Griffins Game #24 * Road Game #11 * AHL Game #392

Season Series: 0-0-0-1 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-1
All-Time Series: 104-91-2-8-6 All-Time Home Series: 51-40-2-6-4 All-Time Road Series: 53-51-0-2-2

Griffins at Wolves
Second of 10 meetings overall, second of five at Allstate Arena…Chicago is one of the two teams to defeat the Griffins this season, as they claimed a 4-3 shootout victory over Grand Rapids on Nov. 9...Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 211 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 229)…Grand Rapids has lost six of the last eight games against Chicago (2-5-0-1)...The Wolves are 8-3-2-0 at home this season compared to 4-4-1-1 on the road...The Griffins are 9-0-0-1 on the road, which marks a new franchise record to begin a season...Grand Rapids is on a 10-game winning streak, which is the fourth-longest in franchise history...Chicago is on a three-game winning streak and is 5-3-1-1 in its last 10 outings...Since the 2021-22 season, Grand Rapids is just 14-20-2-3 (.423) against the Wolves and has been outscored 136-111. Also since the 2021-22 season, the Griffins are 7-12-0-1 (.375) against the Wolves at Allstate Arena and have been outscored 79-55...The Wolves rank 18th with a power-play percentage of 18.3%, while their penalty kill ranks 23rd at 78.4%...Chicago ranks 11th on the circuit with 3.26 goals scored per game and 15th with 3.00 goals against per game...Chicago’s Yanick Turcotte ranks seventh in penalty minutes (62). Domenick Fensore is tied for fifth among defensemen in points (18). Bryce Montgomery is tied for third among defensemen in penalty minutes (43)...The Carolina Hurricanes released Chicago’s head coach Cam Abbott on Friday and named Spiros Anastas the interim head coach...Defenseman William Lagesson competed for Chicago during the 2022-23 season and posted a career-high 32 points (10-22—32) in 65 games.  

Last Time Out
With their 10th-straight victory, the Griffins tied the best 23-game start in the AHL’s 90 year history (21-1-0-1, 43 pts.), as they bested the Rockford IceHogs 1-0 at Van Andel Arena on Saturday. The Griffins became the first team in league history to win 21 of their first 23 games, and their 10-game win streak stood as the fourth-longest in franchise history. John Leonard notched his 200th AHL point with his league-leading 19th goal of the season. Sebastian Cossa recorded 20 saves, and became the first netminder since Calvin Pickard (2019-20) to record three shutouts in a season, and his six-career shutouts tied Daniel Larsson and Pokey Reddick for eighth on the Griffins’ all-time list.  

This Date in Griffins History
2013: A 5-0 win over Milwaukee marks the Griffins’ 17th win in their last 20 games and improves their record to 19-5-1-1, marking the best 26-game start in franchise history. Tom McCollum stops 31 shots to claim his first shutout of the season. 

Shine On, Captain
On Sunday 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). Shine 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 16 points (8-8—16) in his last 14 outings, is tied for 11th in the AHL with 11 goals, and ranks second on the team with 21 points (11-10—21) in 19 games. On Oct. 9, Shine was named the 19th captain in franchise history. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (502), fifth in goals (86), eighth in assists (119), fifth in points (205), 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 (844).   

Record-Setting Pace 
The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 21-1-0-1 ledger and 43 points through 23 games. The 43 points through 23 games is tied for 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 21 of its first 23 games. The team is currently on a season-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 13, which is the fourth-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’ 10-1 victory at Texas on Nov. 25 marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history. The Griffins’ 9-0-0-1 start on the road is the best in franchise history (previously 9-1 in 2004-05), and the 12-1 start at home is also a new franchise best. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (43) and has a 13-point cushion in the Central Division. 

Historic Run
John Leonard has 29 points and 19 goals through his first 19 games as a Griffin. Leonard is first in the AHL in goals, third in points, tied for eighth in plus-minus (+14), and first in points-per-game among players with at least 10 games (1.53). 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 set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career. His career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied with teammate Austin Watson, Jiri Hudler, Kip Miller and Pavol Demitra for the third-longest run in franchise history. Last season, he ranked among the league leaders in points (61, T10th), goals (36, T2nd), power-play goals (10, T9th), short-handed goals (5, T1st) and shots (252, 2nd). Throughout his six-year AHL career since 2020-21, Leonard has 200 points (102-98—200) in 268 games. 

Future is Bright 
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to a 12-1-0 start this season with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He registered his third shutout of the season last night behind 20 saves in a 1-0 win over Rockford. 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. He registered his second shutout of the season on Nov. 30 behind 26 saves in a 1-0 win over Iowa. It marked his fifth AHL shutout and ninth as a pro. 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 56-26-14 mark with six shutouts to go along with a 2.40 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 97 outings. 

On the Right Trail
Riga, Latvia, native Eduards Tralmaks tallied his first AHL hat trick on Nov. 25 at Texas. He now has 10 points (8-2—10) in his last 12 games and ranks second on the team with 12 goals. His 12 goals also tie for seventh in the AHL. Last season, Tralmaks ranked first in the Czech Extraliga with a career-best 51 points (23-28—51) in 48 games, adding career-high totals in goals (23), assists (28) and penalty minutes (66). He also competed for Team Latvia at the last two World Championships and posted seven points (3-4—7) in seven games during the 2025 tournament. After spending the previous two campaigns in Czechia, Tralmaks returned to the AHL for the first time since 2022-23. As a free agent out of the University of Maine, Tralmaks signed with the Providence Bruins in 2021 and skated in three seasons with the franchise, compiling 41 points (22-19—41) in 87 contests. 

Czech Mate 
Ondrej Becher collected his second two-assist night on Wednesday and enjoyed a career-high four-game assist streak (0-5—5) from Dec. 3-10. The Ostrava, Czechia, native also has seven helpers in his last eight games after being limited to three points in his first 10 contests. Becher was a 2024 third-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings (80th overall), and showed 20 points (10-10—20) in 59 games as a rookie with the Griffins last season. In the 21-year-old’s final WHL season in 2023-24, he totaled 96 points (32-64—96) in 58 games with Prince George in addition to winning a bronze medal with Team Czechia at the World Junior Championship. 

Pucks on Net 
The Griffins exploded for 10 goals on Nov. 25 against Texas, which were the most goals scored since Jan. 19, 2013. In the two games at Texas from Nov. 25-26, Grand Rapids totaled 16 goals over consecutive outings for the first time since Jan. 19-23, 2013 (11-6 W at RFD, 5-4 SOW vs. OKC). The team now has 38 goals in its last nine games (4.22 per game). The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 3.96 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 91-43. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 45-20 at home, while possessing a 46-23 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (37-17). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 15th in shots per game (29.0). John Leonard leads the team and league with 19 goals, Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 12, and Dominik Shine places third with 11.  

You Get an Award, and You Get an Award, and You Get an Award
The Griffins cleaned up during the AHL monthly awards for November. John Leonard was named the player of the month, and Sebastian Cossa was dubbed the goaltender of the month. It marked the first time in franchise history that the team garnered both the player and goaltender of the month awards. Leonard became only the third player in franchise history to win the award and Cossa became just the fourth goaltender. In addition, Cossa was named the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 30 when he went 3-0 with one shutout, a 1.33 GAA and a .945 save percentage. In November, Cossa posted a 5-1 record, a 1.50 GAA and a .941 save percentage. Leonard logged 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games during November and was held scoreless in just one game. His stat line included three game-winners, two three-point outings and five multi-point games. 

Special Powers
The Griffins have scored on the power play in three of their last four games and in six of their last nine outings (6-for-21, 28.6%). Grand Rapids’ power play is sixth in the AHL at 25.0% (17-for-68). 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 16 games (37-for-42, 88.1%) and is first overall in the AHL at 86.8% (59-for-68). The 68 times shorthanded are the second-fewest in the league.

Defense Wins Championships
The Griffins’ defense is one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.87 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has allowed more than two goals just three times in its last 17 games and has averaged just 1.50 goals allowed in its last six outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is also first in the AHL at 86.8% (59-for-68). Despite ranking first in goals allowed, the Griffins place 16th with 28.6 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.62 GAA with a .939 save percentage, while rookie Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 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. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for third in game-winners (4), tied for 14th among rookies in assists (9), tied for 13th among rookies in plus-minus (+7), first among rookies in game-winners (4)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.62), second in save percentage (.939), tied for first in shutouts (3), first in wins (12)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 12th in plus-minus (+13), tied for 12th among defensemen in points (14), tied for ninth among defensemen in assists (13), fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+13)
Justin Holl—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+14), third among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)
William Lagesson—Tied for third in plus-minus (+16), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
John Leonard—First in goals (19), third in points (29), tied for eighth in plus-minus (+14), tied for second in shorthanded goals (2), first in game-winners (7)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+11)
Dominik Shine—Tied for 11th in goals (11)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for seventh in goals (12)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for ninth among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 12th among defensemen in points (14), tied for fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+11)
Austin Watson—Tied for 13th in penalty minutes (55) 

Milestones 
Last night against Rockford, John Leonard registered his 200th AHL point with a goal and William Wallinder skated in his 150th game as a Griffin. Last Sunday at Toronto, Dominik Shine appeared in his 500th game as a Griffin, becoming just the third player to reach the milestone. 
John Leonard—Two assists from 100 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Austin Watson—Three goals from 100 in the AHL 

Photo by Ross Dettman/Wolves