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Teemu Pulkkinen, with six games in eight days, heads to the AHL All-Star Classic.

(Joel Bissell | MLive.com)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Success does not come with rest for Teemu Pulkkinen.

The Grand Rapids Griffins forward is the Detroit organization’s lone all-star representative, and he is a busy one at that. Pulkkinen has played six games in eight days as he heads to Utica, N.Y. and Monday’s AHL All-Star Classic. Pulkkinen, named a starter for the Western Conference, is due to compete Sunday night in the skills competition.

The busy week goes with the whirlwind month for the 23-year-old right winger, who was called up to Detroit and played six games with the Red Wings beginning Jan. 10.

Since Jan. 17, he played three games in four days with the Red Wings – collecting his first NHL goal Jan. 20 – and then returned to Grand Rapids where he played another three games in four days. He netted the game-winner Saturday in the Griffins' 4-3 win against Iowa.

"For sure, it's going to be a good experience to go there and see good players there, but it's been hard for me, with the last eight days and six games just to go there and play another game,” Pulkkinen said. “It's going to be hard but I'm going to enjoy it."

Pulkkinen has enjoyed a remarkable first half. Despite playing in 36 of the Griffins’ 41 games, he has a team-high 21 goals and his 43 points are second in the league.

Pulkkinen has 21 goals in 36 games with Grand Rapids, and a goal in six games with Detroit.

His first-half highlights with the Griffins include a goal with .08 seconds left in overtime on Nov. 14 against Dallas, and a franchise-tying eight game consecutive goal streak. That was interrupted by his call-up to Detroit and ended when he returned and played in Grand Rapids on Jan. 21, a day after scoring his first NHL goal in Detroit.

In 36 games with the Griffins, he has been held without a point in eight of them. He has gone no more than one game without a point just twice.

Pulkkinen was not the only player on the Griffins named to the all-star team. Defenseman Xavier Ouellet was also selected but won’t play. He has been with the Red Wings since the beginning of the year.

The all-star game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit and on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.

The Griffins return to action Thursday at Iowa.

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