DETROIT REASSIGNS TRIO TO GRIFFINS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Saturday reassigned center Kyle Criscuolo, left wing Taro Hirose and center Joe Veleno to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Criscuolo appeared in the final two games of the NHL season with the Red Wings. Criscuolo totaled six games with Detroit this season and registered two assists, two penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. The center recorded his first-career NHL point (0-1—1) on Dec. 18 against New Jersey and later bagged his second assist on April 6 against Winnipeg. Criscuolo has skated in 15 NHL contests, with nine of them coming with Buffalo during the 2017-18 season. With the Griffins, Criscuolo ranks fifth on the roster with 39 points (15-24—39) in 57 outings. Through 166 regular-season games with Grand Rapids, Criscuolo has accumulated 99 points (43-56—99) and 48 penalty minutes.

Hirose rejoined the Red Wings on April 23 and skated in the final three contests of the season. The 25-year-old collected his first NHL point of the season on March 15 at Edmonton during an NHL career-high two-point (0-2—2) night. Hirose appeared in 15 games with Detroit this season and amassed one goal and three helpers. The left winger scored his first NHL goal since Nov. 23, 2019 on March 19 against Seattle. The former Michigan State Spartan has 12 penalty minutes and 20 points (4-16—20) in 57 NHL games throughout four seasons. Hirose ranks second on the Griffins roster with 53 points (15-38—53) in 59 outings.

Veleno spent most of the 2021-22 season in Detroit and appeared in 66 outings, totaling 15 points (8-7—15) and 22 penalty minutes. The former first-round draft choice has compiled 16 points (9-7—16) in 71 games at the NHL level. From Feb. 4-20, Veleno totaled seven points (3-4—7) in four outings with Grand Rapids, including a career-high three points (1-2—3) on Feb. 5 against Ontario. Veleno’s active four-game point streak with Grand Rapids is tied for a career long. Veleno, a third-year pro, has skated in 11 contests with the Griffins this campaign and recorded four penalty minutes and 10 points (6-4—10). Veleno tied a career-high for goals in a game when he lit the lamp twice on Oct. 16 at Milwaukee in a 7-3 defeat.

Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages for next season by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.

Photo by Mark Newman & Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins