Griffins Game #9 * Home Game #4 * AHL Game #114

Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 67-48-11-11 All-Time Home Series: 40-17-6-5 All-Time Road Series: 27-31-5-6

IceHogs at Griffins
Second of 12 meetings overall, first of six at Van Andel Arena…The IceHogs are the only team that has beaten the Griffins in regulation through the first eight games, as Rockford took a 4-1 home win on Oct. 12, Grand Rapids’ second game of the season...Last season, the Griffins went 6-4-2-0 against the IceHogs in addition to ending their campaign in the Central Division Semifinals...The Griffins are 19-13-4-1 (.581) since the 2020-21 season against Rockford and have outscored the IceHogs 100-97. On home ice since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 8-5-4-1 (.583) against the IceHogs and has outscored Rockford 46-43...Rockford is Grand Rapids’ third-most frequent opponent (Milwaukee 221, Chicago 202), as tonight’s game marks the 138th meeting between the two franchises...The Griffins and IceHogs will meet 12 times this season, the most of any Griffins’ foe, with seven of those meetings coming in the final 13 games of the season...Rockford’s power play is tied for 17th at 16.7% and its penalty kill is tied for ninth at 87.5%...The Griffins rank 20th with a power play rate of 15.6%, while they place third with a penalty kill of 91.7%. 

Last Time Out
Despite a 3-2 overtime loss on Wednesday at the XL Center against the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Griffins continued their six-game point streak (5-0-1-0). In the team’s third overall meeting in Hartford, Dominik Shine scored both goals for Grand Rapids and now has five points (3-2—5) in his last three outings. Grand Rapids tied its franchise-best mark of 13 points (6-1-1-0) through the first eight games of the season, previously done in 2000-01 (6-1-1). The 14 goals surrendered by the Griffins are the fewest in franchise history over the first eight games of a season, as they allowed their previous low of 17 in 2004-05. Antti Tuomisto earned an assist in the game and extended his point streak to three (0-3—3). Sebastian Cossa turned away 28 shots and played 42:38 minutes of shutout hockey. The Griffins gained seven out of eight potential points on their four-game road trip.

This Date in Griffins History
2013: A two-goal game by Tomas Jurco and strong special teams performances helps the Griffins to a 6-4 win over the Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena. Grand Rapids kills off six of seven penalties and scores two power-play goals. 

Best Start Ever
The Griffins are tied for their best start in franchise history with 13 points (6-1-1-0) through the first eight games, previously done in 2000-01 (6-1-1). Grand Rapids went undefeated while playing three games in three days last weekend, a feat it has accomplished only once before (April 5-7, 2002). The Griffins hadn’t swept a 3-in-3 in any venues since Dec. 29-31, 2017. Grand Rapids is also 3-0-0-0 at home for the first time since 2009-10, when it won its first eight games at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed one goal or less in four of the eight contests but have scored an average of just 2.50 goals per game (T22nd). 

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense
The Griffins rank second in the AHL with just 1.75 goals allowed per game, as the 14 goals surrendered are the fewest in franchise history over the first eight games of a season. They allowed their previous low of 17 in 2004-05, and for comparison, ceded 23 goals in the opening eight games last year. Grand Rapids has allowed just one goal inside Van Andel Arena, which is the fewest over a three-game home stretch since it posted three straight shutouts from Dec. 30, 2006 to Jan. 10, 2007. The Griffins have surrendered one goal over a span of three home games for just the fifth time in team history and the first since Feb. 13-20, 2004. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just four goals in its last six regular-season games at Van Andel Arena. 

Shine Bright
Veteran Dominik Shine scored two goals in the Griffins’ last game on Wednesday at Hartford and now has five points (3-2—5) in his last three outings. Shine paces the squad with eight points (4-4—8) in eight games, while his four goals are tied for the team lead with Amadeus Lombardi. The Detroit native has spent his entire career with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and has accumulated 146 points (65-81—146) and 484 penalty minutes in 430 appearances. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played , eighth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for fourth in unassisted goals (8). Last year, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (23), points (33) and plus-minus rating (+8). 

Loaded Ammo
Second-year pro Amadeus Lombardi has found a rhythm offensively, as he has four points (2-2—4) in his last three games. The 21-year-old logged his first two-goal game as a pro on Oct. 19 against Manitoba and later registered a career-high three points (2-1—3) last Saturday at Lehigh Valley. Lombardi is tied for second on the team with six points (4-2—6) and his four goals are tied for 14th in the AHL. Last season, the Aurora, Ontario, native scored just five goals in 70 games and finished the campaign with 26 points (5-21—26). 

Win by Committee
During this hot start for the Griffins, the team has used three different netminders to fuel the success. Sebastian Cossa leads the way with a 4-1-1 record with one shutout to go along with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. Ville Husso has a 1-0-0 mark with one shutout in two games with a 0.70 GAA and a .970 save percentage. Rookie Carter Gylander made his AHL debut last Sunday and earned a 4-3 shootout victory, making 33 saves and stopping all three shootout attempts by Lehigh Valley. Combined, the trio has a 1.72 GAA and a .944 save percentage through eight outings.   

Criss-Cross Applesauce
Third-year pro Cross Hanas enjoyed a team-high three-game point streak (2-1—3) from Oct. 25-27 and scored goals in back-to-back outings from Oct. 26-27 for the first time since Nov. 11-12, 2022. An injury-riddled first year limited the forward to just 17 points (9-8—17) in 30 games, and then the 22-year-old struggled in his second year last season with 16 points (8-8—16) in 58 appearances. Through eight outings this campaign, Hanas has three points (2-1—3), eight penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. Hanas was selected with the 55th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. 

Austin Powers
Veteran Austin Watson is on a team-high three-game assist streak from Oct. 25-27. With six assists in the first seven games, the 32-year-old is tied for seventh in the AHL. Watson leads all veterans on the roster with 757 games played with 265 points (133-125—265). The former 18th overall pick in 2010 by Nashville has amassed 138 points (73-65—138) in 241 AHL contests and 118 points (60-58—118) in 517 NHL appearances.

Milestones 
Last Friday at Springfield, Nate Danielson scored his first professional goal, while Gabriel Seger collected his first AHL goal during his debut. 
Tory Dello—One point from 50 as a pro and in the AHL 
Jakub Rychlovsky—One game from 300 as a professional 
Dan Watson—One game from 500 as a professional head coach 

Back For More
Last season, Sebastian Cossa set a franchise record with a 19-game point streak (13-0-6), and tied both the franchise record home and road point streaks of 13 home games (9-0-4) and 10 road contests (8-0-2), respectively. Cossa continues to rewrite the record book, as he posted a 35-save shutout in the season opener on Oct. 11 against Milwaukee. He became the first Griffins goalie to post an opening-night shutout in 26 years, since Ian Gordon made 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Kansas City on Oct. 9, 1998. Through six outings this year, the 21-year-old has a 4-1-1 mark with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. 

The Watson Supercomputer
Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and is in his second season at the helm. Last campaign, Watson became the ninth head coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to the postseason during his first full season behind the bench, joining Dave Allison (1996-97), Bruce Cassidy (2000-01), Danton Cole (2002-03), Greg Ireland (2005-06), Curt Fraser (2008-09), Jeff Blashill (2012-13), Todd Nelson (2015-16) and Ben Simon (2018-19). On April 27, 2024 in a 3-2 overtime victory at Rockford, he also joined seven other head coaches who won their first postseason game behind the Griffins’ bench. Watson became the eighth of the last nine Griffins head coaches to win his first playoff series, defeating the IceHogs 3-1 in the 2024 Central Division Semifinals. In his first year at the helm, Watson led the Griffins to a second-place finish in the Central Division with a 37-23-8-4 record and 86 points, the team’s best finish since the 2016-17 campaign. As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 315-136-31-17 (.679) ledger during the regular season and a 56-38 (.596) mark over only six playoff campaigns. With the Griffins, Watson has a 43-24-9-4 (.619) mark overall and a 26-7-4-2 (.744) record at home. 

Roster Breakdown 
Twenty players (forwards Nate Danielson, Alex Doucet, Sheldon Dries, Cross Hanas, Amadeus Lombardi, Carter Mazur, Jakub Rychlovsky, Joe Snively, Elmer Soderblom, and Austin Watson; defensemen Shai Buium, Tory Dello, William Lagesson, Brogan Rafferty, Antti Tuomisto, Eemil Viro and William Wallinder; goaltenders Sebastian Cossa, Carter Gylander, and Ville Husso) on the roster are under contract with the Red Wings, while six players (forwards Carson Bantle, Trenton Bliss, Hunter Johannes, Gabriel Seger and Dominik Shine; and defenseman Josiah Didier) are playing on a Griffins contract. Ten players are Red Wings draft picks (Cossa, Danielson, Gylander, Hanas, Lombardi, Mazur, Soderblom, Tuomisto, Viro, and Wallinder). 

Young Guns
The Griffins have seven players who are considered rookies this season, including forwards Carson Bantle, Nate Danielson, Alex Doucet, Jakub Rychlovsky, and Gabriel Seger, defenseman Shai Buium, and goaltender Carter Gylander. 

Oldies but Goodies 
The Griffins’ roster features five veterans including forwards Sheldon Dries, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Josiah Didier and William Lagesson. A player receives veteran status if he has competed in at least 261 games in the NHL, AHL or European elite leagues. Watson leads all veterans with 757 professional games played, while Didier (460) ranks second and Shine (428) places third. 

Pour Me A Draft
The Griffins’ roster is stocked with high-end draft picks from previous years. The roster features three former first rounders in Sebastian Cossa (15th overall in 2021), Nate Danielson (9th overall in 2023), and Austin Watson (18th in 2010). In addition, Grand Rapids is highlighted with four former second-round picks, including Shai Buium (36th in 2021), Cross Hanas (55th in 2020), Antti Tuomisto (35th in 2019), and William Wallinder (32nd in 2020). The Griffins’ roster also includes two third-round picks from Detroit in Carter Mazur (70th in 2021) and Eemil Viro (70th in 2020), and 17 draft picks total. 

Across the Atlantic We Go
The Detroit Red Wings have a rich tradition of possessing some of the top talent to come out of Sweden, such as Niklas Kronwall and Nicklas Lidstrom, and more recently Lucas Raymond. This year is no different, as the NHL franchise has sent down a handful of Swedes to the Griffins. In fact, four players are Swedish natives, including Gabriel Seger, William Lagesson, Elmer Soderblom and William Wallinder. Grand Rapids also features three Finnish players in Ville Husso, Antti Tuomisto and Eemil Viro, and one player hailing from Czechia in Jakub Rychlovsky. 

Photo by Rockford IceHogs