Pickard, Witkowski Returned to Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned defenseman Luke Witkowski and goaltender Calvin Pickard to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Witkowski joined the Red Wings for the first time this year on Dec. 7 and has since been sent back to the NHL club six times now. Witkowski, 31, is in search of his first NHL game since Nov. 1, 2019. From 2017-19, the blueliner spent two full seasons with Detroit, totaling six points (1-5—6) and 91 penalty minutes in 65 outings. The former Western Michigan Bronco has appeared in 131 games in the NHL and has amassed 13 points (2-11—13) and 162 penalty minutes. Witkowski has spent eight years in the AHL with Syracuse and Grand Rapids, registering 50 points (9-41—50) and 668 penalty minutes in 288 contests. Through 27 games this season with the Griffins, the Holland, Mich., native has three assists, 49 penalty minutes and a plus-one rating.

Pickard made his NHL season debut with Detroit on Jan. 26 in a relief role against Chicago, then made his first NHL start of the campaign on Jan. 28 at Pittsburgh. Against the Penguins, the netminder earned the game’s first star, logging 36 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory. Pickard was also the backup goaltender for Detroit on Jan. 17 and 22 and has appeared in 115 NHL games throughout his career. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native has posted a 35-54-10 record in the NHL with a 3.01 goals against average, 0.904 save percentage and four shutouts. The 10-year-pro has seen action in 27 of the 37 games this season with Grand Rapids. He set a new AHL career best for consecutive games played (14) on Dec. 10 at Manitoba and made his 12th straight start on Dec. 22, which set a new career high for the goaltender. Pickard is currently tied for sixth in the AHL with a 2.40 goals against average while his 0.927 save percentage ranks third.

Single-game tickets are on sale through griffinshockey.com/tickets. 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.

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo & Mark Newman/Griffins