Red Wings Return Shine to Griffins

The fairy tale existence of Dominik Shine with the Detroit Red Wings has come to an end. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his NHL future has turned back into a pumpkin.

Although the Red Wings were assigning the veteran forward to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, the fact of the matter is that Shine was showing them enough to warrant a further look in the future.

After playing nine AHL seasons with the Griffins, Detroit would sign Shine to an NHL contract and call him to the show for the first time in his pro career last week.

UPDATE: The #RedWings have assigned Dominik Shine to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. pic.twitter.com/JGUt3MXfTj

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 5, 2025

Shine became the oldest skater to make his NHL debut since defenseman Evgeny Medvedev did it with the Philadelphia Flyers at 33 on Oct. 8, 2015. He’s the oldest Red Wings player to make his NHL debut since center Vaclav Nedomansky did it at 33 on Nov. 18, 1977. The 31-year-old Shine competed in four games with Detroit with one assist and a minus-one rating.

Detroit coach Todd McLellan felt Shine’s back story, combined with his performance while on recall, was serving as an inspiration to the team.

“Every team needs a rallying point, especially in January or February,” McLellan said. “Now, what’s going to happen is teams, not just the Wings, but everyone else, is going to start thinking ahead, ‘We’re getting close to some rest and some healing time.

“But maybe Dominik can drag us into games.”

Shine Collects First NHL Point With Red Wings

Not only was it an emotional lift, Shine was proving that he certainly was warranting of a place in an NHL lineup. His four-game stint in Detroit was including an assisst. That was Shine’s first NHL point.

“It’s such a feel-good story,” Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot said. “Never wanted to play anywhere else but Grand Rapids and to get an opportunity to come up here and don the winged wheel, I know meant a lot to him.

What a moment for Dominik Shine, making his NHL debut at 31 years old for his home town team 🙌
pic.twitter.com/VLVoObAwoV

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 28, 2025

“So, for us to see how excited he was and how much hard work he’s put in to get to this point, you can see how much it means to him. We’re just trying to feed off that energy because it’s fun to watch.”

Griffins Staying Busy

Another factor in the decision to return Shine to the AHL certainly has to do with the schedule. The Red Wings are playing one more game – at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Then they are on break until Feb. 22 due to the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Meanwhile, Grand Rapids will keep playing the AHL schedule during the NHL’s absence. The Griffins play at Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday.

Even though he’s been gone for a bit, Shine continues to lead Grand Rapids in scoring. He’s accounted for 32 points (11-21-32).