Griffins Game #26 * Road Game #13 * AHL Game #410

Season Series: 4-0-0-0 Home Series: 2-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 58-26-6-4 All-Time Home Series: 28-11-5-3 All-Time Road Series: 30-15-1-1

Griffins at Wild
Fifth of eight meetings overall, third of four at the Casey’s Center...The Griffins have won 15 of the past 20 meetings against Iowa with a plus-19 scoring margin...Eight of the previous nine meetings have been deciding by just one goal...The Griffins are 23-11-2-2 (.658) overall since the 2021-22 season against the Wild and have a plus-two scoring margin (109-107)...Grand Rapids is 12-6-0-1 (.658) at Iowa since the 2021-22 season with a plus-one scoring margin (60-59)...The Griffins have wins in eight of the last 10 trips to Iowa...Three of the last five games at Iowa have been decided past regulation...The Wild are 4-9-0-1 at home compared to 3-10-0-0 on the road...The Wild are 2-8-0-0 in their last 10 games and Grand Rapids is on a 12-game winning streak...Iowa’s power play is tied for 30th at 11.8% (13-for-110) and its penalty kill places 22nd at 79.0%...The Wild have been outscored 89-55 this season...Iowa ranks 31st with 2.04 goals scored per game and 26th with 3.33 goals allowed per contest...Former Griffins head coach Ben Simon (2018-23) is an assistant coach for the Wild...Former Griffin Wyatt Newpower is featured on Iowa’s roster...Iowa’s Bradley Marek hails from Big Rapids, Michigan and played his last USHL season with Muskegon before playing two seasons at Ferris State (2021-23)...Former Ferris State Bulldog Gerry Mayhew returned to Iowa this offseason. All time against the Griffins since 2017-18, Mayhew has 34 points (20-14—34) in 37 games. With Iowa against Grand Rapids, Mayhew has 28 points (18-10—28) in 27 games...Iowa’s Mark Liwiski ranks first in the AHL with 141 penalty minutes and Mayhew is tied for ninth with five power-play goals.

Last Time Out
Dominik Shine (2-0—2) recorded his third multi-goal game of the season, and surpassed Tomas Tatar for the fourth-most goals in franchise history (88), when the Griffins took down the Iowa Wild 5-2 in a third-period comeback at the Casey’s Center on Wednesday. The Griffins grabbed the best start in league history through 25 games with a 23-1-0-1 record and 47 points, exceeding the 2005-06 W-B/Scranton Penguins (21-1-2-1, 45 pts.). Grand Rapids’ 12-game win streak became the third-longest in franchise history. Erik Gustafsson recorded two assists, and now has seven points in the last three outings, while Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (0-2—2), and Sheldon Dries (0-2—2) also tallied multi-point nights. Sebastian Cossa registered 16 saves between the pipes for his eighth-straight win, improving his record to 13-1.

This Date in Griffins History
2012: In his Griffins debut, former University of Michigan captain and East Grand Rapids High School star Luke Glendening – the first Greater Grand Rapids native to ever play for the Griffins – scores the game’s first goal on his first shot during his first shift, sparking the home squad to an eventual 4-2 victory over Rochester. 

Future is Bright 
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to a 13-1-0 start this season with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage. He is currently on an AHL career-high eight-game win streak. His three shutouts are the most for a Griffins goalie in a single season since Calvin Pickard in 2019-20. In addition, Cossa’s six-career shutouts tie Daniel Larsson and Pokey Reddick for eighth on the team’s all-time list. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks second in GAA, second in save percentage, tied for first in shutouts and first in wins. Cossa was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for November with a 5-1 record, one shutout, a 1.50 GAA and a .941 save percentage. He became just the fourth netminder in franchise history to win the award, joining Jared Coreau, Jimmy Howard and Simon Lajeunesse. Last season, Cossa was named to his first AHL All-Star Classic and ranked among the AHL regular-season leaders in games played (41, T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), GAA (2.45, 11th), save percentage (.911, T13th), and wins (21, T10th). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 57-26-14 mark with six shutouts to go along with a 2.39 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 98 outings.   

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 23-1-0-1 ledger and 47 points through 25 games. The 47 points through 25 games is the best start in the 90-year history of the AHL (see table). Grand Rapids is also the first team in AHL history to win 23 of its first 25 games. The team is currently on a season-high 12-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 17, which is the third-longest run in franchise history (see table). The perfect 8-0 start was the best by an AHL team in four years, and Grand Rapids was the league’s last undefeated team for the first time since the 2000-01 IHL season. The Griffins’ 11-0-0-1 start on the road is the best in franchise history and the 12-1 start at home is also a new franchise best. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (47), has a 16-point cushion for first place in the Central Division, and is 27 points up on a playoff spot.

Shine On, Captain
On Dec. 7 at Toronto, Dominik 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). With two goals on Wednesday at Iowa, Shine surpassed Tomas Tatar for the fourth-most goals in franchise history (88). He collected his first-career hat trick on Nov. 24 in Texas, and on Nov. 25 became just the seventh Griffin to reach 200 points with the team. He has 18 points (10-8—18) in his last 15 outings, is tied for fifth in the AHL with 13 goals, and ranks second on the team with 23 points (13-10—23) in 20 games. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (503), fourth in goals (88), eighth in assists (119), fifth in points (207), sixth in penalty minutes (569), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fifth in game-winners (13), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and fourth in shots (847).  

Ready When Called 
Rookie netminder Carter Gylander has been impressive this season, showing a 5-0-1 record with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in six games. The 24-year-old is currently on an AHL career-high five-game win streak from Nov. 12-Dec. 14 with a 1.58 GAA and a .946 save percentage. In his two-year AHL career with Grand Rapids, Gylander has a 7-1-1 ledger with a 2.40 GAA and a .919 save percentage in nine appearances. Gylander has spent the majority of the season in the ECHL with Toledo and has totaled a 2.99 GAA and an .896 save percentage in eight games. Last campaign, Gylander aided the Walleye to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Finals before falling to Trois-Rivieres. He was the 191st overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.  

Veteran Presence
Erik Gustafsson, a 15-year veteran, has 16 points (1-15—16) and a plus-15 rating in 15 games with Grand Rapids. He also has seven points (1-6—7) in his last three games with the Griffins. Among AHL defensemen, Gustafsson is tied for fourth in assists, tied for 10th in points and fourth in plus-minus rating. He has competed in 516 NHL games since 2015-16 after being selected with the 93rd overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In his NHL career, Gustafsson has notched 240 points (47-193—240) and 163 penalty minutes in 516 regular-season games, adding 12 points (2-10—12) and 10 penalty minutes in 49 Stanley Cup Playoff outings. Prior to this season, the Nynashamn, Sweden, native last played in the AHL during the 2017-18 campaign with the Rockford IceHogs. In his four-year AHL career, Gustafsson has 74 points (12-62—74) and 96 penalty minutes in 135 outings.   

Any Way You Want It 
The Griffins have outscored their opponents 98-46 this season but have a plus-10 scoring margin in their last six games (21-11). In fact, Grand Rapids has one-goal victories in three of its last six contests, improving its overall record in one-goal games to 10-1-0-1. Forty-five percent of the Griffins’ league-leading 23 wins have come by just a single goal. 

Pucks on Net
Grand Rapids has 45 goals in its last 11 contests (4.09 per game) and ranks first in the AHL with 3.92 goals per game. The team has outscored their opponents 98-46 and are 16-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. In addition, the Griffins have outscored their opponents 45-20 at home, while possessing a 53-26 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (42-17). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins are 16th in shots per game (28.6). John Leonard, who is on recall to Detroit, leads the team and league with 19 goals, Dominik Shine places second on the roster with 13, and Eduards Tralmaks ranks third with 12.

Defense Wins Championships
The Griffins’ defense is the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.84 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has allowed more than two goals just three times in its last 19 games and has averaged just 1.50 goals allowed in its last eight outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is second in the AHL at 87.3% (62-for-71). Despite ranking first in goals allowed, the Griffins place 14th with 28.2 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.65 GAA with a .937 save percentage, while first-year netminder Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 GAA and a .936 save percentage, and fellow rookie Carter Gylander has a 1.83 GAA and a .936 save percentage. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (516), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107). Last season, the Griffins finished ninth in the AHL with 2.82 goals allowed per game but spent much of the campaign in the top five for goals allowed per contest. 

Special Powers 
The Griffins have scored on the power play in three of their last six games and in six of their last 11 outings (6-for-27, 22.2%). Grand Rapids’ power play is tied for seventh in the AHL at 23.0% (17-for-74). However, the Griffins have allowed four shorthanded goals this season, which is tied for fourth in the AHL. The penalty kill has allowed just five power-play goals in the last 18 games (40-for-45, 88.9%) and is second overall in the AHL at 87.3% (62-for-71). The 71 times shorthanded are tied for the second-fewest in the league. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for third in game-winners (4), tied for 10th among rookies in assists (11), tied for fifth among rookies in plus-minus (+11), first among rookies in game-winners (4)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.65), second in save percentage (.937), tied for first in shutouts (3), first in wins (13)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+15), tied for 10th among defensemen in points (16), tied for fourth among defensemen in assists (15), fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+15)
Justin Holl—Tied for third in plus-minus (+16), tied for second among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
William Lagesson—Tied for third in plus-minus (+16), tied for second among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
x John Leonard—First in goals (19), third in points (29), tied for 10th in plus-minus (+14), tied for second in shorthanded goals (2), first in game-winners (7)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for sixth among defensemen in plus-minus (+11)
Dominik Shine—Tied for fifth in goals (13), tied for 15th in plus-minus (+12)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for eighth in goals (12)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 15th in plus-minus (+12), tied for 12th among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 12th among defensemen in points (15), fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+12)

Milestones 
On Wednesday at Iowa, Dominik Shine scored two goals and surpassed Tomas Tatar for the fourth-most goals in franchise history (88). 
Ondrej Becher—Two games from 100 as a pro
Sebastian Cossa—Two games from 100 as a Griffin
William Lagesson—Four assists from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Austin Watson—Three goals from 100 in the AHL 
Dan Watson—Three wins from 100 as head coach of the Griffins 

Photo by Iowa Wild