Road to 'Reno'

The Red Wings found their way back to Dan Renouf, thanks to his development as a dependable defenseman.

Story and photo by Mark Newman

In March 2016, the Detroit Red Wings signed Dan Renouf to a two-year, entry-level contract. The Pickering, Ontario, native was an undrafted free agent who had just finished his junior season at the University of Maine, where he had been the leading scorer among defensemen.

Five years later, Renouf returned to the Red Wings, a recognition of his rise as a dependable defender who is already a two-time Calder Cup champion at age 27. It also didn’t hurt that “Reno” had proven himself a capable call-up, having spent a good chunk of the 2020-21 campaign in the NHL with a team that many considered to be among the league’s strongest during the regular season.

His first championship ring came courtesy of the Griffins, whom he helped capture the 2017 Calder Cup to cap off his rookie pro season.

“Coming out of college, it was important to see what it takes to win in this league, during the regular season and then through the playoffs,” Renouf said. “It’s a long schedule, a long year, and I benefitted from having that experience right away.”

Renouf played all 19 games of Grand Rapids’ playoff run. His two goals in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals led the Griffins to a 3-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch and brought the team to within one victory of securing the title.

“Getting to play in the Calder Cup Finals and playing for a team with a chance to win it all was a cool experience for us rookies who were thrown to the fire,” he said. “It was especially cool because it was my first year as a pro.”

After Grand Rapids dropped Game 5 in Syracuse, the Griffins rallied for a 4-3 come-from-behind victory at home to collect their second Calder Cup in five seasons. It was a thrill that Renouf will always remember.

“Winning is the best,” Renouf said. “You make lifelong friendships from winning. I still talk to most of the people on that roster. [Editor’s note: Brian Lashoff and Dominik Shine are the only other players from the 2017 team still with Grand Rapids.] It was awesome to win here. And now I’m back, so clearly I loved it. I think the winning culture is evident.”

Renouf made his NHL debut with Detroit on March 27, 2017, which proved to be his only game in a Red Wings jersey during his first stint with the organization. During his second pro season, he appeared in 73 games, all in Grand Rapids.

He opted to leave the organization in hopes of getting another look at his talents.

“I felt they valued my game here, but I could see that the numbers weren’t going to work out in my favor,” he said. “It’s all about time and place. I thought it would be a good experience to go to a new team where I could have new eyes on me.”

Renouf signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team against which he had made his lone NHL appearance.

In retrospect, Renouf deemed it a “great decision.”

“My third year as a pro was probably my biggest,” he said. “There were no hard feelings (with Detroit), but I had the drive that I still needed to prove myself in this league. I think the move was beneficial for my career.”

After attending the Hurricanes’ training camp, he was assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, where he would spend the entirety of the 2018-19 season. He doubled his point total from the previous year, totaling two goals and 22 assists during 74 games in a top-four role on the blue line.

“It’s crazy how different my role was in two years,” he said. “I went from being a rookie watching what Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch were doing to being considered one of the veterans in Charlotte because we had such a young team.

“It was a cool experience to go from being a follower to a leader in just two years.”

The Checkers finished with the AHL’s best record (51-17-7-1) and positioned themselves as the favorite to capture the Calder Cup.

“Our team was very different from the GR team,” he said. “In GR, we had four lines that fit perfectly in their roles. In Charlotte, we just out-skilled every team and everything just came together at the perfect time. It was fun to see how you can win in different ways.

“I don’t think I would have helped as much if I hadn’t had my experience in Grand Rapids.”

Renouf tore his hamstring in the conference finals against the Toronto Marlies. He was trying to defend a 2-on-1 breakaway when he kicked out his leg and heard his hamstring “pop.”

“It was a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “Fortunately, we had great depth on the team. I tried not to skip a beat, so I still tried to provide support where I could. You can’t win in this league without a tight-knit group.”

His teammates included two fellow former Griffins: Tomas Jurco, a deadline-deal acquisition who was a member of the 2013 Calder Cup team, and Zach Nastasiak, a depth player from the 2017 championship club. Both played key roles. Jurco tied for second in playoff scoring while Nastasiak appeared in all 19 playoff games.

The Checkers claimed the title by winning three straight games in Chicago to oust the Wolves in five games. Charlotte leaned heavily on goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who currently shares the Red Wings’ net with Thomas Greiss.

“He was our best player from start to finish,” Renouf said. “I’m not surprised at the success that he had last season in Carolina and now in Detroit. He was someone who I would have bet my bottom dollar on becoming an NHL starter.”

Of course, winning two Cups in three years will get people’s attention. On July 1, 2019, the Colorado Avalanche signed Renouf to a two-year, two-way contract.

“When you’re in the AHL, you’re trying to build your resume, so getting a second Calder Cup was big,” he said. “I could have stayed, but the Avs looked like they had holes on their left side and I saw a good opportunity in Colorado that I couldn’t pass up.”

Spending the 2019-20 season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles enabled Renouf to refine his game. He credits Eagles head coach Greg Cronin, a longtime NHL assistant coach with the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Greg Cronin helped me a ton,” he said. “When you play so many games you can sometimes lose focus, and he helped with those little details of the game that you can lose sight of. I’m thankful that I had him as my coach.”

Renouf appeared in all but two of the Eagles’ 56 games, recording two goals and 14 assists. His plus-minus was second-best among Colorado defensemen, who were mentored by assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth, who had played for the Griffins from 2002-04.

“It wasn’t my best year, but it was a very important year,” Renouf said. “I stripped down my game to make sure that I improved all those little things. My first year with the Eagles set me up to push for a spot with the Avs the following season.”

Renouf appeared ticketed for another season with the Eagles, but injuries on the Avalanche blue line created the NHL opportunity that he had wanted so badly for so long.

“When you’re in the AHL and you feel like you’re playing well, it can get frustrating at times, wondering if you’re going to get another look,” he said. “I got to play one game with Detroit, but I didn’t see any action in the NHL for a few years, so getting a second opportunity was big for my confidence. It was good to know that I was going to get another chance.”

With the Avalanche, Renouf got the chance to play for head coach Jared Bednar, another former Griffins defenseman. Like Renouf, Bednar was known for his gritty play, as attested by his team-leading 220 penalty minutes for the 1998-99 Griffins.

“Bedsy was great with me,” Renouf said. “He said I had a good camp and he wanted to give me a look, so I shouldn’t look at it as ‘do or die,’ so I didn’t feel like I had too much pressure on myself. I ended up just going in and playing my game.”

Renouf was joining an Avalanche roster that included some of the best and brightest young talents in the NHL, with Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen only age 21, 25 and 23, respectively.

“Those guys have world-class talent, and just to be able to practice with them every day and see it live is crazy,” he said. “Knowing that you’re able to play with them in practice helps you feel confident that you’ll probably be OK in the game.”

It also helped that he quickly assimilated into the Avalanche locker room. “A lot of guys helped me with the transition,” he said. “It certainly helps your transition when you’re playing for the best team in the league, and to get a chance on a team like that was great.”

Even so, Renouf admits that he felt a few butterflies in his stomach when he played his first game with the Avs against the Arizona Coyotes in Phoenix. “Being a COVID year, there were no fans, so I think that helped the nerves a bit. It had been a long three years between playing in the league, but I felt confident with my pro experience that I could succeed.”

Renouf played 18 NHL games with the Avalanche, registering three assists and a couple of fights.

“Every single game I kept getting more confident and it just kept going,” he said. “I kept proving to myself that I could belong at the NHL level. It was a great experience. It provided proof not only to myself but also to other teams in the league that I can be effective at that level.”

If Renouf had any regret about his first extended stay in the NHL, it was that his promotion occurred in the middle of a pandemic. The coronavirus prevented his father from attending any games. After witnessing both of Renouf’s Cup wins, he couldn’t leave Canada due to border restrictions.

“For all the years that he’s followed me, the one time I was in the NHL for a while, it sucked that he couldn’t come,” he said. “I felt so bad because he would have come to every single game. He would have moved to Colorado, for sure.”

Renouf said he remains grateful for the support of his parents, Shawn and Lisa, over the years.

“Coming from Toronto, hockey is like our religion,” he said. “For someone who never played the sport, my dad is so passionate about the game. I trust his take on hockey more than anyone because he knows my game and how I play.

“He’s watched a ton of hockey in his day and he’s one of those guys who just gets the game. You don’t have to play hockey to know the game. He’s been so supportive and helped me out during this journey to play in the NHL. I’m so thankful for him and my mom’s sacrifice to let me do what I want and try to make it.”

Renouf said his father watches every single game and then corresponds accordingly.

“Whether it’s a text after a good game or a text after a bad game, I know it’s coming,” he said. “My dad knows my game and I do rely on him to give me tips here or there. He follows the game so closely that he knows when I’m playing a good or bad game and he knows what to say.

“Sometimes I get annoyed at him because sometimes I don’t want to hear it, but I know he’s looking out for my best interests.”

Of course, Renouf didn’t always subscribe to the belief that “father knows best.” He remembers the period in his life when he took skateboarding more seriously than hockey, and his dad not taking kindly to his choice of recreational activities.

“He sat me down when I was 15 and said, ‘Enough of this. You’re good at hockey.” I was heartbroken at the time, but I’m thankful he did that,” Renouf recalled. “I thought I was good, but looking back now at old tapes, I was never good. Thank God I quit, because I was not a natural skateboarder.”

Renouf became an unrestricted free agent after last season. It meant he could choose the organization where he felt he could make the most impact.

“I wanted to go to free agency and see what was out there and find my best opportunity,” he said. “As [an unrestricted free agent], you’re able to put yourself in the best position possible. Picking Detroit was a pretty easy situation.”

He was already spending his summers in Michigan. His girlfriend, Kylee Scholten, whom he met while playing in Charlotte, was from Charlevoix. “I already knew northern Michigan from the Red Wings camps in Traverse City, so I fell in love with the area. Spending summer there is awesome.”

Renouf said the possibility of playing in Grand Rapids if he was not in the NHL made his signing with Detroit a no-brainer.

“When you go to other teams, you feel like there are a lot of guys you meet who have the same fond memories of GR,” he said. “For me, everything started in Grand Rapids.

“It starts with showing that you can be an everyday AHLer and showing that you can be part of a winning team. From there, you just chip away. I think it’s a matter of being put in different situations and improving during your time in the AHL. Eventually, you gain more and more confidence.

“Hockey is all about confidence. Winning definitely helps you out in that regard. Winning a Calder Cup shows that you’ve been to the peak of the AHL. You know what to expect. And you know that you can play.”