DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings have signed free-agent defenseman Dan Renouf from the University of Maine to a two-year, entry-level contract, the club announced today.

Renouf, who recently completed his junior season at Maine, will begin his pro career with the the Grand Rapids Griffins.

In 38 games this season, the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Renouf had six goals and nine assists to lead Black Bears defensemen in scoring. He was fifth on the team.

"Good size, really good mobility, plays with a bit of aggression from the back end," said Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin. "Good two-way game in college. He's a guy that we followed through the USHL into his college career.

"Len Quesnelle, our area scout out in New England, actually knew Dan from when Len was a collegiate coach. He had watched Dan as a potential recruit and Len, doing the scouting now in the Northeast, had identified him as an elite college free agent the last couple of years.

"It was really Len's recommendation that prompted us to follow him closely and get into the mix to sign him to the free-agent contract that we signed him to today."

In three seasons at Maine, Renouf had 10 goals, 28 assists, a plus-14 rating and 72 penalty minutes in 111 games.

The Red Wings have had their eye on Renouf since he was first eligible for the NHL draft.

Martin said Renouf was a bit of a late bloomer at Maine after spending two seasons in the United States Hockey League.

"Like I told Dan today, during his draft year we had him down as sort of a later-round pick but seven rounds goes really quickly and 210 picks is not that many," Martin said. "So there's a lot of players that for whatever reason don't get drafted or they're later developing and there's certainly opportunities, as Danny DeKesyer would prove.

"There's a lot of opportunity for these guys who are later developers. He went to a really good program in Maine and has sort of steadily improved for three years there and we're really excited about getting him into the mix and developing him as a pro."

Martin said Renouf would be with the Griffins for about 10 days before returning to Maine to finish some school commitments. He should return to the Griffins before the end of the season.

Renouf, 21, was a Maine scholar-athlete award winner in 2014-15 and was named to the Hockey East all-academic team as a freshman in 2013-14.

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