Red Wings Assign Four To Griffins
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned forwards Matt Lorito, Tomas Nosek and Ben Street and defenseman Robbie Russo to the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins.
Lorito, 26, made his NHL debut with the Red Wings on Saturday against Montreal and skated in both of Detroit's final regular-season games, picking up his first NHL point with an assist against the Canadiens and totaling six shots on goal in 14:26 average time on ice. Signed by the Red Wings to a two-year contract on July 1, 2016, Lorito is tied with Street for the Griffins lead with 54 points (21-33-54) in 59 games. Lorito, who represented Grand Rapids at the AHL All-Star Classic alongside Russo, ranks among team leaders with 21 goals (3rd), 33 assists (1st) and 131 shots on goal (6th). The Oakville, Ontario, native has totaled 120 points (42-78-120), a plus-19 rating and 53 penalty minutes in 141 AHL games with Albany and Grand Rapids since turning professional at the end of the 2014-15 campaign. Lorito spent four seasons at Brown University from 2011-15 prior to his time in the AHL, picking up 106 points (47-59-106) in 118 games and earning All-Ivy League honors on three occasions.
Nosek appeared in 11 games for the Red Wings this season and registered his first NHL goal on March 28 at Carolina. The 24-year-old has skated in 17 games with the team over the past two seasons, logging four penalty minutes, 21 shots on goal, 16 hits, five blocked shots and eight takeaways in 10:07 average time on ice. A third-year Griffin hailing from Pardubice, Czech Republic, Nosek has tallied 40 points (15-25-40) in 49 games for Grand Rapids this season and 104 points (41-63-104) in 174 AHL games since 2014-15. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound forward also spent three seasons playing professionally in his native Czech Republic, logging 62 points (24-38-62) in 129 games for HC Pardubice in the Czech Extraliga from 2011-14. Prior to signing with the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent in 2014, he led his club in scoring with 44 points (19-25-44) in 52 games.
Street, 30, recorded one assist and eight shots on goal, while averaging 8:15 time on ice in six games for the Red Wings this season. He has appeared in 60 games with the Griffins this season, logging 54 points (25-29-54). A 2014 AHL All-Star, Street has played 350 career AHL games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Abbotsford Heat, Lake Erie Monsters, San Antonio Rampage and Griffins, totaling 291 points (123-168-291), a plus-23 rating and 108 penalty minutes since 2010-11. Signed by Detroit as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2016, Street has also picked up three assists in 45 NHL games between the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Red Wings since making his NHL debut in 2012-13. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native also notched 92 points (47-45-92) in 169 games with the University of Wisconsin Badgers from 2005-10, where he was an NCAA National Champion in 2006 and a two-time member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's All-Academic Team in 2009 and 2010.
Russo, 24, made his NHL debut with the Red Wings on March 7 at Toronto and appeared in each of the team's final 19 games, averaging 16:04 time on ice and recording two penalty minutes, 18 shots on goal, 24 hits and 13 blocked shots. The 2017 AHL All-Star led Griffins defensemen at the time of his recall with 31 points (7-24-31), alongside a plus-14 rating, 33 penalty minutes and 115 shots on goal. Russo led the AHL in plus-minus as a rookie in 2015-16 with a plus-40 rating, adding 39 points (5-34-39) and 42 penalty minutes in 71 games to earn a spot on the AHL All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team. The University of Notre Dame product and Westmont, Ill., native logged 94 points (28-66-94) in 142 games with the Fighting Irish from 2011-15 prior to turning professional, capturing a Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship in 2013 and earning a spot on the Hockey East First All-Star Team as a senior in 2015.