John Leonard Returns to Grand Rapids Griffins Amid Detroit Roster Stabilization

The Detroit Red Wings reassigned forward John Leonard back to the Grand Rapids Griffins on March 20, completing a roster cycle that began with his emergency recall to Detroit and ended as the parent club's NHL roster stabilized with healthy returns.

Leonard's return comes at a critical stretch for Grand Rapids. In 34 games with the Griffins this season, the 27-year-old has posted 41 points and 27 goals, adding six penalty minutes, eight game-winners and a plus-11 rating. In AHL rankings, the sixth-year veteran sits tied for third in goals and first in game-winners league-wide, numbers that underscore why his presence matters as the Griffins push toward the end of the regular season.

The production had been building since November, when Leonard won the Fortune Tires "Expect More" AHL Player of the Month award after recording 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games. He became just the third player in Griffins franchise history to claim the honor, joining Riley Barber, who won it in April 2022, and Chris Minard, who took it in February 2012.

An injury interrupted that momentum. Leonard missed 12 straight AHL games from Jan. 31 through Feb. 28 before returning to the ice on March 4. The emergency recall to Detroit followed that rehab stretch, giving him additional NHL minutes before the reassignment brought him back to Grand Rapids.

At the NHL level this season, Leonard posted four points (2-2—4) in 11 games with Detroit. He made his Red Wings debut on Dec. 16 against the New York Islanders and immediately found his footing, stringing together a three-game point streak from Dec. 17-21 (2-1—3) and scoring in consecutive outings on Dec. 20 and 21. His NHL career totals now stand at 21 points (8-13—21) in 81 games across parts of five seasons.

With Leonard back on the roster and the Griffins in the thick of their late-season schedule, his league-leading eight game-winners give Grand Rapids a proven closer heading into the final weeks of the 2025-26 AHL campaign.