The Detroit Red Wings assigned defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday after he went unclaimed on waivers. Detroit placed the 26-year-old on waivers Saturday, as Mitten Hockey reported, and the move to the AHL came a day later.
Bernard-Docker, a right-shot defenseman, is in the first season of a two-year contract with a $1.6 million cap hit that he signed with Detroit on March 25. The deal runs through 2027-28, when he can become an unrestricted free agent. He opened this season on injured reserve with an upper-body injury before he was activated Oct. 8.
He played 63 games for the Red Wings last season and had one goal, four assists, and 25 penalty minutes. Over parts of seven NHL seasons with Ottawa and Detroit, he has 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 207 games.
Back in the AHL
The assignment sends Bernard-Docker to the minors for the first time since 2023-24, when he played two games for the Belleville Senators. He spent parts of three seasons in Belleville and had 15 points and a plus-16 rating in 101 regular-season AHL games.
Ottawa drafted him 26th overall in 2018. He won two NCHC regular-season titles at North Dakota and won gold with Canada at the 2020 World Juniors and the 2021 World Championship. He first signed with Detroit on a one-year deal in July 2025.
He gives Grand Rapids an experienced right-side option on defense. The Griffins host the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday at Van Andel Arena to finish a home-and-home set.
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