Griffins Game #43 * Road Game #20 * AHL Game #685

Season Series: 4-0-2-0 Home Series: 3-0-1-0 Road Series: 1-0-1-0
All-Time Series: 121-87-7-11-8 All-Time Home Series: 67-40-2-4-3 All-Time Road Series: 54-47-5-7-5

Griffins at Admirals
Seventh of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Panther Arena…Grand Rapids has shut out the Admirals in the previous two meetings and in three of the six games this season...Grand Rapids is 19-19-4-0 (.500) against Milwaukee since the 2021-22 campaign with a minus-eight margin (114-106)...Also dating back to the 2021-22 season, the Griffins are 6-12-2-0 (.350) against the Admirals in Milwaukee with a minus-17 margin (60-43)...Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent – 235th meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 121 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…The Admirals are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10 games while the Griffins are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10...The Admirals are 13-5-1-0 at home compared to 6-13-1-2 on the road...Milwaukee is on a two-game winless skid (0-1-0-1)...The Griffins are 16-1-1-1 on the road and 17-5-1-0 at home...Milwaukee’s power play ranks first at 27.8%, and its penalty kill is tied for eighth at 83.3%...Grand Rapids is 16th on the power play at 19.2% and first on the penalty kill at 85.8%...Milwaukee is tied for 19th with 2.90 goals scored per game and 11th in goals allowed per game (2.90)...Grand Rapids ranks second in goals scored per game (3.48) and first in goals against per game (1.93)...Milwaukee head coach Karl Taylor is in his seventh season as head boss and is the Admirals’ winningest AHL coach. Taylor has a 263-151-33-14 record (.621) with the Admirals that includes three regular-season division titles and four 40-plus win seasons, in addition to never finishing worse than third place in the Central Division...Austin Watson spent nine seasons within Nashville’s organization and logged 132 points (73-59—132) in 234 games with the Admirals...John Leonard posted 44 points (17-27—44) in 67 games with Milwaukee in 2022-23, adding one goal in six games with Nashville...Admirals’ Andrew Gibson was a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2023 (#42nd overall)...Milwaukee’s Ryan Ufko ranks fourth in the AHL in assists (30) and tied for 11th in points (40). Among defensemen, Ufko is tied for second in goals (10), second in assists and first in points. Kyle Marino ranks sixth in penalty minutes (98) and Daniel Carr is fourth in power-play goals (10). Finally, Carr and Zach L’Heureux are tied for third in game-winners (5). 

Last Time Out
Behind a three-point night from Amadeus Lombardi (1-2—3), the Griffins jumped back in the win column and defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-2 at Allstate Arena on Saturday. The Griffins improved to 16-1-1-1 on the road, while they boosted their league-best record to 33-6-2-1 (69 pts.) through 42 games. Nine Griffins recorded a point in the contest, and Dominik Shine (1-1—2) notched his ninth multi-point contest this season. William Lagesson grabbed his 100th pro assist, and Eduards Tralmaks extended his point streak to three games with a helper. Michal Postava tallied 24 saves between the pipes and improved his record to 8-2-0.

This Date in Griffins History
2023: The Griffins’ penalty kill and power-play units come up big in a 6-2 win against the Texas Stars at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Grand Rapids tallies a pair of man-advantage goals, as well as a short-hander from Cross Hanas. Captain Brian Lashoff appears in his 750th game as a pro. 

Record Setters
Below is a list of team and league records that the Griffins have either set or tied this season. 
- Best record in AHL history through 25 games (23-1-0-1, 47 pts.), 30 games (27-1-1-1, 56 pts.) and 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)
- Reached the 60-point mark in just 32 games, three games faster than any team in AHL history
- AHL record 17-game road points streak from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1)
- Tied franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, which also tied for sixth-longest in AHL history
- Tied franchise-record 19-game points streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0)
- Franchise-record start with an 8-0 record and was the league’s last undefeated team for first time since 2000-01 IHL season
- Started 6-0 at home for first time since 2009-10 (8-0)
- Franchise record for largest margin of victory (9) on Nov. 25 at Texas (10-1 W) 
- Franchise record for fewest shots in a game (10) on Jan. 17 versus Milwaukee 

Steady The Ship
Despite dropping six of the last 10 games, the Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 33-6-2-1 ledger and 69 points through 42 games. Grand Rapids surpassed the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (31-5-3-1, 66 pts.) for the best start in AHL history through 40 games. Grand Rapids also reached 60 points three games faster than any team in the AHL’s 90-year history (2005-06, W-B/Scranton, 29-3-2-1, 61 pts. in 35 games). The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins’ 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended on Jan. 9, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 16-1-1-1 on the road and 17-5-1-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1) set a new AHL record, eclipsing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals’ 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (69), has a 17-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 33 points up on a playoff spot. 

What’s The Password?
The Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.93 goals allowed per contest. Providence is the closest to Grand Rapids with 2.02 goals allowed per game. Grand Rapids posted its seventh shutout of the season on Jan. 21 against Milwaukee, which are the most since the team registered eight in 2016-17. The Griffins shut out their opponent in two straight games from Jan. 17-21 in addition to posting consecutive shutouts from Dec. 21-27. Prior to this season, the last time Grand Rapids logged two straight shutouts was Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just nine times in their last 36 games and have averaged 3.00 goals allowed in their last five outings. In fact, the team has allowed more than two goals just 11 times all season (26.2%). In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 85.8%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.99 GAA with a .927 save percentage, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.63 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Grand Rapids also has four of the top seven plus-minus ratings among defensemen. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (517) (currently with Detroit), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,130 appearances. 

Slowed Down a Smidge
Grand Rapids was shut out for the first time this season on Jan. 9 against Texas and has been held to under three goals in seven of the last 10 games. The Griffins now have 12 goals in their last five contests (2.40 per game) and finished January with 32 goals (2.46 per game). At the start of January, the Griffins averaged 3.93 goals per game. Grand Rapids has dropped to second in the AHL with 3.48 goals per game. This is the first time since Nov. 1 that the Griffins have not led the AHL in goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 146-81 and is 24-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 67-41 at home, while possessing a 79-40 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (60-28). In addition to ranking second in goals, the Griffins place 11th in shots per game (29.2). John Leonard leads the team and ranks second in the AHL with 26 goals, while Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 17 and Sheldon Dries and Dominik Shine tie for third with 15. 

Leaders of the Pack 
The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season, and are 17 points above second-place Chicago and 33 points up on a playoff spot. Grand Rapids is 26-5-2-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 119-69, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. Last season, it took the Griffins 52 games to reach 26 wins against the division (26-22-3-1) compared to 34 games this season. Twenty-two of the remaining 30 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (73.3%). The Griffins will see the most games against the Milwaukee Admirals (6) followed by the Rockford IceHogs (5).  

Just Getting Started
Rookie netminder Michal Postava tied a franchise record by becoming the 10th netminder in team history to post back-to-back shutouts from Jan. 17-21. He collected his first AHL shutout on Jan. 17 with 10 saves in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee and followed that performance with a 19-save blanking of Milwaukee last Wednesday. His 10 saves set a new franchise record for fewest in a shutout. Postava logged a shutout streak of 156:20 from Jan. 9-25, which was 3:47 short of breaking the franchise record by Jared Coreau in 2014-15 (160:06). After beginning the campaign 5-0, the 23-year-old suffered his first AHL defeat on Jan. 9 against Texas. Postava is now 8-2-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage in 12 games. Last season, Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion with Kometa Brno, showing a league-best .940 save percentage with a 1.97 GAA and a 10-7 record in 17 playoff games. During the regular season with Kometa Brno, Postava ranked among the Czech Extraliga leaders in save percentage (.921, 5th), GAA (2.39, 11th), wins (23, 4th), games played (42, T2nd) and shutouts (3, T7th). As an undrafted free agent, Postava signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer.    

Shine On, Captain
Dominik Shine posted two points (1-1—2) in his return to the ice last Saturday after being sidelined for seven of the previous nine games from Jan. 9-30 due to rehabbing an injury. The captain ranks among the team leaders in points (29, T2nd), goals (15, T3rd), assists (14, T4th) and plus-minus rating (+16, T6th). On Dec. 7 at Toronto, 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). On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (512), fourth in goals (90), seventh in assists (123), fourth in points (213), fifth in penalty minutes (583), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fourth in game-winners (14), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (872). 

The Lombardi Trophy 
Last Saturday in Chicago, Amadeus Lombardi tied his career high with three points (1-2—3). This marked the second time he’s posted three points this season and was his fourth multi-point outing of the campaign. The third-year pro was sidelined for 20 straight games from Nov. 22-Jan. 9 due to rehabbing an injury. Since his return on Jan. 13, Lombardi has six points (2-4—6) in nine games. Last season, the Aurora, Ontario, native, logged a career-high 40 points (19-21—40) in 44 games with the Griffins. With Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023, Lombardi has 87 points (29-58—87) in 138 outings. He was the 113th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

The Brick Wall 
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fourth shutout of the season on Dec. 27 at Milwaukee in just his 16th game. His four shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2016-17 (Eddie Pasquale). He then showed a career-high 47 saves on Jan. 2 against Chicago, which tied Jared Coreau’s franchise record for saves in a home game. Cossa won two straight AHL Goaltender of the Month awards (November and December), becoming the first netminder in franchise history to receive the honor twice in the same season. The 23-year-old also became just the third goaltender in team history to win the award twice in any fashion, joining Jared Coreau (Feb. 2018, Dec. 2015) and Jimmy Howard (Dec. 2007, March 2006). Cossa has an 18-4-2 record with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He enjoyed a career-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 27, showing a 1.51 GAA and a .939 save percentage, and a 14-game point streak from Nov. 25-Jan. 13 (12-0-2). In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks second in GAA, second in save percentage, first in shutouts and tied for first in wins. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 62-29-16 mark with seven shutouts to go along with a 2.40 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 108 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team.   

Going for Gold 
On Jan. 6, Team Latvia announced that forward Eduards Tralmaks will represent the country at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games from Feb. 6-22. Tralmaks becomes the seventh player to participate in an Olympics while playing for the Griffins. Tralmaks is also the sixth current or former Griffin to be named to an Olympic roster for 2026, joining USA’s Dylan Larkin, Germany’s Moritz Seider, Czechia’s Filip Hronek and Radim Simek, and Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar. Tralmaks, a native of Riga, Latvia, has 23 points (17-6—23), six penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating in 42 games with the Griffins this season. He ranks among the team leaders in goals (2nd), points (5th), and plus-minus rating (2nd), while placing ninth in the AHL in plus-minus rating. Tralmaks has competed for Team Latvia at the two previous World Championships in 2024 and 2025, showing a combined nine points (4-5—9) in 14 games. At last year's World Championship, Tralmaks led Latvia in points (3-4—7) and assists, while ranking second in goals in seven games. Also in 2024-25, he potted one goal in three Olympic qualifying games with Latvia.  

Sparkling Stars 
On Jan. 15, the AHL announced that Griffins goaltender Sebastian Cossa and forwards John Leonard and Dominik Shine will serve as the team’s representatives at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO, to be held Feb. 10-11 at the BMO Center in Rockford, Illinois. They will join their head coach, Dan Watson, who was previously announced as the coach for the Central Division. The three all-star player selections are the most for the Griffins since 2013 (Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist). Including Watson, the four all-star representatives are the most in team history since four players were chosen for the 2004 event in Grand Rapids (Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson). Cossa becomes the first Griffins goalie to earn consecutive all-star selections, and the first Griffins player since Chris Terry (2019 and 2020). This is also Leonard’s second straight all-star selection, as he was chosen for last year’s event as a member of the Charlotte Checkers, while captain Shine will compete in his first-ever all-star game.  

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for third in game-winners (5), tied for ninth among rookies in assists (16), tied for 14th among rookies in points (24), third among rookies in plus-minus (+16), tied for 10th among rookies in shots (83), first among rookies in game-winners (5)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.99), second in save percentage (.927), first in shutouts (4), tied for first in wins (18)
Sheldon Dries—Tied for 11th in power-play goals (6)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18), tied for 12th among defensemen in assists (18), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18), tied for seventh among defensemen in power-play goals (2)
Justin Holl—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for third in shorthanded assists (2), tied for second among defensemen in shorthanded assists (2)
William Lagesson—Fifth in plus-minus (+23), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+23)
John Leonard—Second in goals (26), tied for 11th in points (40), tied for second in shorthanded goals (3), tied for 11th in shots (112), first in game-winners (8)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for 10th among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
Eduards Tralmaks—Ninth in plus-minus (+21)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18), tied for 12th among defensemen in goals (6), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
William Wallinder—Tied for 13th among defensemen in plus-minus (+15) 

Milestones 
Last Saturday in a 5-2 win at Chicago, Gabriel Seger competed in his 100th game as a Griffin and William Lagesson collected his 100th pro assist. 
Sheldon Dries—One point from 300 as a pro
William Lagesson—Two games from 400 as a pro
Ian Mitchell—Three games from 300 as a pro
Dominik Shine—Five goals from claiming third on the all-time franchise goals list (95), One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins