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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Red Wings Bring Back Three from Griffins

December 27, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Detroit Red Wings have recalled defenseman Brian Lashoff, goaltender Calvin Pickard and forward Filip Zadina from the Grand Rapids Griffins, and reassigned goaltender Filip Larsson from the ECHL's Toledo Walleye to Grand Rapids. Additionally, the Griffins have signed defenseman Blake Hillman to a professional tryout.

Lashoff, 29, made his season debut with Detroit on Dec. 21 at Toronto and recorded 14:50 of ice time. The 6-foot-3, 221-pound blueliner has posted six points (2-4-6), a plus-two rating and 20 penalty minutes in 25 appearances for the Griffins this season.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Detroit, Lashoff has played in 128 career games with the Red Wings since 2012-13, picking up 14 points (2-12-14) and 59 PIM. He became the 126th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit and netted his first goal in the same game on Jan. 21, 2013 at Columbus. Lashoff made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in 2013 and has skated in eight postseason tilts.

Lashoff has skated in 478 regular season games for Grand Rapids - the second-most in franchise history - since debuting with the club during the 2008-09 campaign and has tallied 104 points (24-80-104), a plus-23 rating and 247 PIM. One of only three players to be a part of both the 2017 and 2013 Calder Cup championships, Lashoff has produced 20 points (5-15-20), a plus-three rating and 34 PIM in 75 Calder Cup Playoff contests, which also places second in the club's record book.

A native of Albany, N.Y., Lashoff helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship after notching two assists in seven games.

Pickard has tallied a 9-7-3 record to go along with a 3.03 goals GAA, a 0.893 save percentage and one shutout in 19 appearances for the Griffins this season. The 27-year-old has suited up in two games for Detroit in 2019-20 and became the 181st Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he tallied 29 saves in his Red Wings debut on Nov. 29 at Philadelphia.

Selected in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Pickard has appeared in 106 NHL games with the Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Detroit since debuting in 2014-15 and has posted a 32-52-9 record, a 2.98 GAA, a 0.906 save mark and four shutouts.

A 6-foot-1, 210-pound netminder, Pickard has logged 219 games in the AHL since 2011-12 between the Lake Erie Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, Toronto Marlies, Tucson Roadrunners and Griffins, posting a 102-78-18 record, a 2.65 GAA, a 0.913 save percentage and 13 shutouts. A 2018 Calder Cup champion with Toronto, Pickard and Garret Sparks won the Harry Holmes Memorial Award, awarded to the goaltending duo with the lowest regular season GAA (2.24), in 2017-18.

Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, Pickard suited up for Canada at the 2017 and 2016 IIHF World Championships, winning a silver and gold medal, respectively.

Zadina, 20, has totaled eight points (3-5-8) and two PIM while averaging 14:11 of ice time in 13 games for Detroit this season. He netted a career-high three points (1-2-3) on Dec. 12 vs. Winnipeg. A 6-foot, 188-pound winger, Zadina has appeared in 20 games for the Griffins in 2019-20 and ranks among the team's leaders with 13 points (T5th), seven goals (3rd) and four power play goals (2nd).

Since becoming the 176th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the Red Wings on Feb. 24, 2019 vs. San Jose, Zadina has posted 11 points (4-7-11) in 22 career games.

The sixth overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit, Zadina has logged 79 games with the Griffins since turning pro last season, accounting for 48 points (23-25-48) and 26 PIM. In five Calder Cup Playoff games, Zadina shows three points (2-1-3).

During the 2017-18 season, his first in North America, Zadina skated in 57 games for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL and was selected the Mike Bossy Trophy winner as the league's best professional prospect in addition to garnering spots on both the QMJHL First All-Star Team and the All-Rookie Team after tying for seventh overall with 82 points (44-38-82).

A native of Pardubice, Czech Republic, he has represented his country on multiple occasions, including the 2019 and 2018 World Junior Championships. He combined for nine points (7-2-9) in 12 games during the two tournaments and was named to the 2018 WJC All-Star Team.

Larsson, 21, started his rookie campaign with Grand Rapids and posted a 2-5-0 record, a 4.01 GAA and a 0.843 save percentage in seven games. He has played in three games for the Walleye since being reassigned on Dec. 2 and shows a 1-2-0 record alongside a 3.04 GAA and a 0.886 save percentage.

A 6-foot-2, 195-pound netminder, he was selected in the sixth round, 167th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit.

During his lone college campaign in 2018-19, Larsson was named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's All-Rookie Team and a finalist for the league's Goalie of the Year after posting a 13-6-3 record, a 1.95 GAA, a 0.932 save percentage and four shutouts in 22 appearances while backstopping the University of Denver to an appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four.

Prior to college, Larsson spent one season with the United States Hockey League's Tri-City Storm where he collected USHL Goaltender of the Year and USHL First All-Star Team accolades after showing the best save percentage in league history (0.941) and the second best GAA (1.65) to go along with an 18-10-0 record and seven shutouts in 30 games.

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Larsson helped Sweden take home the silver medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship after appearing in one game.

Hillman, 23, has played in 23 games this season for the ECHL's Toledo Walleye and ranks third among team defensemen with nine points (1-8-9) while adding a plus-six rating and four PIM. Hillman was signed to a professional tryout by Grand Rapids on Nov. 14 but did not see any game action before being released on Nov. 24.

A 6-foot-1, 181-pound blueliner, Hillman spent his rookie campaign in 2018-19 with the Rockford IceHogs, posting four points (1-3-4) and 20 PIM in 54 appearances.

Selected in the sixth round, 173rd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Hillman made his professional debut with Chicago on March 30, 2018 at Colorado as part of a four-game stint at the end of the 2017-18 season and netted his first goal on April 4 at St. Louis.

Prior to turning pro, the Elk River, Minn., native spent three seasons at the University of Denver (2015-18), where he totaled 31 points (7-24-31), a plus-26 rating and 84 PIM in 123 appearances. Hillman helped the Pioneers capture the NCAA Championship as a sophomore in 2016-17 and he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA West Regional in 2015-16.

The Griffins (12-15-2-2) return to Van Andel Arena today to host Milwaukee 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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