Griffins Sign Three PTOs, Recall Truscott Amid Red Wings Call-Up Crunch

A wave of injuries and Detroit Red Wings call-ups pushed the Grand Rapids Griffins into emergency roster mode Friday, prompting the team to sign forwards William Dufour, Brandon Hawkins and Jackson Jutting to professional tryout contracts while also recalling defenseman Jacob Truscott from the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

The moves were designed to shore up forward depth and reload defensive options at a critical stretch of the season. All three forwards were loaned to Grand Rapids from their respective ECHL clubs, with injuries triggering what has become a cascade of promotions to Detroit.

The most statistically compelling addition is Jutting, a 25-year-old undrafted rookie out of Bemidji State University who leads the Kansas City Mavericks in goals this season with 51 points (25 goals, 26 assists), 18 penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating across 55 games. He ranks tied for eighth in ECHL scoring and tied for fifth in goals, and his 10 multi-point outings this season include two two-goal nights and two three-point contests. Jutting already has a taste of AHL hockey with the Griffins: he made his AHL debut on Feb. 20 against the Chicago Wolves and earned his first AHL point with an assist the following night at the Milwaukee Admirals.

Dufour brings a different kind of resume. The 24-year-old, drafted 152nd overall by the New York Islanders, has spent this season scattered across four leagues. He put up 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists) in 18 games with the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL, added a goal in six AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, registered eight points in four contests with Quebec in the LNAH, and logged three points in seven outings with Lada Togliatti in the KHL. His departure hit Fort Wayne hard. In the span of just a few hours, the Komets lost two forwards heading into a three-game weekend. Last season, Dufour appeared in 45 AHL games with the Bridgeport Islanders, posting 18 points, and added four points in 12 games with the Colorado Eagles. His five-year AHL career now spans 187 appearances and 96 points (46 goals, 50 assists), along with 143 penalty minutes and a minus-51 rating.

Hawkins joins from the Toledo Walleye, the same ECHL affiliate from which Truscott was recalled. No individual statistics for Hawkins were available at the time of the announcement.

The day's transaction activity extended beyond the Griffins. The Edmonton Oilers traded forward Jayden Grubbe, who spent most of the season on assignment with Fort Wayne, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Josh Bloom. Grubbe had posted seven goals and 12 assists for the Komets this season before the deal.

For Grand Rapids, the four moves reflect the compressed realities of a late-season roster under NHL call-up pressure, with the Griffins now leaning on ECHL talent to stay competitive while their pipeline runs thin.