The Detroit Red Wings got just a little bit faster, a little bit younger, and a little bit more skilled today. The team announced earlier this afternoon that forward Andreas Athanasiou was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

The 21-year-old native of London, Ontario scored his first NHL goal in a six-game, eleven-day stretch with the team in the middle of November. His possession numbers were promising, with a crazy 63.2% Corsi-For in the stretch, but he also played extremely sheltered minutes in pretty much every way; zone starts, quality of competition, and how frequently he was on the ice to begin with.

Upon returning to the Griffins, Athanasiou went on a scoring tear, picking up seven goals and seven assists in his first eleven games back. He’s since been a massive cold streak since the Christmas break, however, with no points, nine shots, and a -9 rating in his last seven games. The hope is that a call-up will spark some excitement in his young mind and encourage him to get back into full form. 

His first chance to prove himself could come as early as tomorrow afternoon when the Red Wings take on the New York Islanders. Puck drop is at 2:00 PM.