This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS (12-1-0-1) at Texas Stars (5-8-2-0) // Tue., Nov. 25 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Wed., Nov. 26 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 7:45 p.m. EST on Tuesday and at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey 

Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Road. Third and fourth of eight meetings overall, third and fourth of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

All-Time Series: 47-32-7-5 Overall, 23-18-5-1 Road 

NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars

Noteworthy: This will be the Griffins’ last regular-season trip to the Stars, and Texas won’t visit Van Andel Arena until Jan. 7. After starting 0-4 at home, Texas has points in three of its past four home games (2-1-1-0).   

GRIFFINS vs. Iowa Wild (5-11-0-1) // Fri., Nov. 28 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena 
GRIFFINS vs. Iowa Wild // Sun., Nov. 30 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena 

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey 

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

All-Time Series: 55-26-6-4 Overall, 26-11-5-3 Home 

NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild

Noteworthy: Iowa’s .324 points percentage ranks fourth-worst in the AHL and it has been outscored 57-33 in its 17 games. The Wild rank 30th with just 1.94 goals per game and 26th with 3.35 goals allowed per contest.  

Hungry for More: The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 12-1-0-1 ledger and 25 points through 14 games, beating out the previous record of 24 in 2000-01 (11-1-2). Two of the three best starts in franchise history have come under head coach Dan Watson, as last season’s 21 points through 14 games tied for the third best (11-2-1-0). Before last Friday, the Griffins remained the only team in North American pro hockey without a regulation loss (NHL, AHL, ECHL, SPHL, FPHL). 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’ 5-0-0-1 start on the road is the best since 2004-05 (7-0), and the 7-1 start at home is the best since 2009-10 (8-0).

Stuffing the Net: Despite scoring just three goals in two games last weekend, the Griffins still rank first in the AHL with 3.79 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 53-28. The 53 goals are the second-most in franchise history through the team’s first 14 games (57 in 2005-06). The Griffins have outscored their opponents 30-13 at home, while possessing an 23-15 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (22-11). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place eighth in shots per game (30.2) and have reached 30 or more shots five times (35.7%). John Leonard leads the team with 11 goals, and Dominik Shine and Eduards Tralmaks are tied for second with six.

Historic Run: John Leonard has 17 points and 11 goals through his first 11 games as a Griffin. Leonard’s career-best 10-game point streak set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career. His career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied with teammate Austin Watson, Jiri Hudler, Kip Miller and Pavol Demitra for the third-longest run in franchise history. Leonard is first in the AHL in goals, third in points per game (1.55), and tied for 11th in points. Last season, he ranked among the league leaders in points (61, T10th), goals (36, T2nd), power-play goals (10, T9th), short-handed goals (5, T1st) and shots (252, 2nd). Throughout his six-year AHL career since 2020-21, Leonard has 188 points (94-94—188) in 260 games.

Just Getting Started: Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was one of three rookies to make the Detroit Red Wings’ opening-night roster out of training camp. The 15th overall pick in 2024 showed one assist in nine games with Detroit before being assigned to the Griffins on Oct. 27. The Oslo, Norway, native has three points (1-2—3) in his last four appearances with Grand Rapids and has five points (2-3—5) in nine AHL games this season. Last year, Brandsegg-Nygard tied for the team lead with three points (2-1—3) in three playoff games, following his SHL season with Skelleftea. The 20-year-old has competed with Team Norway in the last two World Championships, totaling a combined nine points (3-6—9) in 12 outings.

On the Right Trail: Riga, Latvia, native Eduards Tralmaks has three points (2-1—3) in his last four games and is tied for second on the team with six goals this season. Last season, Tralmaks ranked first in the Czech Extraliga with a career-best 51 points (23-28—51) in 48 games, adding career-high totals in goals (23), assists (28) and penalty minutes (66). He also competed for Team Latvia at the last two World Championships and posted seven points (3-4—7) in seven games during the 2025 tournament. After spending the previous two campaigns in Czechia, Tralmaks returned to the AHL for the first time since 2022-23. As a free agent out of the University of Maine, Tralmaks signed with the Providence Bruins in 2021 and skated in three seasons with the franchise, compiling 41 points (22-19—41) in 87 contests.

Angle of Attack: With three rookies making the Red Wings’ roster out of training camp, the Griffins were in need of a forward. Grand Rapids signed Tyler Angle to a one-year contract on Oct. 8, which has proven to be a quality last-second signing. The 25-year-old has three points (1-2—3) in his last four games and is tied for second on the roster with eight assists. In addition, his nine points (1-8—9) in 14 outings are tied for fourth on the team. Angle spent four seasons with the Cleveland Monsters from 2020-24, showing a combined 100 points (41-59—100) in 200 games. Last campaign, he totaled 27 points (7-20—27) in 47 appearances with Dusseldorfer in the DEL, Germany’s top pro league.  

Special Powers: The Griffins scored on the power play in four straight games from Nov. 1-12 (6-for-16, 37.5%), but have since gone 1-for-11 (9.1%) in their last four games. Grand Rapids’ power play ranks 11th in the AHL at 21.7% (10-for-46). However, the Griffins have allowed four shorthanded goals this season, which is tied for the league lead with Ontario. The penalty kill has allowed just one power-play goal in the last seven games (16-for-17, 94.1%) and ranks second overall in the AHL at 88.4% (38-for-43). The 43 times shorthanded are the fewest in the league.

Future is Bright: Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to a 5-1-0 start this season with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks first in GAA, second in save percentage and tied for 15th in wins. He registered his first shutout of the season on Oct. 24 behind 30 saves in a 4-0 win over Manitoba. It marked his fourth AHL shutout, eighth as a pro, and the first since Oct. 11, 2024.  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 49-26-14 mark with four shutouts to go along with a 2.46 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 90 outings.

Defense Wins Championships: The Griffins’ defense is one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks second with 2.00 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has not allowed more than two goals since Nov. 9 and has averaged just 1.33 goals allowed in its last three games. The 28 goals allowed are tied with last year’s team for the fewest in franchise history through the squad’s first 14 games. In addition, the team’s penalty kill places second at 88.4% (38-for-43). Despite ranking second in goals allowed, the Griffins place 27th with 30.1 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.67 GAA with a .940 save percentage, while rookie Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 GAA and a .936 save percentage. The Griffins have three defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in 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.

Good Problem to Have: The Griffins’ roster features seven veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Justin Holl, William Lagesson and Ian Mitchell. With seven veterans, the Griffins are one over the playing limit and are required to scratch one of them each game due to the AHL’s development rule. Even with one being scratched for each contest, the veterans on the team have combined for 57 points (29-28—57) in 74 games, which accounts for 45% of the scoring for the team and 57% of the goals. Leonard ranks first among the veterans with 17 points (11-6—17) in 11 games, while Shine (6-5—11 in 11 GP) ranks second, and Dries (4-5—9 in 11 GP) places third. 

Shine On, Captain: On Oct. 9, Dominik Shine was named the 19th captain in franchise history. 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 has six points (3-3—6) in his last six outings and ranks third on the team with 11 points (6-5—11) in 11 games. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (494), sixth in goals (81), tied for eighth in assists (114), eighth in points (195), sixth in penalty minutes (559), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fifth in game-winners (13), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and sixth in shots (826). 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:  
Sebastian Cossa—First in GAA (1.67), second in save percentage (.940), tied for 15th in wins (5)
Justin Holl—Tied for 15th among defensemen in plus-minus (+7)
William Lagesson—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+10), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+10)
John Leonard—First in goals (11), tied for 11th in points (17), third in points-per-game (1.55), tied for third in game-winners (3)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for 15th in assists (11), tied for 11th in game-winners (2)

Milestones: Last Saturday, Justin Holl bagged his 200th pro point with an assist against Charlotte, Sheldon Dries skated in his 350th AHL game, and Antti Tuomisto appeared in his 200th pro game.  
Sebastian Cossa—One win from 50 as a Griffin 
Ian Mitchell—One point from 100 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
William Wallinder—One point from 100 as a pro 

Photo by Andy Nietupski/TTL Sports Media