The Detroit Red Wings have recalled Sheldon Dries from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate—the Grand Rapids Griffins.
After a deflating loss to the Iowa Wild in overtime for the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Detroit Red Wings winning in overtime against the Anaheim Ducks, there loomed a big question.
With Andrew Copp already sidelined for an indefinite amount of time, Michael Rasmussen took a hit to the head. Rasmussen left the game and is considered day-to-day.
Neither Michael Rasmussen or Andrew Copp will make the trip to Minnesota. Rasmussen day to day, McLellan said he’ll know more on Copp tomorrow but looking a little longer term
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) February 24, 2025
Detroit Red Wings opt for a veteran presence and recall Sheldon Dries from the Grand Rapids Griffins
With the a handful of options available with the Griffins, Red Wings fans were excited to see who might be recalled. To the dismay of some fans, myself included, it wasn’t a player considered a high named prospect recalled. Instead, the Detroit Red Wings management and coaching staff decided to recall Dries.
A Macomb Township, Michigan, native, Dries provides a veteran, stable presence. Bouncing from the Colorado Avalanche to Vancouver Canucks organizations, Dries joined the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.
Per Elite Prospects, Dries has played in 48 games, scoring 19 times and assisting on 8 goals for a combined total points of 27. He’s earned 29 penalty minutes and a +6 rating.
Last season, he spent 55 games with the Abbotsford Canucks. While donning an “A” on his sweater, he scored 29 times and assisted on 23 goals for 52 total points.
Before this season, I didn’t know about Dries or his game but I have been pleasantly surprised. He’s provided strong two-way play, leadership, and consistency in his game.
It’s not a slight against Dries in the slightest that I would rather have seen another player recalled. The Red Wings organization has a handful of high-end prospects waiting in the wings, plus the Dominik Shine’s storyline is enticing, to say the least.
One player, though, has risen above the rest on my list of who I’m most excited to see put on the Winged Wheel.
Amadeus Lombardi has talent oozing from every pore, readying to take the next step in his career
If, and it’s a big if, Amadeus Lombardi wasn’t injured earlier in the season, he might have been the Detroit Red Wings second recall (behind Marco Kasper who had no business playing another game in the AHL).
Lombardi is just getting back on the prospect development highway after taking a detour. What was supposed to be a quick recovery turned into a months long process.
Instead of sulking, Lombardi used this downtime to train. He called it a mini-summer where he trained as often as he could.
Before the injury this season, Lombardi skyrocketed to the top of my Red Wings prospects to-watch list.
In the previous season, Lombardi would play a fancy game without much substance. Dealing and dangling, sometimes even twirling, Lombardi would create space for himself only to lose the puck after trying to cut to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone as he took on three to five opponents at once.
I questioned his effectiveness and if his game could ever translate to the professional ranks at all.
Color me surprised when he was a standout in the prospect tournament and training camp. Translating the effective play to the AHL was seamless as Lombardi played with poise and effectiveness. He hasn’t lost the fancy feet and hands, either.
Similar to Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin who had to learn how to play with his teammates—usually slower, a bit less gifted than him—Lombardi had to learn to work within his linemates.
Growing up, his dad had a fondness for some of the greatest ice hockey players the world has ever known, including one Sergei Fedorov. Lombardi even took lessons from Dr. Yasha Smushkin, “a former Soviet Union national coach who had been putting figure skaters and hockey players in the Toronto area through unconventional drills for more than 30 years…’He had all these different, really interesting techniques—like jumping off a springboard, spinning around, and then landing and skating out of it…’” (from the article linked above).
His early days of unorthodox training are reflected in his witty play and thinking on the ice. Lombardi echoes back to a time when the Detroit Red Wings weren’t as focused on dumping and chasing as they were with puck possession. An older style of playing breathes new life into the Red Wings system, something that the big club is crying out for so desperately.
Lombardi has improved his effectiveness so much that I can’t help but wonder how quickly he might see ice in the National Hockey League (NHL).
His injury this season has certainly delayed his arrival, but after his return from injury, it doesn’t look like Lombardi has missed a beat. Granted, he’s going to need some extra time to adjust and get ready to take the next step. I reckon if he’s not up by the end of the season, then Lombardi starts in the NHL next season.
The Detroit Red Wings will be all the better for it. Lombardi is electric and everything the team is lacking. Having him on a third line with Elmer Söderblom and Jonatan Berggren would be a sight to behold.