Sebrango Returns from World Junior Championship

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday reassigned defenseman Donovan Sebrango to the Grand Rapids Griffins from Canada’s National Junior Team.

Sebrango, 19, represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championship for the first time in his career. However, it was a quick stay, as the tournament was cut short due to COVID-19 after just two games. The Ottawa, Ontario, native logged one goal and a plus-two rating in two outings with his home country.

The blueliner got off to a fast start, as he scored a goal in his World Junior debut on Dec. 26 in a 6-3 victory over Czechia. Sebrango then totaled a plus-two rating and two shots on goal in a 11-2 defeat of Austria on Dec. 28.

This marked the third time in the past four years a player has left the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship, after Filip Zadina represented the Czech Republic in 2019 and Joe Veleno (Canada) and Moritz Seider (Germany) competed at the event in 2020.

Selected in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit, Sebrango has registered 56 games as pro with 10 points (1-9—10) and 75 penalty minutes, including three assists and seven penalty minutes in 20 contests this season with Grand Rapids. At the 2019-20 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he won a silver medal with the Canada U18 club after totaling two assists in five outings. Sebrango also competed with Canada Black in 2018-19 at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he bagged two helpers and four penalty minutes in five contests.

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins