Detroit Makes Four Roster Movements

January 24, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned center Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Luke Witkowski to the Grand Rapids Griffins from their taxi squad and reassigned goaltender Calvin Pickard to the Griffins. Detroit also recalled goaltender Kaden Fulcher to its taxi squad.

Criscuolo joined the Red Wings for the fifth time this season and has competed in two games this year with Detroit, earning his first NHL point (0-1-1) on Dec. 18 against New Jersey. Criscuolo, 29, has appeared in 11 NHL games, with nine of them coming with Buffalo during the 2017-18 season. The Harvard University graduate enjoyed a 10-game point streak (7-11-18) from Nov. 20-Jan. 5, which set a new career high for the forward. The sixth-year pro registered a four-game assist streak from Nov. 20-28, which tied for a season high for Grand Rapids. After being sidelined in the first four games due to an injury, Criscuolo has made up for his lost time with 25 points (12-13-25) in 24 contests.

Witkowski joined the Red Wings for the first time this year on Dec. 7 and has since been sent back to the NHL club five times now. Witkowski, 31, is in search of his first NHL game since Nov. 1, 2019. From 2017-19, the blueliner spent two full seasons with Detroit, totaling six points (1-5-6) and 91 penalty minutes in 65 outings. The former Western Michigan Bronco has appeared in 131 games in the NHL and has amassed 13 points (2-11-13) and 162 penalty minutes. Witkowski has spent eight years in the AHL with Syracuse and Grand Rapids, registering 49 points (9-40-49) and 666 penalty minutes in 286 contests. Through 25 games this season with the Griffins, the Holland, Mich., native has two assists and 47 penalty minutes.

Pickard was the backup goaltender for Detroit on Jan. 17 and 22 and has appeared in 113 NHL games throughout his career, with his most recent game action coming on May 8, 2021 against Columbus. The netminder has posted a 34-53-10 record in the NHL with a 3.01 goals against average, 0.904 save percentage and four shutouts. The 10-year-pro has seen action in 26 of the 33 games this season with Grand Rapids. He set a new AHL career high for consecutive games played (14) on Dec. 10 at Manitoba and made his 12th straight start on Dec. 22, which set a new career high for the goaltender. Pickard currently places seventh in the AHL with a 2.34 goals against average while his 0.929 save percentage ranks third.

Fulcher returns to Detroit's taxi squad for the second time this season. The netminder competed with Grand Rapids in the 2020-21 season and posted a 2-2-2 record with one shutout and a 2.84 goals against average. With the ECHL's Toledo Walleye, Fulcher has registered a 4-3-0 ledger this season. The fourth-year pro places first in the ECHL with a 1.70 goals against average while his 0.924 save percentage comes in at seventh. Through 46 pro games played, Fulcher has a 21-14-9 record with a 2.86 goals against average and a 0.888 save percentage. The Bridgen, Ontario, native will look to make his first start in over a month, as he last appeared in a contest on Dec. 11 against Iowa (ECHL).

Single-game tickets are on sale through griffinshockey.com/tickets . 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.

Grand Rapids Griffins center Kyle Criscuolo (Mark Newman/Griffins)

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