Victor Mancini’s ‘very special’ Detroit homecoming helped make his Rangers standing clear

TORONTO — Victor Mancini’s return to his home state of Michigan earlier this week was filled with many emotions.

Excitement to play in front of his friends and family.

Anxious to get out on the ice immediately.

And walking into Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit that Thursday morning, the Rangers rookie was hit with a wave of nostalgia — one with layers to it for different reasons.

Not only did Mancini grow up going to games there, as well as the old Joe Louis Arena, but the 22-year-old played for the Little Caesars 16U AAA team and spent a lot of time on the practice rink in the building.

“Our coach at 16s was Kris Draper,” Mancini told The Post on Saturday morning, referencing the four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings, before the Rangers took on the Maple Leafs. “To have a coach like that with NHL experience, to get to be around him and be coached by him was really good. Just being around the facilities, right, with him being Kris Draper. Every once in a while we got to use the weight room that the Wings had.