The Detroit Red Wings lost Robby Fabbri and Michael Rasmussen to COVID protocols, so the Wings have recalled Kyle Criscuolo and Taro Hirose from Grand Rapids:
DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings today recalled center Kyle Criscuolo and left wing Taro Hirose from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Criscuolo, 29, has played parts of four seasons with the Griffins over two separate stints with the club, rejoining the organization in 2020-21 after signing with Grand Rapids to begin his professional career in 2015-16. Criscuolo logged his 10th career NHL game in Detroit’s 4-3 shootout win over Seattle on Dec. 1, marking his Red Wings debut after previously appearing in nine NHL games with Buffalo during the 2017-18 campaign. In 265 AHL games between the Griffins, Rochester Americans, Lehigh Valley Phantoms and San Diego Gulls, he has totaled 155 points (66-89-155), a plus-29 rating and 96 penalty minutes. As a first-year pro in 2016-17, Criscuolo helped the Griffins capture a Calder Cup championship, contributing 41 points (17-24-41) in 76 regular-season games and adding nine points (5-4-9) in 19 postseason contests. This season, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound forward leads the Griffins lead in points-per-game, racking up 17 points (9-8-17) in 15 games.
A native of Southampton, N.J., Criscuolo spent four seasons at Harvard University from 2012-16 and logged 113 points (53-60-113), a plus-42 rating and 46 penalty minutes in 124 collegiate games, serving as captain of the Crimson as a junior and senior. Harvard won an ECAC conference championship in 2015, and Criscuolo was a back-to-back ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year, All-Ivy League Second Team and All-ECAC Second Team member. Prior to his time at Harvard, Criscuolo spent the 2011-12 season in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers, notching 44 points (21-23-44) in 59 games.
Hirose, 25, has split his professional career between the Red Wings and Griffins. He has appeared in 42 NHL games since debuting in 2018-19, totaling 16 points (3-13-16) and eight penalty minutes, while adding 74 points (14-60-74) and 18 penalty minutes in 86 games with Grand Rapids over the last three seasons. In 2021-22, Hirose has logged 22 games for the Griffins, ranking among team leaders with four goals (T5th), 15 assists (1st and T7th in the AHL), 19 points (1st) and 40 shots (3rd). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent after spending three years at Michigan State University and logged seven points (1-6-7) in 10 games during his first NHL stint in 2018-19.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Hirose appeared in 106 games at Michigan State from 2016-19, totaling 116 points (33-83-116) and 39 penalty minutes. As a junior in 2018-19, Hirose led the nation in points (50), points-per-game (1.47), assists (35), multi-point games (15) and three-point games (9) en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Prior to his collegiate career, Hirose played two seasons (2014-16) with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League where he totaled 121 points (33-88-121) in 116 games. During the 2015-16 campaign with the Silverbacks, he ranked 13th in the BCHL in points (71) and fourth in assists (56), both of which led the team. Hirose also led the Silverbacks in scoring (18-32-50) in his first season with the club (2014-15), while being named the team’s Rookie of the Year.
