Red Wings recall pair of forwards, reassign two others to AHL

On Saturday, the Red Wings announced that both Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer will return to the lineup Sunday against Boston. With Fischer being on injured reserve, at least one player would likely be sent back down.  Instead, Detroit has opted to send two players down in corresponding moves as CapFriendly reports that both Jonatan Berggren and Austin Czarnik have been assigned to AHL Grand Rapids.

Berggren was a regular with Detroit for most of last season, getting into 67 games with the big club where he acquitted himself relatively well, notching 15 goals and 13 assists while logging 13:28 per game.  But after GM Steve Yzerman added several pieces up front over the summer, Berggren found himself on the outside looking in at a regular roster spot and was assigned to Grand Rapids at the start of the season.

In the minors, the 23-year-old has been quite productive, picking up seven goals and 11 assists in just 19 contests.  That has helped Berggren earn six separate recalls over the last two months which has resulted in nine appearances with the Red Wings.  Despite limited playing time in those contests (just 10:08 per contest), he has been fairly productive, tallying a pair of goals along with three assists.  He’ll likely be a top recall option when the next injury arises in Detroit.

As for Czarnik, the 31-year-old has played in 18 games with the Red Wings this season despite clearing waivers twice already.  While he has typically been quite productive in the minors, that hasn’t carried over to the NHL this season as he has just one assist in those appearances.  Meanwhile, in nine games with the Griffins, Czarnik has three goals and four assists.

The return of Fischer from injured reserve on Sunday will be a welcome one. The 26-year-old has been a regular on Detroit’s fourth line this season, playing in 33 games where he has eight points and 39 hits while logging a little less than 11 minutes per night.  He has been out since just before the holiday break with an undisclosed injury.