Walleye roster takes another hit

Toledo's Tyler Barnes controls the puck during Friday's game against Tulsa.

The hits to the roster keep coming for the Walleye, who lost another top player to a call-up to the American Hockey League today.

Toledo forward Tyler Barnes was signed by the AHL's Cleveland Monsters. Barnes, 27, ranks third on the team in scoring with 17 points in 21 games.

The Walleye are now without five of their top 10 scorers due to call-ups and injuries. Leading scorer Mike Borkowski, who has 20 points with nine goals and 11 assists in 20 games, was called up by Toledo's AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids earlier this week.

Forward Zach Nastasiuk, who ranks sixth on the team in scoring with 12 points in 20 games, also was promoted to Grand Rapids.

Assistant captains Shane Berschbach and A.J. Jenks, who rank seventh and 10th respectively on the team in scoring, are on the injured reserve list.

Another key defenseman, Vili Saarijarvi, also has been called up to Grand Rapids. Captain Alden Hirschfeld is out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury.

Barnes, who is in his second stint with the team, was named to the ECHL all-star game in 2014-15 when he set a franchise record for points in a season. The native of Burnsville, Minn. racked up 74 points in just 71 games the last time he suited up for the Walleye. He has scored five goals to go along with 12 assists so far this season. Barnes is playing today for the Monsters.

Toledo, which has lost a season-high two games in a row at home, hosts Wheeling tonight at 7:15 p.m. at the Huntington Center.