Rasmussen extends stay in Detroit for three more years
by Kyle Kujawa @DetroitRedWings / DetroitRedWings.com
DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings today signed center Michael Rasmussen to a three-year contract extension.
Rasmussen, 22, skated in 40 games with the Red Wings in 2020-21 and recorded 12 points (3-9-12) and 26 penalty minutes. As a third-year pro and second-year NHLer, Rasmussen ranked among team leaders with nine assists (T5th), 26 penalty minutes (T3rd), 72 hits (2nd), and 28 blocked shots (9th). After spending the entire 2019-20 campaign with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins, Rasmussen racked up six points (2-4-6) in seven games with Grand Rapids last season before earning a promotion to the NHL. The 6-foot-6, 229-pound center also saw his average time on ice jump from 12:50 over his first 20 games of the season to 16:46 for the final 20 games, marking the fourth-most by a Red Wings forward over that span. Rasmussen also logged 18 points (5-13-18) in 18 games with the Graz 99ers of Austria's IceHL in the fall prior to returning to North America for the start of Detroit's training camp.
Originally drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Rasmussen has totaled 30 points (11-19-30) and 55 penalty minutes in 102 NHL games, while adding 30 points (11-19-30) and 26 penalty minutes in 45 AHL games with Grand Rapids. The Surrey, British Columbia, native played parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League's Tri-City Americans prior to turning pro, totaling 157 points (81-76-157) and 129 penalty minutes in 161 games from 2014-18. As captain of Tri-City in 2017-18, Rasmussen recorded 59 points (31-28-59) in 47 games in his final season of major junior before amassing 33 points (16-17-33) over 14 games in the team's playoff run. On the international circuit, Rasmussen represented Canada on two occasions, collecting four points (1-3-4) in four games at the 2016 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and three points (2-1-3) in five games for Canada Black at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.