Griffins Game #72 * Road Game #36 * AHL Game #1,148

Season Series: 5-2-0-0 Home Series: 3-1-0-0 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 83-43-9-14 All-Time Home Series: 48-19-4-4 All-Time Road Series: 35-24-5-10

Griffins at Monsters
Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Rocket Arena…Grand Rapids has points in 31 out of the last 40 games overall (23-9-4-4, .675) against Cleveland...In the last five seasons since 2021-22, the Griffins are 22-9-4-4 (.667) against Cleveland and have outscored them 120-104. On the road during that span, Grand Rapids is 9-7-1-2 (.553) against the Monsters with a minus-10 scoring margin (57-47)...The Monsters are 3-5-0-2 in their last 10 games and the Griffins are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 contests...Cleveland is 18-15-2-1 on the road this season compared to 18-11-4-2 at home...Grand Rapids is 24-9-3-0 at home compared to 27-6-1-1 on the road...Cleveland’s power play ranks 19th in the AHL at 17.3% and its penalty kill places 13th at 82.3%...Cleveland ranks 20th with 2.97 goals per game and tied for 16th with 3.14 goals against per game...The Monsters rank eighth with 29.7 shots per game and third with 25.8 shots allowed...The Monsters are led by Luca Del Bel Belluz with 57 points (22-35—57) in 54 games. In net, Ivan Fedotov leads the way with a 2.88 GAA and an .886 save percentage in 46 games (22-16-6). In the AHL rankings, Del Bel Belluz is tied for 13th in power-play goals (9) and Fedotov is tied for ninth in wins (22) and fourth in games played (46)...Head coach Dan Watson suited up for the Cleveland Barons from 2002-04 and calls Cleveland home during the offseason...Tyler Angle skated with the Monsters from 2020-24, logging 100 points (41-59—100) in 200 games. He also suited up for four games with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2022-24, collecting one goal.  

Last Time Out
The Griffins shut out the Milwaukee Admirals 8-0 on Friday at Panther Arena to claim their franchise-best 27th road victory of the season (2002-03, 26-9-3-2), extending their road win streak to six games. Michal Postava’s fourth shutout set a franchise record for most in a season by a rookie, improving to 17-6-0 behind 24 saves. All three of Postava’s appearances against the Admirals have resulted in a shutout, and the Griffins’ victory stood as the largest shutout margin in the team’s 30-year history. Dominik Shine made his first appearance since Feb. 25 after being recalled to the NHL and bagged an assist, while Carter Mazur made his return from Detroit and extended his point streak to three with a helper. Six Griffins recorded multi-point outings, and Jakub Rychlovsky tallied his first AHL two-goal contest. In his 300th pro game, Wojciech Stachowiak potted three assists, and Eduards Tralmaks notched the game-winner and an assist. In their last six road games, the Griffins have outscored their opponents 36-9. 

This Date in Griffins History
2002: Trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, the Griffins respond with a 3-0 win at Allstate Arena to force Game 5 back in Grand Rapids. Martin Prusek makes 17 saves as Grand Rapids posts just its second road playoff shutout ever.

Record Watch
The Griffins have already set the best road record in franchise history with an .800 points percentage (27-6-1-1), beating out the previous record of .713 (26-9-3-2) set in 2002-03. Grand Rapids has also set a franchise record for most road victories in a single season at 27, surpassing the 2002-03 team (26 wins), when it played 40 road contests instead of the current 36. Grand Rapids is currently on a six-game win streak on the road and have outscored opponents 36-9 during the run. The Griffins have also set a new franchise mark for the best overall record in team history. The team is currently at .754 (51-15-4-1), and can finish no worse than .743, beating the previous record of .719 (55-20-1-4), set in 2005-06. 

The Time is Now 
On March 3, the Griffins claimed the Western Conference regular-season title, which marked their third regular-season conference championship as members of the AHL (2005-06, 2002-03) and the fifth in franchise history, including IHL Eastern Conference crowns in 2000-01 and 1999-00. Grand Rapids also clinched the Central Division title on March 26, which marked their sixth division crown as a member of the AHL. It also marked the Griffins’ first division title since 2014-15, when they won the Midwest, and the first Central Division title since 2002-03. The Griffins clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs on Feb. 27, marking the earliest clinching date in franchise history (previously March 6) and the earliest for an AHL team since 1993, when the Binghamton Rangers clinched on Feb. 24 with 24 games remaining. The Griffins will return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third straight season under head coach Dan Watson. Watson, who has never missed the postseason as a pro head coach, has a 5-7 playoff record in the previous two seasons with Grand Rapids, which includes a trip to the 2024 division finals. Grand Rapids, which has won two Calder Cups (2017 and 2013), is 86-71 (.548) all time during the AHL’s postseason. Grand Rapids is 40-11-4-1 against its division rivals, which are the most divisional wins since 2016-17 (40-20-1-3). The Griffins will play the winner of the best-of-three first-round series between the fourth-seeded Manitoba Moose and fifth-seeded Milwaukee Admirals.

Ups and Downs 
The Griffins have wins in seven of their last nine games and are 5-2-0-0 in April. In the seven games in April, Grand Rapids has averaged 4.86 goals per game while allowing 2.29 goals. The Griffins have continued their historic campaign with a 51-15-4-1 ledger and 107 points through 71 games. Grand Rapids reached at least 100 points for the first time since 2016-17 and the 107 points are the fourth-most in franchise history. The Griffins also reached the 100-point mark (66 games) faster than any team in franchise history (previously 69 games in 2005-06). Grand Rapids also has 50 wins for the first time since 2005-06. The Griffins reached the 50-win mark in their 70th game, which is the fewest games in team history (2005-06, 71st game). 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 27-6-1-1 on the road and finished 24-9-3-0 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). 

Rewrite the Record Book
With the historic season the Griffins have had, several players have joined the franchise’s all-time single-season record book. John Leonard ranks among the single-season leaders in goals (33, T7th), shorthanded goals (5, T1st), game-winners (8, T5th), unassisted goals (4, T5th), shootout percentage (.750, T6th) and shooting percentage (.205, T2nd). William Lagesson is seventh in plus-minus (+33), Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is tied for fifth in game-winners (8), Amadeus Lombardi is tied for first in overtime goals (3), Dominik Shine is fourth in shooting percentage (.204), and Eduards Tralmaks is tied for second in shooting percentage (.205). In net, Sebastian Cossa is eighth in wins (26) and tied for seventh in shutouts (5). Fellow goaltender Michal Postava ranks first in GAA (1.71), first in save percentage (.937) and tied for 10th in shutouts (4). In addition, Leonard (33) is the Griffins’ first 30-goal scorer since Eric Tangradi (31) in 2017-18, and his 33 goals are the most by a Griffin since 2014-15 (Teemu Pulkkinen 34). Leonard, Tralmaks (26), Sheldon Dries (23), Shine (21) and Brandsegg-Nygard (20) have all hit the 20-goal mark this season, which marks the first time since 2017-18 that Grand Rapids has at least five 20-goal scorers. Brandsegg-Nygard is also the 11th Griffins rookie to score 20 goals and the first since Jonatan Berggren (21) in 2021-22. 

Welcome to Grand Rapids
Below is a list of players who have recently joined the Griffins following their European or collegiate seasons. 
- Trey Augustine (from Michigan State (NCAA)): Made pro debut on April 10 against Chicago (L, 26 saves)
- Kienan Draper (from Michigan (NCAA)): Made pro debut on April 15 at Iowa 
- Eddie Genborg (from Timra (Sweden)): Two points (1-1—2) in nine AHL games. Made AHL debut on March 20 at Rockford. First AHL goal on April 4 at Manitoba
- Anton Johansson (from Leksands (Sweden)): Three points (1-2—3) in five AHL games. First AHL goal on April 4 at Manitoba
- Dylan James (from North Dakota (NCAA)): Made pro debut on April 15 at Iowa 
- Jesse Kiiskinen (from HPK (Finland)): Made AHL debut on April 11 against Rockford (one assist) 

The Return
Below is a list of players who were reassigned to the Griffins following the conclusion of the Detroit Red Wings’ season.  
- Michael Brandsegg-Nygard: 44 points (20-24—44) in 59 games
- Carter Mazur: 16 points (11-5—16) in 15 games
- Dominik Shine: 38 points (21-17—38) in 39 games
- Axel Sandin-Pellikka: Three points (2-1—3) in five games

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.), 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.) and 50 games (40-7-2-1, 83 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)
- Second-best record in AHL history through 55 games (42-9-3-1, 88 pts.)
- Tied second-best record in AHL history through 45 games (35-7-2-1, 73 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 
- Earliest playoff clinching date in franchise history on Feb. 27 (previously March 6)
- Second-earliest division title in franchise history on March 26 (previously March 9) 
- Fastest to 100 points in franchise history in game 66 (previously game 69 in 2005-06) 
- Franchise record for most home wins (24) in a 36-game slate (previously 23 in 2023-24)
- Franchise record for most road points (56) in a 36-game slate (previously 42 in 2024-25)
- Franchise record for most road wins (27) (previously 26 in 2002-03, when it played 40 road contests instead of the current 36); 
- Franchise record for best road points percentage (.800) (previously .713 in 2002-03)
- Franchise record for most overall points (107) in a 72-game season (previously 86 in 2023-24)
- Franchise record for most overall wins (51) in a 72-game season (previously 37 in 2024-25 & 2023-24)
- Franchise record for best overall record (.754) (previously .719 in 2005-06)
- Fastest to 50 wins in franchise history in game 70 (previously game 71 in 2005-06)
- Franchise record for largest shutout margin on April 17 at Milwaukee (8-0 W)

Important Starts
Playing with a lead has been crucial for the Griffins this season, as they are 38-3-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal compared to 13-12-3-1 when conceding the opening tally. In addition, Grand Rapids is 24-0 when leading after the first period and 4-7-2-1 when trailing after the opening frame. When trailing after the second stanza, the Griffins are just 5-11-0-1 compared to 35-0 when leading after the second. 

Putting the League on Notice 
Rookie netminder Michal Postava is 17-6-0 with four shutouts, a 1.71 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in 25 games. In an 8-0 victory at Milwaukee on Friday, Postava logged his fourth shutout of the campaign behind 24 saves, which set a franchise record for most shutouts by a rookie in a single season. Postava is currently on a four-game win streak, showing two shutouts, a 1.00 GAA and a .960 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Postava ranks first in GAA and save percentage, and tied for third in shutouts. He tied a franchise record by becoming the 10th netminder in team history to post back-to-back shutouts from Jan. 17-21. Postava 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 on Jan. 21. 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). 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. 

What’s The Password? 
The Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 2.15 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids posted its 10th shutout of the season on Friday in an 8-0 win at Milwaukee, which are the most since 2003-04 (10). 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 24 times all season (33.8%) but have averaged 2.60 goals allowed in their last five outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 86.3%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 2.28 GAA with a .917 save percentage and five shutouts, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.71 GAA, a .937 save percentage and four shutouts. 

Pucks on Net 
Grand Rapids has posted at least four goals in seven of its last 11 games and has averaged 4.86 goals per game in the seven games in April. The Griffins rank second in the AHL with 3.54 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 251-153 and is 38-3-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins outscored their opponents 110-78 at home, while possessing a 141-75 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (100-48). John Leonard leads the team and ranks second in the AHL with 33 goals, while Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 26 and Sheldon Dries places third with 23. Leonard, Tralmaks, Dries, Dominik Shine (21) and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (20) have all hit the 20-goal mark this season, which marks the first time since 2017-18 that Grand Rapids has at least five 20-goal scorers. Brandsegg-Nygard is also the 11th Griffins rookie to score 20 goals and the first since Jonatan Berggren (21) in 2021-22. 

The Leader
John Leonard was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team for the second consecutive season (Charlotte in 2024-25). He became the first Griffin selected to an AHL All-Star Team since 2020-21 (Riley Barber) and the first named to the Second All-Star Team since 2015-16 (Robbie Russo). Leonard enjoyed a five-game point streak from April 1-11 (2-5—7) and has 14 points in his last 15 AHL outings (7-7—14). The 27-year-old leads the team in points (33-21—54) and goals (33), while tying for fifth in assists. Leonard also ranks among the AHL leaders in goals (33, 2nd), shorthanded goals (5, T1st) and game-winners (8, T2nd). He also places fourth in points-per-game (1.15) among players with at least 40 games played. Leonard logged a team-best six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2, which marked a career high, and showed a 10-game point streak from Oct. 10-Nov. 19, which set a career high and a new franchise record to begin a season. The Detroit Red Wings re-signed Leonard to a one-year contract on Thursday. 

Road Warriors
The Griffins have already set the best road record in franchise history with an .800 points percentage (27-6-1-1), beating out the previous record of .713 (26-9-3-2) set in 2002-03. Grand Rapids has also set a franchise record for most road victories in a single season at 27, surpassing the 2002-03 team (26 wins), when it played 40 road contests instead of the current 36. Grand Rapids is currently on a six-game win streak on the road and have outscored opponents 36-9 during the run. The Griffins have also scored at least five goals in six straight road contests since March 26, and has a plus-66 scoring margin in foreign territory this season (141-75). 

The Well is not Dry
Sheldon Dries enjoyed a season-high six-game point streak (2-5—7) from March 7-April 4 and has 11 points (5-6—11) in his last 13 AHL outings. Throughout 57 AHL games this season, Dries has 45 points (23-22—45) and a career-high plus-20 rating. The Macomb, Michigan, native ranks second on the roster in points, fourth in assists, and third in goals. He was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/ AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 21 when he logged six points (2-4—6) and a plus-eight rating in three games. Throughout his nine-year AHL career, Dries has 289 points (161-128—289), 270 penalty minutes and a plus-47 rating in 396 games. He made his Red Wings debut on March 12 at Tampa Bay and appeared in five games with Detroit this season. 

Untouchables
Below are statistical categories in which the Griffins are undefeated in regulation.
- 24-0 when leading after the first period
- 35-0 when leading after the second period 
- 12-0 in games decided by four or more goals
- 44-0-2-1 when scoring at least three goals
- 4-0 when allowing 10-19 shots 

The Brick Wall
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fifth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas with 26 saves and enjoyed a seven-game point streak from Feb. 3-28 (6-0-1). His career-high five shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2015-16 (Jared Coreau). Cossa has a 26-8-4 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .917 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 sixth in GAA, fifth in save percentage, second in shutouts, third in wins and 13th in minutes played (2261:50). 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). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 70-33-18 mark with eight shutouts to go along with a 2.44 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 122 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team.

United Nations
The Griffins’ roster is comprised of nine different nationalities. Grand Rapids’ lineup on March 24 included players from nine different birth countries, which was a first in the franchise’s 30-year history. 
USA (8): Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Austin Watson, Shai Buium, Trey Augustine, Kienan Draper, Carter Mazur, Dominik Shine
Sweden (7): Gabriel Seger, Eddie Genborg, William Wallinder, Anton Johansson, William Lagesson, Erik Gustafsson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Canada (6): Nate Danielson, Alex Doucet, Tyler Angle, Amadeus Lombardi, Sebastian Cossa, Dylan James 
Czechia (3): Ondrej Becher, Jakub Rychlovsky, Michal Postava
Finland (2): Antti Tuomisto, Jesse Kiiskinen
Norway (1): Michael Brandsegg-Nygard 
Latvia (1): Eduards Tralmaks
Poland (1): Wojciech Stachowiak
Thailand (1): Alex Kannok Leipert 

Cleveland/Grand Rapids Player Connections
- Zach Sawchenko and John Leonard were teammates with San Jose (AHL & NHL) in 2021-22
- Zach Sawchenko and Sheldon Dries were teammates with Abbotsford (AHL) in 2023-24
- Boston Buckberger and Shai Buium won a NCAA national title with Denver in 2023-24
- Corson Ceulemans and Carson Bantle were teammates with Wisconsin (NCAA) from 2021-23
- Charlie Elick and Nate Danielson were teammates with Brandon (WHL) from 2021-24
- Caleb MacDonald and Dylan James were teammates with North Dakota (NCAA) in 2024-25
- Riley Bezeau and John Leonard were teammates with Charlotte (AHL) in 2024-25
- Jordan Dumais and Nate Danielson were teammates with Team Canada U20 at the 2024 World Junior Championship
- Josh Eernisse and Kienan Draper were teammates with Michigan (NCAA) from 2023-26. Eernisse and Jacob Truscott were teammates with Michigan from 2023-25 
- Brendan Gaunce and Michael Milne were teammates with Iowa (AHL) in 2024-25
- Tyler Angle competed with Cleveland from 2020-24
- Zach Aston-Reese competed with Grand Rapids in 2023-24
- Hunter McKown, Jack Williams, Jacob Truscott, Carter Mazur, and Kienan Draper were teammates with USNTDP Jrs. (USHL) in 2018-19
- Mikael Pyyhtia and Antti Tuomisto were teammates with TPS (Liiga/Finland) in 2022-23. They also played together with Team Finland U20 in 2019-20 and with Team Finland in 2022-23

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for second in game-winners (8), sixth among rookies in goals (20), tied for 13th among rookies in assists (24), tied for ninth among rookies in points (44), sixth among rookies in plus-minus (+20), tied for sixth among rookies in power-play goals (7), tied for eighth among rookies in shots (144), first among rookies in game-winners (8)
Sebastian Cossa—Sixth in GAA (2.28), fifth in save percentage (.917), second in shutouts (5), third in wins (26), tied for 12th in games played (38), 13th in minutes played (2261:50)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for eighth among defensemen in assists (33), tied for 14th among defensemen in plus-minus (+21) 
Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for 13th in shorthanded assists (2), tied for fifth among defensemen in shorthanded assists (2)
William Lagesson—Third in plus-minus (+33), first among defensemen in plus-minus (+33)
John Leonard—Second in goals (33), tied for first in shorthanded goals (5), tied for second in game-winners (8)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for 12th in game-winners (5)
Michal Postava—First in GAA (1.71), first in save percentage (.937), tied for third in shutouts (4)
Dominik Shine—Tied for 14th in plus-minus (+26)
Eduards Tralmaks—Eighth in plus-minus (+29)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for sixth in plus-minus (+30), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+30)
William Wallinder—Tied for 14th among defensemen in plus-minus (+21)
Austin Watson—Eighth in penalty minutes (146) 

Milestones 
In an 8-0 win at Milwaukee on Friday, Michal Postava set a franchise rookie record with his fourth shutout of the season. In addition, Wojciech Stachowiak collected three assists in his 300th pro game and Antti Tuomisto bagged two helpers for his 100th pro point.  
Tyler Angle—One assist from 100 as a pro
Jakub Rychlovsky—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—Four goals from 100 as a Griffin, one unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11 
Eduards Tralmaks—Four goals from 100 as a pro
Austin Watson—Three points from 200 in the AHL  

Photo by Alyssa Luke/Griffins