Defenseman Erik Gustafsson skated in his first season with the Griffins, collecting an assist in his debut on Oct. 11 at Texas. Gustafsson finished the regular season with AHL career-high numbers in assists (33), points (37) and plus-minus rating (+21) to go along with four goals and 32 penalty minutes in 39 outings. The 34-year-old added six points (1-5—6) in eight postseason games, making his Calder Cup Playoff debut on May 2 at Manitoba. The veteran ranked among the team’s defensemen leaders in points (1st), assists (1st), goals (T2nd), plus-minus (T4th), power-play goals (2, 1st) and power-play assists (10, 1st). Gustafsson also placed among the AHL defensemen leaders in points (16th), assists (T8th) and plus-minus (T14th). He also skated in two games with the Detroit Red Wings with two penalty minutes and a minus-two rating.   

Regular Season Stat Line

39 GP, 4 goals, 33 assists, 37 points, +21 rating, 32 PIM with GRG
2 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, -2 rating, 2 PIM with DET

Postseason Stat Line

8 GP, 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, +1 rating, 2 PIM 

Contract Status 

Unrestricted free agent

By the Numbers 

11 – Made Griffins debut on Oct. 11 at Texas, earning an assist

33 – Registered an AHL career-high 33 assists, beating previous best of 25 in 2016-17 with Rockford, which also paced the team in the regular season

37 – Notched an AHL career-best 37 points, defeating previous best of 30 in 2016-17 with Rockford

21 – Plus-21 rating set a new career high as a professional among all league played in

2 – Two power-play goals tied AHL career high set in 2017-18 with Rockford

1 – Scored lone game-winner of season on Dec. 27 at Milwaukee

2 – Made Calder Cup Playoff debut on May 2 at Manitoba

3 – Collected three two-point outings in the playoffs on May 6 against Manitoba (1-1—2), May 8 versus Manitoba (0-2—2) and May 19 at Chicago (0-2—2) 

6 – Tied for third on the roster with six points (1-5—6) in eight playoff contests  

5 – Five playoff assists tied for first on the roster with Sheldon Dries

12 – Logged 12 multi-point efforts during the regular season, which included three straight multi-point games from Dec. 6-17 (1-6—7) 

9 – Produced nine games during the regular season with at least two assists

3 – Tied career high for a single game with three assists on Dec. 6 at Toronto and March 24 against Milwaukee

17 – AHL career-high 17 penalty minutes on Jan. 2 against Chicago

5 – AHL career-best five-game assist streak from March 28-April 10 (0-8—8), which also tied AHL career-best point streak

26 – Made NHL season debut on Nov. 26 against Nashville and finished the NHL campaign with two games

25 – Missed 25 AHL games due to being recalled by the Detroit Red Wings

Newsworthy

Red Wings' Michael Brandsegg-Nygard lifts Grand Rapids Griffins

Brandsegg-Nygard OT Goal Keeps Griffins Alive | Detroit Hockey Now

Griffins survive in OT to extend series with Wolves | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

Grand Rapids Griffins start next round of playoffs: What to know

Griffins-Wolves division semifinal series facts, figures, schedule - mlive.com

Griffins Finish Off Moose, Face Chicago in Next Round | Detroit Hockey Now

Griffins finish off Moose in Game 4 | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

Former Red Wings D Gustafsson Embraces Griffins Role | Detroit Hockey Now

How Detroit Red Wings' top prospect did in big playoff win for Griffins

Carter Mazur’s 2 goals lead Griffins past Manitoba in Game 3 of playoff series - mlive.com

Griffins Back in Charge of AHL Playoff Series | Detroit Hockey Now

Griffins drop Moose, go up 2-1 | TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League