When Walleye defenseman Gleason Fournier was a youngster he watched in awe as Pavel Datsyuk performed magic with a hockey puck.

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Fournier, a rookie in his first season with Toledo, said he became a huge Detroit Red Wings fans mostly because of Datsyuk's artistry on the ice.

"Pavel has awesome hands. He can do anything on the ice," Fournier said. "It's magic."

Seven years after watching Datsyuk help the Wings win the Stanley Cup in 2002 as a rookie, Fournier became a part of the organization he had admired. Detroit drafted Fournier in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft.

"It was a pretty awesome feeling," Fournier said. "I kind of knew the Red Wings would pick me. They had talked with me, and I had a good feeling. I was a fan, and now I am a part of it. It is a dream come true. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Despite being raised in Quebec, Fournier became enamored with the Winged Wheel.

"When I was younger I was like my dad and we liked the Canadiens," said Fournier, who speaks with a French accent. "But the more I played myself and grew up, I liked to watch the Red Wings. They were awesome to see play. Since then they were my favorite team."

At 20, Fournier is the youngest player on the Walleye roster. He played four seasons of junior hockey for a team located 20 minutes from his hometown of St. Fabian before turning pro this season.

"The guys are bigger. That is the hardest thing," said, Fournier, who is 6-0 and 191 pounds. "It is my first year as a pro. The NHL is the dream. But I'm also a realistic guy. I know I will have to work hard and get better. I like being here."

Known as an offensive defenseman, Fournier ranks fifth on the team in scoring. He has nine assists and two goals.

"I think I am a fast defenseman," Fournier said. "I can move the puck well. I think I can be a good player and help the offense. But I'm also working on my defensive side. I've improved. Now I just want to try to be good on both sides and be a complete defenseman."

Fournier had helped Toledo even its record at 13-13-1 last Tuesday but the Walleye have since dropped two straight. Toledo has fallen into last place in the ECHL North Division.

Call ups to the American Hockey League have left the team without five of its top 10 scorers.

Fournier, who moved up to the Red Wing's AHL team in Grand Rapids for three games this season, said the roster instability is difficult to overcome.

"It's very different [than junior hockey]," Fournier said. "We will have new players and sometimes it takes time on the ice to get together."

Fournier has played in the second-most games (27) for Toledo this season.

"For the guys that have been here, we have to help the new guys become part of the team," he said. "We have to show them how it works. But all of the guys who have played with us have been great guys in the room."

Toledo plays three games at home this weekend beginning Friday against Trenton. Fournier said he loves the fans at the Huntington Center where the team has played before sellout crowds in two straight games.

"The fans here are great," Fournier said. "They are always a lot of people in the rink to support us. People recognize us and are kind to us. We feel like we are part of something. We just try to give back to them and win. We try to work hard."

Fournier played with former Walleye defenseman Sebastien Piche on his junior team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He said Piche gave him advice about starting his career in Toledo.

"For sure he helped me," Fournier said. "He called [Walleye coach Nick Vitucci] and told him what kind of player I am. He told me to improve my English. Now we're in the same organization. He is also the same type of defenseman, and I try to learn from him."

Piche started his pro career in Toledo in 2009 and played two seasons with the Walleye. He is now up in Grand Rapids playing for Detroit's Triple-A team and Fournier said he would like to re-join his former teammate.

"I want to play up in Grand Rapids next season," Fournier said. "It is great to be part of my favorite NHL team. It is a good organization."

Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354, or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.