Griffins Game #23 * Home Game #13 * AHL Game #379

Season Series: 3-0-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 77-52-11-11 All-Time Home Series: 44-20-6-5 All-Time Road Series: 33-32-5-6

IceHogs at Griffins
Fourth of 10 meetings overall, second of five at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids has wins in 10 of the last 13 games against Rockford...The Griffins are 25-16-2-0 (.605) since the 2021-22 season against Rockford and have a plus-15 scoring margin (128-113). At home since 2021-22, Grand Rapids is 11-8-2-0 (.571) against the IceHogs with a plus-14 scoring margin (65-51)...Rockford is Grand Rapids’ third-most frequent opponent, as tonight’s game marks the 152nd meeting between the two franchises...The IceHogs are 3-8-1-1 at home this season compared to 8-4-1-0 at home...After starting 6-2-0-0 in its first eight games, Rockford has since gone 5-10-2-1...Grand Rapids is on a nine-game win streak and are 11-1-0-0 at home...The IceHogs are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games and the Griffins are 9-1-0-0...Rockford’s power play ranks 29th at 12.1% and its penalty kill ranks 10th at 82.3%...Grand Rapids’ penalty kill is tied for third at 86.2% and its power play is sixth at 26.2%...The IceHogs place 24th with 2.77 goals per game while the Griffins rank first with 4.09 goals per outing...Defensively, Rockford ranks 22nd with 3.27 goals allowed per game and Grand Rapids is first with 1.95 goals allowed...Rockford’s Nick Lardis (1st among rookies) ranks sixth in the AHL with 26 points and Brett Seney is tied for fourth with 27 points, Seney is also tied for third in assists (21) and Lardis tied for fourth in goals (13). Connor Mylymok ranks third in penalty minutes (81). 

Last Time Out
Scoring his first AHL goal, Royal Oak, Michigan native and former Michigan Wolverine captain Nolan Moyle tallied the game-winner in the third period, as the Griffins captured a 6-4 win over the Milwaukee Admirals at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday. The Griffins’ 20-1-0-1 (41 pts.) record tied the 2004-05 Manchester Monarchs (20-1-1-0) for the second-best start in AHL history through 22 games. Grand Rapids’ 20-1-0-1 ledger remained a franchise best, and its 11-1 start at home also stood as a franchise record. Ondrej Becher recorded two assists, extending his point streak to four games, while Dominik Shine notched two helpers to extend his streak to three. John Leonard (1-1—2) picked up his league-leading 18th goal of the season, and Sebastian Cossa tallied 29 saves between the pipes.

This Date in Griffins History
2015: Xavier Ouellet’s goal with 2:27 remaining in overtime completes a comeback from a three-goal deficit and gives the Griffins a 4-3 win at Iowa, as Grand Rapids ties a franchise record with its 11th consecutive victory. 

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 13 outings, is tied for ninth in the AHL with 11 goals, and ranks second on the team with 21 points (11-10—21) in 18 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 (501), fifth in goals (86), eighth in assists (119), fifth in points (205), sixth in penalty minutes (567), 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 (840).   

Record-Setting Pace
The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 20-1-0-1 ledger and 41 points through 22 games. The 41 points through 22 games is tied for the second-best start in the 90-year history of the AHL (see table). The team is currently on a season-high nine-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 10. 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 11-1 start at home is also a new franchise best. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (41) and has an 11-point cushion in the Central Division. 

Historic Run
John Leonard has 28 points and 18 goals through his first 18 games as a Griffin. Leonard is first in the AHL in goals, third in points, tied for ninth in plus-minus (+13), and first in points-per-game among players with at least 10 games (1.56). 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 199 points (101-98—199) in 267 games. 

Future is Bright
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to an 11-1-0 start this season with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks second in GAA, second in save percentage, tied for third 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 55-26-14 mark with five shutouts to go along with a 2.42 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 96 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 11 games and ranks second on the team with 12 goals. His 12 goals also tie for sixth 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 is currently on a career-high four-game assist streak (0-5—5). The Ostrava, Czechia, native also has seven helpers in his last seven 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. 

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. 

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 37 goals in its last eight games (4.63 per game). The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 4.09 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 90-43. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 44-20 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 14th in shots per game (29.1). John Leonard leads the team and league with 18 goals, Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 12, and Dominik Shine places third with 11. 

Special Powers
The Griffins have scored on the power play in three straight games and in six of their last eight outings (6-for-18, 33.3%). Grand Rapids’ power play is sixth in the AHL at 26.2% (17-for-65). However, the Griffins have allowed four shorthanded goals this season, which is tied for third in the AHL. The penalty kill has allowed just five power-play goals in the last 15 games (34-for-39, 87.2%) and is tied for third overall in the AHL at 86.2% (56-for-65). The 65 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 1.95 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has allowed more than two goals just three times in its last 16 games and has averaged just 1.80 goals allowed in its last five outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is tied for third at 86.2% (56-for-65). Despite ranking first in goals allowed, the Griffins are 21st with 29.0 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.76 GAA with a .935 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 13th 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 (1.76), second in save percentage (.935), tied for third in shutouts (2), first in wins (11)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+13), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (14), tied for eighth among defensemen in assists (13), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+13)
Justin Holl—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+13), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+13)
William Lagesson—Tied for fifth in plus-minus (+15), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+15)
John Leonard—First in goals (18), third in points (28), tied for ninth in plus-minus (+13), first in game-winners (6)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for sixth among defensemen in plus-minus (+11)
Dominik Shine—Tied for ninth in goals (11)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for sixth in goals (12)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for ninth among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (14), tied for sixth among defensemen in plus-minus (+11)
Austin Watson—Tied for 12th in penalty minutes (55) 

Milestones 
On Sunday at Toronto, Dominik Shine skated 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, one point from 200 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
William Wallinder—One game from 150 as a Griffin
Austin Watson—Three goals from 100 in the AHL 

Photo by Kristin Ostrowski/IceHogs