Griffins Game #37 * Home Game #18 * AHL Game #570

Season Series: 4-1-0-1 Home Series: 2-0-0-1 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 77-40-9-14 All-Time Home Series: 44-18-4-4 All-Time Road Series: 33-22-5-10

Monsters at Griffins
Seventh of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins are on a five-game point streak against Cleveland with a plus-10 scoring margin…Grand Rapids has points in 25 out of the last 31 games overall (17-6-4-4, .677) against Cleveland...Since the 2020-21 season, the Griffins are 23-9-4-4 (.675) against Cleveland and have outscored them 130-98. At home during that span, Grand Rapids is 13-2-3-2 (.775) against the Monsters with a plus-25 scoring margin (72-47)...The Griffins are 4-4-1-1 in their last 10 games and the Monsters are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10...Cleveland is 12-6-0-0 on the road this year and Grand Rapids is 10-6-1-1 at home...Cleveland’s power play ranks sixth in the AHL at 20.6% and its penalty kill places 21st at 81.7%...The Griffins’ power play ranks 10th at 18.6% and their penalty kills places ninth at 84.6%...On Dec. 1, the Griffins halted the Monsters’ franchise-record 10-game win streak...The Monsters are the third-most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 141st meeting between the two franchises...Cleveland ranks 12th with 3.16 goals per game and tied for 18th in goals against per game (3.03)...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 33 points (13-20—33) in 31 games, which includes 27 points (9-18—27) in his last 19 meetings against the Griffins. Since the 2021-22 season, Rocco Grimaldi has posted 28 points (9-19—28) in his last 27 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
The Griffins earned a point but fell to the Cleveland Monsters 5-4 in a shootout on Friday at Van Andel Arena. The shootout loss was the first for the Griffins this season, as they sported a 4-0 record in the skills competition heading into the game. Alex Doucet posted his fourth multi-point outing of the season (1-1—2) alongside Shai Buium’s first of the year (0-2—2). Sheldon Dries earned his 250th professional point with his 13th goal of the campaign and Austin Watson collected his 11th of the season. An assist from Elmer Soderblom marked his fifth point in the last four games (2-3—5) and his eighth in the last nine (3-5—8). The 26 shots by the Griffins in the opening period were the most ever recorded in a period by either the Griffins or their opponent, spanning 2,359 combined regular season (2,170) and playoff (189) games. 

This Date in Griffins History
2006: Donald MacLean’s second consecutive hat trick ties an AHL record, sets a franchise mark and sends the Griffins on to their fifth straight win, a 6-3 triumph over Iowa. With his team-record fourth hat trick of the campaign, MacLean becomes the first AHL player since Hartford’s John Tripp in 2002-03 to notch four hat tricks in one season. Mathias Tjarnqvist also scores three goals for the Stars, marking just the second time in Grand Rapids history that both a Griffins player and an opposing player tally hat tricks in the same game. 

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 1.88 goals since the break. The offense has averaged 2.88 goals per game since the break and 2.17 goals in its last six outings. Grand Rapids remains in first place in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and sixth in the AHL with a 21-12-3-1 record and 46 points through 37 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 10-6-1-1 at home this season but have won two of their last eight home outings (2-4-1-1). Under head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids is 33-13-5-3 (.685) inside Van Andel Arena.  

Elm Tree
Elmer Soderblom, the tallest player in franchise history at 6-foot-8, has five points (2-3—5) in his last four games and eight points in his last nine outings (3-5—8). 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 37 games this year, Soderblom has 16 points (4-12—16), 29 penalty minutes and a plus-three rating. 

Shine Bright
Veteran Dominik Shine is tied for first on the roster in points (10-17—27), second in assists (17), and fourth in goals (10) in 37 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 eight points (4-4—8) in his last 12 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 165 points (71-94—165) and 513 penalty minutes in 459 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 23 goals across eight games (2.88) since Dec. 28 with a 4-3-0-1 record and 2.17 goals in its last six outings. The Griffins are tied for 21st on the circuit with 2.89 goals per outing, while ranking second in goals against per game (2.49). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 17-0-0-1 compared to 4-12-3-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

Power Surge
The Griffins have potted two power-play goals in both games this week. The power play has converted seven of their last 28 power-play opportunities (25.0%) during their last nine 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 10th on the circuit at 18.6% (24-for-129). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 12-for-56 (21.4%, 7th) and its road power play is 12-for-73 (16.4%, 18th). The Griffins have also given up six short-handed goals, which is tied for the fifth-most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has also struggled as of late, allowing a power-play goal in five straight games (16-for-22 on PK, 72.7%). Grand Rapids has also surrendered a power-play goal in 12 of its last 17 outings (51-for-65 on PK, 78.5%). However, the penalty-kill unit remains one of the best in the league, as it ranks ninth at 84.6%. 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 12-4-2-1 and 6-9-1-1 when they allow a power-play goal. 

Lock It Down
The Griffins have allowed just 1.88 goals per game since returning from the holiday break and rank second overall with 2.49 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 2.15 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in five appearances. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 48 goals in its last 21 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.29 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 (T8th), wins (T8th), and save percentage (11th). 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 six games with Grand Rapids, Campbell is 2-3-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Campbell has 444 pro games under his belt with a 2.66 GAA and 231 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (241 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). In the AHL, Campbell has shown a 119-85-27 record with a 2.71 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 six times in the last 16 games (37.5%). The 26 shots by the Griffins in the opening period last night were the most ever recorded in a period by either the Griffins or their opponent, spanning 2,359 combined regular season (2,170) and playoff (189) games. 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 25.9 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 nine times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 28.6 shots per game (14th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 19 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 327-273 compared to being outshot 350-329 in the second and 356-339 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, T8th), wins (11, T8th), and save percentage (.917, 11th). 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 27 points (11-16—27) in 35 games, while also leading the team in power-play goals (5) and ranking third 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—Sixth among rookie defensemen in assists (13), tied for eighth among rookie defensemen in points (13), tied for seventh among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+6)
Sebastian Cossa—Ninth in minutes played (1,238:08), tied for ninth in games played (21), tied for eighth in GAA (2.33), tied for eighth in wins (11), and 11th in save percentage (.917)
Nate Danielson—Tied for first in short-handed assists (3), first among rookies in short-handed assists (3), third among rookies in assists (18), tied for eighth among rookies in power-play assists (7)
Josiah Didier—Tied for 14th in plus-minus rating (+13), tied for 11th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13)
Alex Doucet—Tied for fifth 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 seventh in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (9) 

Milestones
Last night, Sheldon Dries recorded his 250th point as a pro with a goal. 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
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