When NHL scouts look at the offseason moves made by the Detroit Red Wings, there’s one addition that causes raised eyebrows among the hockey bird dogs. And it’s not the player you might think.

James van Riemsdyk, John Gibson, and Travis Hamonic are all experienced NHLers. However, it’s defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker that the scouts are most enamored with among the group of Red Wings newcomers.

Hamonic, who played alongside Bernard-Docker last season with the Ottawa Senators, isn’t surprised at all to hear such talk about his teammate.

“He’s got some sneaky skill,” Hamonic said. “He plays hard. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s very competitive.

“He moves well, and he’s just kind of someone that can make solid plays when he’s feeling confident. He’s in the rush and he’s making plays, and he’s a good player.”

In his brief preseason action for the Wings, Bernard-Docker has shown these attributes. Against Buffalo, his other former team, he was dishing out punishing hits. Bernard-Docker utilized his skating skill to loop around the offensive zone with the puck, awaiting an opening. Finally throwing a shot at the net, it bounced off traffic to captain Dylan Larkin, who stuffed it in for a goal.

Red Wings McLellan is a Bernard-Docker Fan

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan is another with the team who is very familiar with the work of the 6-foot-1, 198-pound Bernard-Docker. His son Tyson was Bernard-Docker’s college opponent when the latter was at North Dakota.

“I got to see him play a lot, whether it was on video, on TV, or live,” McLellan said.

The Senators selected Bernard-Docker with the 26th overall selection of the 2018 NHL entry draft. He was never able to establish himself as a regular presence on the Ottawa blueline.

“Sometimes you just got to find your opportunity and find your stride and kind of get going,” Hamonic said.

Late last season, Ottawa traded Bernard-Docker to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres opted not to tender him a qualifying offer, making Bernard-Docker a UFA.

Might Bernard-Docker Be A Late Bloomer?

If he does blossom into an NHL regular in Detroit, Bernard-Docker, 25, wouldn’t be the first NHLer to find his footing later in his career. The Wings had their own example of his on the club’s 2007-08 Stanley Cup winner. Dan Cleary, after stops in Chicago and Arizona, was a 20-goal scorer for the Wings.

In 2003, Detroit was virtually singlehandedly eliminated from the playoffs by Anaheim goalie JS Giguere. He’d failed previous trials with Hartford and Calgary. With the Ducks, Giguere was a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup winner.

“Sometimes it’s hard to crack the roster with your first team,” McLellan said. “You learn lessons along the way. And there’s a lot of players that blossom as they move on. They’ve learned the lessons. They know what they can get away with and what they can’t.

“He knows who he is now as a player, and we’re hoping to capitalize on that.”

Hamonic is among those who believe that the Red Wings might catch lightning in a bottle with Bernard-Docker.

“Detroit is going to see a really good young player that I think has a bright future in front of him,” Hamonic said.

McLellan has spoken to the same scouts and gathered similar intel about Bernard-Docker.

“A lot of people that I’ve talked to around the hockey world also say really good things about him,” McLellan said. “We’ve seen them so far.

“Let’s keep them going and see where this all ends up.”