Wings’ long injury list, Athanasiou (like the rest of his teammates) must push through and find a way to put points on the board if they are to turn this abysmal season around and climb out of the basement of the Atlantic Division. Joseph Highgate

October 2016 – Through a tough training camp and pre-season, Athanasiou battled is way into a roster spot to start the season with the Red Wings. It was much speculated that the speedy left wing would start the year in Grand Rapids because of his waiver exempt status, making it easy for him to be called up and sent down throughout the season. But AA beat out fellow prospect Anthony Mantha for a spot with Detroit, mostly because of the previous 37 NHL games and an impressive playoff performance already on his resume from last season. Athanasiou has an uncanny ability to build speed through the neutral zone and then explode off the wing, easily beating defenders on his way to the net. His flaws on the other hand lie with his defensive play and lack of engagement in his own end, as well as his inability to be strong on the puck breaking out of his own end and through the neutral zone. Throughout the pre-season he turned the puck over at an exorbitant rate as a result of simple stick lifts and half-hard pressure, indicating his immaturity at protecting the puck. He’s already shown he’s able to contribute offensively with limited minutes, scoring at a rate of .38 points per game with an average ice time of only 9:01, higher than all but two players currently in the Red Wings’ bottom six. As an extra skater he’ll be able to jump into the lineup only sporadically to start the season, with overrated veterans like Steve Ott and Drew Miller holding spots on the third and fourth lines. Joseph Highgate

March 2016- AA continues to flash his speed on a nightly basis and although he isn’t playing heavy minutes or scoring at a high rate. Athanasiou is doing the little things right that gain the respect of your coach and therefore result in you suiting up game-after-game over more vetern and highly touted prospects in the fantasy community Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Jurco. Having potted five goals and three assist through his first 24 games averages out to a point every three games which isn’t bad at all for someone that probably no one expected to play more than a handful of games, myself included. He’s always had the talent, just never been able to pull it all together at the same time. Blaishill and Co. appear to have Athanasiou’s head on straight and have him playing a solid dependable two-way game and they will need plenty more of that as they head down the stretch in a dog fight to keep their playoff hopes and streak intact. Don’t sleep on this kid, but a longer evaluation is needed to see if he’s worth drafting in deep leagues next year. He would be worth a flier in dynasty leagues with minor teams. Travis Watson

November 2015 – Athanasiou has quickly ascended up the prospect ladder in Detroit finally reaching the pinacle when he was called up to the Red Wings in early November. It didn’t take long for AA to put his blazing speed to work rushing from end-to-end to sneak his first career goal in just his second NHL game. Quite the welcome party to the league as his goal stood up as the winner in a 1-0 Detroit victory over Washington. Goal scorer’s find a way to score and AA did exactly that on his first tally and it shouldn’t come as a surprise as he has showed electric speed and skill at every stop along the way whether it be London, Barrie or Grand Rapids. Through his first five games he still stands at a single goal, but he’s proven with his work ethic, determination and skill over the past year that he can play at the NHL level. His call-up to many may have been a surprise, but Wings Coach Jeff Blaishill knows the Grand Rapids players first hand and the Woodbridge, Ontario native rewarded his coaches trust. Here’s to hoping many more to come in the winged wheel as the Red Wings have been one of the lowest scoring teams to date. Travis Watson

October 2014- Athanasiou continued his upward trajectory proving at times to be quite the handful at the Traverse City Prospect tournament. He is an elite skater and uses his speed well to set up plays for others as well as himself. He showed this when he led all Detroit scorers with four goals and six points. His four goals were tied for the tournament lead. Athanasiou is going to be an exciting player to follow this season in Grand Rapids as he begins his pro career. He should see top six minutes right away and be an impact player for the Griffins who are just a year removed from being the Calder Cup Champions. Travis Watson

March 2014- Andreas Athanasiou took a big step forward in his development this season posting career highs across the board. This is the second year in a row he was able to dramatically improve his production and for his hard work this past season he finished as the fifth place scorer in the entire OHL. Athanasiou bested his previous career high in goals by 20, assists 8, points 28 and PIMS 22 and because of his play this year he has proven to be a steal for Detroit when they snagged him in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL entry draft. Travis Watson

February 2014 – For the week ending February 16th, Barrie Colts forward Andreas Athanasiou scored six goals and registered eight points (four games) earning him OHL Player of the Week honours for the second time in the 2013-14 season. Athanasiou set franchise records on February 13th versus the Niagara IceDogs for most goals scored (5) and points (7) in a game. Impressive outing. Athanasiou still remains a work in progress as he’s prone to inconsistency virtually disappearing for a few games at a time. Brendan Ross

January 2014 – Athanasiou currently sits 11th overall in OHL league scoring and is coming off his second four goal outburst of the season after this past weekends tilt against Niagara on January 18th. He is leading the the Colts attack in almost every statistical category and has even been a force while shorthanded potting home three goals. Athanasiou is building off of last year’s breakout season and is finally stringing together the consistent performances needed from a player of his talent level. His ability to play in every situation is definitely an asset and appears to be a player that will work his way on to an NHL roster in the future. Travis Watson

December 2013 – Andreas Athanasiou was named the OHL’s Player of the Week (ending December 8th) aftering notching two goals and seven points in the Barrie Colts’ two weekly games. Brendan Ross

November 2013 – The Detroit Red Wings announced the signing of their 4th round selection from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Andreas Athanasiou, on November 17th. Playing for the Barrie Colts, Athanasiou has registered a team high 24 points through 21 games. Moving forward, Athanasiou will continue to be relied on for his scoring prowess and remains a true wildcard in fantasy circles. His offensive skill set is promising and as long as he continues to maintain a modest defensive game then he should continue to earn more looks. Brendan Ross

May 2013 – It wasn’t all that long ago when Andreas Athanasiou was being viewed as a potential first round pick ahead of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Last season with the London Knights Athanasiou wasn’t able to harness his skill set and bring it all together at once, so mix that in with the highly regarded additions of the two-way stud Austin Watson and offensive sniper Greg McKegg and it pushed Athanasiou down the depth chart of the extremely deep and talented Knights roster and right into the Red Wings lap with the 110th selection in the 4th round. This season though with an offseason trade to a strong Barrie Colts squad Athanasiou was given the opportunity to play in the top six and get the much needed ice time that he needed to showcase his tremendous speed and offensive capabilities. Red Wings brass have to be thrilled with the way he was able to bounce back this season amassing 29G-38A-67PTS and a plus-13 rating while skating in 66 games after only posting 22G-15A-37PTS in 63 games last season. What impressed me with Athanasiou’s play this season was the willingness to distribute for the better of the team as he posted more assists then goals for the first time in his career and was able to up his assist total by 23 from last season. Travis Watson

May 2013 – Not only did Athanasiou have a much improved regular season but he was an absolute stud for the Barrie Colts thoughout their postseason run totaling 12G-13A-25PTS in 22 games including 6 goals against his former team London in the OHL Finals. Unfortunately his 9 points weren’t enough as London battled back from down 3 games to 1 and score the game winning goal in game 7 with 0.1 second left on the clock and crush the Colts spirits and hopes of heading to the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon. Look for Andreas to be back lacing it up for the Colts again next season where he will look to build off his strong season and continue to show a consistent effort and improved play in all 3 zones of the ice. Travis Watson

April 2013 – After being traded to the Barrie Colts, Athanasiou has found a comfort zone playing alongside Mark Scheifele. Athanasiou set new career highs in goals (29), assists (38) and points (67) in 66 games for the Colts. The Ontario Hockey League named Athanasiou the OHL Player of the Week (ending April 8th) after he posted two goals and six points in three weekly playoff games leading the Colts to a 3-0 lead against the Oshawa Generals. Through seven post-season games, he sits with 13 poiints and has started to show the consistency and offensive threat his high skill level should deliver. Brendan Ross

May 2012 – Athanasiou is an extremely skilled forward playing for the London Knights of the OHL. Scouts love his incredibly speedy and dynamic skating to go along with his great puck handling. He has an accurate shot which has earned him powerplay time on a very talented London team. His speed is essential to today’s neutral zone game and also allows him to create turnovers and tire out opponents. It’s so important that he gets stronger since he isn’t very tall to begin with. Another thing scouts have worried about is his inconsistency. If he adds strength he has the potential of becoming a great top six offensive asset. Brendan Ross

Fantasy Outlook: B+

Showed a lot of offensive potential last season and his upside is high. Needs to put in a more complete effort into other aspects of the game.

Footage:

Four-goal game for Athanasiou:

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