Red Wings place three on taxi squad
Hirose, Witkowski and Pickard rejoin Red Wings
Hirose, 25, has split his professional career between the Red Wings and Griffins and has logged one NHL game with Detroit this season. He has appeared in 43 NHL games since debuting in 2018-19, totaling 16 points (3-13-16) and 10 penalty minutes, while adding 82 points (18-64-82) and 18 penalty minutes in 94 games with Grand Rapids over the last three seasons. In 2021-22, Hirose has logged 30 games for the Griffins, ranking among team leaders with eight goals (T3rd), 19 assists (1st), 27 points (1st) and 64 shots (3rd). He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent after spending three years at Michigan State University and logged seven points (1-6-7) in 10 games during his first NHL stint in 2018-19.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Hirose appeared in 106 games at Michigan State from 2016-19, totaling 116 points (33-83-116) and 39 penalty minutes. As a junior in 2018-19, Hirose led the nation in points (50), points-per-game (1.47), assists (35), multi-point games (15) and three-point games (9) en route to being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Prior to his collegiate career, Hirose played two seasons (2014-16) with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League where he totaled 121 points (33-88-121) in 116 games. During the 2015-16 campaign with the Silverbacks, he ranked 13th in the BCHL in points (71) and fourth in assists (56), both of which led the team. Hirose also led the Silverbacks in scoring (18-32-50) in his first season with the club (2014-15), while being named the team's Rookie of the Year.
Witkowski, 31, has skated in 24 games with the Griffins this season, picking up two points (0-2-2) and 47 penalty minutes. The Holland, Mich., native is in his second stint with the Red Wings after previously spending two seasons with the Red Wings from 2017-19 and logging six points (1-5-6) and 86 penalty minutes in 65 games. Witkowski rejoined the organization in the offseason after serving as captain of the AHL's Syracuse Crunch in 2020-21, posting two points (0-2-2), a plus-eight rating and 32 penalty minutes in 14 games before his season was cut short due to injury. In 2019-20, Witkowski appeared in 12 games with the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning, logging three points (1-2-3) and 13 penalty minutes while adding six points (2-4-6), a plus-12 rating and 63 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Crunch. Over nine professional seasons, Witkowski has notched 13 points (2-11-13) and 162 penalty minutes in 131 NHL games between Detroit and Tampa Bay and 49 points (9-40-49), a plus-34 rating and 666 penalty minutes in 285 AHL games with Syracuse and Grand Rapids.
Originally drafted by the Lightning in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Witkowski spent four seasons at Western Michigan University, where he won a CCHA championship in 2012 with Jeff Blashill as his head coach and was teammates with Red Wings defensemen Danny DeKeyser (2010-13) and Jordan Oesterle (2011-13). Witkowski was also a CCHA Second-Team All-Star as a senior in 2013 prior to signing his first professional contract and ended his collegiate career with 38 points (7-31-38), a plus-seven rating and 235 penalty minutes in 152 games from 2009-13. Witkowski also spent two seasons in the USHL from 2007-09, combining for 35 points (9-26-35), a plus-20 rating and 257 penalty minutes in 113 games between the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets and the Fargo Force, where he served as captain in 2008-09 and was a USHL All-Star.
Pickard, 28, is tied for second in the AHL in wins this season, sporting a 12-8-4 record, 2.31 goals-against average, 0.930 save percentage and one shutout in 25 games for Grand Rapids. Pickard saw time in three different leagues in 2020-21, notching a 2-1-1 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and 0.874 save percentage in six games with the Red Wings in addition to playing three games with the Griffins and six for the Vienna Capitals in Austria's top professional league. Pickard has appeared in nine games for Detroit over the last two seasons and has made 113 appearances in his NHL career, logging a 34-53-10 record, 3.01 goals-against average, 0.904 save percentage and four shutouts with the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes and Red Wings.
A 10th-year pro, Pickard has also played 261 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 123-92-24 record, 2.62 goals-against average, 0.914 save percentage and 16 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.
