The Red Wings re-assigned winger Givani Smith to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Smith made his NHL debut during his brief call-up and acquitted himself well in his three games with Detroit.
He showed the gritty game he is known for, giving defenders a hard time near the net and bringing energy on every shift. He did all that while staying on the right side of the rulebook, which is very encouraging to see.
The press release from the team follows:
RED WINGS ASSIGN SMITH TO GRIFFINS
… Winger Made NHL Debut on Oct. 25 vs. Buffalo …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned right wing Givani Smith to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Smith, 21, made his NHL debut with the Red Wings on Oct. 25 vs. Buffalo, registering two shots on goal and one hit in 11:01 time on ice. He has appeared in three games with Detroit, totaling four shots on goal and three hits in 10:32 average ice time per game. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward has also skated in four games with the Griffins so far in 2019-20, logging four points (2-2-4) and seven penalty minutes. In his rookie AHL campaign in 2018-19, Smith logged 13 points (6-7-13), a plus-two rating and 86 penalty minutes in 64 games for Grand Rapids. After making his professional debut with a three-game stint with the Griffins in 2016-17, Smith registered his first AHL point on Nov. 4, 2018 at Cleveland before scoring his first pro goal on Dec. 7, 2018 at Rockford. Smith also posted a late-season three-game point streak from March 23-26, 2019 and chipped in two assists and nine penalty minutes in four postseason games.
The Toronto, Ontario, native was selected by Detroit in the second round (46th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League prior to turning professional. In 236 games with the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm and Kitchener Rangers from 2014-18, Smith tallied 135 points (73-62-135) and 411 penalty minutes, leading the league in penalty minutes in consecutive seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. In his final OHL campaign split between Guelph and Kitchener in 2017-18, Smith picked up 30 points (17-13-30) in 46 regular-season games before racking up 18 points (11-7-18) in 18 playoff games with Kitchener.
