Griffins Game #10 * Home Game #5 * AHL Game #191

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 35-37-6-2 All-Time Home Series: 20-17-3-1 All-Time Road Series: 15-20-3-1

Marlies at Griffins
First of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena…This will be the first game between the two franchises since Dec. 10, 2023...The game also marks the first non-divisional contest for Grand Rapids this season...The Griffins are on a five-game winless streak against Toronto dating back to Nov. 12, 2022 (0-3-2-0)...Grand Rapids’ last win against the Marlies came on Nov. 11, 2022 in a 5-4 overtime victory...Toronto is one of just five current AHL teams the Griffins have an all-time losing record against...In the last five years since 2021-22, the Griffins are 3-6-3-0 (.375) against Toronto and have been outscored 49-35...Grand Rapids is 1-3-2-0 (.333) against the Marlies at home since 2021-22 and have been outscored 26-16...Grand Rapids on a franchise-best start through nine games and are 4-0 at home for the first time since 2009-10...Toronto is 4-3-0-0 on the road…Toronto’s power play ranks 19th at 17.1% and its penalty kill places 15th at 81.4%...Toronto’s Jacob Quillan is tied for third in the AHL with 11 assists and Travis Boyd is tied for seventh with seven goals. Rookie Borya Valis is tied for second among first-year players with six goals...Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie Joseph Woll is on the Marlies’ roster for a conditioning stint...Justin Holl skated for the Marlies from 2015-18, winning the 2018 Calder Cup. Holl also competed for the Maple Leafs from 2017-23, spending eight total seasons with the franchise...William Lagesson suited up for both the Marlies and Maple Leafs in 2023-24 and Erik Gustafsson played for the Maple Leafs in 2022-23...Amadeus Lombardi is from the Toronto area (Aurora) and played for the Toronto Titans in the GTHL...Marlies’ head coach John Gruden skated for the Griffins from 1999-2002, representing the team at two all-star games (2000 IHL & 2002 AHL) and garnering a spot on the 2001-02 AHL First All-Star Team. Gruden also played for Ferris State University from 1990-94. 

Last Time Out
Though the Griffins extended their point streak to nine games (8-0-0-1), the squad ultimately suffered its first defeat of the season 4-3 in a shootout to the Chicago Wolves on Sunday at Allstate Arena. The Griffins’ 8-0-0-1 start through nine games remains the best start in franchise history and 4-0-0-1 is the best start on the road since 2007-08. All three goals for Grand Rapids came on the power play, going 3-for-5 on the man-advantage. John Leonard extended his career-high point streak to eight games with his 200th career point, while Sheldon Dries (1-1—2) recorded his 250th AHL point. Amadeus Lombardi also continued his career-best five-game assist streak. Michal Postava made the start in net for the Griffins but suffered an injury 8:17 into the game. Carter Gylander made his season debut in a relief role and recorded 22 saves. 

This Date in Griffins History
2002: With 7,344 fans, including 3,400 students, in attendance for the Griffins’ second-annual matinee game, Marc Lamothe earns his first shutout as a Griffin, making 15 stops in a 4-0 win over Manitoba. 

Hot Like the Sun
The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with an 8-0-0-1 ledger. 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 17 points through nine games beat the previous record of 15 points in 2000-01 (7-1-1), a record that stood for 25 years. The Griffins’ 4-0-0-1 start on the road is the best since 2007-08 (5-0), and the 4-0 start at home is the best since 2009-10 (8-0). 

Firing on all Cylinders
The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 4.11 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 37-20. The 37 goals are the second-most in franchise history through the team’s first nine games (39 in 2005-06). The Griffins have outscored their opponents 19-6 at home, while possessing an 18-14 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the second period (14-6) and has tallied the most goals in the third (15). Despite ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 14th in shots per game (29.2) and have reached 30 or more shots just three times (33.3%).  John Leonard leads the team with nine goals and Dominik Shine ranks second with six. 

Historic Run
John Leonard has 12 points and nine goals through his first eight games as a Griffin. 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. Leonard’s active career-best eight-game point streak is closing in on Riley Barber’s franchise-record run of nine games to begin both a season and a Griffins career. His nine goals are the second-most by a Griffin through his first eight games of an AHL season, while his 12 points tie for fourth (see chart below). Leonard is tied for first in the AHL in goals, tied for second in points per game (1.50), and tied for 15th in points. 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 183 points (92-91—183) in 257 games.

Loaded Ammo
Third-year pro Amadeus Lombardi is off to a fast start with a team-high 10 assists in nine games, which are tied for fifth on the circuit. His 10 assists are tied for the most by a Griffin through the first nine games of an AHL season (see chart below). He is also currently on a career-high five-game assist streak (0-6—6), which is also tied for his career-best point run. Last season, Lombardi posted career-high numbers in goals (19), assists (21), and points (40) in just 44 games, as he was limited due to an upper-body injury. Lombardi was the 113th overall pick by Detroit in 2022 and has 77 points (24-53—77) in 125 games with Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023. Prior to turning pro, Lombardi spent three seasons in the OHL with Flint from 2020-23 and produced a combined 161 points (63-98—161) in 134 regular-season games, adding 22 points (12-10—22) in 26 playoff outings. 

Special Powers
On Sunday in Chicago, the Griffins scored a season-high three power-play goals (3-for-5) but also surrendered two shorthanded tallies. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in three straight games (5-for-11, 45.5%) and place fourth in the AHL at 26.7% (8-for-30). The Griffins’ three shorthanded goals allowed this season are tied for the league lead. However, their penalty kill ranks first in the AHL at 87.9% (29-for-33) and has allowed a power-play goal in just three of the nine games. The 33 times shorthanded are tied for the third-fewest in the league. 

Defense Wins Championships 
The Griffins’ defense is one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks fifth with 2.22 goals allowed per contest. The 20 goals allowed are the second-fewest in franchise history through the team’s first nine games, trailing only last season’s 18. In addition, the team’s penalty kill places first at 87.9% (29-for-33). Despite ranking fifth in goals allowed, the Griffins place 28th with 31.2 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.75 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 (515), 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.

The Well is not Dry
Sheldon Dries, a nine-year veteran, has goals in consecutive games and is on a three-game point streak from Nov. 1-9 (2-2—4). His seven points (3-4—7) in seven games rank fourth on the roster and are tied for the best start in his AHL career (2021-22 Abbotsford). With the Griffins since 2024-25, the Macomb, Michigan, native has 47 points (28-19—47) in 72 regular-season games. Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he served as a three-time captain at Western Michigan University and totaled 84 points (44-40—84) in 148 games at the university from 2013-17. 

Good Problem to Have
The Griffins’ roster features eight veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, William Lagesson and Ian Mitchell. With eight veterans, the Griffins are two over the playing limit and are required to scratch two of them each game due to the AHL’s development rule. Even with two of them scratched for each contest, the veterans on the team have combined for 45 points (22-23—45) in 54 games, which accounts for 45% of the scoring for the team and 61% of the goals. Leonard ranks first among the veterans with 12 points (9-3—12) in eight games, while Shine (6-3—9 in 7 GP) ranks second, and Dries (3-4—7 in 7 GP) places third. 

Future is Bright
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, registered his first shutout of the season on Oct. 24 behind 30 saves in a 4-0 win over Manitoba. It marked his fourth AHL shutout, eighth as a pro, and the first since Oct. 11, 2024. Cossa is off to a 4-0 start this season with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, he places third in GAA and third in save percentage. 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). The 6-foot-7 goaltender also made his NHL debut with Detroit on Dec. 9 at Buffalo and came away with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and three stops in the shootout in a relief effort. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 48-25-14 mark with four shutouts to go along with a 2.48 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 88 outings. 

Shine On, Captain
On Oct. 9, Dominik Shine was named the 19th captain in franchise history. 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 has four points (3-1—4) in his last two games and ranks third on the team with nine points (6-3—9) in seven games. His six goals are also tied for 13th in the AHL. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (490), sixth in goals (81), ninth in assists (112), eighth in points (193), sixth in penalty minutes (557), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fifth in game-winners (13), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and sixth in shots (815). 

Not Your Ordinary Rookie
Netminder Michal Postava, an undrafted free agent out of Czechia, is in his first season in North America after spending the last three campaigns in the Czech pro ranks. The 23-year-old is off to a 4-0 start with Grand Rapids with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. He ranks ninth in GAA and fourth in save percentage among all goaltenders. Postava became the 10th rookie netminder in franchise history to win his debut and then became the eighth rookie goalie to win his home debut, joining teammate Sebastian Cossa, Filip Larsson, Jared Coreau, Petr Mrazek, Tom McCollum, Jimmy Howard and Mathieu Chouinard. He became a Czech Extraliga champion last season with Kometa Brno and ranked among the league’s regular-season leaders in save percentage (5th), goals-against average (T11th), wins (4th) and shutouts (T7th) before placing first in the postseason with a .940 save percentage in 17 outings. Throughout Postava’s three-year pro career, the 6-foot-1 netminder has shown a 78-65-9 record with 12 shutouts and a 2.11 GAA in 149 contests. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker 
Sebastian Cossa—Third in GAA (1.75), tied for 12th in wins (4), third in save percentage (.939)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for eighth among defensemen in assists (6)
Justin Holl—Tied for 17th in plus-minus (+7), tied for ninth among defensemen in plus-minus (+7)
William Lagesson—Tied for seventh in plus-minus (+8), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+8)
John Leonard—Tied for first in goals (9), tied for 15th in points (12), tied for second in game-winners (3)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for fifth in assists (10)
Michal Postava—Ninth in GAA (2.15), tied for 12th in wins (4), fourth in save percentage (.936)
Dominik Shine—Tied for 13th in goals (6) 

Milestones
Last Sunday, Sheldon Dries collected his 250th AHL point and John Leonard secured his 200th pro point.    
Erik Gustafsson—One game from 850 as a pro
Justin Holl—One point from 200 as a pro
John Leonard—Two goals from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One game from 500 as a pro, one unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Eduards Tralmaks—One game from 200 as a pro 
William Wallinder—One point from 100 as a pro
Austin Watson—Two points from 300 as a pro  

Photo by Toronto Marlies