Jake Chelios leaves Red Wings organization for Chinese team in KHL

Defenseman Jake Chelios is leaving the Red Wings organization for the Kunlun Red Star, a team based in Beijing and playing in the Kontinental Hockey Association.

Chelios, son of Hall of Famer Chris Chelios, signed a two-year contract with the team.

Chelios was an unrestricted free agent after having signed a one-year deal with the Grand Rapids Griffins last summer, after having played the previous three seasons with Charlotte in the American League.

Chelios, 28, played in 61 games with Grand Rapids last season with 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) with a plus-18 rating.

In March, Chelios was called up to the Red Wings, making his NHL debut. Chelios played in five games with the Wings, with no points.

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Chelios, who played at Michigan State, will be joined on Kunlun Red Star by forward Andrew Miller (Bloomfield Hills), who has played with the Edmonton Oilers and last season played in Switzerland.

Miller and Chelios were teammates in Charlotte. 

Chelios leaving for the KHL alleviates some of the potential logjam on defense with the Griffins, also dependent on whether a prospect or two wind up on the Wings' roster to open next season.

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tkulfan