Detroit Red Wings Sign Two NCAA Players to Entry-Level contracts

The Detroit Red Wings have announced the signing of Princeton Forward Ryan Kuffner and Michigan State Forward Taro Hirose to entry-level contracts. The question is, “Who are these guys?”

Ryan Kuffner, Princeton University

The Detroit Red Wings have announced the signing of Ryan Kuffner to a 2-year entry-level contract with the organization. Kuffner is a Forward on Princeton’s NCAA hockey team where he has spent the 2018 season. Through 31 games, Kuffner lead the Princeton Tigers in points with 44 total points. Kuffner lead the team in both goals and assists with 22 in both categories. In fact, he was a plus two on the year and led the time in points per games played (P/GP) with 1.42 P/GP. Kuffner also serves as an assistant captain for the Princeton team.

Besides the basic stats he put up, this was Kuffner’s fourth season with the Princeton Tigers where he managed 75 goals over 132 games to become Princeton’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Kuffner is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound forward who is going to be joining the Red Wings at the age of 22.

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Kuffner has been tearing it up at the NCAA level and even before he arrived at Princeton, he tore it up in the CCHL where he put up a 55 goal, 60 assist campaign to total 115 points for the Gloucester Rangers. Kuffner’s success will hopefully carry over to the NHL where the Red Wings hope he will get to join a core of young guys that leave us with a lot to look forward too.

Taro Hirose, Michigan State University

The Detroit Red Wings also announced the signing of Taro Hirose to a 2-year entry-level contract with the organization. A member of the Michigan State Spartans NCAA team for the last three years, Hirose is leaving the program a year early. The forward tallied 15 goals, 35 assists for 50 assists over the course of 36 games this year for the Spartans. Hirose, also 22, comes in at 5-foot-10 and 161-pounds and is also slotted as one of the top three Hobey Baker Memorial Trophy finalists.

Before his time at Michigan State, Hirose played in the BCHL for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks where he managed 33 goals, 88 assists, for 121 total points during his time there. Hirose was as rookie of the year for the Silverbacks and went on to put up great numbers with the Spartans which has put him in a great spot to leave the program early to sign with the Red Wings.

Both of these players will be seeing time at the NHL level during the last five weeks of the season; it was rumored that they are going to see some playing time. A good comparison of what these two signings mean is close to that of Danny Dekeyser from the 2012-13 season when we signed him out of Western Michigan.

Ken Holland will allow them to gain a little bit of NHL experience this season as the Detroit Red Wings continue their “lose for Hughes” or “Krash for Kakko” as the 2018-19 season comes to a close.