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Griffins Round Out Roster With Four Signings
Keefe and Tardif Headline Returnees...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
The Grand Rapids Griffins announced the signing of four players to one-year AHL contracts today. Chief among those are late season sniper Jamie Tardif and fan favorite Adam Keefe. Tardif attended training camp with both Detroit (NHL) and Grand Rapids (AHL) before being released to Toledo (ECHL) to start the season. He was re-signed to a try-out on January 26th and earned a contract with an absolutely torrid stretch that saw him net his first AHL hat trick.
Adam Keefe came over from Manitoba late in the season for disgruntled Brendan Brooks, and immediately won over fans with his bruising style of play. Prior to suffering a season ending hand injury, he also showed off some nice skill, which should see him score his first goal as a Griffin this season.
Also signed was winger Mike Walsh, a Notre Dame alum, who had a 5 game audition for Grand Rapids last season sandwiched in the middle of a breakout season in Toledo. Walsh is a physical forward with a nose for the net and he made great strides last season to improve his game for another crack at the AHL. The fourth signee is defenseman Cleve Kinley, an offensive specialist from the college ranks. Kinley got into one game for the Griffins last season after graduating from U-Mass Lowell.
These signings bring the number of players under contract to 22, including 13 forwards, 6 defenseman and 3 netminders. More players may be added after training camp as several tantalizing prospects have been invited to Wings camp this fall, most notably OHL scoring phenoms Justin and Tyler Donati.
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