Detroit Red Wings defense prospect Jared McIsaac took a significant step in his development this past season in Grand Rapids following two injury-plagued years.
Surgery on both shoulders limited McIsaac to 28 games during his final junior season and 10 games in 2020-21, his first pro season with the Griffins.
McIsaac played 70 games in 2021-22, displaying the skills and competitiveness that prompted Detroit to select him 36th overall in 2018, six spots behind Joe Veleno and three after Griffins teammate Jonatan Berggren.
“For him to play a full season under hard circumstances in the American League, he learned to grind it out a little bit,” Griffins coach Ben Simon said. “He’s playing substantial minutes for our club -- power play, PK, end of game situations, game’s on the line situations. Then Ryan Murphy got injured and (McIsaac) stepped in and took over a lot of the power play time. He quietly went about his business, and he finished ninth in rookie defensemen scoring in the American Hockey League.”
The left-shooting McIsaac (6-1, 192) is a good puck-mover who plays a physical game. He displayed his offensive ability with five goals and 19 assists. He ranked second among Griffins defensemen with 24 points.
“People haven’t really accentuated that he had a solid year offensively and I think he learned to defend a heck of a lot better,” Simon said. “That’s just coming with experiences. He wasn’t put into situations to have those experiences the last couple of years because he was injured. He generally got better as the year went on. He should be proud.”
McIsaac is waiver-exempt for one more season and will need more development time in Grand Rapids.
“He’s got a big summer ahead of him,” Simon said. “Due to two big injuries, he hasn’t been able to really lift or strength train. He’s always been rehabbing. He hasn’t really been able to make strides in the weight room. I think this summer’s going to be big for him to focus on gaining strength instead of just getting back to being healthy. I think he’s leaving here with a positive attitude and knows what he has to do to be more successful next year. But he had a great year.”
The Red Wings have a solid corps of young defensemen/prospects, headed by Moritz Seider, the likely Calder Trophy winner as rookie if the year, and Simon Edvinsson, the sixth overall selection in 2021 who has a good chance to make the NHL roster next season.
McIsaac is part of a promising group that includes Griffins teammate Donovan Sebrango and recent second-round picks Shai Buium (36th in 2021), William Wallinder (32nd in 2020), Antti Tuomisto (35th in 2019), Albert Johansson (60th in 2019) and Gustav Lindstrom (38th in 2017), who established himself in the NHL this season.
More: Steve Yzerman, Ben Simon discuss Jonatan Berggren’s development
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