GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — It’s safe to say that Griffins defenseman Wyatt Newpower has settled in after signing a two-year entry level contract with the Detroit Red Wings organization.
Aside from playing News 8’s Alec Giannakopoulos in a game of MLB The Show, Newpower has established himself as a steady defender on the Griffins blue line. The 25-year-old Minnesota native is in his second season with the Griffins. Before that, Newpower played at the University of Connecticut for four years and led the Huskies as team captain in the 2019-2020 season. During his tenure in the NCAA, Newpower earned the honors of being named to the Second All-Star Team and Best Defensive Defenseman in Hockey East as a senior.
After his final season playing college hockey, Newpower signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, a team that Griffins fans know all too well. “I’m not like, a huge city guy, but there’s always a lot of people and there’s always a lot to do and a lot going on, so I like {Grand Rapids} a lot,” Newpower told Alec.
Newpower was born just outside of the Twin Cities in Hugo, Minnesota and grew up cheering for the Twins and Vikings. When asked about the Vikings’ “painful” playoff exit this season he replied, “It was painful.”
“But it’s just like, it’s one year after another it keeps happening, so it’s getting less and less painful as we go,” he continued.
At the end of their game, Alec was served up another loss after losing to Jared McIsaac just a week ago. The Griffins are now 2-0 against News 8 in our series.
