DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today recalled right wings Givani Smith and Filip Zadina and defenseman Dennis Cholowski from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Smith has appeared in 15 games with Detroit this season, picking up his first three NHL points (2-1-3) since his most recent recall on Dec. 31. The 21-year-old logged his first NHL assist and point on Jan. 7 vs. Montreal before scoring twice in a four-game span on Jan. 14 at NY Islanders and Jan. 20 at Colorado. Smith has also logged five penalty minutes, 19 shots on goal and 32 hits in 10:19 average time on ice. A second-year pro, Smith has matched his AHL rookie-season totals with 13 points (4-9-13) in 24 games for the Griffins after posting 13 points (6-7-13) over 64 games during the 2018-19 campaign. He also leads the Griffins this season with 61 penalty minutes.
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.
Zadina, 20, recorded his first NHL two-goal game in Detroit’s last game on Jan. 22 against the Minnesota Wild, bringing his NHL totals this season to 15 points (8-7-15) in 26 games. He is tied for second among NHL rookies in goals since Jan. 1, and dating back to his original recall on Nov. 24, Zadina leads Detroit in goals and is tied for second in points. Zadina has played parts of two seasons with the Red Wings, totaling 18 points (9-9-18) in 35 NHL games. After rejoining the Griffins last week, Zadina notched two goals and earned the assist on the overtime winner in Grand Rapids’ 4-3 win over the San Diego Gulls on Friday. The second-year pro has 16 points (9-7-16) in 21 games with the Griffins this season and has totaled 51 points (25-26-51) in 80 games with the team over the past two seasons.
Originally drafted in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward spent the 2017-18 season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, totaling 82 points (44-38-82) in 57 games to place seventh overall in league scoring. He also led QMJHL rookies in scoring and earned a spot on the QMJHL First All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team, while winning the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league’s best professional prospect. Zadina also tied for the Halifax lead in playoff scoring by collecting 12 points (5-7-12) in nine games. Internationally, Zadina represented his country at the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships. At the 2018 tournament, Zadina led the Czechs with seven goals and eight points in seven games, earning a spot on the WJC All-Star Team. He previously won a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament after posting a tournament-best seven points (5-2-7) in four games. Zadina received his first taste of professional action between 2015-17, picking up two points (1-1-2) over 27 games for HC Pardubice in the top Czech league.
Cholowski, 21, has split his second professional campaign between the Red Wings and Griffins, showing eight points (2-6-8) and four penalty minutes in 30 games with the Red Wings. He also has five points (1-4-5) on the power play to rank second among the team’s defensemen, in addition to his first overtime-winning goal in the NHL (Nov. 12 at Anaheim). After originally joining the Griffins last month, Cholowski has notched seven points (2-5-7) in 19 contests. Dating back to his pro debut at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Cholowski has 19 points (2-17-19) and 16 penalty minutes in 45 regular-season games with the Griffins and two points (0-2-2) and two penalty minutes in six Calder Cup Playoff games. In his two NHL seasons, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound defenseman has recorded 24 points (9-15-24) and 20 penalty minutes in 82 games with the Red Wings.
Originally selected by Detroit in the first round (20th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Cholowski played one season of college hockey and one of major junior after he was drafted before turning professional. In 2016-17, he logged 12 points (1-11-12) in 36 games at St. Cloud State University, before racking up 66 points (14-52-66) in 69 games between the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars and Portland Winterhawks during the 2017-18 campaign. A native of Langley, British Columbia, Cholowski won a gold medal with Canada West at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge. He spent parts of three seasons (2013-16) with the Chilliwack Chiefs in the British Columbia Hockey League before he was drafted, notching 67 points (16-51-67) and 20 penalty minutes in 105 regular-season games and adding 22 points (4-18-22) and four penalty minutes in 32 postseason games.
With all three being sent down prior to the All Star break to hang out/play in Grand Rapids while the big club was off, it’s no surprise that no change to the Wings’ injury situation necessitated all three would come back up in time for the Wings’ next game (Friday against the Rangers in New York).
I expect Zadina will be up the rest of the season and wouldn’t be surprised with either Smith or Cholowski also staying up now that we’re in the final throes of the season and need to get kids some playing time/need to move whatever vets we can trade.
