Griffins Game #39 * Road Game #18 * AHL Game #639

Season Series: 4-0-0-0 Home Series: 3-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 84-47-1-1-10 All-Time Home Series: 45-21-1-1-7 All-Time Road Series: 39-26-0-0-3

Griffins at Moose
Fifth of eight meetings overall, second of four at the Canada Life Centre…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 40-23-0-3 (.629) against them, including an 18-12-0-1 (.597) ledger in Manitoba...The Griffins are 19-14-0-3 (.569) overall against Manitoba since the 2021-22 season with a minus-two scoring margin (94-92). On the road since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 9-7-0-1 (.559) against the Moose with a minus-five scoring margin (51-46)...Thirteen of the last 20 meetings have been decided by just one goal...This is the 144th meeting between the two teams, which is the third-most encounters by any Grand Rapids opponent...Manitoba is 8-8-1-0 at home compared to 11-7-2-0 on the road...The Griffins are 17-3-1-0 at home and are on a 17-game road points streak (15-0-1-1), which is a new AHL record...The Moose are 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games and the Griffins are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10...Manitoba’s power play ranks 31st in the AHL at 13.6% and its penalty kill is tied for eighth at 82.7%...The Griffins place 10th in the power-play rankings at 20.2% and rank first in penalty kill at 87.7%...The Moose rank 28th with 2.62 goals per game and 10th with 2.89 goals against...Former Griffin Drew MacIntyre (2004-06) is Manitoba’s goaltending coach. MacIntyre was a member of the Griffins’ 2005-06 squad that won the AHL’s regular-season championship, and he remains as Grand Rapids’ career playoff leader in GAA (1.62) and save percentage (.940)...Manitoba’s Kale Clague is tied for seventh among defensemen in goals (6) and Tyrel Bauer is tied for fourth among blueliners in penalty minutes (66)...The Moose have four recent first-round draft picks in Brayden Yager (14th in 2023 by PIT), Colby Barlow (18th in 2023 by WPG), Brad Lambert (30th in 2022 by WPG), and Ville Heinola (20th in 2019 by WPG). 

Last Time Out
With a 2-1 victory over the Manitoba Moose at the Canada Life Centre on Friday, the Griffins claimed the longest road points streak in the AHL’s 90-year history at 17 straight contests (15-0-1-1). Grand Rapids’ 67 points through 38 games (32-3-2-1) remained a league best, and both goals on the night for the Griffins came from special teams. Sheldon Dries potted the first of the game on the power play for his 13th of season, and Gabriel Seger notched his third of the campaign while shorthanded. Shai Buium grabbed his first assist of the season, while Sebastian Cossa improved to 18-2-2 and tallied 20 saves. 

This Date in Griffins History
2006: Donald MacLean scores the Griffins’ 68th power play goal of the season – in the team’s 46th game – during the first period of a 3-2 win over San Antonio, breaking the franchise record of 67 set over 80 contests in 2002-03. 

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 last Saturday with 10 saves in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee and followed that performance with a 19-save blanking of Milwaukee on Wednesday. His 10 saves set a new franchise record for fewest in a shutout. After beginning the campaign 5-0, the 23-year-old suffered his first AHL defeat on Jan. 9 against Texas. Postava is now 7-1-0 with a 1.48 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in nine 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. 

A Happy New Year
Despite dropping three of the last six games, the Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 32-3-2-1 ledger and 67 points through 38 games. Grand Rapids tied the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.) for the best start in the AHL’s 90-year history through 35 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 15-0-1-1 on the road and 17-3-1-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road is a new AHL record, surpassing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals’ 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (67), has a 17-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 31 points up on a playoff spot. 

Sparkling Stars
Last Thursday, 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.   

Boosted Lineup
The Griffins have seen a few players come back from injuries in the last couple of weeks. Defenseman Shai Buium made his season debut on Jan. 9 after suffering an upper-body injury during the NHL preseason with Detroit, while forward Amadeus Lombardi returned last Tuesday after spending Nov. 22-Jan. 9 sidelined with an upper-body injury. Finally, goaltender Michal Postava returned to the crease on Jan. 3, which was his first game since Nov. 9 after enduring a lower-body injury. Fellow Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur remains on the injury report and has not played since Oct. 28 after producing six points (4-2—6) in his first five games. 

What’s the Password? 
The Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.76 goals allowed per contest. Providence is the closest to Grand Rapids with 2.08 goals allowed per game. Grand Rapids posted its seventh shutout of the season on Wednesday against Milwaukee, which are the most since the team registered eight in 2016-17. The Griffins have 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 six times in their last 32 games and have averaged just 1.50 goals allowed in their last 16 outings, which includes five shutouts. In fact, the team has allowed more than two goals just eight times all season (21.1%). In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 87.7%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.77 GAA with a .933 save percentage, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.48 GAA and a .944 save percentage. Grand Rapids also has four of the top five plus-minus ratings among defensemen. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (516) (currently with Detroit), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,129 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 four of the last six games. The Griffins now have 12 goals in their last five contests (2.40 per game) and 24 goals in the previous 10 outings (2.40 per game since Dec. 31). However, the Griffins still rank first in the AHL with 3.58 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 136-67 and is 24-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 64-32 at home, while possessing a 72-35 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (55-24). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 11th in shots per game (29.5). John Leonard leads the team and ranks second in the AHL with 25 goals, while Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 15 and Dominik Shine places third with 14. 

Leaders of the Pack
The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season, and are 17 points above second-place Chicago and 31 points up on a playoff spot. Grand Rapids is 25-2-2-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 109-55, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. Last season, it took the Griffins 50 games to reach 25 wins against the division (25-21-3-1) compared to 30 games this season. Twenty-six of the remaining 34 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (76.5%), which includes three of the next four contests. The Griffins will see the most games against the Milwaukee Admirals (6) and the Chicago Wolves (6) followed by the Rockford IceHogs (5). 

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 has won the last two 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 18-2-2 record with a 1.77 goals-against average and a .933 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 first in wins. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 62-27-16 mark with seven shutouts to go along with a 2.36 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 106 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team.   
 

Johnny Bravo
John Leonard has 38 points and 25 goals in 29 games with the Griffins this season to go along with four penalty minutes, eight game-winners and a plus-12 rating. In the AHL rankings, the sixth-year veteran is tied for ninth in points, second in goals and first in game-winners. Leonard has jumped back and forth between Detroit and Grand Rapids since Dec. 16, showing four points (2-2—4) in nine games with the Red Wings. He was named the Fortune Tires “Expect More” AHL Player of the Month for November with 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games and became just the third player in franchise history to win the award, joining Riley Barber (April 2022) and Chris Minard (Feb. 2012). Leonard’s career-best 10-game point streak from Oct. 10-Nov. 19 set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career, and his career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied for the third-longest run in franchise history. Throughout parts of six AHL seasons since 2020-21, Leonard has 209 points (108-101—209) in 278 games.   

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 fifth 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 Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar. Tralmaks, a native of Riga, Latvia, has 20 points (15-5—19), six penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating in 38 games with the Griffins this season. He ranks among the team leaders in goals (2nd), points (T5th), and plus-minus rating (T3rd), while tying for 19th in the AHL in goals and tying for 10th 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.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18), tied for third in game-winners (5), tied for sixth among rookies in assists (16), tied for 12th among rookies in points (24), first among rookies in plus-minus (+18), tied for ninth among rookies in shots (79), first among rookies in game-winners (5)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.77), second in save percentage (.933), first in shutouts (4), first in wins (18)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18), tied for 14th among defensemen in points (20), tied for 10th among defensemen in assists (18), tied for fourth 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 fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
William Lagesson—Third in plus-minus (+24), first among defensemen in plus-minus (+24)
John Leonard—Second in goals (25), tied for ninth in points (38), tied for first in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (8)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+18)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+19), tied for seventh among defensemen in goals (6), third among defensemen in plus-minus (+19)

William Wallinder—Tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)

Milestones 
On Wednesday in a 3-0 win over Milwaukee, Dan Watson appeared in his 600th game as a pro head coach.
Sheldon Dries—Three points from 300 as a pro
William Lagesson—Two assists from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11 

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Manitoba Moose