Red Wings Make Minor League Deal, Adding 2 Forwards From Lightning

Late Thursday night, the Detroit Red Wings completed a trade that added depth to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, surprising some fans since the NHL trade deadline passed last Friday. The deal came as the Red Wings’ main roster suffered multiple injuries, requiring several top AHL players to be called up.

Detroit acquired forwards Michael Milne and Wojciech Stachowiak from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Ian Mitchell.

Milne, a 23-year-old from Abbotsford, British Columbia, is in his fourth professional season. He started this year with the Iowa Wild, recording five points and a minus-11 rating in 15 games.

Drafted in the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Milne was traded to the Lightning organization and spent the rest of the season with the Syracuse Crunch, adding one assist and a minus-two rating in 19 games. Over five AHL seasons, he has totaled 66 points in 191 games and briefly made his NHL debut with the Wild last season.

Stachowiak, 26, is in his first AHL season and has produced 17 points in 38 games with the Crunch. He previously played six seasons in Germany’s top professional league with ERC Ingolstadt, recording 104 points in 239 regular-season games.

Stachowiak is also familiar with Michigan, having spent two seasons at Michigan State University from 2018 to 2020, registering five points in 40 games. Internationally, he represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics alongside Red Wings teammate Moritz Seider, posting one assist, two penalty minutes, and a plus-two rating in two games.

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Mitchell, 27, has been a standout on the Griffins this season with 20 points and a plus-27 rating in 45 games, ranking tied for fourth in the AHL and second among league defensemen. He has also recorded 19 points in 110 NHL games since 2020-21.

While the trade may appear minor, it could have long-term implications, as both Milne and Stachowiak are young players with potential to grow within the Red Wings organization. The deal addresses immediate AHL depth concerns while offering Detroit additional flexibility for the future.

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