Griffins Game #27 * Road Game #16 * AHL Game #394

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 43-29-5-5 All-Time Home Series: 23-12-1-4 All-Time Road Series: 20-17-4-1

Griffins at Stars 
Second of eight meetings overall, second of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park...In the last five seasons since the 2020-21, the Griffins are 11-11-2-1 (.500) against Texas with a minus-10 scoring margin (81-71)...Also since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 6-5-2-0 (.538) against the Stars at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park and has been outscored 48-42...Last season, the Griffins went winless against the Stars in Texas with a 0-3-1-0 record…Texas is the fourth-highest scoring team in the AHL with 3.58 goals scored per game, while conceding the fourth-most at 3.67 goals...Texas ranks in the top 10 in shots per game (30.8, 9th) and the Griffins rank last at 24.7...Texas is 4-5-1-0 in its last 10 games and 6-4-1-0 at home this season...The Griffins are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 and 9-5-1-0 on the road...The Stars have one win in their last six games (1-4-1-0) and Grand Rapids has three wins in its last six outings (3-3-0-0)...The Stars’ penalty kill unit ranks 21st at 79.8% and the Griffins come in at third (88.9%)...Texas’ power play places eighth at 20.6% while the Griffins are tied for 20th (16.5%)...Jack Campbell competed with the Texas Stars from 2011-16, making his pro debut on March 23, 2012 at Oklahoma City (1-3 L, 32 saves). He then made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20, 2013 at Anaheim (3-6 L, 41 saves). With the Texas Stars, Campbell showed a 56-43-15 record during the regular season with a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Campbell became a Calder Cup champion with the Stars in 2014, contributing with a 2-1 record, a 2.54 GAA and a .917 save percentage in four games...Sheldon Dries made his pro debut with the Stars on Oct. 6, 2017 at Chicago and totaled 30 points (19-11—30) in 70 games during his rookie season with the club...Cross Hanas is a native of Highland Village, Texas and played for the Dallas Stars Elite in the T1EHL from 2015-18 at the U13, U14 and U16 levels before joining the WHL...Texas’ Antonio Stranges is tied for sixth in the AHL with 26 points (10-16—26), Justin Hryckowian is tied for second among rookies with 23 points (9-14—23), and Kyle Capobianco ranks fifth among defensemen with 19 points (2-17—19). 

Last Time Out
In their first trip to the Lone Star State this year, the Griffins knocked off the Texas Stars 4-2 on Tuesday at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. Grand Rapids improved to 14-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals. Sheldon Dries secured the game-winner, good for his team-high 11th goal and his fourth in the last five games. Austin Watson (1-1—2) and Joe Snively (0-2—2) tallied a pair of points in the outing while William Wallinder found the back of the net for the first time this season. Goaltender Jack Campbell got the start and earned his first win as a Griffin (1-2-0), saving 20 shots. Campbell improved to a .917 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average. 

This Date in Griffins History
2015: The Griffins rally from deficits of 2-0 early and 3-2 entering the third period to extend their franchise record with their 13th consecutive win, 5-4 over Texas. 

Keep It Steady  
Despite dropping four of their past eight games, the Griffins still rank first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and tied for third in the AHL with a 17-8-1-0 record and 35 points through 26 games. This marks the first time that Grand Rapids has been atop the division in December or later since the 2018-19 season, when it held a share of first place as late as March 8. When Dec. 16 dawned last season, the Griffins stood fourth place in the division with a 9-12-2-1 record. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed two goals or less in 15 of the 26 contests and have scored an average of 3.04 goals per game (T18th).  

Road Trip 
The Griffins will conclude their season-high six-game road trip tonight at the Texas Stars. Grand Rapids is 3-2-0-0 in the first five games of the trip that began on Dec. 7 at Chicago. The Griffins are 9-5-1-0 (.633) in foreign territory this campaign with 19 points, which ranks third in the AHL on the road. Through the first 15 road games last season, Grand Rapids sported a 3-9-2-1 record (.300). 

Damn Daniel, Back At It Again 
Rookie Nate Danielson, selected ninth overall by Detroit in 2023, had just two points (1-1—2) in his first eight games as a pro. However, he enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak (1-4—5) from Nov. 24-Dec. 1 and has 12 points (2-10—12) in his last 14 contests. His 13 assists in 26 games are tied for fifth among rookies while his 16 points are tied for 15th among first-year players. Danielson also ranks fourth on the roster in points and second in assists. The 20-year-old made his pro debut with Grand Rapids on May 20 at Milwaukee during the Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the postseason with two appearances. Prior to turning pro, Danielson spent four campaigns in the WHL from 2020-24 and amassed 217 points (83-134—217) in 199 regular-season games. 

Austin Powers 
Veteran Austin Watson enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak from Dec. 1-8 (2-2—4), which was three games short of his career best in the AHL. Watson has secured a point in eight of the past 10 games (6-3—9) and is tied for first on the roster with 20 points (8-12—20) in 25 games. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native has spent the majority of his career in the NHL, showing 118 points (60-58—118) in 518 appearances. At the AHL level, Watson possesses 152 points (81-71—152) in 259 outings, as he had spent his entire AHL career with Milwaukee before this season. 

Battle for Power
The Griffins scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%) but have now converted on two of their past 23 man-advantages (8.7%). The power play is tied for 20th on the circuit at 16.5% (15-for-91). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 6-for-30 (20.0%, T12th) and its road power play is 9-for-61 (14.8%, 25th). The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks third in the AHL at 88.9% and their four short-handed goals are tied for fourth. Grand Rapids has surrendered a power-play goal in four of its last six outings (21-for-25 on PK, 84.0%).   

Holy Goalies
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, has been the go-to netminder for the Griffins this season, as he has a 10-5-1 mark with a 2.24 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 16 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (939:00, 3rd), GAA (9th) wins (3rd), and save percentage (6th). The 22-year-old collected his first NHL victory during his debut on Dec. 9 at the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and two stops in the shootout. Cossa became the first netminder in NHL history to win his debut via a shootout in a relief effort. Veteran Jack Campbell was assigned to Grand Rapids on Nov. 18 and made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves. He later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 victory. Through three games with Grand Rapids, Campbell has a 2.37 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Campbell has 441 pro games under his belt with a 2.67 GAA and 230 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (238 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). Campbell competed with the Texas Stars from 2011-16, making his pro debut on March 23, 2012 at Oklahoma City (1-3 L, 32 saves). He then made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20, 2013 at Anaheim (3-6 L, 41 saves). With Texas, Campbell showed a 56-43-15 record during the regular season with a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Campbell became a Calder Cup champion with the Stars in 2014, contributing with a 2-1 record, a 2.54 GAA and a .917 save percentage in four games

Young Sheldon
Veteran Sheldon Dries has scored a goal in the four of the last five games and has eight points (5-3—8) in his last eight outings. The Macomb, Michigan, native is first on the roster with 11 goals in 23 games and is on pace for his second 30-plus goal campaign (35 in 2021-22). Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he spent four seasons at Western Michigan University from 2013-17 and totaled 84 points (44-40—84) in 148 contests, serving as captain for three campaigns. The 30-year-old has competed in 419 pro games with 245 points (140-105—245) and 219 points (124-95—219) in 297 AHL appearances. 

He Shoots, He Scores
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Griffins scored more than two goals just three times and averaged 2.20 goals per game, which ranked 29th in the AHL as of Nov. 4. Since then, Grand Rapids has scored at least four goals in nine of the last 16 contests, averaging 3.56 goals per game. However, the Griffins have struggled to find the back of the net as of late, with 2.67 goals per game in their last six outings. The Griffins are tied for 18th on the circuit with 3.04 goals per outing while ranking first in goals against per game (2.50). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 14-0-0-0 compared to 3-8-1-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

No Ordinary Joe
Newcomer Joe Snively enjoyed a team-high four-game goal streak from Nov. 13-22 and has 13 points (7-6—13) in his last 14 outings. Snively is tied for first on the roster in points (9-11—20) and tied for second in goals (9) through 26 appearances. The Herndon, Virginia, native has won the last two Calder Cups with the Hershey Bears and showed a combined 33 points (6-27—33) in 40 games during the postseason with a 28-12 record in the past two playoffs. Snively also aided Hershey to a regular-season title last year with a 53-14-0-5 mark (111 pts., .771), the second-best regular-season record in AHL history and the most wins by an AHL team in a 72-game season. The 28-year-old is in search of his third straight Calder Cup, as only 11 players in league history have won three consecutive cups in the AHL and no one has achieved this feat since the 1978 season. 

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense
The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 2.50 goals allowed per game, as the 65 goals surrendered are tied for fifth in the AHL. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 27 goals in its last 14 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (1.93 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 47 goals in their last 17 regular-season road games (2.76 GA per game). 

If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Starting the game off on the right foot has been imperative for the Griffins early this season. Grand Rapids is 11-1-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal and 14-2-1-0 when either tied or leading after the first period. The Griffins have scored the first goal 13 times, tied for the ninth-most in the AHL, and their 11 wins while scoring the first tally are tied for fourth on the circuit. When the Griffins allow the first goal they are 6-7-0-0, and 3-7-0-0 when trailing after two periods. 

Shoot Your Shot
The Griffins have outshot their opponent just five times in the first 26 contests, with three of those five coming against Chicago. The Griffins average 24.7 shots per game, which ranks last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots five times and has exceeded 30 shots five times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 29.3 shots per game (17th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 11 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 237-181 compared to being outshot 251-231 in the second and 263-216 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 11-4-1-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and a 9-5-1-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for 12th among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+4), tied for eighth among rookie defensemen in assists (8)
Sebastian Cossa—Third in minutes played (939:00), tied for third in games played (16), ninth in GAA (2.24), third in wins (10), and sixth in save percentage (.922)
Nate Danielson—Tied for second in short-handed assists (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed assists (2), tied for fifth among rookies in assists (13)
Alex Doucet—Tied for second in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
William Lagesson—Tied for eighth among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+10), tied for third among defensemen in short-handed assists (1)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for first in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (6) 

Milestones 
On Tuesday, Tim Gettinger skated in his 300th game in the AHL. Last Saturday, Elmer Soderblom registered his 100th point as a pro with an assist at Colorado and Austin Watson collected his 150th AHL point with a goal. 
Alex Doucet—One point from 50 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Three games from 300 in the AHL, five assists from 100 in the AHL

Photo by Texas Stars