Red Wings Call Up AHL All-Star Forward As Dylan Larkin Remains Out

On Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings called up AHL star forward John Leonard after the 28-year-old stood out as one of the Grand Rapids Griffins' best forwards last season. Leonard was called up for 11 games with the Red Wings, where he made an impact with two goals and two assists for four points.

The Westwood, New Jersey native finished the season in Grand Rapids with 33 goals and 21 assists for 54 points in 47 games. That total was the second most goals in the league, even though Leonard played as many as 25 fewer games than the players around him. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

So far this season, he has five goals and two assists for seven points in six games, and he will look to bring that same workhorse mentality back to the NHL. Leonard is a two-time AHL All-Star in each of the last two seasons with 232 points in 302 games over his AHL career.

Leonard will likely slot in as an extra forward, but he could swap into the bottom of the lineup, with Sheldon Dries and Carter Mazur as potential healthy scratches.

In a corresponding move, the red-hot Griffins will add ECHL forward Nolan Moyle. He has already seen AHL minutes this season, playing four games without a point. In two games with the Red Wings' ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, he has a goal and no assists.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.