Red Wings sign Dominik Shine to two-year contract

On Monday, the Detroit Red Wings announced they have signed forward Dominik Shine to a two-year contract. The deal is for the remainder of this season and the 2025-26 campaign.

The exact terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed. Shine is reporting to the Red Wings, but it’s unknown if he’ll be in the lineup on Monday night when the team hosts the Los Angeles Kings.

The signing is most likely related to a couple of injuries in Hockeytown. Forward J.T. Compher is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Patrick Kane was just placed on injured reserve.

This is Shine’s first NHL contract. The Pinckney, Michigan native has spent his entire professional career with the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. After a four-year career at Northern Michigan University, Shine immediately joined the Griffins late in 2017, and has become a fan favorite.

The 5-foot-11 veteran earned a reputation as someone who wasn’t afraid to drop the mitts and stand up for his teammates, posting a career-high 141 penalty minutes during the 2021-22 season. Shine has been admired for his work ethic game-in and game-out, despite Grand Rapids going through some tough seasons coming out of the pandemic. However, as his career has drawn on, Shine developed a quiet scoring touch that complemented his speed and tenacity on the forecheck.

The 31-year-old’s patience and development are paying off this season. With players like Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper getting called up to Detroit over the past calendar year, Shine has stepped up his offensive game. Through 40 games, he has scored 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points, and is just two points away from setting a career high. He leads the Griffins in assists and points thus far, helping the team stay in first place in the AHL’s Central Division.

In 462 AHL games, Shine has scored 72 goals and 98 assists for 170 points, amassing 513 penalty minutes across nine seasons. He’s also notched seven points in 19 Calder Cup Playoff games. Shine ranks second on the Griffins all-time in games played, trailing former captains Brian Lashoff (629) and Travis Richards (655).

Shine isn’t totally foreign to wearing the winged wheel. He has signed a series of professional tryouts over his career, seeing some ice time during the preseason. Yet, he’s never seen the ice in an official NHL game.

The Red Wings (23-21-5) are seventh in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.