Red Wings Assign Cholowski and McIlrath

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday assigned defensemen Dennis Cholowski and Dylan McIlrath to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Additionally, the Griffins released defenseman Brandon Anselmini from his professional tryout, returning him to the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

A second-year pro, Cholowski, 21, has played in 29 games this season and ties for second among Red Wings defensemen in scoring with eight points (2-6—8) while adding four penalty minutes in 19:34 average ice time.

He made his NHL debut on Oct. 4, 2018 – becoming the 169th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL – and has produced 24 points (9-15—24) and 20 PIM in 81 career games for Detroit.

Selected 20th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Red Wings, Cholowski has appeared in 26 regular season AHL games for Grand Rapids, totaling 12 points (0-12—12), a plus-one rating and 12 PIM. He made his professional debut with the team during the 2016-17 regular season finale and skated in the final 25 games of the 2018-19 campaign. In six Calder Cup Playoff tilts, he shows two assists.

A native of Langley, British Columbia, Cholowski combined for 66 points (14-52—66), a plus-29 rating and 32 PIM while splitting the 2017-18 major junior campaign between Prince George (13-26—39 in 37 GP) and Portland (1-26—27 in 32 GP) of the Western Hockey League. He finished eighth among league defensemen in scoring during the regular season and posted a team-high five postseason goals in 12 games for Portland. Cholowski also played one season at St. Cloud State University in 2016-17 and tallied 12 points (1-11—12) in 36 games.

Recalled on Nov. 5, McIlrath, 27, has suited up in 16 games for the Red Wings this season and ranks second on the club with 23 PIM while averaging 14:49 of ice time. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound blueliner shows three points (0-3—3) and 15 PIM in 10 contests for the Griffins.

He became the 178th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Detroit debut on March 25, 2019 at San Jose, and he has tallied 27 PIM in 23 career games for the Red Wings. The 10th overall selection by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, McIlrath has skated in 66 NHL games since 2013-14 between New York, Florida and Detroit, supplying five points (3-2—5), a plus-two rating and 121 PIM.

Acquired by the Red Wings from Florida on March 1, 2017, McIlrath has totaled 34 points (8-26—34), a plus-18 rating and 274 PIM in 159 regular season games for Grand Rapids. He has picked up five assists and 39 PIM in 28 Calder Cup Playoff games for the Griffins, and he was a key piece in helping the team claim the franchise’s second Calder Cup in 2017.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, McIlrath has logged 363 career regular season AHL games between Connecticut (2010-11, 2012-13), Hartford (2013-15, 2016-17), Springfield (2016-17) and Grand Rapids, and has totaled 77 points (21-56—77), a plus-28 rating and 775 PIM, while netting seven points (0-7—7) in 48 postseason contests.

Anselmini, 26, made his Griffins debut on Dec. 4 against Chicago. In 19 games for the Walleye this season, he shows 11 points (2-9—11) and 32 PIM.

The Griffins (9-13-1-2) take on the San Diego Gulls today at 10 p.m. EST to begin a season-high six-game road trip.

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.

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