Veteran Dominik Shine scores first NHL goal after 521 AHL games

Dominik Shine stood on the blue paint and one-timed a centering feed from James van Riemsdyk past Jacob Markstrom, and that shot became the first NHL goal of his career, extending Detroit’s lead to 3-0 in the third period. The highlight, listed by the NHL on March 9, 2026, capped a long professional climb: Shine is 32, in his 14th NHL game with the Red Wings, after 521 AHL appearances across 10 seasons.

The build to that moment read like an AHL chronicle. Shine logged those 521 games primarily with the Grand Rapids Griffins after four years at Northern Michigan, and his path to the NHL took more than a decade. TheHockeyNews described the finish as Shine converting on a “perfect centering feed from James van Riemsdyk and one-timed the puck past Jacob Markstrom,” and reported that teammates immediately retrieved the puck for him to keep as a memento.

Detroit’s social channels amplified the moment. A Red Wings Facebook video captioned, “I just want to leave my mark - be a hard working guy and someone people respect,” accompanied a 2:50 clip marking the milestone and showed 123.7K views in the posted metadata. Another Red Wings upload titled “DOMINIK SHINE FIRST CAREER NHL GOAL!” carried scraped engagement metrics listing 4.9K reactions, 174 comments and 135K views. Fans reacted in the comments: Greg Hooper wrote, “Love seeing guys like Shiner get their first. Hard working, tough, grinder, career AHL dude but was ready when called upon. Has to be an amazing feeling. Almost as amazing as that setup from JVR!” and Matt Hodges added, “What an absolute backhand saucy dime from JVR!”

The play itself was cataloged in the NHL highlight copy as, “Dominik Shine gets a nifty backhand dish from James van Riemsdyk and puts it home for his first career goal, extending the lead to 3-0 in the 3rd period.” The clarity of the assist and the timing of the shot underscored why the club deployed Shine in a role that earned him NHL minutes this season: veteran presence, net-front finishing and reward for long-term AHL work.

The milestone has been framed broadly as an inspirational AHL-to-NHL story, a narrative the AHL and coverage outlets leaned into after a player who spent more than 10 seasons in the minors reached the top level. TheHockeyNews celebrated the moment with, “What a great moment it was on Sunday evening for Dominik Shine!” and used the line, “Never give up on your dreams!” to cast the goal as one of development and perseverance.

Shine’s next step is practical and immediate: maintain the spot in Detroit’s lineup after the March 9 highlight and translate the lift from his first NHL goal into continued contributions. The puck tucked away in his pocket will be a physical reminder of a 521-game AHL grind culminating in a one-timer that registered on the NHL’s Must Watch reel and on Detroit’s social feeds.