Griffins Game #36 * Home Game #17 * AHL Game #559

Season Series: 4-1-0-0 Home Series: 2-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 77-40-9-13 All-Time Home Series: 44-18-4-3 All-Time Road Series: 33-22-5-10

Monsters at Griffins
Sixth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins are on a four-game win streak against Cleveland with a plus-11 scoring margin…Grand Rapids has points in 24 out of the last 30 games overall (17-6-4-3, .683) against Cleveland...Since the 2020-21 season, the Griffins are 23-9-4-3 (.679) against Cleveland and have outscored them 126-93. At home during that span, Grand Rapids is 13-2-3-1 (.789) against the Monsters with a plus-26 scoring margin (68-42)...The Griffins are 4-4-2-0 in their last 10 games and the Monsters are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10...Cleveland is 11-6-0-0 on the road this year and Grand Rapids is 10-6-1-0 at home...Cleveland’s power play ranks fifth in the AHL at 20.2% and its penalty kill places 19th at 82.7%...The Griffins’ power play ranks 15th at 17.6% and their penalty kills places seventh at 85.0%...On Dec. 1, the Griffins halted the Monsters’ franchise-record 10-game win streak...The Monsters are the fourth-most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 140th meeting between the two franchises...Cleveland ranks 12th with 3.11 goals per game and tied for 17th in goals against per game (3.00)...Cleveland will be without the AHL’s leading scorer Luca Del Bel Belluz (17-30—37 in 34 GP) due to recall to Columbus...All-time against Grand Rapids, Trey Fix-Wolansky has 31 points (12-19—31) in 30 games, which includes 25 points (8-17—25) in his last 18 meetings against the Griffins. Since the 2021-22 season, Rocco Grimaldi has posted 28 points (9-19—28) in his last 26 games against the Griffins...Head coach Dan Watson suited up for the Cleveland Barons from 2002-04 and calls Cleveland home during the offseason...Tim Gettinger is a native of Cleveland and played for the Cleveland Barons’ U14-16 AAA teams in the T1EHL from 2011-14 before joining the OHL. 

Last Time Out
A four-goal third period and three special-teams tallies propelled the Griffins to a 5-2 win over the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena, as they snapped their three-game losing skid. With the win, Grand Rapids reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Central Division. Elmer Soderblom (1-1—2) earned his 50th professional assist with his third multi-point game of the year, and has secured seven points in his last eight outings (3-4—7). Rookie Nate Danielson (1-1—2) also posted two points and Joe Snively obtained his team-high 14th goal. Ondrej Becher scored on the power play, good for his second goal of the year and Austin Watson cashed in short handed for his 10th of the season. Becher’s power-play goal snapped a 0-for-15 power-play drought for Grand Rapids, dating back to Jan. 2. Goaltender Sebastian Cossa was between the pipes for the Griffins and earned his first professional assist while saving 24 shots. Cossa improved to a .917 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average in his 21st appearance (11-7-3). 

This Date in Griffins History
2001: Grand Rapids sets a team record with its seventh-consecutive win at Van Andel Arena in a 1-0 shootout win over Manitoba. Mike Fountain’s 36 saves give the Griffins back-to-back home shutouts for the second time in franchise history.

Ups and Downs
The Griffins returned from the holiday break with a 3-0-0-0 record in their first three games but then dropped three straight outings from Jan. 4-11, averaging just one goal per game. The offense exploded for four goals in the third period on Wednesday against Chicago and claimed a 5-2 win. The defense has been solid once again, allowing just 1.43 goals since the break. The offense has averaged 2.71 goals per game since the break but just 1.80 goals in its last five outings. Grand Rapids remains in first place in the Central Division, tied for second in the Western Conference, and tied for sixth in the AHL with a 21-12-3-0 record and 45 points through 36 games. The Griffins are 13-10-2-0 against their division rivals and have held at least a share of the top spot in the division since Nov. 8.

Home Sweet Home 
On Jan. 4, the Griffins finished a stretch of games that saw them play nine of 12 contests on the road from Dec. 7-Jan. 4 and showed a 6-4-2-0 record. Grand Rapids will conclude a season-high five-game homestand this weekend, which began last Friday. They are also in a stretch that will see them play eight of 10 games inside Van Andel Arena from Jan. 10-Feb. 1. The Griffins are 10-6-1-0 at home this season but have won two of their last seven home outings (2-4-1-0). Under head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids is 33-13-5-2 (.689) inside Van Andel Arena.  

Elm Tree
Elmer Soderblom, the tallest player in franchise history at 6-foot-8, has four points (2-2—4) in his last three games and seven points in his last eight outings (3-4—7). During his two-point night on Wednesday, the 23-year-old bagged his 50th assist as a pro after registering his 50th point as a Griffin last Friday (21-29—50). Last year, Soderblom produced 29 points (13-16—29) in 61 contests before adding two points (1-1—2) in seven playoff games, making his Calder Cup Playoff debut on May 3, 2024 against Rockford. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native also appeared in 21 games with the Detroit Red Wings during his rookie season in 2022-23 and totaled eight points (5-3—8) in 21 games. Through 36 games this year, Soderblom has 15 points (4-11—15), 29 penalty minutes and a plus-three rating. 

Shine Bright
Veteran Dominik Shine is tied for first on the roster in points (10-16—26), tied for second in assists (16), and tied for third goals (10) in 36 games. Shine collected his sixth multi-point game of the season on Dec. 7 at Chicago (0-2—2), which tied for his career-high mark set in 2021-22, and now has seven points (4-3—7) in his last 11 contests. Last year, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (23), points (33) and plus-minus rating (+8) and is on pace to reach 52 points (20-32—52) this season. The Detroit native has spent his entire career with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and has accumulated 164 points (71-93—164) and 513 penalty minutes in 458 appearances. He is one goal shy of breaking into the top 10 for goals scored in franchise history. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played, sixth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for first in unassisted goals (10). 

Rollercoaster Ride
The Griffins ranked 29th in the AHL through the first 10 games with 2.20 goals per contest before showing 4.10 goals per game from Nov. 7-Dec. 1 and going 8-2-0-0 during the run. The Griffins then averaged just 2.33 goals per game from Dec. 6-22 and went 3-4-2-0 in those contests. Grand Rapids has now potted 19 goals across seven games (2.71) since Dec. 28 with a 4-3-0-0 record and 1.80 goals in its last five outings. The Griffins rank 22nd on the circuit with 2.86 goals per outing, while ranking first in goals against per game (2.42). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 17-0-0-0 compared to 4-12-3-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

Power Surge
The Griffins potted two power-play goals on Wednesday, which broke a four-game drought (0-for-14). The power play has converted five of their last 24 power-play opportunities (20.8%) during their last eight games. Grand Rapids had its best run when it scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%). The power play ranks 15th on the circuit at 17.6% (22-for-125). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 10-for-52 (19.2%, 16th) and its road power play is 12-for-73 (16.4%, 17th). The Griffins have also given up five short-handed goals, which is tied for the seventh-most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has also struggled as of late, allowing a power-play goal in four straight games (14-for-19 on PK, 73.7%). Grand Rapids has also surrendered a power-play goal in 11 of its last 16 outings (49-for-62 on PK, 79.0%). However, the penalty-kill unit remains one of the best in the league, as it ranks seventh at 85.0%. Grand Rapids has scored six short-handed tallies this season, which is tied for fourth in the AHL. When scoring on the power play, the Griffins are 12-4-2-0 and 6-9-1-0 when they allow a power-play goal. 

Lock It Down
The Griffins have allowed just 1.43 goals per game since returning from the holiday break and rank first overall with 2.42 goals allowed per game this season. Sebastian Cossa has shown a 2.33 goals-against average and .917 save percentage through 21 games, while Jack Campbell has logged a 1.82 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in five appearances. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 43 goals in its last 20 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.15 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 54 goals in their last 21 regular-season road games (2.57 GA per game). 

Holy Goalies
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, has been the go-to netminder for the Griffins this season, as he has an 11-7-3 mark with a 2.33 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 21 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,238:08, 9th), games played (21, T9th), GAA (7th), wins (T7th), and save percentage (10th). The 22-year-old collected his first NHL victory during his debut on Dec. 9 at the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and two stops in the shootout. Cossa became the first netminder in NHL history to win his debut via a shootout in a relief effort. Veteran Jack Campbell made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves and later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 decision. Through five games with Grand Rapids, Campbell is 2-3-0 with a stellar 1.82 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Campbell has 443 pro games under his belt with a 2.66 GAA and 231 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (240 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). In the AHL, Campbell has shown a 119-85-26 record with a 2.70 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. 

Pucks On Net
The Griffins outshot their opponent just three times in the first 21 contests (14.3%) but have since outshot their opponent five times in the last 15 games (33.3%). Grand Rapids held a shot advantage in two straight games from Jan. 2-4, a feat its only done two other times this season (Dec. 7-8; Nov. 24-29). The Griffins average 25.4 shots per game, which ranks last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots six times and has exceeded 30 shots eight times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 28.7 shots per game (16th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 18 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 319-265 compared to being outshot 342-319 in the second and 349-313 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 13-7-2-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and an 11-5-2-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

Written In The Stars
Goaltender Sebastian Cossa, forward Austin Watson, and head coach Dan Watson will represent the Griffins at this year’s AHL All-Star Classic to be held Feb. 2-3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Cossa, who is in his second full season with the Griffins, will make his first appearance in the AHL All-Star Classic and the first for a Griffins goalie since Petr Mrazek in 2013. The 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021 ranks among the AHL’s leaders in minutes played (1,238:08, 9th), games played (21, T9th), GAA (2.33, 7th), wins (11, T7th), and save percentage (.917, 10th). Austin Watson, a 13-year veteran, will also make his first AHL All-Star Classic appearance. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native is tied for first on the roster with 26 points (10-16—26) in 34 games, while also tying for the team lead in power-play goals (4) and tying for second in assists (16). Dan Watson is the first Griffins coach to achieve an all-star honor since Todd Nelson in 2017 and the fourth head coach in franchise history to coach in an all-star game, joining Nelson, Jeff Blashill (2014), and Bruce Cassidy (2002 AHL, 2001 IHL). This will mark Watson’s third career all-star appearance, as he was chosen to coach in the ECHL All-Star Game in both 2017 and 2022 while with the Toledo Walleye.  

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for ninth among rookie defensemen in assists (11), tied for 14th among rookie defensemen in points (11), tied for sixth among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+8)
Sebastian Cossa—Ninth in minutes played (1,238:08), tied for ninth in games played (21), seventh in GAA (2.33), tied for seventh in wins (11), and 10th in save percentage (.917)
Nate Danielson—Tied for first in short-handed assists (3), first among rookies in short-handed assists (3), tied for third among rookies in assists (17), tied for 10th among rookies in power-play assists (6)
Josiah Didier—Tied for 14th in plus-minus rating (+13), tied for 11th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13)
Alex Doucet—Tied for fourth in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
x William Lagesson—Tied for 14th in plus-minus rating (+13), tied for 11th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for sixth in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (8) 

Milestones
On Wednesday, Elmer Soderblom collected his 50th assist as a pro during a two-point night (1-1—2). 
Sheldon Dries—Two assists from 100 in the AHL, one point from 250 as a pro 
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11 in a career, one goal from moving into a tie for 10th place in the franchise’s all-time goals scored list
Joe Snively—Three points from 200 in the AHL

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins