GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Goalie Petr Mrazek has delivered the best possible response to being shipped from Detroit back to the AHL and Grand Rapids.

He has played even better.

What he has proven of late is an extension of what he's done for most of the past three seasons in Grand Rapids. He has the attention of the Red Wings, along with most of the hockey world; he just doesn't have leverage to do anything about it right now.

The third-year pro from the Czech Republic, who took the Griffins to the Calder Cup Trophy as a rookie in 2012-13, has three shutouts his past four games and on Monday was named the AHL player of the week in a no-duh selection.

Last week, he shut out Milwaukee and Chicago on the road after he also blanked Hamilton on Feb. 24. He has a shutout streak of 144 minutes, 28 seconds heading into Wednesday's home game against Oklahoma City.

That'll show the brass in Detroit, right? Yeah, not really. The 23-year-old Mrazek, who spent November to February with the Red Wings and played in 20 games with a shutout and 13-5-1 record, understands the logjam. It is numbers, not talent that has him back in Grand Rapids. Besides, his time is coming and that's probably next season when he should stick in Detroit.

Beyond that, who knows? Mrazek sat down for a Q&A after Monday's practice, and the only question he dodged was where he thought he'd be in three years.

"That's too hard to say," he said with a laugh. "Let's do day by day, OK? You never know what can happen in your life, let alone in hockey."

Fair enough. Here's what else he had to say in the present tense:

MLIVE: You may be the only goalie ever to have been pulled from an AHL and NHL game and had shutouts in both leagues in the same season. Your confidence seems unshakable. Where did that come from?

MRAZEK: Everything is about confidence. I just try and be focused and stop the puck, and sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn't but it is the wins that matter to me. I just stay positive all the time, whether I get pulled or get a shutout.

I was always like that. I never thought I was different in that way. That's just something I grew up with.

MLIVE: You ever go flat-out bonkers?

MRAZEK: Sometimes you have games where you're losing and it's not going well. But I try and always stay positive. It doesn't matter how many goals you give up if you win. But if you lose, then you just have to plan for the next one.

MLIVE: Do you think it is easier to be successful in the AHL now because of the time you spent this season in Detroit?

MRAZEK: When you spend some time in Detroit and you know you can play there, it is different back here. The game is different. You get used to big games and then you come here.

MLIVE: Countrymen Dominik Hasek is your hero, which you have often said. What was going through your mind when you skated on the ice to shake his hand (after Hasek was introduced in Buffalo in mid-January when his No. 39 was retired)?

MRAZEK: That was a special night for me. I had never met him before. He was our hero and he won everything for us. It was nice to play in that game and see his retirement.

But, yeah, I talked to coach Babcock before it and he told me maybe I should go shake his hand and say something to him. I thought that was a great idea.

MLIVE: So then, what's your greatest hockey moment to date?

MRAZEK: Playing in the NHL, for sure. I never thought once that I could play in the NHL and the day I did (his debut was Feb. 1, 2013, a 5-1 win against St. Louis) was a great moment. Now, every game I get in is a great experience and I'm very happy I already have over 30 games there.

MLIVE: OK, you can have just one defenseman in front of you. Who's it going to be?

MRAZEK: Good question. A lot of good defensemen I have played with, here and Detroit especially. But Kronner (Niklas Kronwall), Big E (Jonathan Ericsson), Q (Kyle Quincey) and Kuba (Jakub Kindl) are all really good.

But if I had to pick, I'd probably say Kronner. He's great defensively, great offensively. He does a great job in the zone and he's one of the best defensemen in the league for a reason.

MLIVE: Since you're stuck in Grand Rapids, what do you like about Grand Rapids?

MRAZEK: I've spent most of the last two-plus years here. The club is really good, the organization is great and it's a nice city to be in. The staff is awesome. Beyond that, I just play hockey and see what happens.

MLIVE: As a kid growing up in the Czech Republic, when did you first put on pads? And did you know - was there a destiny thing going on?

MRAZEK: (Laughs). I think it was like 5-years-old. Before I went to school, I put the pads on and played on a lake outside the village where I lived. I wanted to. My dad played professional soccer, then when he retired he played hockey a little bit and he was in goal. He had lots of injuries from soccer so I went there (in goal).

When I tried it once, I stayed with it. I never came back to being a player, just stayed a goalie.

Here are highlights from Mrazek's week:

Pete Wallner covers sports for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at pwallner@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.