Griffins Game #10 * Road Game #6 * AHL Game #135

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 73-39-9-13 All-Time Home Series: 42-18-4-3 All-Time Road Series: 31-21-5-10

Griffins at Monsters
First of eight meetings overall, first of four at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse…Grand Rapids has points in 20 out of the last 25 games overall (13-5-4-3, .660)...Since the 2020-21 season, the Griffins are 19-8-4-3 (.662) against Cleveland and have outscored them 108-84. On the road during that span, Grand Rapids is 8-6-1-2 (.559) against the Monsters with a plus-five scoring margin (52-47)...Cleveland’s power play ranks 17th in the AHL at 14.8% and its penalty kill places 29th at 74.2%...The Griffins’ power play is tied for 21st at 13.9% and their penalty kill comes in at 86.2% (12th)...Cleveland is 1-0-0-1 at home this year...The Griffins have lost two straight and are 3-1-1-0 on the road this season...Five of the eight meetings last campaign were decided past regulation and both teams scored 25 goals...The Monsters are the fourth-most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 135th meeting between the two franchises...Right wing Trey Fix-Wolansky is tied for the team lead with eight points (3-5—8) in seven games. All-time against Grand Rapids, Fix-Wolansky has 29 points (11-18—29) in 27 games, which includes 23 points (7-16—23) in his last 15 meetings against the Griffins...Head coach Dan Watson suited up for the Cleveland Barons from 2002-04 and calls Cleveland home during the offseason. 

Last Time Out
The Griffins suffered their first home loss of the season on Friday to the Rockford IceHogs 4-1 at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids’ two regulation losses this season have both been at the hands of the IceHogs. The 18 goals surrendered by Grand Rapids tied the franchise record low over the first nine games of a season, as they allowed the same amount in 2004-05. Brogan Rafferty scored the lone goal for the Griffins, and veteran Josiah Didier and rookie Nate Danielson were credited with the assists. Dan Watson appeared in his 500th game as a professional head coach and Jakub Rychlovsky skated in his 300th professional contest.

This Date in Griffins History
2008: Justin Abdelkader is named the Reebok Edge/American Hockey League Rookie of the Month for October, after scoring a team-high seven goals and adding two assists for nine points in seven games. He becomes the first Griffin in five and a half years and just the second ever to win the AHL’s Rookie of the Month award, following Tomas Kopecky’s honor for February 2003.

Hot Start
The Griffins are tied for their second best start in franchise history with 13 points (6-1-1-0) through the first nine games, previously done in 2008-09, 2005-06, and 2003-04. Grand Rapids went undefeated while playing three games in three days last weekend, a feat it has accomplished only once before (April 5-7, 2002). The Griffins hadn’t swept a 3-in-3 in any venues since Dec. 29-31, 2017. Grand Rapids also began the year 3-0-0-0 at home for the first time since 2009-10, when it won its first eight games at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed two goals or less in five of the nine contests but have scored an average of just 2.33 goals per game (29th). 

Shoot Your Shot
The Griffins have been outshot in every single game this season and have averaged 24 shots per game, which ranks last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots twice and has reached over 30 shots just once. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents have average 31.1 shots per game (22nd in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots just twice. However, Grand Rapids has a 4-1-1-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and a 5-1-1-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense
The Griffins are tied for second in the AHL with just 2.00 goals allowed per game, as the 18 goals surrendered are tied for the fewest in franchise history over the first nine games of a season. They also allowed 17 in 2004-05, and for comparison, ceded 30 goals in the opening nine games last year. Grand Rapids allowed just one goal inside Van Andel Arena in the first three games, which was the fewest over a three-game home stretch since it posted three straight shutouts from Dec. 30, 2006 to Jan. 10, 2007. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just eight goals in its last seven regular-season games at Van Andel Arena. 

Shine Bright
Veteran Dominik Shine scored two goals on Wednesday at Hartford and now has five points (3-2—5) in his last four outings. Shine paces the squad with eight points (4-4—8) in nine games, while his four goals are tied for the team lead with Amadeus Lombardi. The Detroit native has spent his entire career with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and has accumulated 146 points (65-81—146) and 488 penalty minutes in 431 appearances. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played , eighth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for fourth in unassisted goals (8). Last year, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (23), points (33) and plus-minus rating (+8). 

Loaded Ammo
Second-year pro Amadeus Lombardi has found a rhythm offensively, as he has four points (2-2—4) in his last four games. The 21-year-old logged his first two-goal game as a pro on Oct. 19 against Manitoba and later registered a career-high three points (2-1—3) last Saturday at Lehigh Valley. Lombardi is tied for second on the team with six points (4-2—6) and his four goals are tied for first on the roster. Last season, the Aurora, Ontario, native scored just five goals in 70 games and finished the campaign with 26 points (5-21—26). 

Win by Committee
During this hot start for the Griffins, the team has used three different netminders to fuel the success. Sebastian Cossa leads the way with a 4-2-1 record with one shutout to go along with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. Ville Husso has a 1-0-0 mark with one shutout in two games with a 0.70 GAA and a .970 save percentage. Rookie Carter Gylander made his AHL debut last Sunday and earned a 4-3 shootout victory, making 33 saves and stopping all three shootout attempts by Lehigh Valley. Combined, the trio has a 1.97 GAA and a .936 save percentage through nine outings. On Saturday, Gylander was reassigned to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and Gage Alexander was reassigned to the Griffins from the Walleye. 

Criss-Cross Applesauce
Third-year pro Cross Hanas enjoyed a team-high three-game point streak (2-1—3) from Oct. 25-27 and scored goals in back-to-back outings from Oct. 26-27 for the first time since Nov. 11-12, 2022. An injury-riddled first year limited the forward to just 17 points (9-8—17) in 30 games, and then the 22-year-old struggled in his second year last season with 16 points (8-8—16) in 58 appearances. Through nine outings this campaign, Hanas has three points (2-1—3), eight penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. Hanas was selected with the 55th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. 

Austin Powers
Veteran Austin Watson enjoyed a team-high three-game assist streak from Oct. 25-27. With six assists in the first eight games, the 32-year-old is tied for 11th in the AHL. Watson leads all veterans on the roster with 759 games played with 265 points (133-125—265). The former 18th overall pick in 2010 by Nashville has amassed 138 points (73-65—138) in 242 AHL contests and 118 points (60-58—118) in 517 NHL appearances.

Milestones 
On Friday, Dan Watson appeared in his 500th game as a pro head coach and Jakub Rychlovsky skated in his 300th pro contest. 
Tory Dello—One point from 50 as a pro and in the AHL 

Back For More
Last season, Sebastian Cossa set a franchise record with a 19-game point streak (13-0-6), and tied both the franchise record home and road point streaks of 13 home games (9-0-4) and 10 road contests (8-0-2), respectively. Cossa continues to rewrite the record book, as he posted a 35-save shutout in the season opener on Oct. 11 against Milwaukee. He became the first Griffins goalie to post an opening-night shutout in 26 years, since Ian Gordon made 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Kansas City on Oct. 9, 1998. Through seven outings this year, the 21-year-old has a 4-2-1 mark with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. 

The Watson Supercomputer
Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and is in his second season at the helm. Last campaign, Watson became the ninth head coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to the postseason during his first full season behind the bench, joining Dave Allison (1996-97), Bruce Cassidy (2000-01), Danton Cole (2002-03), Greg Ireland (2005-06), Curt Fraser (2008-09), Jeff Blashill (2012-13), Todd Nelson (2015-16) and Ben Simon (2018-19). On April 27, 2024 in a 3-2 overtime victory at Rockford, he also joined seven other head coaches who won their first postseason game behind the Griffins’ bench. Watson became the eighth of the last nine Griffins head coaches to win his first playoff series, defeating the IceHogs 3-1 in the 2024 Central Division Semifinals. In his first year at the helm, Watson led the Griffins to a second-place finish in the Central Division with a 37-23-8-4 record and 86 points, the team’s best finish since the 2016-17 campaign. As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 315-137-31-17 (.678) ledger during the regular season and a 56-38 (.596) mark over only six playoff campaigns. With the Griffins, Watson has a 43-25-9-4 (.611) mark overall and a 26-8-4-2 (.725) record at home. 

Roster Breakdown 
Twenty players (forwards Nate Danielson, Alex Doucet, Sheldon Dries, Cross Hanas, Amadeus Lombardi, Carter Mazur, Jakub Rychlovsky, Joe Snively, Elmer Soderblom, and Austin Watson; defensemen Shai Buium, Tory Dello, William Lagesson, Brogan Rafferty, Antti Tuomisto, Eemil Viro and William Wallinder; goaltenders Sebastian Cossa, Carter Gylander, and Ville Husso) on the roster are under contract with the Red Wings, while six players (forwards Carson Bantle, Trenton Bliss, Hunter Johannes, Gabriel Seger and Dominik Shine; and defenseman Josiah Didier) are playing on a Griffins contract. Ten players are Red Wings draft picks (Cossa, Danielson, Gylander, Hanas, Lombardi, Mazur, Soderblom, Tuomisto, Viro, and Wallinder). 

Young Guns
The Griffins have seven players who are considered rookies this season, including forwards Carson Bantle, Nate Danielson, Alex Doucet, Jakub Rychlovsky, and Gabriel Seger, defenseman Shai Buium, and goaltender Carter Gylander. 

Oldies but Goodies 
The Griffins’ roster features five veterans including forwards Sheldon Dries, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Josiah Didier and William Lagesson. A player receives veteran status if he has competed in at least 261 games in the NHL, AHL or European elite leagues. Watson leads all veterans with 759 professional games played, while Didier (462) ranks second and Shine (431) places third. 

Pour Me A Draft
The Griffins’ roster is stocked with high-end draft picks from previous years. The roster features three former first rounders in Sebastian Cossa (15th overall in 2021), Nate Danielson (9th overall in 2023), and Austin Watson (18th in 2010). In addition, Grand Rapids is highlighted with four former second-round picks, including Shai Buium (36th in 2021), Cross Hanas (55th in 2020), Antti Tuomisto (35th in 2019), and William Wallinder (32nd in 2020). The Griffins’ roster also includes two third-round picks from Detroit in Carter Mazur (70th in 2021) and Eemil Viro (70th in 2020), and 17 draft picks total. 

Across the Atlantic We Go
The Detroit Red Wings have a rich tradition of possessing some of the top talent to come out of Sweden, such as Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom, and more recently Lucas Raymond. This year is no different, as the NHL franchise has sent down a handful of Swedes to the Griffins. In fact, four players are Swedish natives, including Gabriel Seger, William Lagesson, Elmer Soderblom and William Wallinder. Grand Rapids also features three Finnish players in Ville Husso, Antti Tuomisto and Eemil Viro, and one player hailing from Czechia in Jakub Rychlovsky. 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins