Griffins Game #15 * Home Game #9 * AHL Game #221

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 83-56-11-11 All-Time Home Series: 47-21-7-5 All-Time Road Series: 36-35-4-6

Griffins vs. IceHogs
Fourth of 10 meetings overall, second of five at Van Andel Arena...The Griffins have wins in 16 of the last 23 games against Rockford…In the last five seasons, Grand Rapids has a 25-18-2-0 overall record (.578) against the IceHogs, including an 11-9-2-0 mark (.545) at Van Andel Arena...Rockford is Grand Rapids’ third-most frequent opponent, as tonight’s game marks the 162nd meeting between the two franchises…Rockford is tied for 27th in the AHL with 2.54 goals per game and 23rd with 3.31 goals allowed per game…Grand Rapids ranks first with 4.00 goals per game and eighth with 2.50 goals allowed per outing…The IceHogs are 2-5-0-0 at home and 3-2-0-1 on the road…The Griffins are 7-0-0-1 at home and 3-2-1-0 on the road…Rockford’s power play ranks 15th at 18.8% and its penalty kill places 14th at 83.3%...The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks first at 92.1% and their power play comes in at third (26.0%)…Ypsilanti, Michigan, native Gavin Hayes leads Rockford with 16 points (8-8—16) in 13 games. His 16 points are tied for sixth in the AHL and his eight goals are tied for 10th…Rockford’s Jiri Felcman (3-9—12) ranks among the AHL rookies in points (T4th), goals (T14th) and assists (3rd)…Rockford’s roster features a pair of first-round picks from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Sacha Boisvert (18th by CHI) and Marek Vanacker (27th by CHI)…Rockford’s head coach Jared Nightingale played two games with the Griffins in 2014-15 and is the younger brother of current Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale. Nightingale also served as a three-year captain of the Toledo Walleye under Griffins head coach Dan Watson.

Last Time Out
After falling behind by three goals in the first period, the Rockford IceHogs scored five unanswered tallies in the second frame on the way to a 6-4 win over the Griffins on Saturday at the BMO Center. The loss ended a nine-game point streak for Grand Rapids and was the team’s first regulation defeat since Oct. 10. Wilmer Skoog led the team in points with three assists, and Carter Bear recorded two helpers to extend his point streak to five games (1-8–9). Dylan James, Noah Dower Nilsson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jacob Bryson each recorded a goal.

This Date in Griffins History
2008: Daniel Larsson earns his first North American shutout, backstopping the Griffins to a 1-0 victory over Houston with a 16-save performance in front of 7,352 fans during the team’s eighth annual Matinee game. 

Sounds Like A Broken Record
With 22 points (10-2-1-1) through their first 14 games, the Griffins are off to their third-best start in the franchise’s 31 seasons, outscoring opponents 56-35. Over the first 14 games of the last three seasons under coach Dan Watson, the Griffins are a combined 32-6-2-2 (.810). 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 7-0-0-1 with a plus-18 margin compared to 3-2-1-0 on the road with a plus-three margin.

Complimentary Hockey 
The Griffins are first in the AHL with 4.00 goals per game and eighth with 2.50 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids is 9-1 when scoring the game’s first goal and has outscored its opponents 25-10 in the third period. The Griffins have a plus-18 margin at home (33-15) and a plus-three margin on the road (23-20). The team has allowed less than three goals in nine of the 14 games this year (64.3%), while scoring four or more goals 11 times (78.6%).

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 on 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 240 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.

Putting Up Points
Carter Bear—Nine points (1-8—9) in last five games
Noah Dower Nilsson—Four goals in last four games
Dylan James—Seven points (3-4—7) in last four games
Dominik Shine—11 points (9-2—11) in last five games, including two hat tricks
Wilmer Skoog—Four assists in last two 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 5-0 start with a 1.20 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Postava places second in GAA, second in save percentage and tied for fifth 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 30 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 22-6-0 in his AHL regular-season career with a 1.62 GAA, a .940 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 11 points (9-2—11) in his last five outings, including two hat tricks, and 16 points (10-6—16) in his last nine outings since Oct. 11. In the AHL rankings, Shine is tied for third in points (17), tied for second in goals (10) and tied for sixth in game-winners (2). On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (537), second in goals (106), second in points (240), 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 (945).

Caution: Bear Attacks
Rookie Carter Bear is currently on a season-high five-game point streak (1-8—9) from Oct. 24-Nov. 6, tying his run from Oct. 10-21 (2-3—5). Bear now has 14 points (3-11—14) in his last 11 appearances. He ranks among the AHL rookie leaders in points (T2nd), assists (2nd), goals (T14th) 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 is on a four-game point streak (3-4—7), which includes a goal in each of the last three contests. Throughout 14 outings, James is tied for third on the roster with 12 points, tied for third with five goals and tied for fifth with seven assists. The 23-year-old also ranks among the AHL rookie leaders in points (T4th), goals (T4th) and assists (T5th). James was the 40th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.  

Ride The Hot Hand
After being held goalless in the opening 10 games of his AHL career, rookie Noah Dower Nilsson is now on a four-game goal streak since Nov. 1. This season, the Stromstad, Sweden, native has seven points (4-3—7) in 14 appearances. The 21-year-old’s four goals are tied for ninth among AHL rookies and his two power-play goals are tied for third.

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 third at 26.0% and the penalty kill places first at 92.1%. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in each of its last 10 games, showing a 27.8% conversion rate (15-for-54). John Leonard is tied for seventh in the AHL with four power-play tallies. The Griffins killed 28-straight penalties from Oct. 9-21 and have allowed just four power-play goals in their last 12 contests (49-for-53, 92.5%). This season, the team has allowed just five power-play goals (58-for-63).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker 
Trey Augustine—Tied for seventh 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 13th in points (14), tied for sixth in assists (11), tied for fifth in plus-minus (+8), second among rookies in assists (11), tied for second among rookies in points (14), first among rookies in plus-minus (+8)
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—Sixth in penalty minutes (48)
Justice Christensen—Tied for 11th among defensemen in penalty minutes (25), tied for fifth among rookies in penalty minutes (25)
Noah Dower Nilsson—Tied for ninth among rookies in goals (4), tied for third among rookies in power-play goals (2)
Dylan James—Tied for fourth among rookies in goals (5), tied for fifth among rookies in assists (7), tied for fourth among rookies in points (12)
Jesse Kiiskinen—Tied for second among rookies in goals (6), tied for 11th among rookies in assists (6), tied for fourth among rookies in points (12), tied for ninth among rookies in plus-minus (+5)
William Lagesson—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+7), tied for third among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 10th among defensemen in points (10), tied for sixth among defensemen in plus-minus (+7)
John Leonard—Tied for seventh in power-play goals (4), tied for sixth in game-winners (2)
Michal Postava—Tied for fifth in wins (5), second in GAA (1.20), second in save percentage (.955)
Dominik Shine—Tied for third in points (17), tied for second in goals (10), tied for sixth in game-winners (2)

Milestones
Last Friday against Milwaukee, Dominik Shine moved to second all time in points as a Griffin (239), passing Travis Richards and trailing Michel Picard (380). 
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
x Sheldon Dries—Three points from 300 in the AHL
Jesse Kiiskinen—Two points from 100 as a pro
William Lagesson—Two games from 100 as a Griffin
Michal Postava—Three wins from 100 as a pro

Photo by Rockford IceHogs