Red Wings loan prospect Michael Rasmussen to Austria’s Graz 99ers

Detroit Red Wings centre Michael Rasmussen (27) celebrates after a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Christopher Katsarov/CP)

The Detroit Red Wings have loaned forward prospect Michael Rasmussen to the Graz 99ers of the ICE Hockey League, Austria’s top pro league, the team announced Wednesday.

The ninth-overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft put up 22 points across 35 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2019-20, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate.

Rasmussen — six-foot-six, 221-pound pivot — also spent 62 games with Detroit in 2018-19, racking up eight goals and 10 assists.

The decision to loan Rasmussen, a 21-year-old native of Surrey, B.C., to the Austrian club likely comes in light of the AHL’s revised start date, which is now slated for Dec. 4, 2020, after the league was forced cancel its 2019-20 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICE Hockey League’s 2020-21 season kicks off Friday.

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