DETROIT, MICH — The Red Wings have acquired themselves a free agent out of the University of Maine. Dan Renouf, a 6-foot-3 209-pounder from Pickering, Ontario.
The #RedWings today signed defenseman Dan Renouf on a two-year entry-level contract – https://t.co/2XP9ehrKOb pic.twitter.com/2Wx4SAuwhS
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 10, 2016
The Griffins had just recently sent down defenseman Joel Chouinard, so Renouf will likely join the Griffins right away on an ATO contract since his entry-level deal will not kick in until next season. Renouf is spoke of as a big-bodied defenseman who skates well and can lead the rush as a strong two-way player. Renouf had previously attended Pittsburgh Penguins development camp in 2014. Check out SBNation College Hockey’s article on the newest Red Wing. Jeff Cox over at SB College Hockey wrote about Renouf back in the fall describing him as “simple and generally mistake free” while noting that the blueliner was “one of the top-five free agent prospects in Hockey East among sophomores and juniors.”
One thing is clear – He’s not Danny DeKeyser. Renouf is a player that the Red Wings will be patient with and try to develop. It’s a low-risk move that’s paid off in the past when you look at guys like Jared Coreau.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Dan Renouf snipes it to get Maine on the board! #HockeyEast https://t.co/cbJgICnO85
— Black Bear Hockey (@MaineIceHockey) February 20, 2016
Dan Renouf (@drenouf11) named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week with 2 goals and 2 assists vs UVM #MaineUp pic.twitter.com/ERAaBWv5ZK
— Black Bear Hockey (@MaineIceHockey) November 23, 2015
More from the Red Wings press release:
The Red Wings have signed defenseman Dan Renouf on a two-year entry-level contract, beginning with the 2016-17 season. Renouf has also signed an amateur tryout with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he will report for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
Renouf recently completed his junior season at the University of Maine, leading the team’s defensemen and tying for fifth overall with 15 points (6-9-15) in 38 games. The 21-year-old blueliner ranked among Maine’s leaders with six goals (T5th), nine assists (5th), 36 penalty minutes (7th) and two power-play goals (T4th). On Nov. 23, he was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after notching two goals and two assists in a weekend series against Vermont. In three collegiate seasons, Renouf notched 38 points (10-28-38), a plus-14 rating and 72 penalty minutes in 111 games. The Pickering, Ontario, native was a Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner after the 2014-15 campaign and was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team as a freshman in 2013-14.
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound, defenseman spent two seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms in the United States Hockey League prior to his collegiate career, recording 43 points (11-32-43), a plus-35 rating and 136 penalty minutes in 115 games from 2011-13. He helped Youngstown to the conference fnals in 2012-13 and was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Week on three occasions.
