The Detroit Red Wings will lose a longtime organizational fixture this offseason, at least on the ice. Longtime Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman and captain Brian Lashoff has announced his retirement from professional hockey pending the conclusion of the AHL’s regular season.
Lashoff, 32, has played a remarkable career, even if his NHL experience was limited. He spent all or part of 14 seasons on the Griffins’ blue line, including the last three as the team’s captain, and saw NHL action with Detroit in seven of those 14 seasons. He will be honored at a ceremony before the Griffins’ regular-season home finale against the Rockford IceHogs on Friday, April 14.
Lashoff’s 628 games played are the most among active players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and rank third in league history among one-team players. He was a crucial part of Grand Rapids’ Calder Cup championship teams in both 2013 and 2017, and he served as a captain at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, marking his first career all-star nod in his final season. His 2013 performance was especially notable, helping mentor a team that included future NHL fixtures Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Petr Mrazek, Riley Sheahan, Luke Glendening, and Danny DeKeyser.
Lashoff has compiled 132 points (32 goals, 100 assists) and 329 penalty minutes in his 628 regular-season games in a Griffins uniform, with the chance to add a few more over his final two games. He is one of only four defensemen and 12 skaters to record 100 career assists for Grand Rapids, and only two Griffins blueliners have tallied more than his 132 points. Lashoff has also contributed 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 75 playoff games for Grand Rapids, marking the second-most postseason appearances in Griffins history.
The East Greenbush, New York product made his NHL debut with Detroit on January 21, 2013, scoring a goal in the process in a win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Later that season, Lashoff took to the ice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time on May 4 versus the Anaheim Ducks. Between 2012 to 2020, Lashoff accumulated 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and 65 penalty minutes in 136 regular-season games and logged another eight games during the postseason.
In a statement, Griffins head coach Ben Simon praised Lashoff:
As an undrafted player, he endeared himself to numerous coaches, teammates, and the fans through his hard-nosed style of play, his infectious work ethic, and impeccable character both on and off the ice. Brian epitomizes what an organization wants from its players. He does things the right way, every day. He gave his best effort every practice, every shift, and every game, leaving it all out there on the ice. Off the ice, he set an example in the locker room every day as to what it meant to be a pro. The character and professionalism he brought to the rink every day were unmatched. The appreciation, pride, respect, and passion he has for the game and this organization is evident through his work ethic, the same – if not more today – since he first walked through the Griffins’ doors.
Undrafted, Lashoff made his pro debut with the Griffins in 2008-09 at 18 after signing with Detroit as a free agent at the beginning of the season. Seven hundred sixty-seven professional games later, Lashoff retires with an immeasurable impact made on Detroit’s minor-league affiliate.
Detroit has a long organizational history of keeping long-term veterans down on the farm to show the youngsters how to pro — anyone who remembers the Adirondack Red Wings knows that well! Good on PHF for this, and your minor-league coverage generally!