Barber, 28, joined the organization when he signed a two-year contract prior to the 2020-21 campaign and has skated in four games with the Red Wings this season. The 6-foot, 199-pound forward has appeared in 47 games with the Griffins in 2021-22 and ranks among the team leaders with 24 goals (1st), 24 assists (T3rd), 48 points (3rd), 13 power play goals (1st), five game-winning goals (T2nd) and 178 shots (1st). Barber is currently on a 15-game point streak with Grand Rapids, logging 21 points (14-7-21) since March 22. Last season, he was named to the Central Division All-Star Team after leading Grand Rapids with 20 goals and 34 points in 32 games. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native is a veteran of 362 AHL games, posting 299 points (150-149-299) and 250 penalty minutes over seven seasons with the Hershey Bears, Laval Rocket, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Griffins. Barber previously saw NHL action with the Washington Capitals (2016-17) and Montreal Canadiens (2019-20), picking up two penalty minutes in 12 games. He also has 15 points (5-10-15) in 38 career AHL postseason games.
Originally drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round (167th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Barber signed with Washington after spending three seasons at Miami University, where he scored at over a point-per-game pace with 123 points (54-69-123), a plus-24 rating and 62 penalty minutes in 116 games. Barber earned several collegiate honors, including CCHA Rookie of the Year and First All-Star Team in 2012-13 and NCHC Second All-Star Team in 2013-14, and helped the RedHawks to a conference championship in 2014-15. He also won a 2011 Clark Cup championship in the United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and spent the 2011-12 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Barber also captained the United States at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship after winning gold at the event in 2013, combining for 12 points (7-5-12) in 12 games between the two tournaments.
Criscuolo, 29, has suited up in 57 games for the Griffins this season and ranks among the team leaders with 15 goals (T5th), 24 assists (T3rd), 39 points (5th) and 147 shots (4th). The 5-foot-9, 175-pound forward has recorded two assists in four games with Detroit this season, and previously logged nine NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres during the 2017-18 campaign. Criscuolo has played parts of four seasons with the Griffins over two separate stints with the club, rejoining the organization in 2020-21 after signing with Grand Rapids to begin his professional career in 2015-16. In 307 AHL games between the Griffins, Rochester Americans, Lehigh Valley Phantoms and San Diego Gulls, he has totaled 177 points (72-105-177), a plus-12 rating and 110 penalty minutes. As a first-year pro in 2016-17, Criscuolo helped the Griffins capture a Calder Cup championship, contributing 41 points (17-24-41) in 76 regular-season games and adding nine points (5-4-9) in 19 postseason contests.
A native of Southampton, N.J., Criscuolo spent four seasons at Harvard University from 2012-16 and logged 113 points (53-60-113), a plus-42 rating and 46 penalty minutes in 124 collegiate games, serving as captain of the Crimson as a junior and senior. Harvard won an ECAC conference championship in 2015, and Criscuolo was a back-to-back ECAC Student-Athlete of the Year, All-Ivy League Second Team and All-ECAC Second Team member. Prior to his time at Harvard, Criscuolo spent the 2011-12 season in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers, notching 44 points (21-23-44) in 59 games.
