After losing Pat Verbeek to the Anaheim Ducks Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings had a few vacancies in their front office. Shawn Horcoff will fill those spots, introduced Friday as the team’s newest assistant general manager and general manager of the Grand Rapids Griffins. He will assist Steve Yzerman in all hockey operations matters while dealing with the day-to-day operations of the Griffins. Yzerman released a statement on his new lieutenant:
"Shawn has a tremendous work ethic and has done a great job developing the prospects within our organization, helping them prepare for the next steps in their careers. The relationships he’s formed within the organization – and throughout the hockey community – make him a valuable asset to our future both in Detroit and Grand Rapids, and I look forward to continue working alongside him."
Horcoff, 43, has been with the Red Wings since 2016 when his playing career ended, first as director of player development and then as assistant director of player personnel. A veteran of more than 1,000 NHL games during his time on the ice, he’s now worked his way up the Red Wings organization and will receive a huge opportunity to fill Verbeek’s shoes.
With an interesting prospect path of his own that included four years at Michigan State University, Horcoff has a ton of experience when it comes to the development of a young player who doesn’t arrive with much fanfare. Completely undrafted in his first year of eligibility, his strong sophomore season with the Spartans landed him a fourth-round selection and a way into professional hockey. By the time he was scoring 65 points as a senior it was obvious there was an NHL future, and a long career including a stint as captain of the Edmonton Oilers followed.
For the last several years in Detroit he’s been shepherding young prospects through the first part of their professional journeys, but he’ll now be tasked with even more responsibility.
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