Red Wings Round Out Free Agency With Depth Signings For Griffins

The Red Wings had a productive free agency period, as they normally do. They extended Mike Green to a two-year contract, signed Thomas Vanek to a one-year deal and added goaltending depth in Jonathan Bernier. They topped off their busy July 1st with a slew of depth signings for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

A lot of these names may be completely unknown to the casual hockey fan. They are not meant to play in the NHL, with the exception of maybe Harri Sateri.

Wade Megan was selected 138th overall (5th round) by the Florida Panthers in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He’s played a total of four games in the NHL, all for the St. Louis Blues, and only had a single goal to show for it. He’s otherwise been a staple in the AHL, putting up a career high of 66 points (33 G, 33 A) in 2016-17 for the Chicago Wolves. Most recently, he scored 33 goals in 63 games last year for the Wolves.

Jake Chelios is, in fact, the son of former Red Wing Chris Chelios. He is a left-handed defenseman who’s made a career out of playing in the AHL. After a NCAA career with Michigan State, Chelios played briefly for the Chicago Wolves, but most recently was the assistant captain for the Charlotte Checkers, where he scored 14 points in 41 games in 2017-18. He adds some experience and stability to the Griffins’ blueline, but is no longer an NHL prospect. This is purely an AHL signing.

Goaltender Harri Sateri posted a very impressive .927 save percentage with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season. He also saw some time in the NHL with the Florida Panthers. More details on this signing can be found here:

Finally, left-winger Chris Terry was selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 5th round (132nd overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He’s the player with the most NHL experience of this bunch, as he’s played 152 games since 2012-13. The majority of these games was with the Hurricanes, but two years ago he played 14 games as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. In total, he has 22 goals and 38 points at the NHL level.

Most recently, Terry played for the Laval Rocket in the AHL, scoring 32 goals and 71 points in 62 games. He led the entire AHL in points and was only 2nd in goals behind 33 goal scorer Valentin Zykov. This was a good nab for the Griffins as Terry will greatly help their offensive output.

In conclusion, the Wings added a group of solid AHL career players to help the Griffins in their 2018-19 outing. Don’t expect any of these players to be a serious contender for a roster spot in Detroit, but they’ll add a ton of excitement to games in Grand Rapids.

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