Six days after the NHL trade deadline has come and gone the Lightning struck a deal for a player who is known for making the most of the time he spends on the ice. The Lightning announced on Thursday that they have acquired defenseman Ian Mitchell from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Tampa Bay forwards Michael Milne and Wojciech Stachowiak.
Mitchell is a player who does have NHL experience. Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, Mitchell made his NHL debut in 2020 with Chicago and spent time at the NHL level with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24 and 2025-25.
Last season he had one point on one assist and averaged 15:36 on ice through 15 games he skated in.
Prior to the 2024-25 season, Mitchell had skated in 110 career NHL games, scoring four goals, credited with 15 assists, and 19 total points.
He has spent the 2025-26 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, skating in 45 games, accumulating four goals, 16 assists, and 20 points.
Over the course of his career between the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, Providence Bruins, and Rockford IceHogs, Mitchell struck for 27 goals and 113 points with a plus-51 rating and 10 game-winning goals.
In exchange for Mitchell, as mentioned, the Lightning sent Milne and Stachowiak to Detroit.
Milne has skated in 15 games with the AHL Iowa Wild this season, accumulating two goals, three assists, and five points.
Last season he was also with the Wild, scoring 15 goals, accumulating 11 assists and 26 points in 60 games.
Milne has appeared in just one NHL game and that came in 2024-25 with the Minesota Wild where he was on the ice for 6:34.
The 26-year old left winger, Stachowiak has spent the 2025-26 season in the AHL with Tampa’s Syracuse Crunch. So far this season he has appeared in 38 games, scoring nine goals, eight assists, and 17 points.  Stachowiak is a player who maximizes his time on the ice and can be a powerful weapon for the Red Wings up front.