Christoffer Ehn is being sent down to join the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Ehn surprised everyone with his preseason play that earned him a spot on the roster for opening night. The young centerman came over from Sweden where he finished a 50 game outing with 17 points and immediately impressed the Red Wings coaching staff and management with his 2-way play during the preseason.

Ehn stuck with the team through the first nine games of the season, centering the fourth line and finishing with a single point (an assist), seven shots, and a plus-2 rating. He played about 15 minutes on the penalty kill, putting his defensive prowess on display.

The transaction that will put him back in the AHL is due to the fact that Jacob de la Rose has sorted out his work visa issues and will be joining the team for Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. This means that Luke Glendening will re-take his throne as the centerman of the fourth line and be flanked by De La Rose on his wing.

It was refreshing to see a prospect like Ehn earn the time that he did out of preseason. Per the eye test, he was an exciting player and didn’t make too many crazy mistakes. He’s a safe player who prioritizes the defensive zone and grinds it out along the boards. It’s too bad that Detroit has a lot of those. Maybe De La Rose will add some variety to the bottom-6.

Ehn will likely join the Griffins on the road tomorrow night where they’ll face off against the Belleville Senators.