DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings today reassigned right wing Evgeny Svechnikov and goaltender Kaden Fulcher to the taxi squad from the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins and reassigned goaltender Calvin Pickard to the Griffins from the taxi squad.
Detroit adds Svechnikov and Fulcher to taxi squad
Calvin Pickard reassigned to Grand Rapids
Svechnikov has appeared in four games for the Red Wings this season and recorded four points (2-2-4), including scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in his first appearance of the season on Feb. 27 at Chicago. The 24-year-old also tallied an assist in the first head-to-head meeting against his younger brother, Andrei, on March 4 at Carolina. Svechnikov has appeared in 24 games with the Red Wings since 2016-17, totaling eight points (4-4-8) and 12 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound winger has skated in four games with the Griffins this season, picking up a goal, an assist and two penalty minutes in his fourth professional campaign. In 186 games with the Griffins since 2015-16, Svechnikov has recorded 101 points (39-62-101) and 183 penalty minutes, adding 14 points (6-8-14) and 24 penalty minutes in 26 AHL Calder Cup Playoff games. As a first-year pro in 2016-17, Svechnikov registered a career-high 51 points (20-31-51) in 74 regular-season games and helped the Griffins capture the 2017 Calder Cup championship.
Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (19th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Svechnikov spent two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League prior to turning pro, registering 157 points (64-93-157) and 167 penalty minutes in 105 games with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles from 2014-16. The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia, native also earned a silver medal at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship with Russia, and previously captured silver medals for his country at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge and 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Fulcher, 22, is in his third professional season after being limited to two games during the 2019-20 campaign with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye due to injury. The netminder has appeared in 30 games with the Walleye over his first two professional seasons, posting a 15-9-6 record, 3.17 goals-against average, 0.894 save percentage and one shutout. Fulcher made his NHL debut in relief duty during the Red Wings season finale on April 6, 2019 against Buffalo, making nine saves on 11 shots on goal.
Originally signed by the Red Wings as an undrafted free agent on Oct. 3, 2017, Fulcher was a 2018 Ontario Hockey League champion with the Hamilton Bulldogs and posted a 57-44-13 record, 3.19 goals-against average, 0.893 save percentage and five shutouts in 115 OHL games from 2015-18. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound netminder was also named the Most Outstanding Goaltender at the Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup following a 2.27 goals-against average and 0.918 save percentage in four games at the 2018 tournament.
Pickard has made one appearance with the Red Wings this season, stopping 19-of-21 shots in a relief effort on Feb. 3 vs. Tampa Bay. Prior to the start of the NHL season, he appeared in six games with the Vienna Capitals of Austria's IceHL, posting a 3-3-0 record, 1.96 goals-against average and 0.919 save percentage. The 28-year-old has played four games for Detroit over the last two seasons and has made 108 appearances in his NHL career, logging a 32-52-9 record, 2.99 goals-against average, 0.905 save percentage and four shutouts with the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Red Wings.
A ninth-year pro, Pickard also played 33 games for the Griffins in 2019-20, notching a 17-12-4 record, 2.86 goals-against average, 0.903 save percentage and three shutouts. In 233 AHL games with the Lake Erie Monsters, San Antonio Rampage, Toronto Marlies, Tucson Roadrunners and Griffins since 2011-12, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound netminder has a 110-83-19 record, 2.64 goals-against average, 0.913 save percentage and 15 shutouts. Originally drafted by the Avalanche in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Pickard spent his entire major-junior career with the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds from 2008-12, totaling a 91-120-27 record, 3.29 goals-against average, 0.909 save percentage and 12 shutouts. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native has also represented Canada at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a gold and silver medal, respectively.
