GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday assigned defensemen Jake Chelios, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek and Dylan McIlrath, and forwards Christoffer Ehn, Martin Frk, Matt Puempel and Dominic Turgeon to the Grand Rapids Griffins, and reassigned forward Dylan Sadowy from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Griffins have assigned defenseman Marcus Crawford to Toledo and released defensemen Eric Sweetman and Kevin Tansey from their professional tryouts.

Chelios, 28, became the 179th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut on March 29 vs. New Jersey. In five games during his first taste of NHL action, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman finished with two penalty minutes rating while averaging 17:12 of ice time.

Chelios ties for fourth among Griffins defensemen in scoring with 14 points (1-13—14) and places second overall on the team with a plus-17 rating in 59 games this season. Signed by Detroit as a free agent on July 1, 2018, Chelios has skated in 294 AHL games since 2013-14 with Chicago (2013-15), Charlotte (2015-18) and Grand Rapids, posting 107 points (17-90—107) and 197 penalty minutes.

The 22-year-old Hicketts bookended his third pro season with appearances in Detroit. Skating in 11 games, Hicketts averaged 18:35 of ice time. A 5-foot-8, 180-pound defenseman, Hicketts became the 168th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit on Jan. 22, 2018 at New Jersey. In 16 career NHL appearances, he has totaled three points (0-3—3).

A native of Kamloops, British Columbia, Hicketts has tallied 27 points (3-24—27) in 61 games with the Griffins this season, leading all team defensemen in scoring and assists while placing third in goals and adding a plus-five rating and 50 PIM. In his third season pro, Hicketts has skated in 201 regular season games with the Griffins since 2016-17, posting 73 points (13-60—73), a plus-10 rating and 122 PIM. In 24 Calder Cup Playoff appearances, he adds 10 points (1-9—10), a plus-eight rating and 10 PIM, and helped Grand Rapids claim the 2017 Calder Cup.

In his NHL debut this season, Hronek, 21, registered 23 points (5-18—23) and 30 PIM while averaging 19:57 of ice time in 46 games with the Red Wings. Selected in the second round, 53rd overall, by Detroit in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Hronek became the 171st Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the club during the season opener on Oct. 4 vs. Columbus.

A 6-foot, 178-pound blueliner, Hronek shows 23 points (7-16—23), a plus-four rating and 45 PIM in 28 appearances with the Griffins this season. Since joining the Griffins at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Hronek has played in 105 regular season games, contributing 64 points (19-45—64) and 93 PIM. He has skated in seven Calder Cup Playoff contests, contributing one assist, and helped Grand Rapids win the 2017 Calder Cup.

McIlrath, 26, made his Red Wings debut on March 25 at San Jose, becoming the 178th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL. In seven appearances with Detroit, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound blueliner recorded a plus-two rating and four PIM while averaging 15:11 of ice time. The 10th overall selection by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, McIlrath has logged 50 career NHL games between New York (2013-17), Florida (2016-17) and Detroit, producing five points (3-2—5), a plus-six rating and 98 PIM.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, McIlrath has notched nine points (1-8—9), a plus-12 rating and a team-high 94 PIM in 49 games with the Griffins this season. In 350 career AHL contests between Connecticut (2010-11, 2012-13), Hartford (2013-15, 2016-17), Springfield (2016-17) and Grand Rapids, McIlrath has totaled 73 points (21-52—73), a plus-27 rating and 756 PIM. He shows seven points (0-7—7) in 44 Calder Cup Playoff games and won the 2017 Calder Cup with the Griffins. McIlrath was 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.

In his first season in North America, Ehn, 23, shows nine points (3-6—9) and six PIM while averaging 10:36 of ice time in 60 contests with the Red Wings. Selected in the fourth round, 106th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit, Ehn became the 173rd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he returned to Detroit’s lineup on Nov. 6 vs. Vancouver.

Skating in 14 games with the Griffins, the 6-foot-2, 193-pound center has notched seven points (2-5—7), a plus-six rating and eight PIM.

A native of Skara, Sweden, Ehn skated in 147 games with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League from 2013-18 and recorded 32 points (11-21—32).

A 6-foot-1, 205-pound winger, Frk compiled six points (1-5—6) and four PIM in 30 games with the Red Wings while averaging 9:11 of ice time. Detroit’s first selection, 49th overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Frk has skated in 98 games with the Red Wings the last two seasons, tallying 31 points (12-19—31) and 18 PIM. Frk made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign – becoming the 156th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted on Oct. 18 at Edmonton – and played in a total of two games.

In 10 games with the Griffins this season, the 25-year-old posts 13 points (4-9—13), a plus-12 rating and six PIM. In 224 regular season contests with Grand Rapids since 2013, he has totaled 131 points (67-64—131) and 191 PIM. A native of Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, Frk netted the Calder Cup-clinching goal in the third period of Game 6 of the 2017 Finals against Syracuse and has contributed 21 points (6-15—21) in 26 postseason tilts.

Puempel, 26, became the 177th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit on March 23 at Vegas. In eight games with the Red Wings, Puempel tallied one goal and averaged 10:24 of ice time.

Originally drafted 24th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Puempel has logged 87 career NHL games between Ottawa (2014-17), New York (2016-17) and Detroit, posting 16 points (11-5—16) and 28 PIM.

A native of Essex, Ontario, Puempel ranks among the Griffins leaders this season with 50 points (T2nd), 24 goals (2nd), 26 assists (3rd) and eight power play goals (1st), while adding a plus-six rating and 38 PIM in 59 games. Since making his AHL debut with the Binghamton Senators near the end of the 2011-12 season, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound winger has totaled 218 points (107-111—218) and 201 PIM in 291 career contests between Binghamton (2011-16), Hartford (2017-18) and Grand Rapids (2017-19). He was acquired by the Red Wings from the New York Rangers in exchange for Ryan Sproul on Oct. 21, 2017.

Turgeon, 23, has skated in four games with the Red Wings this season and averaged 12:35 of ice time. Selected by Detroit in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon has appeared in nine NHL games and posted two PIM with the Red Wings since making his debut on Jan. 14, 2018 at Chicago. He became the 167th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted.

Turgeon has tallied 19 points (6-13—19) and 39 PIM while skating in 69 games with the Griffins this season. A 6-foot-2, 205-pound center, Turgeon has recorded 69 points (26-43—69), a plus-20 rating and 68 PIM in 209 regular season games with Grand Rapids since turning pro in 2016-17. As a rookie, he helped the Griffins win the franchise’s second Calder Cup in 2017 after appearing in all 19 postseason contests and contributing two points (1-1—2).

In his third professional season, the 22-year-old Sadowy has appeared in 14 games with the Griffins, showing one goal and nine PIM. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound winger paces Toledo with 23 goals and ties for fourth on the club in scoring with 46 points (23-23—46) while adding a plus-eight rating and 48 PIM in 43 contests.

Originally drafted by San Jose in the third round, 81st overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Sadowy was acquired by Detroit in May 2016. Sadowy has produced seven points (5-2—7) and 36 PIM while logging 65 career regular season games with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and he made his Calder Cup Playoff debut last spring. In 88 career ECHL contests since 2016-17, Sadowy shows 79 points (36-43—79) and 82 PIM while also contributing four points (1-3—4) and six PIM in nine Kelly Cup Playoff appearances.

Crawford, 21, has appeared in eight games with the Griffins and tallied 13 shots while making his AHL debut this season.

A 5-foot-11, 196-pound blueliner, Crawford has skated in 48 games with the Walleye during his rookie campaign and places second among team defensemen in scoring with 26 points (3-23—26) while posting a plus-six rating and 26 penalty minutes.

Sweetman, 25, made his AHL debut with the Griffins on Friday at San Jose and appeared in a total of two games. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound blueliner has spent both of his professional seasons with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, showing 37 points (12-25—37), a plus-19 rating and 58 penalty minutes in 97 appearances since 2017-18. In 32 contests with the playoff-bound Steelheads this season, Sweetman shows 10 points (2-8—10) and 13 PIM.

Tansey, 26, made his Griffins debut on March 31 vs. Milwaukee and logged a total of four games with the club, finishing with two PIM. A 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman, Tansey has skated in 45 career AHL contests between Binghamton (2015-16), Chicago (2016-17), Stockton (2018-19) and Grand Rapids, showing seven points (3-4—7) and 34 PIM.

Appearing in 36 games with the Walleye this season, Tansey has tallied 19 points (8-11—19), a plus-six rating and 35 PIM. A native of Hammond, Ontario, Tansey has notched 147 career ECHL games between Missouri (2016-17) and Toledo (2017-19), posting 65 points (28-37—65), a plus-11 rating and 160 PIM and was named to the 2017 ECHL All-Star Classic.

With their magic number to clinch a Calder Cup Playoff berth at one, the Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Wednesday to host the Iowa Wild in their penultimate home game of the regular season at 7 p.m.

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.

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