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  • Center Has Three Points in 12 Appearances With Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings today assigned center Austin Czarnik to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Czarnik, 30, has made 12 appearances with the Red Wings this season, recording three points (2-1-3), two penalty minutes, a plus-one rating, 13 shots and 12 hits in 11:27 average time on ice. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound center has also skated in 12 games with the Griffins and ranks among the team leaders with six goals (T5th), eight assists (T5th), 14 points (4th), four power play goals (T2nd), one shorthanded goal (1st) and 31 shots (10th). He was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 16 after tallying five points (3-2-5) in his first two games with Grand Rapids. Czarnik signed with the Red Wings as a free agent on July 13 after splitting the 2021-22 campaign between the New York Islanders and Seattle Kraken, recording five points (2-3-5) in 11 games with the Islanders along with two assists in six appearances for the Kraken. He also suited up in 38 games with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders last season and posted 37 points (14-23-37) and eight penalty minutes, in addition to 10 points (3-7-10) in six Calder Cup playoff games. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Boston Bruins on March 31, 2015, Czarnik has played in parts of seven NHL seasons with the Bruins, Calgary Flames, Islanders, Kraken and Red Wings, totaling 48 points (17-31-48) and 22 penalty minutes in 154 games since 2016-17. He has also compiled 239 points (87-152-239), 90 penalty minutes and a plus-25 rating in 239 AHL games with the Providence Bruins, Stockton Heat, Islanders and Griffins. Czarnik paced all AHL rookies with 61 points (20-41-61) in 68 games during the 2015-16 season and went on to represent Providence at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic.

A native of Washington Township, Mich., Czarnik played four seasons at Miami University from 2011-15 prior to turning professional, serving as team captain during his junior and senior years. Czarnik accumulated 169 points (46-123-169), a plus-50 rating and 119 penalty minutes in 159 games and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a sophomore in 2012-13. Before joining the RedHawks, Czarnik spent the 2010-11 season with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers, posting 34 points (20-14-34) and 33 penalty minutes in 46 contests. He previously skated with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2008-10. On the international stage, Czarnik represented the United States at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, notching four points (2-2-4) in six games. Czarnik earned a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Under-18 Championship after recording six points (5-1-6) and a plus-seven rating in seven games, and also won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Under-17 Challenge after collecting four points (1-3-4) in five appearances.