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The Detroit Red Wings are recalling forward John Leonard from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, rewarding one of the hottest hands in the minors as the NHL club prepares for its upcoming four-game homestand.

Leonard, 27, has been simply dominant this season, helping power the Griffins to a historic 22-1-0-1 record. The New Jersey native has emerged as the AHL’s top scorer, producing 19 goals and 10 assists for 29 points in just 20 games. He has shown off his top end goal scoring ability, finding the back of the net in 15 of those 20 contests. For his efforts in the month of November, Leonard was named the AHL's Player of the Month with 24 points in just 15 games.

Despite playing fewer games, Leonard trails the AHL scoring lead by just two points behind two other forwards tied atop the league leaderboard. His offensive surge has been a driving force behind Grand Rapids leading the AHL with 93 goals, four more than the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, despite playing two fewer games.

Leonard’s performance made the call-up unavoidable as the Red Wings recalled him late Sunday night ahead of a homestand that begins Tuesday against the New York Islanders.

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UPDATE: The #RedWings have recalled John Leonard from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and assigned Erik Gustafsson. pic.twitter.com/NuBkOR17cx

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 15, 2025

A former sixth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, Leonard has previous NHL experience, appearing during the 2020-21 season. He has played 70 NHL games overall, recording 17 points across stints with the Sharks, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes and now Detroit. Most of his career, however, has been spent in the minors, where his game has steadily surged.

Last season, Leonard posted 36 goals and 25 assists for 61 points in 72 games with the Charlotte Checkers. He followed that with 14 points in 18 playoff games during their run to the Calder Cup Final.

THAT'S PLAYER OF THE MONTH JOHN LEONARD TO YOU 🫵 pic.twitter.com/Rx7GYXdMyj

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) December 4, 2025

In a recent interview with The Hockey News, Leonard credited his success this season to chemistry with his linemates Dominik Shine and Sheldon Dries.

"This year been fun playing with, playing with Dries and Shine, and I think we're just kind of clicking right now and obviously when you're playing with with really good guys, it goes a long way and I've obviously been fortunate to be on some of the finishing ends of that, but now playing with those two guys has been a lot of fun," Leonard explained. "I think it's a fun system to play, It's a fast North-South game, I think that benefits me well and the coaching staff is awesome."

Exclusive: Griffins' John Leonard Talks Early Season Success, NHL Call-Up BuzzGriffins' league-leading scorer John Leonard reveals the secrets behind their historic hot streak and discusses his own NHL call-up potential.

Leonard also emphasized the depth of the Griffins roster, saying the sky is the limit for a team he believes can match up with anyone in the league. When asked about recent rumors of an NHL call-up, Leonard said he tries to remain focused on the present.

"At the end of the day, I think everyone's dream is to be an everyday player in the NHL but I'm here in Grand Rapids right now, and that's my focus and I try not to get too caught up in that," he said.

Leonard is expected to work in as a depth forward with Detroit and could see time on the bottom lines as the Red Wings look for internal solutions while some players at the bottom of the lineup, including Marco Kasper, continue to struggle.

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Last week, the Chicago Blackhawks assigned defenseman Sam Rinzel to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. This was after Rinzel started the year with the Blackhawks, where he recorded one goal, seven assists, eight points, and an even plus/minus rating in 28 games.

With Rinzel being a young blueliner with a high amount of potential, there was no real harm in the Blackhawks sending him down to the AHL. The Original Six club is hoping that Rinzel will gain more confidence with the IceHogs, and there is no question that he is impressing early on with the AHL club.

In three games with the IceHogs since being sent down, Rinzel has recorded four assists and a plus-1 rating. This included him putting together back-to-back two-assist games against the Iowa Wild on Dec. 10 and the Milwaukee Admirals on Dec. 12. With this, Rinzel is certainly making an impact early on with the IceHogs.

The Blackhawks will now be hoping that Rinzel continues to shine with the IceHogs in the AHL. If he does, it would not be surprising in the slightest if he receives a call-up back to the Blackhawks' roster in the near future. 

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke requires a new contract at the end of this season. He is in the final year of his entry-level contract, also known as a pending RFA.

With the salary cap on the rise, it’s tough to predict what type of contract Clarke could earn. He’s a talented blueliner with offensive upside and a valuable right-handed shot. However, his minutes have been limited under Kings' coach Jim Hiller, and his full potential is being hidden. 

To try and nail down a range of what Clarke might get on his next contract, here are a few other defensemen in the league that could be considered comparables.

Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild

Brock Faber had an incredible rookie campaign, and Clarke can’t touch the Minnesota Wild defenseman in that sense. However, since Faber’s first season, Clarke hasn’t been far off in terms of production.

In Clarke’s first full NHL season last year, he recorded 33 points in 78 games. He outscored Faber by four points in the same number of games, and with less NHL experience up to that point.

Fast-forward to this year, and their offensive numbers are nearly identical. Ahead of Minnesota’s game on Sunday, in 32 appearances, Faber has six goals and 15 points. In comparison, Clarke has five goals and 14 points in 31 contests.

Revisiting The Kevin Fiala And Brock Faber TradeAfter Kevin Fiala's impactful performance on Sunday and recording his 500th point, it's a good time to look back at how the Los Angeles Kings acquired him.

Not to mention, Clarke has a career average of 16:18 in ice time, while Faber averages 25:03.

Faber may be a better overall defenseman, and an extra 60 games ahead of Clarke could contribute to that, but there’s no doubt that Clarke hasn’t been much further behind him as of late. At the very least, Clarke’s agent, Randy Robitaille, could make that argument.

The Wild blueliner signed an eight-year contract worth $68 million, averaging $8.5 million per year. Minnesota GM Bill Guerin inked him to that deal following his first full NHL campaign.

Sean Durzi, Utah Mammoth

Because Clarke’s first two seasons were chopped up with very few games, it’s difficult to compare his rookie campaigns to others.

Utah Mammoth’s defenseman Sean Durzi put up 27 points in 64 games in his first NHL season. Clarke recorded a combined eight points in his first 25 NHL games across his first two years. However, the two D-men line up closer with Clarke’s aforementioned 2024-25 season and Durzi’s 2022-23 campaign.

This was Durzi’s second year in the NHL and his final season with the Kings. He scored nine goals and 38 points in 72 contests and averaged 19:47 of ice time. Not far off from Clarke’s numbers from last year, especially when the difference in ice time is considered.

Durzi is in the second year of a four-year contract. This deal pays Durzi a total of $24 million, averaging to $6 million per season.

Winning Enough to Lose Later: The Kings’ Familiar CeilingLOS ANGELES, CA – In a league that reached its highest level of parity in the salary cap era in its early years, the Los Angeles Kings have improved their overall standings despite a clear-cut picture of their performance. They have lost more games than they have won, with nine losses coming in extra time. 

Ultimately, it all depends on the length of Clarke’s contract. With the lack of playing time and responsibility in Los Angeles, GM Ken Holland and Clarke’s representation could have different visions.

Those conflicts typically lead to bridge deals or shorter contracts like Durzi’s, rather than a lengthy ticket such as Faber’s.

Nonetheless, the Kings have the rest of this season, as well as a chunk of the off-season to decide how they want to handle the contractual status of their 22-year-old D-man.

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The San Jose Sharks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins by a 6-5 final score on Dec. 13. It was undoubtedly an impressive win for the Sharks, as they came back and defeated the Penguins after being down 5-1 during the third period. 

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli certainly played a big role in the Sharks' win against the Penguins, as he had a very strong game. The former Hab recorded two goals and two assists in the contest. His second goal was a massive one, too, as he tied the game up at 5-5 at the 18:22 mark of the third period and forced overtime. 

With his big game against the Penguins, Toffoli has now recorded nine goals, 13 assists, 22 points, and a plus-3 rating in 33 games this season with the Sharks. Overall, the former Canadiens forward is continuing to be an impactful player at this stage of his career, and his numbers show that effectively. 

It will now be interesting to see how the former Canadiens forward builds off his impressive game against the Penguins from here.