Wings prospect Riley Sawchuk takes road less traveled to Grand Rapids

Most Canadian university hockey players don’t make the National Hockey League.

In the league’s 105-year history, only 169 university players from Canada have played a game in the NHL, including 19 players with the Detroit Red Wings.

Ex-Red Wing Paul MacLean, who went to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is still part of the team record for most points by a line in a season (319) with Steve Yzerman and Gerard Gallant in 1988-89.

Now, Riley Sawchuk is taking the road less traveled.

A 5-11, 185-pound two-way center from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Sawchuk signed a professional tryout contract (PTO) on Feb. 21 for the rest of this season with the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids as well as a guaranteed one-way contract with the Griffins next season.

“When I signed the contract and there was a press release, I don’t think I’ve ever had my phone blow up like that,” said Sawchuk, whose 82-year-old grandfather is the cousin of Terry Sawchuk, the Hall of Fame goalie who backstopped the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships in 1952, 1954, 1955.

“It’s been a cool experience and a bit of a whirlwind in Grand Rapids but humbling at the same time. I’m really bad with names so I’m still trying to get to know a lot of the guys. They’ve been very welcoming in my first few practices and getting into my first professional games has been a surreal experience too.”

Before joining the Cougars in Canadian U Sports, Sawchuk was the highest-scoring overage player in the Western Hockey League with 25 goals and 76 points in 64 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He was a teammate of goaltender Sebastian Cossa, the first-round draft choice of the Red Wings in 2021.

After sitting out his first university season because of COVID, Sawchuk was named Canada West rookie of the year with 38 points in 20 games and he led the league in scoring in his second year with 49 points in 27 games.

“When I was in my overage year, I didn’t know a whole lot about Canadian university hockey,” Sawchuk said. “One thing that impressed me was that for every year (in junior) you earn free schooling. I made school a priority while having a job of playing hockey. It was an experience of a lifetime and led me to this opportunity now.”

Mount Royal coach Bert Gilling said university hockey can be a “soft landing” for WHL players who weren’t drafted by an NHL team. Fifteen players from WHL rosters were on this year’s team, which finished fourth with a 20-10-0 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the University of Saskatchewan.

“I tell players if you end up with a pro contract as a free agent, you’re gone,” Gilling said. “We sell skill development and playing your best hockey yet. Why not come to university in our full-time program, keep developing, and get better on and off the ice. Essentially, that’s the story of Riley Sawchuk with us.”

Compared to high-profile U.S. programs like the University of Michigan with first-round draft pick Luke Hughes and Adam Fantilli, the second-ranked prospect by Central Scouting for the 2023 NHL draft in Nashville, Sawchuk says Canadian schools are OK with flying under the hockey radar.

“Those NCAA teams get a lot of hype,” the 23-year-old Sawchuk said. “They’re bigger schools with nice rinks, nice dressing rooms, and get a lot of fans. You may not see the big fancy rinks, big crowds, and things like that at Canadian universities, but there’s strong competition, it’s a well-run hockey league, and they do a very good job of preparing players to move on in the future.”

The most successful Canadian university player was five-time Stanley Cup champion Randy Gregg, who received his medical degree at the University of Alberta and came out of retirement to help the Edmonton Oilers beat the Red Wings in back-to-back Campbell Conference finals in 1987 and 1988. Playing alongside Hall of Famer Kevin Lowe, the 6-4, 215-pound Gregg was plus-9 with two assists in the two clinching playoff games against Detroit.

In the NHL this year, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (Brock University) is a rookie of the year candidate and forwards Derek Ryan of the Oilers and Luke Philp of the Chicago Blackhawks played at the University of Alberta before signing free-agent contracts.

“We don’t have a Connor Bedard in our league,” Gilling said of the Regina Pats’ center and No. 1-ranked player for this year’s draft. “Everyone is flocking to watch him this year. Our goal is to get you prepared if you have an AHL opportunity, so you won’t be overwhelmed and can make a good first impression.”

Sawchuk scored his first goal in four games in Friday’s 5-2 loss against the Iowa Wild at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The Griffins are eight points behind the fifth-place Wild for the final playoff position with two games in hand. They’ll meet again tonight at 7 p.m.

“I’ve always seen myself as a playmaker, goal-scoring type of player but in my recent years I’ve really started to focus on defense, playing hard, finishing every check and making plays,” Sawchuk said. “I wouldn’t classify myself as a fighter but I would do anything for a teammate. I would be willing to do that, 100 percent.”

Sawchuk credits Gilling and his coaching staff for continuing his hockey dream of playing in the NHL and possibly with the Red Wings, who’ve had 986 players suit up for at least one game since 1926. (Gord Haidy, Doug McKay, and Jerry Reid played their only Detroit games in the 1949 and 1950 playoffs).

The native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, has a chance to become the 20th Canadian university player to make the Red Wings, partly because Gilling convinced him to turn down a two-way contract offer in the AHL or ECHL in his second season in favor of returning to play and continue his improvement in front of a growing number of NHL scouts. Sawchuk said two other teams offered a contract. He chose Detroit.

“Every hockey player dreams of signing an NHL contract and going straight to the NHL or AHL,” Sawchuk said. “I may be a late bloomer. I went back to school, learned a lot about my game and myself in general, and I’m prepared now for this next step. I know there’s going to be a lot of work ahead but signing this contract gave me the hope the dream of making the NHL isn’t over.”

mfalkner@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @falkner