Detroit Red Wings forward prospect Albin Grewe has signed a two-year contract with Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish second-tier league, HockeyAllvenskan; the team announced this morning. With Grewe’s exclusive draft rights set to expire on June 1, 2023, the news likely means Grewe will not be signing an entry-level contract with Detroit and will be a free agent when and if he does decide to come to North America.
Grewe, a 22-year-old who can play both wings, was selected in the third round (66th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft by Detroit after a season where he racked up over a point per game and over 100 penalty minutes in just 25 Swedish junior games, also representing Sweden at the U18 Men’s World Junior Championship. In 2020-21, Grewe appeared in 11 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on a tryout contract at the end of the season, registering two assists.
Upon expiration of his contract with Djurgården in 2025, Grewe will be able to sign an entry-level contract with any NHL team if there’s interest. Grewe previously spent five years in the Djurgården organization between 2016 and 2021 before bouncing around between the Allsvenkan’s Mora IK and the Liiga’s Ilves over the past two seasons.
Grewe’s offensive production has been inconsistent since his draft year, but the 2022-23 season was especially tough. He registered 11 points in 41 games with Mora IK, a step back from his previous season, and hasn’t been able to display a consistent development track since his draft year.