Category: Sports News

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. 

It's fair to say that folks are running out of words to describe whatever is happening with the Pittsburgh Penguins right now. 

On Tuesday, they gave up the tying goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the last tenth of a second in regulation. On Thursday, they failed to respond to the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-2 regulation loss. On Saturday, they held a 5-1 lead over the San Jose Sharks with 12:27 remaining in regulation and ended up losing in overtime, 6-5.

Sunday, they needed a response against the Utah Mammoth, who were 4-6 in their last 10 games coming into this one and have fallen off a bit since the start of the season. They responded early, going up, 3-0, and they - once again - took that lead into the third period.

And just like that, they found themselves in the same exact place they were the night before. 

The Penguins surrendered four early third-period goals and managed to respond with a tying goal, but they ultimately fell to Utah in overtime, 5-4, for their fifth-straight loss. Nate Schmidt, Michael Carcone, Sean Durzi, and Carcone - again - scored the four consecutive third-period goals for the Mammoth, while Dylan Guenther put the Penguins away with the overtime goal just 42 seconds in. 

Justin Brazeau bookended the Penguins' scoring, kicking things off just 48 seconds into the game and delivering the tying goal with just under six minutes remaining in regulation. Bryan Rust scored Pittsburgh's second goal, while Ben Kindel converted on a second-period breakaway opportunity to put the Penguins up 3-0 before the collapse. 

Takeaways: With Another Epic Collapse, Penguins' Mettle Being TestedOn Saturday, when the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> went up 5-1 against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks">San Jose Sharks</a> with less than 15 minutes to go in regulation, it felt like the kind of game in which the Penguins would continue to pile on. They were dominating in pretty much every facet, had three power play goals, and were outshooting the Sharks by a very hefty margin.&nbsp;

Rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov - recalled on an emergency basis from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) ahead of Saturday's game because newly-acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner, along with defenseman Brett Kulak, are stuck in Canada due to immigration issues - stopped 32 of 37 Utah shots and made some big saves early to hold the Penguins' lead initially. 

This one was different from the others. Utah controlled most of the play throughout, as shot attempts were 38-13 at one point during the second period despite the Penguins holding the 3-0 lead. But Pittsburgh was getting the bounces, and it seemed like they might escape this one with two points. 

But the inexplicable happened yet again. And the players - as well as the coaching staff - knows that they have to stick together throughout what is certainly their toughest stretch of the season. 

"Not in a million years did I think we'd be back here today 24 hours later having the exact same conversarion," head coach Dan Muse said. "I probably sound like a broken record."

He added: "I've never seen something where it just feels like it's the same thing coming in different ways. We aren't closing, and we have to learn how to close games."

Final. pic.twitter.com/LQde4QlQgM

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 14, 2025

Here are some takeaways from this back-breaking loss:

- Let's start with some smaller details before pulling out some bigger ones.

It's safe to say that the Penguins missed having Brazeau in their lineup. 

Regardless of whatever the outcome of this game would have been, that second goal was a massive one. The celebration was cathartic. You could have heard Brazeau's scream from Fifth Avenue outside PPG Paints Arena. 

It's unfortunate that the Penguins didn't end up with two points at the end of it. But he got them a point. It's certainly better than nothing. 

BACK IN IT. pic.twitter.com/oe9FsMzXTS

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 14, 2025

- Kindel's outstanding start to the season has leveled out a bit in recent games. He doesn't quite stand out the way he was early on, and that should probably be expected of an 18-year-old going through the grind of a full NHL season for the first time. 

But just because he hadn't been standing out as much, it doesn't mean good things haven't been happening. And he did, in fact, stand out on the scoresheet Sunday, too, ending the game with three points. 

It continues to amaze me how much maturity Kindel plays with. In recent games, he has become a regular on the penalty kill, he's taken defensive zone draws, and he's relied on in some high-stakes situations. He's also taken the role of second-line center since Evgeni Malkin went down. 

Aside from the occasional turnover - the overtime one was, obviously, detrimental - and getting knocked around just a little bit, he's playing well for the Penguins and is intelligent beyond his years. It's impressive that he's pretty seamlessly transitioned to being a center at the NHL level.

I think this guy is going to be a good player for the Penguins for a long time. The jury is still out on high that ceiling is, but I would venture to guess the production is just going to keep climbing. And he already has a lot of the details ironed out in his game.

Oh, and he should be given a look in shootouts. 

Another look at Kindy on a break 🔥

The 3rd period starts now. pic.twitter.com/7sQZM1mehZ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 14, 2025

- It's very, very evident that the Penguins are missing Blake Lizotte big-time right now. I talked about Lizotte a bit after Saturday's loss, and Evgeni Malkin is certainly missed, too. 

But Lizotte has done so many things to help this team win this season that have largely flown under the radar. He's as solid a fourth-line center as they come, and his speed and center drive is certainly missed on that line. He - next to Noel Acciari - is the Penguins' best defensive forward, and his game complements Acciari and Connor Dewar tremendously. He's an excellent penalty-killer. He excels at defending six-on-five situations and even has a pair of empty-net goals this season. 

Most importantly, Lizotte - when centering that fourth line - has the ability to pressure on the forecheck and put opponents on their heels when the Penguins have a lead. That line is more relied upon when the Penguins are trying to hold a lead, and he does an excellent job energizing that unit and forcing opponents to outwork him. 

He can't come back soon enough. The entire makeup of that line changes without him on it, and the Penguins are worse for it. He's been one of their best players this season, in my opinion. 

How Ex-Penguins Tristan Jarry Performed In Oilers DebutFormer Penguins goalie has made his debut for the Oilers.

- Sidney Crosby doesn't look himself right now. And I'm not sure I can fully explain why. 

Crosby has gone through stretches like this throughout his career. We've seen him go through tough stretches - by his standards - and he manages to pull himself out of them every time. There's no reason to think it won't happen again. 

But Crosby is a winner. You've got to think that these blown leads and frustrating losses have been getting to him just a bit, especially since he's been on the ice for a lot of the goals against. He was on the ice for five goals Saturday - including the overtime goal, where he was caught flat-footed - and for the overtime winner on Sunday. 

He's harder on himself than anyone. I would venture to guess he knows he needs to be better - especially defensively, where it's been close to a nightmare for him and Rust all season long. 

Crosby needs to be the one to lead them out of this mess they're in. He's done it before. And he needs to come through in a big way again. This team seems to have lost its pride to a degree, and Crosby needs to help them get it back. 

- There isn't much else to say at this point. 

Once the first goal was scored by Schmidt just 1:07 into the third, you just felt it coming. The Penguins aren't handing out goals like candy when they have a lead, they're surrendering leads so expeditiously that you might miss it if you look away for even just a few minutes. 

Utah tied the game within five minutes and 35 seconds. They were winning the game within seven minutes and six seconds. This isn't dissimilar to Saturday, when they surrendered a four-goal lead to the Sharks within 11 minutes. 

This isn't normal. Teams don't do this, and certainly not with this frequency. Not on back-to-back nights. Regardless of how it's happening, it's happening, and the Penguins need to very quickly figure out the "why."

After all of this, the Penguins are - somehow - still in the second wild card spot in the East. Their biggest blessing through this stretch is that no one within wild card territory seems to want to pull away. It's still there for the taking. 

The course-correction - the reset - needs to start Tuesday in Edmonton. No exceptions. This loss could end up defining their season, and it's up to them to - as Kyle Dubas put it going into the season - change the story. 

"We don't have a choice," Muse said. "That's the thing. The group, we have to, one, stick together. Because it changes from game to game... there's areas that continue to come up, but if you forget about the rest of the game, you suddenly just put all the weight on that one area, it might be something new.

"So, we have to focus in on each day. Things come up, we address them. We get better. We'll come back a day from now, and we'll get back to work. That's all we can do. The big thing right now is the group's got to stick together. Otherwise, it'll go the other way."

'It Just Made Sense For Us To Do It At This Time': Penguins' GM Kyle Dubas Gives Insight On Jarry TradeIt's safe to say that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-penguins-deal-tristan-jarry-to-edmonton-oilers">the trade sending Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday</a> - which returned goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a 2029 second-round pick - surprised a whole lot of people, fans and players alike.

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All throughout his Hall of Fame NHL career, which began in 2007 with the Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Kane has earned the nickname "Showtime" - and for good reason. 

Now with the Detroit Red Wings, Kane continues to wow sellout crowds at Little Caesars Arena with his patented stickhandling abilities and trademark celebrations after scoring.

Speaking of goals, Kane moved to within two tallies of becoming the 50th player in NHL history to reach 500 career goals, lighting the lamp on Saturday evening as part of Detroit's 4-0 win against his former team. 

LFG BABYYYY 🗣️

Kaner on the mic for goal #498! pic.twitter.com/Gva1Fl0egG

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 14, 2025

Not only that, but Kane is now within nine points of passingMike Modano for the most points by a U.S.-born player in NHL history. 

Patrick Kane recorded his 1,365th and 1,366th career points tonight and needs just nine to pass Mike Modano (1,374) for the most in NHL history among U.S.-born players. 🇺🇸 #NHLStats: https://t.co/OFUesEA0QQpic.twitter.com/c5VUkFFifR

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 14, 2025

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When Kane reaches 500 goals scored, he'll also only be the fifth U.S.-born player to do so.

“It’s amazing to come back and see the Kane and Detroit jerseys in the crowd,” Kane said afterward. “Had a moment there after the game with the fans too, so it’s cool that it’s once a year and you can come back and really enjoy it.”

Like the consumate professional he is, Kane also looked at the team as a whole and spoke of the importance of finishing their season-high six-game road swing on a high note.

Red Wings Laud "Complete Game" Effort vs. Blackhawks To Cap Successful Road Swing The Detroit Red Wings picked up their fourth win on their season-high six-game road swing, capped by their 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday evening.

“That’s a great trip. Six games in 10 days with a lot of travel, that’s a real tough trip," Kane said. "So, to come out 4-1-1 I think we can be real happy with that.”

Kane will have a chance to set NHL history, as four of Detroit's next five games are at Little Caesars Arena. 

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