Griffins Game #23 * Home Game #11 * AHL Game #394

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 104-69-7-7-8 All-Time Home Series: 55-33-2-2-3 All-Time Road Series: 49-36-5-5-5

Griffins at Admirals
Fourth of 12 meetings overall, second of six at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids is 19-10-1-1 in the last five seasons against Milwaukee...The Griffins and Admirals game on Oct. 16 was the first since the 2019-20 season due to Milwaukee opting out of the 2020-21 campaign...Grand Rapids is 7-7-0-0 in the last 14 overall against the Admirals…Grand Rapids has had a winning record at Milwaukee in all of the past four seasons...Dating back to the 2015-16 season, the Griffins are 14-9-1-1 against Milwaukee at Van Andel Arena with a +14 scoring margin (70-56)…The Admirals come into the contest with a 6-3-1-0 record in their past 10 outings and possess a 6-9-0-0 ledger on the road this year...The Griffins are 4-5-1-0 at home this season...Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent in the regular season – 196th meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 104 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…Milwaukee ranks eighth in the league with a power play conversion rate of 21.2% while the Griffins place 29th at 14.8%. The penalty kill for each franchise ranks in the bottom half of the AHL (Milwaukee 81.3%, T16th) (Grand Rapids 75.9%, 29th)...Riley Barber (1-3—4), Jonatan Berggren (2-2—4), Kyle Criscuolo (2-2—4) and Taro Hirose (1-3—4) all have four points against Milwaukee...Head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4).

Roster Shake Up
On Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings reassigned forwards Riley Barber, Kyle Criscuolo and Taro Hirose, defenseman Dan Renouf and goaltenders Victor Brattstrom and Calvin Pickard to the Griffins. In addition, Grand Rapids signed left wing Max Humitz to a professional tryout. Barber and Hirose each made their NHL season debut on Dec. 18 while Criscuolo earned his first NHL point with an assist in the contest. Renouf skated in three outings with Detroit from Dec. 7-19 and collected seven penalty minutes. Pickard and Brattstrom did not see any game time last weekend with Detroit or Toledo, respectively. Humitz returned to Grand Rapids for the fourth time this season, as he has one assist in seven games this campaign.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 1-8-1-1 (0.182) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and second-place Manitoba Moose. However, Grand Rapids is 8-2-1-0 (0.773) against the rest of the AHL.

Fast Starts
On Dec. 4, the Griffins set a season high for goals in a period when they exploded for five tallies in the opening frame against Rockford. After rattling off three first-period goals against Cleveland on Dec. 6, Grand Rapids has now outscored its opponents 8-2 over the opening 20 minutes of its last four games. The Griffins are 8-4-0-0 (0.667) this season when scoring first and 7-2-0-0 (0.778) when leading after the opening frame. Almost half of Grand Rapids’ goals (27, 42%) have come during the first period.

World Traveler
On Dec. 12, defenseman Donovan Sebrango was selected to the 25-man roster for Team Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 19-year-old will represent his home country at the tournament that runs Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. This marks the third time in the past four years a player has left the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship, after Filip Zadina represented the Czech Republic in 2019 and Joe Veleno (Canada) and Moritz Seider (Germany) competed at the event in 2020.

Leaders of the Pack
On Dec. 17, Paul Maurice resigned from the Winnipeg Jets. With that, three of the NHL’s five longest-tenured head coaches are Griffins alumni:
1. Jon Cooper – Tampa Bay – March 2013
2. Jeff Blashill – Detroit – June 2015 (Griffins head coach 2012-15; 2013 Calder Cup champion; 2013-14 AHL Coach of the Year)
3. Mike Sullivan – Pittsburgh – Dec. 2015
4. Jared Bednar – Colorado – Aug. 2016 (Griffins defenseman 1998-99)
5. Bruce Cassidy – Boston – Feb. 2017 (Griffins head coach 2000-02; 2001-02 AHL Coach of the Year)

This Date in Griffins History
2005: Donald MacLean’s five-point night, including his team record-tying second hat trick of the season, propels the Griffins to a 6-4 win over Hershey. The victory vaults Grand Rapids past Manitoba into first place in the North Division, a position it would maintain for the duration of the season.

Spartan Store
Matt Berry became the 20th former Michigan State Spartan to play for Grand Rapids, extending that program’s lead as the most productive at developing future Griffins (including teammate Taro Hirose). Michigan (13, including current assistant coach Mike Knuble), Notre Dame (11, including current head coach Ben Simon), and Miami (10, including Riley Barber) are in double-digits as well. Wisconsin comes in fifth with nine Griffins alumni, before the first non-Midwest school makes an appearance as part of a three-way tie at six (8): Maine (Chase Pearson and Dan Renouf), Northern Michigan (Dominik Shine), and Ferris State. A six-school tie for ninth (7) includes Western Michigan (Luke Witkowski) and UMass-Lowell (Seth Barton).

Timmy Turner
Veteran Turner Elson surpassed his goal count (4) from the 2020-21 season, as he totaled his fifth goal of the campaign on Nov. 19. The Edmonton, Alberta, native began the campaign with a goal during the season opener but then was held scoreless in the next four outings. The nine-year pro has cranked it up as of late with a three-game goal streak (Dec. 6-11), which is tied with Jonatan Berggren and Kyle Criscuolo for the longest on the team this year. In addition, the left winger is enjoying a season-high four-game (3-2—5) point streak from Dec. 4-11. Elson’s eight goals are second on the roster while his 15 points (8-7—15) rank fifth.

Cris-COOL-o
After being sidelined in the first four games due to an injury, center Kyle Criscuolo has made up for his lost time with 17 points (9-8—17) in 15 contests. The Harvard University graduate logged a two-game point streak (1-1—2) from Oct. 30-31 and surpassed that mark with an active seven-game point streak (7-7—14) from Nov. 20-Dec. 6, which is a new career high for the forward. He posted back-to-back three-point (1-2—3) nights against Milwaukee and Chicago on Nov. 24 and 26. Criscuolo’s three-game goal streak (Nov. 20-26, Dec. 3-6) tied Jonatan Berggren (Oct. 30-Nov. 5) and Turner Elson (Dec. 6-11) for the longest on the team this season while his four-game assist streak (Nov. 20-28) set a new season high for Grand Rapids. The sixth-year pro is second on the roster with 17 points while his nine goals pace the team and are tied for 17th in the AHL. Criscuolo made his NHL season debut with Detroit on Dec. 1 against Seattle, marking his first NHL game since March 5, 2018. On Dec. 15, Criscuolo was recalled by the Red Wings for the third time in just as many weeks and collected his first NHL point on an assist against New Jersey on Dec. 18.

Return of Riley
On Dec. 18, Riley Barber became the Griffins’ 188th alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit against New Jersey. Although it was a slow start to this year, Barber rattled off a six-game point streak (4-5—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 and is currently in the midst of a three-game stretch (2-1—3) from Dec. 6-11. His 16 points (7-9—16) this season are tied for third on the roster while his four power play goals are tied for fifth in the AHL. Barber led the Griffins in goals (20), points (34) and points per game (1.06) a season ago. His scoring pace equaled a 48-goal, 81-point clip in a regular 76-game AHL season. Barber also ranked second in the league for goals, just one shy of Cooper Marody (who played seven more games), and was named a Central Division AHL All-Star. Six game-winning goals tied a career best while his four-game goal streak from Feb. 26 through March 11 also matched a career high. The forward added seven multi-point outings out of 32, including a career-high four points (2-2—4) on May 7 against Chicago. Barber posted a nine-game point streak (8-5—13) from Feb. 5-March 11 that was the longest ever to start a player’s Griffins career as well as the longest from the start of a Griffins season.

High-Flying Hirose
After leading the Griffins in assists a year ago with 23, Taro Hirose has picked off right where he left off as he has bagged 15 helpers in the opening 22 games, which is a team high and tied for ninth in the league. Eight assists have come on the power play, which is tied for sixth in the AHL. Hirose saw his season-best six-game point streak (2-7—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 come to an end on Nov. 17 against Chicago. Hirose’s 19 points (4-15—19) this season pace the Griffins. He was recalled by Detroit on Dec. 15 and made his NHL season debut on Dec. 18 against the Devils.

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard is off to a fast start, as he has allowed two goals or less in nine of his 19 appearances this season. The 10-year pro currently places 12th in the AHL with a 2.47 goals against average while his 0.926 save percentage is tied for fifth. The netminder made his sixth straight start on Nov. 28 and 10th consecutive appearance, both personal highs as a Griffin. In fact, Pickard has seen action in 19 of the 22 games this season, including 15 straight. He set a new AHL career high for consecutive games played (14) on Dec. 10 at Manitoba. Pickard made his 11th straight start on Dec. 11, which tied his career best. The goaltender recorded his third assist of the season on Dec. 4 versus Rockford, which set a new AHL career high for assists in a season. Pickard recorded his first shutout of the year and fourth as a Griffin on Nov. 12 against Manitoba, moving him into a tie for 10th place in franchise history with Jani Hurme, Martin Prusek, and Eddie Pasquale.

Jonny on the Spot
Rookie Jonatan Berggren saw his season-high six-game point streak (3-4—7 from Oct. 30-Nov. 13) come to a close on Nov. 17 against Chicago. The Uppsala, Sweden, native bagged his first AHL goal and two-point (1-1—2) night on Oct. 30, which began a three-game goal scoring streak for the right winger. The forward recorded his first two-goal night in the AHL on Nov. 20 at Texas. The former second-round draft choice notched his 50th pro assist on Nov. 12 against Manitoba and is tied for eighth among league rookies with seven goals while his 16 points (7-9—16) are tied for 13th among first-year players. Berggren is on pace to notch 55 points this season, which would tie Glen Metropolit for third in franchise rookie-scoring history. His goal pace would put him at 24 tallies and would place him in a tie for second with Francis Pare and Justin Abdelkader for most goals scored by a rookie in a Griffins uniform.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 529 games played for the Griffins ranks first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and seventh in league history among one-team players. Of the players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Lashoff overtook Pete Kapusta (Providence Reds 1946-55) for the No. 7 spot on Oct. 27 against Chicago and is now two games behind No. 6 Roger DeJordy (Hershey Bears 1962-70). Lashoff is still 126 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Riley Barber—Four power play goals are tied for fifth
Jonatan Berggren—Seven goals are tied for eighth among league rookies, 16 points (7-9—16) are tied for 13th among first-year players
Kyle Criscuolo—Nine goals are tied for 17th
Taro Hirose—15 assists are tied for ninth, eight power play assists are tied for sixth
Ryan Murphy—Four goals are tied for eighth among blueliners, 14 points (4-10—14) are tied for 12th among defensemen
Wyatt Newpower—37 penalty minutes are third among rookies and tied for eighth among league defensemen
Calvin Pickard—2.47 goals against average ranks 12th, 0.926 save percentage is tied for fifth
Dominik Shine—56 penalty minutes rank fifth
Luke Witkowski—43 penalty minutes are fifth among league blueliners

Milestones
Riley Barber bagged his 50th point as a Griffin on Dec. 11 at Manitoba. Other upcoming milestones include:
Riley Barber—One game from 350 as a pro
Josh Dickinson—One game from 150 as a pro
Turner Elson—Two assists from 100 in the AHL, two goals from 50 as a Griffin, four points from 200 in the AHL
Brian Lashoff—Two assists from 100 as a pro
Brett McKenzie—Three goals from 50 as a pro
Luke Witkowski—Two points from 50 in the AHL

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins