fight of the season was on Valentine's Day against Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, who had punched and concussed Rangers' captain Ryan McDonagh in an earlier (February 6) game between the two teams. McIlrath had a poor training camp in 2016 and spent the early part of the 2016–17 season as a reserve defenceman, only making one appearance with the team before he was placed on waivers on October 27. He was reassigned to play four games in the AHL with the Wolf Pack before he was traded by the Rangers to the Florida Panthers in exchange for D Steven Kampfer and a conditional 7th round pick on November 8, 2016. After five games with the Panthers, and stints in the AHL with affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, Mcllrath was traded for the second time within the season by the Panthers to the Detroit Red Wings along with a conditional third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Thomas Vanek on March 1, 2017. He was assigned to the Red Wings' AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. McIlrath recorded four assists in 21 games for the Griffins during the regular season. During the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs, he recorded five assists, and a team-best plus-10 rating in 19 playoff games, and helped lead the Griffins to the Calder Cup. On June 29, 2017, the Red Wings signed McIlrath to a two-year contract extension. On March 24, 2019, the Red Wings recalled McIlrath from the Griffins. Prior to being recalled, he recorded one goal and eights assists in 49 games, and ranked first on the team in penalty minutes (94) and third in plus-minus (12). During the 2018–19 season, McIlrath appeared in seven games for the Red Wings. Following the completion of the Red Wings' season, he was reassigned to the Griffins. On May 9, 2019, the Red Wings signed McIlrath to a two-year contract extension. On January 12, 2021, the Red Wings assigned McIlrath to the Grand Rapids Griffins. On July 28, 2021, McIlrath signed as a free agent to a two-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals. Personal life McIlrath is a Scottish-Canadian As a junior, Mcllrath was influenced to model his play after Shea Weber of the Montreal Canadiens. Career statistics Awards and honours References External links 1992 births Canadian ice hockey defencemen Connecticut Whale (AHL) players Detroit Red Wings players Florida Panthers players Grand Rapids