The Detroit Red Wings have made several roster moves today, calling up Tomas Nosek (center) and Brian Lashoff (defenseman) from the Grand Rapid Griffins. Additionally, Andreas Athanasiou has been moved to LTIR retroactive to November 11 and placed Justin Abdelkader on IR.
Here’s the press release:
RED WINGS RECALL NOSEK AND LASHOFF
… Athanasiou Moved to LTIR; Abdelkader Placed on IR …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today recalled center Tomas Nosek and defenseman Brian Lashoff from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Additionally, the Red Wings moved center Andreas Athanasiou from seven-day injured reserve to long-term injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 11, and placed left wing Justin Abdelkader on seven-day injured reserve.
Nosek, 24, has produced 10 points (2-8-10) in 11 games for Grand Rapids since returning from a preseason injury, tying for sixth on the team in scoring. The Pardubice, Czech Republic, native made his NHL debut with the Red Wings last year on Dec. 26, 2015 at Nashville and totaled six games with the club, recording two penalty minutes, six hits and three takeaways in 10:08 average time on ice. Nosek has spent the past three seasons with the Griffins, tallying 74 points (28-46-74), a plus-43 rating and 68 penalty minutes in 136 regular-season games and adding eight points (3-5-8) and 33 penalty minutes in 21 postseason games.
A sixth-year pro, Nosek logged 129 professional games in the Czech Extraliga for HC Pardubice, totaling 62 points (24-38-62) and 58 penalty minutes. He posted a career-best 44 points (19-25-44) in 52 games for the club in 2013-14, leading the team in scoring before signing with Detroit in the offseason at the age of 21. The 6-foot-3, 210-lb., center also spent parts of three seasons with HC Chrudim and HC Hradec Kralove of the Czech Republic’s second-highest professional league, picking up 16 points (7-9-16) between the teams from 2010-13. He also racked up 125 points (53-72-125) in 109 games for HC Pardubice at the under-20 level. Nosek captained his country at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, picking up one assist in six games.
Lashoff, 26, has appeared in 18 games with the Griffins this season, tallying one goal, two assists and eight penalty minutes. The ninth-year pro has played in 117 games for the Red Wings since making his NHL debut in 2012-13, totaling 13 points (2-11-13) and 57 penalty minutes. He last played for the Red Wings during the 2014-15 season, where he skated in 11 contests and picked up two assists. An alternate captain for Grand Rapids, Lashoff has appeared in 269 career games with the Griffins since 2008-09 and has 13 goals and 45 assists for 58 points. The 6-foot-3, 221-lb., defenseman helped lead the Griffins to the 2013 Calder Cup championship, finishing the regular season with six points (2-4-6) and a plus-six rating in 37 games. His 51 career playoff games rank fourth all-time in Griffins history.
The Albany, N.Y., native was originally signed by Detroit as a free agent on Sept. 30, 2008. Prior to his professional career, Lashoff spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts and Kingston Frontenacs, recording 91 points (20-71-91) in 215 games from 2006-10 with an appearance in the league’s 2010 All-Star Game. He represented the United States at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan, where he won a gold medal and had two assists in seven games.
#RedWings recalled F Tomas Nosek and D Brian Lashoff from @griffinshockey. Neither expected to play tonight at @penguins
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) December 3, 2016
I’m looking forward to seeing Nosek if he gets into one or both games this weekend. From the tweet above, he’s not expected to play tonight, but you never know. Obviously you never want to have injuries, but it’s a good opportunity to see what players in the AHL can contribute, as well as a chance to get those players NHL experience.
The Red Wings calling up Lashoff as opposed to someone like Robbie Russo indicates that he’s being brought up as a backup plan, but the Wings likely expect Niklas Kronwall to play both games this weekend.
Lashoff can be up for 10 games or 30 days (whichever comes first) without having to clear waivers when he is sent back down.
Athanasiou going to LTIR means that he will be out at least 10 games and 24 days from November 11. Game 10 would be Sunday’s game against the Islanders, and 24 days would be Monday, so this doesn’t really give us more information about a time frame for his return. Since we already knew he would be out until at least next week, he’ll be eligible to return as soon as he’s healthy, so this move is just bookkeeping.
