DUO FROM DETROIT RETURN TO GRAND RAPIDS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday assigned defenseman Joe Hicketts and center Dominic Turgeon to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Hicketts became the 168th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted in Detroit’s 3-0 win at New Jersey last night. In 15:13 of ice time, the 21-year-old blocked three shots, recorded one hit and finished with a plus-one rating.

In his second year as a professional, Hicketts has totaled eight points (2-6—8) and 26 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Griffins this season.

A 2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids, Hicketts paced all team defensemen in scoring with 34 points (7-27—34) in 73 games last season. Among the AHL's first-year blueliners, Hicketts placed seventh in points and tied for third with a plus-15 rating. Hicketts skated in all 19 contests of the Griffins’ title run and ranked second among the league’s rookie defensemen in playoff points with eight (1-7—8).

Undrafted, Hicketts played four seasons (2012-16) for the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League before turning pro. During his final two years – during which he served as captain – he logged back-to-back 60-point campaigns. In total, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound defenseman posted 173 points (32-141—173) in 224 career games.

A native of Kamloops, British Columbia, Hicketts has twice represented Canada at the World Junior Championships. He helped Canada win the gold medal in 2015 and served as an assistant captain the following year.

Turgeon, 21, made his debut with Detroit on Jan. 14 at Chicago during the Red Wings’ 4-0 victory – becoming the 167th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound center appeared in four games with the Red Wings during his first stint in the NHL and averaged 9:36 of ice time while tallying two shots and two penalty minutes.

Prior to being recalled, Turgeon ranked sixth on the Griffins with 23 points (9-14—23) in 40 games this season to go along with a plus-eight rating and 16 PIM. He has already surpassed last year’s rookie mark of 18 points (6-12—18) in 71 contests.

Selected by the Red Wings in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon helped Grand Rapids win the 2017 Calder Cup in his first year as a professional. He appeared in all 19 postseason games and contributed two points.

Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Turgeon spent four full campaigns with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League prior to turning pro. He accumulated 152 points (67-85—152) in 259 regular season games from 2011-16 before adding 18 points (10-8—18) in 45 career playoff games. He helped Portland capture the league championship during his first season in 2012-13. Captaining the Winterhawks in 2015-16, Turgeon led the team with career-high totals in goals (36) and points (70) in 72 appearances.

Dominic is the son of former NHL player and current Los Angeles Kings assistant coach Pierre Turgeon, who registered 1,327 points (515-812—1,327) in 1,294 career games with six different teams spanning 19 seasons (1987-2007).

Turgeon and Hicketts are the sixth and seventh players, respectively, from the 2017 Calder Cup team to play in the NHL this season, joining Tyler Bertuzzi, Kyle Criscuolo, Martin Frk, Brian Lashoff and Tomas Nosek.

The Griffins host the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.