This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS (22-1-0-1) at Iowa Wild (7-18-0-1) // Wed., Dec. 17 // 8 p.m. EST // Casey’s Center
GRIFFINS at Iowa Wild // Fri., Dec. 19 // 7 p.m. EST // Casey’s Center

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST on Wednesday and at 6:45 p.m. EST on Friday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey 

Season Series: 3-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Fourth and fifth of eight meetings overall, second and third of fourth at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 57-26-6-4 Overall, 29-15-1-1 Road

NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild 

Noteworthy: The Griffins have won 14 of the past 19 meetings against Iowa with a plus-16 scoring margin. However, the previous eight meetings have been decided by just one goal.       

GRIFFINS vs. Cleveland Monsters (10-9-3-1) // Sun., Dec. 21 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena  

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 4 p.m.

Watch: WXSP-TV and AHLTV on FloHockey 

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Second of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 79-41-9-14 Overall, 46-18-4-4 Home 

NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy: In the last five seasons since 2021-22, Grand Rapids has lost just once in regulation at home against the Monsters (11-1-3-2, .794) with a plus-23 scoring margin (64-41). 

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 22-1-0-1 ledger and 45 points through 24 games. The 45 points through 24 games is the best start in the 90-year history of the AHL (see table). Grand Rapids is also the first team in AHL history to win 22 of its first 24 games. The team is currently on a season-high 11-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 14, which is tied for the third-longest run in franchise history (see table). The perfect 8-0 start was the best by an AHL team in four years, and Grand Rapids was the league’s last undefeated team for the first time since the 2000-01 IHL season. The Griffins’ 10-0-0-1 start on the road is the best in franchise history and the 12-1 start at home is also a new franchise best. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (45), has a 15-point cushion for first place in the Central Division, and is 25 points up on a playoff spot. 

Shine On, Captain: On Dec. 7 at Toronto, Dominik Shine became just the third player in franchise history to reach 500 games with the team, scoring a goal in the process. He is in his 10th season with Grand Rapids, becoming just the third player in team history to reach the milestone (Brian Lashoff 14, Travis Richards 10). Shine collected his first-career hat trick on Nov. 24 in Texas, and on Nov. 25 became just the seventh Griffin to reach 200 points with the team. He has 16 points (8-8—16) in his last 14 outings, is tied for 11th in the AHL with 11 goals, and ranks second on the team with 21 points (11-10—21) in 19 games. On Oct. 9, Shinewas named the 19th captain in franchise history. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (502), fifth in goals (86), eighth in assists (119), fifth in points (205), sixth in penalty minutes (569), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fifth in game-winners (13), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and fourth in shots (844). 

Future is Bright: Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to a 12-1-0 start this season with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He registered his third shutout of the season last Saturday behind 20 saves in a 1-0 win over Rockford. His three shutouts are the most for a Griffins goalie in a single season since Calvin Pickard in 2019-20. In addition, Cossa’s six-career shutouts tie Daniel Larsson and Pokey Reddick for eighth on the team’s all-time list. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks second in GAA, second in save percentage, tied for first in shutouts and first in wins. Cossa was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for November with a 5-1 record, one shutout, a 1.50 GAA and a .941 save percentage. He became just the fourth netminder in franchise history to win the award, joining Jared Coreau, Jimmy Howard and Simon Lajeunesse. Last season, Cossa was named to his first AHL All-Star Classic and ranked among the AHL regular-season leaders in games played (41, T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), GAA (2.45, 11th), save percentage (.911, T13th), and wins (21, T10th). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 56-26-14 mark with six shutouts to go along with a 2.40 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 97 outings.  

Ready When Called: Rookie netminder Carter Gylander has been impressive this season, showing a 5-0-1 record with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in six games. The 24-year-old is currently on an AHL career-high five-game win streak from Nov. 12-Dec. 14 with a 1.58 GAA and a .946 save percentage. In his two-year AHL career with Grand Rapids, Gylander has a 7-1-1 ledger with a 2.40 GAA and a .919 save percentage in nine appearances. Gylander has spent the majority of the season in the ECHL with Toledo and has totaled a 2.99 GAA and an .896 save percentage in eight games. Last campaign, Gylander aided the Walleye to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Finals before falling to Trois-Rivieres. He was the 191st overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. 

Veteran Presence: Erik Gustafsson, a 15-year veteran, has 14 points (1-13—14) and a plus-13 rating in 14 games with Grand Rapids. He also has five points (1-4—5) in his last two games with the Griffins. Among AHL defensemen, Gustafsson is tied for ninth in assists, tied for 13th in points and fourth in plus-minus rating. He has competed in 516 NHL games since 2015-16 after being selected with the 93rd overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In his NHL career, Gustafsson has notched 240 points (47-193—240) and 163 penalty minutes in 516 regular-season games, adding 12 points (2-10—12) and 10 penalty minutes in 49 Stanley Cup Playoff outings. Prior to this season, the Nynashamn, Sweden, native last played in the AHL during the 2017-18 campaign with the Rockford IceHogs. In his four-year AHL career, Gustafsson has 72 points (12-60—72) and 96 penalty minutes in 134 outings.  

Any Way You Want It: The Griffins have outscored their opponents 93-44 this season but have a plus-seven scoring margin in their last five games (16-9). In fact, Grand Rapids has one-goal victories in three of its last five contests, improving its overall record in one-goal games to 10-1-0-1. Forty-five percent of the Griffins’ league-leading 22 wins have come by just a single goal.

Pucks on Net: The Griffins have been held to just three total goals in their last two games, winning both outings. However, Grand Rapids now has 40 goals in its last 10 contests (4.00 per game). The Griffins exploded for 10 goals on Nov. 25 against Texas, which were the most goals scored since Jan. 19, 2013. In the two games at Texas from Nov. 25-26, Grand Rapids totaled 16 goals over consecutive outings for the first time since Jan. 19-23, 2013 (11-6 W at RFD, 5-4 SOW vs. OKC). The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 3.88 goals per game, have outscored their opponents 93-44, and are 16-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 45-20 at home, while possessing a 48-24 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (38-17). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 15th in shots per game (28.9). John Leonard, who is on recall to Detroit, leads the team and league with 19 goals, Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 12, and Dominik Shine places third with 11.  

Special Powers: The Griffins have scored on the power play in three of their last five games and in six of their last 10 outings (6-for-25, 24.0%). Grand Rapids’ power play is seventh in the AHL at 23.6% (17-for-72). However, the Griffins have allowed four shorthanded goals this season, which is tied for fourth in the AHL. The penalty kill has allowed just five power-play goals in the last 17 games (39-for-44, 88.6%) and is first overall in the AHL at 87.1% (61-for-70). The 70 times shorthanded are the third-fewest in the league.

Defense Wins Championships: The Griffins’ defense is the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.83 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has allowed more than two goals just three times in its last 18 games and has averaged just 1.43 goals allowed in its last seven outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is also first in the AHL at 87.1% (61-for-70). Despite ranking first in goals allowed, the Griffins place 16th with 28.6 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.62 GAA with a .939 save percentage, while first-year netminder Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 GAA and a .936 save percentage, and fellow rookie Carter Gylander has a 1.83 GAA and a .936 save percentage. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (516), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107). Last season, the Griffins finished ninth in the AHL with 2.82 goals allowed per game but spent much of the campaign in the top five for goals allowed per contest. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:  
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for third in game-winners (4), tied for 14th among rookies in assists (9), tied for 13th among rookies in plus-minus (+7), first among rookies in game-winners (4)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.62), second in save percentage (.939), tied for first in shutouts (3), first in wins (12)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 12th in plus-minus (+13), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (14), tied for ninth among defensemen in assists (13), fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+13)
Justin Holl—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+14), third among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)
William Lagesson—Tied for third in plus-minus (+16), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
x John Leonard—First in goals (19), third in points (29), tied for eighth in plus-minus (+14), tied for second in shorthanded goals (2), first in game-winners (7)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for ninth among defensemen in plus-minus (+10)
Dominik Shine—Tied for 11th in goals (11)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for seventh in goals (12)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 15th in plus-minus (+12), tied for 12th among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (14), fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+12)
Austin Watson—Tied for 14th in penalty minutes (55)

Milestones: Last Saturday against Rockford, John Leonard registered his 200th AHL point with a goal and William Wallinder skated in his 150th game as a Griffin. 
Ondrej Becher—Three games from 100 as a pro
Sebastian Cossa—Three games from 100 as a Griffin
William Lagesson—Four assists from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Austin Watson—Three goals from 100 in the AHL 
Dan Watson—Four wins from 100 as head coach of the Griffins

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins