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Mitch Callahan has 42 goals and 247 penalty minutes in 185 career games for Grand Rapids.

(MLive file photo)

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings have called up forward Mitch Callahan from the Grand Rapids Griffins in case they need another forward for Tuesday's game at Columbus (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit).

Callahan, 22, has 25 goals, 40 points and 51 penalty minutes, along with a team-best plus-21 rating, in 66 games for the Griffins.

He plays a physical, aggressive game. He likes to hit and is willing to fight.

Callahan will only play if another forward isn't able to dress, general manager Ken Holland said.

"He’s here just in case someone gets sick or hurt (Tuesday)," Holland said. "It's a huge game and a huge week. The problem is getting someone from Grand Rapids to Columbus. It’s not far on the map, but it seems to take forever to get there.

"If Bert’s not up to speed (Todd Bertuzzi couldn't play Sunday due to the flu) or someone’s not feeling right, Callahan can step in. He’s having a real good year. He’s gritty. ... We felt we should have an extra body just in case. These games are so big, we don’t want to wake up after the skate and find out we’re having to rush to get someone in Columbus from Grand Rapids."

If Callahan plays for the Red Wings, he will become the eighth player to make his NHL debut this season, joining forwards Luke Glendening, Tomas Jurco, Teemu Pukkinen and Landon Ferraro and defensemen Xavier Ouellet, Adam Almquist and Alexey Marchenko.

The right-handed shooting Callahan (6-0, 195) has appeared in 185 games over three seasons in Grand Rapids, picking up 42 goals, 69 points and 247 penalty minutes.

The Red Wings selected Callahan, a native of Whittier, Calif., with their sixth pick (180th overall) in the 2009 entry draft.

The Red Wings reassigned Ferraro to Grand Rapids after Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild.

They felt they no longer needed a penalty killer with the return of Darren Helm and Joakim Andersson from injuries.