Free agent defenseman Jared McIsaac has signed with Czech club HC Litvinov after spending the last six years in the Red Wings organization, according to an official release. It’s a one-year deal.
McIsaac, a 24-year-old native of Nova Scotia, was a second-round pick of the Wings back in 2018 but never got the chance to make his NHL debut. The high-end passing threat battled injuries for a good chunk of his time with Detroit and spent most of his four professional seasons to date playing for their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids.
Last season was especially tumultuous for the offensive defender. He was in and out of the lineup with Grand Rapids to begin the season, and by the time February rolled around, he’d appeared in just 15 games with a goal, three assists, and a -3 rating. That led the Wings to execute a rare mid-season loan, sending him off to Switzerland to suit up with HC Ambri-Piotta of the National League.
McIsaac’s tenure in Switzerland was unremarkable. He appeared in just three regular-season games and one playoff game for the club, averaging bottom-pairing minutes and going without a point. When Ambri-Piotta’s season ended in March, McIsaac returned to North America, but not with Grand Rapids. Detroit loaned him out to the Providence Bruins, Boston’s affiliate, to finish the season. There, McIsaac again struggled with just two assists in 10 combined regular-season and playoff games.
Given that performance, it wasn’t surprising to see the Red Wings non-tender McIsaac when his contract expired this offseason, making him a UFA. It’s not that he hasn’t shown upside at the professional level. He did have two seasons of 20-plus points with Grand Rapids in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and looked like he may still have some sort of NHL future, but things just didn’t work out for the former QMJHL All-Star and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“Jared is a defender with great potential for power plays as well,” Litvinov manager Tomas Vrabel said. “We believe that he will be comprehensive, that is, durable in all game situations.” McIsaac joins a Litvinov club that includes former NHLers Kevin Czuczman, David Kase, and Ondrej Kase.
Another of Kenny’s busts