On-ice excellence, a growing roster of NHL alumni, huge crowds, a potential AHL record, an exciting new web site, upcoming TV games…there’s a lot to be excited about around Van Andel Arena these days, for both players and fans alike.

A few things to recognize or fondly remember as the Griffins’ sixth AHL campaign and 11th season overall enters its twilight:

• Six players have joined the list of Griffins NHL alumni this season, swelling the ranks to 86 graduates over the last 11 seasons. Matt Ellis, Derek Meech, Joey MacDonald made their NHL debuts with Detroit, former Griffin Sheldon Brookbank saw his first action with Nashville, and Matt Hussey (Detroit) and Danny Syvret (Edmonton) returned to the Show after playing for Grand Rapids. Ellis logged 16 games in the Motor City before returning to the Griffins on Thursday, while Syvret has appeared in each of the Oilers’ last 11 games, averaging a whopping 21:25 of ice time.
  
  
• Leading scorer Kip Miller continues his assault on the Griffins’ record book. With his assist last Saturday against Manitoba, the AHL All-Star became just the fourth player in Griffins history to reach 200 points. Now showing 202 points (74-128—202) in 192 career games, he trails just Derek King (203), Travis Richards (238) and Michel Picard (380) on the team’s all-time scoring list. His second goal on Sunday at Milwaukee was his 74th as a Griffin, passing King (73) into second place on the franchise’s all-time list. He trails only Michel Picard (158) in goals scored, and he needs two assists to tie King (130) for third all time on the club.
  
  
• If the Griffins win seven of their final 13 games they’ll record their eighth-consecutive 40-win season overall and their sixth straight as members of the AHL, tying the league record set by the Cleveland Barons from 1947-53.
  
  
• Home has been very good to the Griffins these last few months. Grand Rapids has 12 of the last 16 games (12-3-0-1) at Van Andel Arena, and six of the last 12 home games have been witnessed by crowds in excess of 10,000, including four sellouts. Last Saturday’s count of 10,500 fans gave the Griffins crowds of 10,000-plus on consecutive nights for the first time this season and brought the week’s cumulative attendance to 28,800, marking the largest attendance for a three-game homestand at Van Andel Arena since Jan. 20-22, 2000 (29,393). The bottom line is, thanks to your support, the Griffins are on track to record their first attendance increase since the 2002-03 season.
  
  
• If this is your first visit to the new griffinshockey.com, please be sure to take a look around while you’re here. The site relaunched earlier this month with a fresh, dynamic look and an emphasis on multimedia and interactive content. Griffinshockey.com offers a host of new features for fans and media, including exclusive blogs, video and audio highlights, auctions, game notes, news links, photo features, ticket coupons, enhanced player information, and much more.
  
  
• The Griffins’ March to the Playoffs on Comcast Local will continue with three big telecasts, including March 30 at Hamilton, March 31 vs. Chicago, and April 4 at Syracuse. To find the Comcast Local channel in your area, click here.
  
  
• Finally, congratulations are in order to four long-time Griffins executives who recently received promotions. The organization named Tim Gortsema as senior vice president of business operations, Jon Beilstein as vice president of ticket sales and game operations, Lance Hartman as vice president of corporate sales and marketing, and Bob Kaser as vice president of community relations and broadcasting. Gortsema becomes just the second person to direct the Griffins’ business operations since their founding in 1995. He succeeds Bob Sack, who left the organization in December to join local law firm McShane & Bowie as chief operating officer.