This is “old news,” but I want to post it in case you missed it:
RED WINGS RECALL JOE HICKETTS
… Second-Year Pro Made NHL Debut on Jan. 22 at New Jersey …DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today recalled defenseman Joe Hicketts from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Hicketts, 21, made his NHL debut with the Red Wings on Jan. 22 at New Jersey and was a plus-one with one hit and three blocked shots in 15:13 time on ice. The second-year pro has also appeared in 63 games for the Griffins this season, registering 10 points (3-7-10) and 32 penalty minutes. In his rookie season with Grand Rapids, the Kamloops, British Columbia, native led the team’s defensemen with 34 points (7-27-34) in 73 games, which ranked seventh among first-year AHL defensemen. Hicketts also led Griffins blueliners in postseason scoring after picking up eight points (1-7-8) in 19 games en route to helping the team capture its second AHL championship in five seasons. In 136 career AHL games, he has tallied 44 points (10-34-44), 72 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating.
Originally signed by the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent in September 2014, the 5-foot-8, 180-pound defenseman spent four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals from 2012-16, serving the last two years as the team’s captain and posting back-to-back 60-point seasons. Hicketts totaled 173 points (32-141-173), 149 penalty minutes and a plus-69 rating in 224 games with the Royals and was a WHL West Second-Team All-Star in 2015 and First-Team All-Star in 2016. Internationally, Hicketts represented Canada twice at the IIHF World Junior Championship, winning gold in 2015 and serving as an alternate captain for the team in 2016 while totaling six points (1-5-6) in 12 games over the two tournaments. He also earned medals at three other tournaments for his country, winning gold at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, picking up a silver at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and earning bronze at the 2014 World Under-18 Championship.
Joe Hicketts, Defenseman
Born May 4 1996 — Kamloops, BC
Height 5.08 — Weight 180 — Shoots L— Regular Season — —- Playoffs —-
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
————————————————————————————–
2012-13 Victoria Royals WHL 67 6 18 24 45 6 0 1 1 2
2013-14 Victoria Royals WHL 36 6 18 24 12 9 0 2 2 9
2014-15 Victoria Royals WHL 62 12 52 64 48 10 0 5 5 10
2015-16 Victoria Royals WHL 59 8 53 61 44 6 1 6 7 8
2016-17 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 73 7 27 34 40 19 1 7 8 8
2017-18 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 63 3 7 10 32 — — — — —
2017-18 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
————————————————————————————–
NHL Totals 1 0 0 0 0
For a season in which anyone with an ounce of IQ knew that we would be awful…it’s almost criminal how we have failed to evaluate any of the logjam on defense.
Hicketts has played 1 game all season.
Hronek = zero games
Russo = zero games
Saarijarvi has been a healthy scratch a bunch of times in the AHL because we still employ guys like Lashoff. Oh by the way, for some reason Lashoff was recalled and played another NHL game at age 27.
Ouellet is 24 and is rarely used…but 27-year old Jensen has played 75 out of 76 games. Nobody really knows why Jensen plays every night.
We should have traded Mike Green ages ago and called up Hicketts. Then waive Jensen and give Russo a look for a dozen games. If he fails then waive Russo and try McIlrath. When he fails then waive him. But at least use this throwaway season to get a better look at these guys and then be ready to cut them loose. There is no reason to keep so many marginal d-men in this organization. Morons.
Unfortunately Savage, the Wings had their hands tied by an antiquated CBA rule that allowed them just 4 call-ups from GR and they had to burn 2 to allow Coreau and Bertuzzi to go back for the AHL playoffs.
Why roster size is still limited after the trade deadline is beyond my comprehension. As long as you have the cap space, you should be allowed to call up whomever you want/need. Teams out of the playoffs need to have this option so they can get a head start on evaluating the kids that could become full-timers next season.
Safe to say, now that Hicketts got his first 2 NHL points, that he’ll be full time next season but who goes to make room ?
Do they not re-sign Green ?
Do they trade/waive XO ?
re-sign Witkowski to a 2-way contract so GR is an option without waivers ?
What happens if Hronek or Cholowski or Sulak play so well in camp this fall that sending them to GR would be a total sin ?
Management has some tough decisions to make this summer … hopefully one of them is to superglue Ericsson to the seat in front of his stall in the locker room.
This roster call-up restriction comes into effect after the trade deadline. Read my proposal again…no Green, Booth, Witkowski. That’s 3 spots for guys like Hicketts, Bert, Turgeon, Svech to battle over from day 1. So 6 months ago. Also we can easily waive trash like Jensen to take a look at Russo or Hronek or whoever else you want to see up close. But we’ve done none of this. Continually riding veterans night after night.
just wow …
Yeah I’m aware the restriction kicks in after the trade deadline … which is why I said it needs to go.
first, Booth is a forward so he doesn’t count.
Second, Jensen is playing better hockey than DeKeyser (who happens to be playing much better as of late)
I agree with the Green and Witkowski part but Green was hurt at the trade deadline so no one wanted him. They’re not going to waive Witkowski at this point because he plays forward too.
I suggested a 2-way IF they do re-sign him for greater roster flexability.
Green should have been traded at the draft. He was healthy. And Kenny should have known this roster would never make the playoffs.
Booth is a forward? Really? So is Bertuzzi. He should have been here on day 1. If not, then Turgeon, or Svech.
I guess you keep referring to the deadline and right now. I’m arguing that one goal for this season should have been getting a better look at guys like Ouellet, Hackett’s, Russo, Bert, Svech, Turgeon. Who belongs and who doesn’t have a future. Instead we’re playing Jensen 75 times, calling up Lashoff, playing David Booth, using Kronwall on the PP. Waste of a season.
Yeah, and the team is at least saying Green’s injury goes back to last year. It really was just a cadre of bad luck for the Wings.