Detroit Red Wings send major reinforcement down to the AHL

The Detroit Red Wings have reassigned forward Elmer Soderblom to the Grand Rapids Griffins today. He will join the team's AHL affiliate as they compete for the 2025 Calder Cup.

The Griffins secured a berth in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs after the Springfield Thunderbirds defeated the Iowa Wild, 4-2, on Saturday.

Soderblom will join the Griffins in a second consecutive campaign for the Calder Cup, only a year after posting 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 61 games with the Griffins in 2023-2024.

Soderblom was selected 159th overall by the Red Wings in the 6th round of the 2019 NHL draft. He played 26 total games in the NHL this season after being called up on January 22nd, 2025.

He'd play 28 games with the big club and found himself in the bottom-six of the Red Wings' lineup from February onward.

Head Coach Dan Watson will have an extra weapon on his squad to help push the team deeper than the Central Division finals, where they finished last season.

They wouldn't be able to hold off the Milwaukee Admirals, whom they lost Game 5 in a tied series, after making it so far.

The Griffins have two Calder Cups to their name, which they won in 2013 and 2017. Their postseason record (86-58, .558 all-time) could be improved if Soderblom turns out to be a key player in the lineup which is currently led by Joe Snively.