GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Grand Rapids Griffins and assigned defenseman Libor Sulak to the Griffins.

McIlrath, 26, has tallied nine points (1-8—9), a plus-12 rating and a team-high 94 penalty minutes in 49 games with the Griffins this season. Acquired by the Red Wings from the Florida Panthers on March 1, 2017 along with a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Thomas Vanek, McIlrath has totaled 30 points (8-22—30), a plus-17 rating and 255 PIM in 146 appearances with Grand Rapids. He picked up five assists while skating in all 19 games during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, helping the Griffins claim the franchise’s second Calder Cup.

Should he debut with Detroit, McIlrath will become the 178th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL. The Red Wings play at San Jose on Monday at 10:30 p.m. EDT.

In 350 career AHL contests between Connecticut (2010-11, 2012-13), Hartford (2013-15, 2016-17), Springfield (2016-17) and Grand Rapids, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound blueliner has totaled 73 points (21-52—73), a plus-27 rating and 756 PIM, while showing seven points (0-7—7) in 44 Calder Cup Playoff games.

The 10th overall selection by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, McIlrath has logged 43 NHL games with New York (2013-17) and Florida (2016-17), producing five points (3-2—5), a plus-four rating and 94 PIM.

A native of Winnipeg, McIlrath played for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League from 2008-12 and accumulated 74 points (16-58—74) and 551 PIM in 232 games.

Skating in his first full season in North America, the 25-year-old Sulak has played in six games with the Red Wings and 54 with the Griffins. Beginning the campaign with the Red Wings, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound blueliner became the 170th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut on Oct. 4 vs. Columbus. He shows six PIM and seven shots on goal in 19:22 of ice time with Detroit while producing 12 points (4-8—12) and 32 PIM with Grand Rapids.

Sulak made his AHL debut with the Griffins at the end of last season, totaling two assists in two games. Prior to joining Grand Rapids in 2017-18, he led all team defensemen in scoring with a career-high 32 points (9-23—32), while adding a plus-five rating and 66 PIM in 42 games with the Lahti Pelicans in Finland.

A native of Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, he played two pro seasons (2015-17) with Orli Znojmo in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, Austria’s top pro league. In 106 regular season games, Sulak totaled 46 points (16-30—46) and 55 PIM and added nine points (5-4—9) in 22 playoff appearances. He led the club with a plus-19 rating and ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 28 points (10-18—28) in 54 games during the 2016-17 campaign, a season after being named the league’s rookie of the year posting 18 points (6-12—18) in 52 contests.

Competing in the Czech junior league, he helped KLH Chomutov claim back-to-back league titles in 2014 and 2015.

Sulak has represented the Czech Republic on the international stage at the 2018 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Now 3-1 in their season-high six-game road trip, the Griffins face the San Antonio Rampage today at 4 p.m. EDT.

Single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins