DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today assigned center Zach Aston-Reese and defenseman Simon Edvinsson to the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Aston-Reese, 29, skated in three games with the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season, recording two penalty minutes and three hits in 5:09 average time on ice. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward has also tallied 29 points (14-15-29), a plus-four rating and 51 penalty minutes in 59 games with the Griffins this season. Aston-Reese spent the entire 2022-23 campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, collecting 14 points (10-4-14) and 25 penalty minutes in 77 regular-season games. He also netted one goal in six Stanley Cup playoff contests with Toronto, helping the franchise clinch its first postseason series win since 2004. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 14, 2017, Aston-Reese has registered 80 points (42-38-80), a plus-33 rating and 126 penalty minutes in 310 NHL games with the Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Maple Leafs and Red Wings since 2017-18. Additionally, Aston-Reese has totaled 75 points (32-43-75), a plus-30 rating and 125 penalty minutes in 121 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Griffins.
Prior to turning professional, Aston-Reese played four seasons at Northeastern University from 2013-17, racking up 148 points (66-82-148), a plus-48 rating and 182 penalty minutes in 145 games. As a senior, he was selected to the NCAA First All-American Team and named Hockey East Player of the Year after leading the NCAA in goals (31) and points (63) in 38 games during the 2016-17 season. Aston-Reese also guided the Huskies to a Hockey East Tournament championship as a junior in 2015-16. The Staten Island, N.Y., native added 50 points (16-34-50), a plus-12 rating and 188 penalty minutes in 140 games with the Des Moines Buccaneers and Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League from 2010-13.
Edvinsson, 21, played in 16 games with the Red Wings this season, notching two points (1-1-2) and four penalty minutes in 18:15 average time on ice. The 6-foot-6, 212-pound blueliner has also skated in 52 games with the Griffins during the 2023-24 campaign, leading the team’s defensemen in goals (8), points (29), penalty minutes (51), power play goals (2), game-winning goals (3) and shots (97). Edvinsson made his NHL debut with the Red Wings in 2022-23, logging two goals and 12 penalty minutes in nine appearances. He spent the majority of the 2022-23 season with Grand Rapids, tallying 27 points (5-22-27) and 52 penalty minutes in 52 games. In all, Edvinsson has registered 56 points (13-43-56) and 103 penalty minutes in 104 AHL games with the Griffins. Prior to arriving in North America, Edvinsson spent the entire 2021-22 season with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League, posting 19 points (2-17-19), a plus-13 rating and 18 penalty minutes in 44 regular-season games, in addition to two assists in five postseason contests. His 17 assists were the most of any player under 20 years of age in Sweden’s top professional league.
Selected by the Red Wings in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Edvinsson saw time in three different leagues during the 2020-21 season, notching six points (1-5-6), a plus-four rating and 10 penalty minutes in 14 games with Frolunda’s under-20 squad. He made his professional debut by skating in 14 games with Vasteras IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan, collecting five assists in Sweden’s second tier before adding one assist in 10 appearances with Frolunda’s SHL team. Edvinsson began developing in Frolunda’s system in 2018-19, accumulating 12 points (1-11-12) in 22 games with the under-20 team, 25 points (6-19-25) in 34 games with the under-18 squad and 36 points (10-26-36) in 24 games at the under-16 level. The Kungsbacka, Sweden, native won a bronze medal as an alternate captain at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, collecting two points (1-1-2) in six games. He also claimed a bronze medal with Sweden at the 2021 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, recording four points (1-3-4) and eight penalty minutes in seven contests. Edvinsson represented his country at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, picking up five assists in five games.
Zachary Aston-Reese, Center
Born Aug 10 1994 -- Staten Island, NY
Height 6.01 -- Weight 205 -- Shoots L
Simon Edvinsson, Defense
Born Feb 5 2003 -- Kungsbacka, Sweden
Height 6.06 -- Weight 212 -- Shoots L
Selected by Detroit Red Wings round 1 #6 overall 2021 NHL Entry Draft
