Zach Nastasiuk has spent the last three seasons switching between the ECHL's Toledo Walleye and the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound forward has had a slower development path than other players from his draft class but appears to be heading in the right direction.
The Griffins were decimated with injuries during the playoffs so Nastasiuk was pressed into action and performed well.
20 -- Nastasiuk played 20 games for the Griffins this past season, 13 more than he played the previous season. He has now played in 65 regular season games for Grand Rapids.
1 -- On April 25, Nastasiuk scored his first career Calder Cup playoff goal against the Manitoba Moose at Van Andel Arena. It happened at at 4:49 of the second period. Corey Elkins and Brian Lashoff assisted. Nastasiuk also had one goal in 20 games during the regular season with the Griffins. It came in his season debut on Dec. 10, 2017 at Iowa.
30 -- Nastasiuk spent a lot of time with the Walleye, playing in 30 games after playing 47 games there last season. He has compiled 102 career games for Toledo.
8 -- The young forward had eight goals in his 30 games with the Walleye this past season after recording 13 goals in 47 games the previous season.
48 -- The Red Wings originally drafted Nastasiuk in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 48th overall. Ten picks later, the Wings chose Tyler Bertuzzi.
Quotable: "He went to Toledo and when we called him up, he played himself into our lineup. He knows how to do everything right out there, he's dependable and a heavy body. He played very well for us. This was a very important year for him. Seeing him at the end of the year, he was playing with more confidence, holding onto the puck. He knows how to play the right way, play on the right side of the puck. You only have to tell him something one time and he does it right. He's a pretty smart player. When he first got here, he could keep his speed for about 25 seconds and after that, he would get fatigued and slow down. I didn't see that at all this year." -- Todd Nelson, former Grand Rapids Griffins head coach
