The Detroit Red Wings have consistency issues, however their AHL affiliate is dominant right now. The Grand Rapids Griffins offense was on full display in a 10-1 win last night. Apart from the score, two players had a hat trick in the game.
Interestingly, the hat trick performances came from Dominik Shine and Eduards Tralmaks. Shine made his NHL debut last season at the age of 31. Tralmaks, 28, has yet to play in any NHL contests. Both players have 9 goals, consequently both may be options for call ups this year.
Similarly,John Leonard has continued to dominate in the AHL ranks for scoring. Leonard has 12 goals and 8 assists in 12 games played. For the defense, Antti Tuomisto leads in points with two goals and seven assists in 14 games played.
The Red Wings built call up depth for this season
The NHL schedule is always tough, however this year it is incredibly taxing. A three week break for the Olympic Games has teams playing every other night for much of the year. Therefore, Detroit loaded up on veteran depth over the summer.
The Red Wings are in the midst of playing four games in six days. Also, the team will be heading to the west coast amidst a similar schedule next week. This taxing workload created a need to have several callup options, and soon that could be tested. Veterans and prospects alike know what the opportunity could be for them.
Which player will get the next call up?
The Red Wings have already seen four rookies make their NHL debut this year. Veteran players like Eduards Tralmaks and John Leonard are hoping for an opportunity as well. Steve Yzerman seems to have done well to fill the AHL with options should injuries become an issue.
Notably, Amadeus Lombardi was absent from the 10-1 victory last night. Lombard, a former fourth round pick, sits third on the Griffins with 14 points (3G, 11A) in 13 games. Unfortunately, Lombardi’s previous season was derailed by injury. However, Lombardi still managed 19 goals and 21 assists in 44 games played.
Rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard has also started to break through. After a difficult start and reassignment, MBN now has three goals and four assists in 10 games played. The Red Wings have several options, and that could be put the test soon. Whichever player gets the call knows that this could be a chance to grab an NHL spot.
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