REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Monday assigned forwards Matt Lorito, Tomas Nosek and Ben Street and defenseman Robbie Russo to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Red Wings also reassigned forward Zach Nastasiuk from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. The Griffins, meanwhile, recalled goaltender Cal Heeter and forward Mathew Santos from Toledo and released forward Dominik Shine from his amateur tryout.

Lorito, 26, became the 165th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit last Saturday and logged an assist during the Red Wings’ 3-2 overtime loss versus Montreal. Lorito averaged 14:26 of ice time and added six shots while playing in his first two NHL contests over the weekend.

In 59 games with the Griffins this season, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound winger leads the team in assists (33) and is tied for the team lead with 54 points (21-33—54) while ranking first in power play assists (20), third in goals (21) and tying for third in power play points (24). A 2017 AHL All-Star Classic participant in his second year as a pro, Lorito ranks among the league’s leaders in points (T19th) and power play assists (T8th).

Nosek, 24, made his season debut with the Red Wings on March 20 and skated in a total of 11 games this year. He notched his first NHL goal on March 28 at Carolina. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound center has appeared in 17 games with Detroit since becoming the 152nd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted on Dec. 26, 2015 at Nashville.

Nosek has skated in 49 games with the Griffins this season and ranks among the team’s leaders with 40 points (T7th), 15 goals (T6th), 25 assists (T5th), 24 power play points (T3rd) and seven power play goals (3rd). In his third season as a Griffin, Nosek has played in 174 games in Grand Rapids since 2014 and accounted for 104 points (41-63—104), a plus-47 rating and 97 PIM. Nosek’s plus-47 career rating currently ties for ninth in franchise history. Appearing in 21 Calder Cup Playoff contests, Nosek has added eight points (3-5—8) and 10 PIM.

Street, 30, became the 162nd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut on March 28 at Carolina. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound center skated in six games in Detroit, showing one assist and a plus-one rating.

Street has appeared in 35 career NHL contests since 2012-13 with Calgary (2012-14), Colorado (2014-16) and Detroit and contributed three points (0-3—3).

An alternate captain with the Griffins, Street has skated in 57 games and is tied for the team lead with 54 points while placing second in both goals (25), power play goals (10) and assists (29). Street’s 54 points also tie for 19th in the AHL.

Russo became the 161st Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut on March 7 at Toronto. The 24-year-old logged 19 games during his first NHL action, tallying a plus-two rating and two PIM.

A 2017 AHL All-Star Classic participant, Russo has skated in 56 games this season and ranks second among team defensemen in scoring with 31 points (7-24—31). The 6-foot, 195-pound defenseman also places among the team’s leaders with a plus-14 rating (T3rd), 24 assists (T8th) and 115 shots (T8th).

In his second full professional season, Nastasiuk has played in seven games with the Griffins this year and recorded one assist. Detroit’s second choice (48th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Nastasiuk has skated in 45 AHL games since debuting with Grand Rapids in the latter stages of the 2013-14 campaign and banked nine points (3-6—9) and four PIM.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound winger has registered 34 points (13-21—34), a plus-nine rating and eight PIM in 47 games with the Walleye this season. He shows 54 points (23-31—54) and 18 PIM in 72 career games in Toledo.

Heeter, 28, has won 10 of 12 games in Grand Rapids this season. If he met the minutes requirement, the 6-foot-4 netminder would rank among the AHL’s leaders with a 2.07 goals against average (T4th) and a 0.933 save percentage (2nd).

Reeling off eight consecutive victories to begin the 2016-17 campaign with the Walleye, Heeter is 14-2-0 in 17 games in Toledo while totaling a 2.99 GAA and a 0.897 save percentage.

In his first year pro, the 22-year-old Santos has played in 49 games with the Walleye, tallying 12 points (6-6—12), a plus-four rating and 35 PIM.

In his first taste of professional action, Shine, 23, contributed three points (0-3—3) and seven PIM in eight games while joining the Griffins after completing four-year collegiate career at Northern Michigan University (WCHA). From 2013-17, Shine tallied 97 points (48-49—97) and 185 PIM in 131 games and served as a two-time alternate captain for the Wildcats.

During his senior campaign, Shine paced the WCHA with 20 goals in 33 contests en route to his second-straight 30-point season and was named to the conference’s Third All-Star Team.

The playoff-bound Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Wednesday to host Charlotte and longtime Grand Rapids netminder Tom McCollum 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.