It looks like the Grand Rapids Griffins will have a new face along the blueline next season.

On Friday afternoon, the parent club Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Adam Almqvist to a three-year entry-level contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Jonkoping, Sweden native (5-foot-11, 174 pounds) originally was taken with the 210th overall pick in the 2009 NHL draft.

The 20-year-old has spent the past two seasons with HV71 in the Swedish Elite League, where he had two goals, 22 assists and an impressive plus-31 rating in 80 games. Almqvist also had 42 penalty minutes for HV71, which has won the past two regular-season championships.

In 2010, he led all junior-aged SEL players with 11 playoff points (one goal, 10 assists) in 16 postseason games.

In 2008, he helped Sweden’s under-18 team capture a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup.

E-mail Michael Zuidema:

and follow him on Twitter at