Defenseman Jared McIsaac, an RFA who the Detroit Red Wings did not tender a qualifying offer, signed in Czechia for the 2024-25 season

Defenseman Jared McIsaac, the Detroit Red Wings second round pick in 2018, has found a new team. 

McIsaac signed a contract Monday with HC Litvinov, a team in Czechia. He was a restricted free agent this offseason, but the Red Wings did not tender him a qualifying offer.

At one point, the Nova Scotian blueliner McIsaac was an exciting defense prospect in Detroit's pipeline. His two-way style made him a versatile contributor to his teams. He made the QMJHL's second all-star team in 2019, then won World Junior gold in 2020 as a big part of Team Canada's blue line. 

Due to injuries, however, McIsaac's trajectory changed. In 2019-20 and 2020-21, he suffered shoulder injuries in back-to-back seasons, requiring surgery on both of them. This limited him to just 46 QMJHL, international, AHL and Liiga games in those seasons. At a critical juncture in a player's career navigating the transition from junior to pro, McIsaac's health struggles didn't do him any favors.

In his most recent season — the last of his entry-level contract — McIsaac struggled to crack the lineup for a deep Grand Rapids Griffins blue line full of younger prospects. He went on loan to the Swiss league and to the Providence Bruins to get into more games, but in the end Detroit let him walk.

Now, McIsaac becomes a high-value add to a Litvinov roster with some NHL talent, including former Toronto Maple Leaf Ondrej Kase, journeyman defenseman Kevin Czuczman and Philadelphia Flyers goaltender prospect Matej Tomek.

Last season, HC Litvinov made the semifinal of its league playoff, losing to eventual league runner-up HC Dynamo Pardubice. In signing McIsaac, the team hopes it added depth to go even farther. For McIsaac, the move is a chance to keep playing hockey and further his career.

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