Red Wings Call Up Mrazek, Tatar

According to Ansar Khan of MLive, the Red Wings have called goalie Petr Mrazek and forward Tomas Tatar up from the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Red Wings also returned goalie Tom McCollum to the Griffins. McCollum had been with the Red Wings since the second day of the regular season after backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson suffered a groin injury in the season opener. He has seen no action, backing up Detroit starter Jimmy Howard for six games.

Mrazek is coming off his first career AHL shutout on Saturday night, when he led the Griffins to a 1-0 win over the Abbotsford Heat. In his first professional season, he is 16-7-1 for Grand Rapids with a 2.26 GAA and a .916 save percentage, as well as earning the win for the Western Conference in the AHL All-Star Game. He started the season in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye, going 2-1 in three games with a 2.02 GAA and .944 save percentage.

Tatar is currently second in scoring on the Griffins behind Gustav Nyquist, who made an appearance with the Red Wings for their home opener on January 22. Tatar has 19 goals and 20 assists for the Griffins after a hat trick on Friday against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Red Wings have been battered by injuries, with only three defensemen not having missed time due to injury and both their second- and third-string goalies out of the lineup. Tatar’s call-up is not due to a new injury at forward but Mrazek’s could be to provide an option for resting Howard, who has started every game of the season thus far.