The Red Wings have loaned defense prospect Jared McIsaac to HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League, a release from their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, reads. McIsaac, 23, was a second-round pick of Detroit in 2018 and is a pending RFA with arbitration rights.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, McIsaac was one of Detroit’s most highly-touted prospects. The 6-foot-1 left-shot defenseman put up over a point-per-game with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in 2018-19 and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 World Juniors, notching a goal and three assists in seven games.
With the NHL and AHL on pause at the beginning of the 2020-21 season, the Red Wings loaned McIsaac out to HPK in the Finnish Liiga for his first taste of pro hockey in the fall of 2020. He sustained a shoulder injury on his first shift overseas, however, costing him over six months of development time.
That injury put a significant dent in his development, as the high-end transition threat in junior hockey has failed to translate his game to the pros in Grand Rapids. His games played total has steadily decreased from his career-high 70 appearances in 2021-22, and he has been a frequent healthy scratch for the Griffins this season, only playing in 15 games and just two since Christmas.
After nine goals, 52 points, and a -29 rating in 156 outings with Grand Rapids, the Red Wings are giving him a shot at some more minutes overseas down the stretch to see if he can thrive in a professional environment. McIsaac signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $787.5K in the NHL and $70K in the minors last July, although if he doesn’t make an impact during his time in Switzerland, it’s unlikely he’ll receive a qualifying offer.
Ambrì-Piotta hasn’t advanced past the National League playoff qualifiers in five years and looks primed to miss the postseason again, as they currently occupy the second qualifier role as the 10th seed in the league with a 15-19-7-3 record. McIsaac is the only NHL-affiliated player on their active roster, although longtime Coyotes depth forward Laurent Dauphin is among their leading scorers with 28 points in 36 games.