Griffins Game #16 * Road Game #7 * AHL Game #231

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 61-27-6-4 All-Time Home Series: 29-12-5-3 All-Time Road Series: 32-15-1-1

Griffins at Wild
First of 10 meetings overall, first of five at the Casey’s Center...The Griffins have points in 10 of the last 11 games overall against Iowa (8-1-1-1)…Grand Rapids is 10-2-0-0 in the last 12 trips to Iowa…In the last five seasons, the Griffins have a 21-9-2-2 overall record (.676) against the Wild, including a 12-4-0-1 mark (.735) at the Casey’s Center...Iowa is 24th in the AHL with 2.63 goals per game and tied for 18th with 2.94 goals allowed per game…Grand Rapids ranks first with 4.13 goals per game and ninth with 2.53 goals allowed per outing…The Wild are 2-5-1-0 at home and 4-2-1-1 on the road…The Griffins are 8-0-0-1 at home and 3-2-1-0 on the road…Iowa’s power play ranks 31st at 11.7% and its penalty kill places 32nd at 73.6%...The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks second at 91.0% and their power play comes in at second (27.2%)…The Wild have wins in three of their last four games…Iowa’s Justin Kirkland leads the team with 14 points (8-6—14) in 15 games. His eight goals are tied for 10th in the AHL…The Wild’s Reilly Webb was the 164th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings…Iowa’s roster features five players from Michigan in Jagger Joshua (Dearborn), Bradley Marek (Big Rapids), Gerry Mayhew (Wyandotte), Braidan Simmons-Fischer (Commerce Township) and Roman Schmidt (Midland)…Simmons-Fischer is the son of current Red Wings assistant director of player personnel Jiri Fischer…Marek played two seasons at Ferris State University and spent two seasons with Fox Motors in Bryon Center…Mayhew, a Ferris State alum, has 36 points (20-16—36) in 39-career games against the Griffins. With Iowa against Grand Rapids, Mayhew has 30 points (18-12—30) in 29 outings…Former Griffins head coach Ben Simon (2018-23) is in his fourth season as Iowa’s assistant coach.  

Last Time Out
Propelled by a John Leonard hat trick and four points from Carter Bear (2-2—4), the Griffins toppled the Rockford IceHogs 6-3 in a Wednesday matinee at Van Andel Arena to extend their home point streak to nine games (8-0-0-1). In his first game back with the Griffins after a stint with the Detroit Red Wings, Leonard potted a goal in each period on the way to his second hat trick in just seven games played with Grand Rapids this campaign. Leonard also collected an assist, and in three contests against the IceHogs this season, the he has 10 points (8-2–10). Bear scored two goals and recorded two assists to extend his point streak to six games (3-10–13), Axel Sandin-Pellikka grabbed two points (1-1–2) and Jesse Kiiskinen tallied two assists. In his Griffins season debut, Nate Danielson recorded three helpers, and Michal Postava made 25 saves to remain undefeated (6-0).  

This Date in Griffins History
2003: Derek King appears in his 200th regular season game for Grand Rapids in a 2-2 tie with San Antonio, becoming just the sixth Griffin to hit the bicentennial mark.

Sounds Like A Broken Record
With 24 points (11-2-1-1) through their first 15 games, the Griffins are off to their second-best start in the franchise’s 31 seasons, outscoring opponents 62-38. Over the first 15 games of the last three seasons under coach Dan Watson, the Griffins are a combined 35-6-2-2 (.822). The team also enjoyed a season-high nine-game point streak (8-0-0-1) from Oct. 11-Nov. 6. At home, the Griffins are 8-0-0-1 with a plus-21 margin compared to 3-2-1-0 on the road with a plus-three margin. Grand Rapids is first in the Central Division, first in the Western Conference and first in the AHL.

Complimentary Hockey 
The Griffins are first in the AHL with 4.13 goals per game and ninth with 2.53 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids is 9-1 when scoring the game’s first goal and has outscored its opponents 27-11 in the third period. The Griffins have a plus-21 margin at home (39-18) and a plus-three margin on the road (23-20). The team has allowed less than three goals in nine of the 15 games this year (60.0%), while scoring four or more goals 12 times (80.0%).

Tip of the Cap
John Leonard’s hat trick on Wednesday was the third of his Griffins career, his second in just seven games played this season, and the fifth for the Griffins in 15 games this campaign. All five of the Griffins’ hat tricks have come at Van Andel Arena, in just nine games. Grand Rapids has already tied its franchise record for home hat tricks in a season, set in 2005-06. That year, their fifth home hat trick came in their 33rd contest at Van Andel Arena. Overall, the Griffins have tallied five hat tricks in just 15 games, which is 28 outings faster than any other team in franchise history (2005-06, 43 games). Those five hat tricks already tie for their second-most in a season, equaling the 2025-26, 2015-16 and 2001-02, and stand four shy of their team-record nine hat tricks from 2005-06 (with 57 games remaining). 

Putting Up Points
Carter Bear—13 points (3-10—13) in last six games
Dylan James—Seven points (3-4—7) in last five games
Axel Sandin-Pellikka—Five points (2-3—5) in last five games
Dominik Shine—12 points (9-3—12) in last six games, including two hat tricks
Wilmer Skoog—Five assists in last three games

Mr. Postman 
Netminder Michal Postava was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for October for the first time in his career. The 24-year-old went 4-0 in October with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage. Postava is off to a 6-0 start with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Postava places third in GAA, second in save percentage and tied for second in wins. He was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 11, 2026, when he went 2-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage. The fifth-year pro has yet to allow more than three goals in 31 regular-season outings in the AHL. Postava made his NHL debut with the Red Wings in a relief effort on Oct. 22 at Vancouver. He then collected his first NHL win during his first start on Oct. 26 at Edmonton (4-3 SOW, 25 saves). Postava is 23-6-0 in his AHL regular-season career with a 1.67 GAA, a .938 save percentage and four shutouts.

Shine On, Captain 
Dominik Shine is in his 11th season with the Griffins and his second as captain, becoming just the second player in team history to reach 11 seasons (Brian Lashoff 14). Shine has 12 points (9-3—12) in his last six outings, including two hat tricks, and 17 points (10-7—17) in his last 10 outings since Oct. 11. In the AHL rankings, Shine is tied for second in points (18), tied for third in goals (10) and tied for seventh in game-winners (2). On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (538), second in goals (106), second in points (241), fifth in assists (134), fifth in penalty minutes (598), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), third in game-winners (17), first in unassisted goals (11), and third in shots (946).

Caution: Bear Attacks
Rookie Carter Bear is currently on a team-high six-game point streak (3-10—13) from Oct. 24-Nov. 11. Bear now has 18 points (5-13—18) in his last 12 appearances. In addition to tying for second in the league in points, he ranks among the AHL rookie leaders in points (2nd), assists (2nd), goals (T5th) and plus-minus rating (1st). Bear made his pro debut on Oct. 9 against the Manitoba Moose and scored his first pro goal the following night at the Milwaukee Admirals. Bear was the 13th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. During his four-year junior career in the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips, the 20-year-old totaled 218 points (102-116—218) and a plus-98 rating in 195 regular-season games, adding 26 points (7-19—26) in 32 playoff outings. Last season, Bear led Everett to a WHL title and was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team with 77 points (36-41—77) in 53 regular-season games. Bear also won a bronze medal with Team Canada U20 at the 2026 World Junior Championship.

DJ, Spin That Track
Rookie Dylan James enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-4—7) from Nov. 1-7, which included goals in three straight contests from Nov. 4-7. Throughout 15 outings, James ranks fourth on the roster with 12 points, tied for fourth with five goals and eighth with seven assists. The 23-year-old also ranks among the AHL rookie leaders in points (T6th), goals (T5th) and assists (T7th). James was the 40th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. 

Historic Week 
Captain Dominik Shine was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 8. Shine logged five goals, six points (5-1—6) and a plus-one rating in three games last week. He began the week becoming the first player in team history to score four goals in a regular-season game, doing so in a 6-2 win over the Texas Stars last Tuesday. In addition, Shine’s second goal of the contest surpassed Francis Pare (102) for the second most in team history. Then last Friday with two points (1-1—2) in a 4-2 victory against the Milwaukee Admirals, Shine moved to second all time in points as a Griffin (239), passing Travis Richards and trailing Michel Picard (380). With 106 goals and 241 points, Shine is the Griffins’ AHL franchise leader in goals and points. The Detroit native also registered two game-winners in the three games last week and showed a 45.5 shooting percentage.

First-Year Fun
Rookie goaltender Trey Augustine is on a five-game point streak since Oct. 17 (4-0-1), collecting his first pro win behind 27 saves on Oct. 17 at Rockford. The 21-year-old is 4-1-2 this season with a 2.56 GAA and a .909 save percentage. Augustine, the 2025-26 Richter Award winner as the NCAA's best goaltender, comes to Grand Rapids after an illustrious career at Michigan State, winning three Big Ten titles. As a Spartan from 2023-26, Augustine went 66-25-7 with nine shutouts, a 2.40 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 99 appearances. In the all-time rankings at Michigan State, Augustine places second in SV%, fifth in GAA, sixth in saves (2.838), sixth in wins and sixth in shutouts. The South Lyon, Michigan, native is also the winningest goaltender in Team USA history at the World Junior Championship, collecting a 12-1-1 record and two gold medals across three tournaments.

Very Special
The Griffins’ special-team units are off to a solid start, as the power play ranks second at 27.2% and the penalty kill places second at 91.0%. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in each of its last 11 games, showing a 29.0% conversion rate (18-for-62), and has five man-advantage goals in the last two outings (5-for-15, 33.3%). John Leonard is tied for third in the AHL with five power-play tallies. The Griffins killed 28-straight penalties from Oct. 9-21 and have allowed just five power-play goals in their last 13 contests (52-for-57, 91.2%). This season, the team has allowed just six power-play goals (61-for-67).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker 
Trey Augustine—Tied for 11th in games played (8), tied for 13th in wins (4), sixth among rookie goalies in GAA (2.56), sixth among rookie goalies in save percentage (.909)
Carter Bear—Tied for second in points (18), tied for third in assists (13), tied for fourth in plus-minus (+9), tied for fifth among rookies in goals (5), second among rookies in assists (13), second among rookies in points (18), first among rookies in plus-minus (+9)
Jacob Bryson—Tied for ninth among defensemen in assists (8), tied for 10th among defensemen in points (10)
Shai Buium—Tied for ninth among defensemen in assists (8), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (9)
Cameron Butler—Tied for third in penalty minutes (53)
Justice Christensen—Tied for 12th among defensemen in penalty minutes (25), sixth among rookies in penalty minutes (25)
Noah Dower Nilsson—Tied for 11th among rookies in goals (4), tied for third among rookies in power-play goals (2)
Dylan James—Tied for fifth among rookies in goals (5), tied for seventh among rookies in assists (7), tied for sixth among rookies in points (12)
Jesse Kiiskinen—Tied for second among rookies in goals (6), tied for fourth among rookies in assists (8), tied for third among rookies in points (14), tied for fifth among rookies in plus-minus (+6)
William Lagesson—Tied for fourth in plus-minus (+9), tied for third among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 10th among defensemen in points (10), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+9)
John Leonard—Tied for 10th in goals (8), tied for third in power-play goals (5), tied for second in game-winners (3)
Michal Postava—Tied for second in wins (6), third in GAA (1.50), second in save percentage (.944)
Dominik Shine—Tied for second in points (18), tied for third in goals (10), tied for seventh in game-winners (2)

Milestones
With two assists in a 6-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday, Jesse Kiiskinen registered his 100th pro point.  
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
x Sheldon Dries—Three points from 300 in the AHL
William Lagesson—One game from 100 as a Griffin
Michal Postava—Two wins from 100 as a pro

Photo by Iowa Wild