| … Barber, Renouf, Witkowski and Brattstrom Reassigned from Grand Rapids … DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today reassigned left wing Riley Barber, defensemen Dan Renouf and Luke Witkowski and goaltender Victor Brattstrom to the team’s taxi squad from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Barber, 27, joined the organization when he signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings prior the 2020-21 season and made his Red Wings debut on Dec. 18 vs. New Jersey. Barber has appeared in 53 games with the Griffins over the last two seasons, totaling 50 points (27-23-50) and 36 penalty minutes. Last season, he was named to the Central Division All-Star Team after leading Grand Rapids with 20 goals and 34 points in 32 games. The Pittsburgh, Penn., native is a veteran of 336 AHL games, posting 267 points (133-134-267) and 240 penalty minutes over seven seasons with the Hershey Bears, Laval Rocket, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Griffins. Barber previously saw NHL action with the Washington Capitals (2016-17) and Montreal Canadiens (2019-20), picking up two penalty minutes in 12 games. The 6-foot, 190-pound winger also has 15 points (5-10-15) in 38 career AHL postseason games. Originally drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Barber signed with Washington after spending three seasons at Miami University, where he scored at over a point-per-game pace with 123 points (54-69-123), a plus-24 rating and 62 penalty minutes in 116 games. Barber earned several collegiate honors, including CCHA Rookie of the Year and First All-Star Team in 2012-13 and NCHC Second All-Star Team in 2013-14, and helped the RedHawks to a conference championship in 2014-15. He also won a 2011 Clark Cup championship in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and spent the 2011-12 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Barber also captained the United States at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship after winning gold at the event in 2013, combining for 12 points (7-5-12) in 12 games between the two tournaments. Renouf, 27, has split the 2021-22 season between the Red Wings and Griffins, registering seven penalty minutes, three shots on goal, four hits and two blocked shots in 14:00 average time on ice in four games with Detroit. He’s also skated in 14 games with the Griffins this season, notching three assists and 15 penalty minutes. Originally signed by Detroit as an undrafted free agent on March 10, 2016, he rejoined the organization this summer after spending a majority of the 2020-21 season with the Colorado Avalanche, earning his first NHL action since making his debut with the Red Wings during the 2016-17 campaign. In 18 games with the Avalanche, Renouf recorded three points (0-3-3), 16 penalty minutes, 20 hits and 12 shots on goal in 10:10 average time on ice. He also played five games for the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles, tallying three points (1-2-3) and four penalty minutes. Renouf previously logged 146 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins between 2015-18, helping deliver the franchise’s second Calder Cup championship in 2017. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defenseman is a veteran of 293 AHL games between the Griffins, Charlotte Checkers and Eagles, totaling 75 points (10-65-75), a plus-51 rating and 405 penalty minutes. He’s also added eight points (3-5-8), a plus-18 rating and 48 penalty minutes in 36 career AHL playoff games and became a two-time Calder Cup champion after helping Charlotte capture the title in 2018-19, where he teamed up with current Red Wings netminder Alex Nedeljkovic. A native of Pickering, Ontario, Renouf played three seasons at the University of Maine before turning pro at the end of the 2015-16 season, notching 38 points (10-28-38), a plus-14 rating and 72 penalty minutes from 2013-16. Renouf also logged two seasons in the United States Hockey League with the Youngstown Phantoms, registering 43 points (11-32-43), a plus-35 rating and 136 penalty minutes in 115 games from 2011-13. Witkowski, 31, has skated in 19 games with the Griffins this season, picking up one point and 45 penalty minutes. The Holland, Mich., native is in his second stint with the Red Wings after previously spending two seasons with the Red Wings from 2017-19 and picking up six points (1-5-6) and 86 penalty minutes in 65 games. Witkowski rejoined the organization in the offseason after serving as captain of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in 2020-21, posting two points (0-2-2), a plus-eight rating and 32 penalty minutes in 14 games before his season was cut short due to injury. In 2019-20, Witkowski appeared in 12 games with the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning, logging three points (1-2-3) and 13 penalty minutes while adding six points (2-4-6), a plus-12 rating and 63 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Crunch. Over nine professional seasons, Witkowski has notched 13 points (2-11-13) and 162 penalty minutes in 131 NHL games between Detroit and Tampa Bay and 48 points (9-39-48), a plus-31 rating and 664 penalty minutes in 280 AHL games with Syracuse and Grand Rapids Originally drafted by the Lightning in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Witkowski spent four seasons at Western Michigan University, where he won a CCHA championship in 2012 with Jeff Blashill as his head coach and was teammates with Red Wings defensemen Danny DeKeyser (2010-13) and Jordan Oesterle (2011-13). Witkowski was also a CCHA Second-Team All-Star as a senior in 2013 prior to signing his first professional contract and ended his collegiate career with 38 points (7-31-38), a plus-seven rating and 235 penalty minutes in 152 games from 2009-13. Witkowski also spent two seasons in the USHL from 2007-09, combining for 35 points (9-26-35), a plus-20 rating and 257 penalty minutes in 113 games between the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets and the Fargo Force, where he served as captain in 2008-09 and was a USHL All-Star. Brattstrom, 24, began his first season in North America in 2021-22 and has appeared in seven games between the Griffins and ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In five games with Grand Rapids, he has a 0-3-2 record, 5.32 goals-against average and 0.835 save percentage, while posting a 2-1-0 record with a 4.29 goals-against average and 0.829 save percentage in three games with Toledo. Originally drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Brattstrom spent the 2020-21 campaign with KooKoo in the SM-Liiga, Finland’s top professional league, where he ranked as one of the league’s top netminders by posting a 2.20 goals-against average and 0.903 save percentage, alongside an 18-12-7 record and one shutout. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound goaltender also logged three professional seasons in Sweden for Timra IK, in both the Swedish Hockey League and second-tier Allsvenskan. Brattstrom compiled a 5-14-0 record, 2.81 goals-against average and 0.897 save percentage in 23 SHL games and a 43-17-0 record, 2.08 goals-against average, 0.915 save percentage and six shutouts in 60 second-tier games between 2017-19. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native spent four seasons with Frolunda HC’s junior clubs prior to joining Timra, posting the top save percentage in the under-18 league in the 2013-14 campaign (0.930). He also led the Swedish junior league in save percentage (0.935) with Timra’s under-20 team in 2016-17.     -30- |
