The five join the parent club as it prepares for Saturday's pivotal 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Jose Sharks at Joe Louis Arena.
Ellis, who made his NHL debut this season by playing 16 with the Red Wings, enjoyed a career year with the Griffins, recording personal bests of 49 points and a team-high 26 goals in 65 . He was the team's top producer during the playoffs, pacing Grand Rapids with four goals, seven points, two -winning goals, one power play goal, one shorthanded goal and one overtime goal (tied) during its seven- loss to the Manitoba Moose in the North Division semifinals.
Ellis' Bio
RedWingsCentral.com wrote:
SCOUT COMMENTS
"He's going to find a way. I don't know how much he'll play in the NHL, but he's going to get a chance some day, just from sheer hard work. If anything holds him back, it's his skating. He has a big heart, he competes hard, he's strong and he goes to the net. It's just his skating, but who knows down the road?" -- Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2005) ...
STRENGTHS
Strong penalty-killer and defensive forward ... plays a straightforward offensive ... excellent forechecker ... heart-and-soul player with top-notch work ethic and determination ... pays special attention to strength and conditioning ... unselfish leader on and off the ice ... versatile ... good faceoff man ... strong along the boards and wins battles for loose pucks ...
WEAKNESSES
Works hard on skating, but still has room to improve ... good size and strength but not a heavy hitter ... lacks finishing touch and has limitations to his offensive upside ...
PROJECTION
Ellis has established himself as an elite two-way forward in the American Hockey League, but is caught in a logjam in an organization with many talented forwards. He is behind Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Tomas Kopecky and Darryl Bootland on the depth chart, and is expected to spend the bulk of 2006-07 in Grand Rapids. He could get a shot in the NHL one day as a defensive forward
Ericsson appeared in 67 with the Griffins as a rookie, tying Meech for top-scoring defenseman honors with 29 points (5-24-29). He also skated in each of the team's seven playoff .
Scott Ericsson's Bio
RedWingsCentral.com wrote:SCOUT COMMENTS