Griffins Game #10 * Home Game #6 * AHL Game #121

Season Series: 1-0-1-1 Home Series: 0-0-0-1 Road Series: 1-0-1-0
All-Time Series: 84-44-10-15 All-Time Home Series: 48-19-4-5 All-Time Road Series: 36-25-6-10

Griffins vs. Monsters
Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena...In the last five seasons, Grand Rapids has a 16-10-4-5 overall record (.586) against the Monsters, including a 10-2-2-3 mark (.735) at Van Andel Arena...Cleveland has a plus-one scoring margin this season (26-25) compared to the Griffins’ plus-11 margin (32-21)...The Monsters are 3-0-0-0 on the road and 2-2-0-0 at home…The Griffins are 4-0-0-1 at home and 2-1-1-0 on the road…Cleveland’s power play is tied for 10th at 22.5% and its penalty kill places 29th at 69.7%...Grand Rapids’ power play is tied for fifth at 26.7% and its penalty kill places first at 92.5%...Cleveland’s Steven Lorentz leads the team with eight points (7-1—8) in seven games and his seven goals are tied for second in the AHL…The Monsters are led by new head coach Nick Bootland. Bootland is a two-time Calder Cup winner with the Hershey Bears when he served as an assistant from 2022-26. Bootland began his coaching career in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings and was their head coach/director of hockey operations for 14 seasons from 2008-22…Griffins head coach Dan Watson suited up for the Cleveland Barons from 2002-04 and calls Cleveland home during the offseason…Cameron Butler competed in parts of three seasons with the Monsters from 2022-25, making his pro/AHL debut on April 14, 2023, at Utica. Butler also made his NHL debut with Columbus on March 30, 2024, against Pittsburgh…Cleveland’s new head coach Nick Bootland is the older brother of former Griffin Darryl Bootland, a fan favorite who racked up 140 points (72-68—140) and a team-record 1,164 penalty minutes in 293 games from 2002-07. 

Last Time Out
After a deadlocked battle through three periods and overtime, Luca Pinelli netted the lone shootout goal to hand the Cleveland Monsters a 3-2 win over the Griffins on Friday at Van Andel Arena. Despite the loss, the Griffins extended their point streak to five games (4-0-0-1). Sheldon Dries scored a goal in his first game back with Grand Rapids after a six-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings, and Jesse Kiiskinen tallied his AHL-rookie-leading sixth goal of the season. Trey Augustine logged a career-high 36 saves and continued his three-game point streak (2-0-1). 

This Date in Griffins History
1996: The Griffins post their first-ever victory and shutout at Van Andel Arena, blanking the rival Michigan K-Wings by a 2-0 count behind 20 saves by Pokey Reddick. 

Sounds Like A Broken Record
With 13 points (6-1-1-0) through their first eight games, the Griffins tied the second-best start in the franchise’s 31 seasons, behind only last year’s team (16 pts., 8-0). Over the first eight games of the last three seasons under coach Dan Watson, the Griffins are a combined 20-2-2-0 (.875).

Johnny Bravo
Last weekend against the Rockford IceHogs, John Leonard posted six points (5-1—6) in two games. He scored two power-play goals last Friday before compiling his second hat trick as a Griffin last Saturday to go along with a four-point effort (3-1—4). Through five games this season, Leonard has seven points (5-2—7), four power-play goals, two game-winners and a 27.8 shooting percentage. Last season, the 28-year-old ranked second in the AHL with 33 goals in 47 outings. Throughout parts of seven AHL campaigns since 2020-21, Leonard has a combined 232 points (121-111—232) in 301 appearances.

Mr. Postman
Netminder Michal Postava, currently with Detroit, is off to a 4-0 start with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Postava places third in GAA, fourth in save percentage and tied for first 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 29 regular-season outings in the AHL. Postava is 21-6-0 in his AHL regular-season career with a 1.65 GAA, a .939 save percentage and four shutouts.

Home Sweet Home
The Griffins are 4-0-0-1 at home this season and have outscored their opponents 18-9. By comparison, Grand Rapids is 2-1-1 on the road with a 14-13 scoring margin. The Griffins have posted two hat tricks in the last four home games, as Jesse Kiiskinen (3-1—4) did so on Oct. 11 against Chicago and John Leonard (3-1—4) on Oct. 18 against Rockford.

Caution: Bear Attacks
Rookie Carter Bear enjoyed a team-best five-game point streak from Oct. 10-21 (2-3—5). He 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 19-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.

Very Special
The Griffins’ special-team units are off to a solid start, as the power play is tied for fifth at 26.7% and the penalty kill places first at 92.5%. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in each of its last five games, showing a 30.8% conversion rate (8-for-26). John Leonard is tied for third in the AHL with four power-play tallies. The Griffins killed 28-straight penalties from Oct. 9-21 and have allowed just three power-play goals this season (37-for-40).

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). On Oct. 11 against the Chicago Wolves, Shine collected his 100th professional goal and is three goals away from 100 as a Griffin. Only two players, Michel Picard (158) and Francis Pare (102), have reached the 100-goal mark in franchise history. Shine has six points (1-5—6) in nine outings this season. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (532), third in goals (97), sixth in assists (132), fourth in points (229), fifth in penalty minutes (596), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (926).

Veteran Presence
Defenseman Jacob Bryson showed two assists in back-to-back games last weekend and now has eight points (1-7—8) in nine outings. Bryson, one of five veterans on the team, last competed in a full AHL season in 2019-20 with the Rochester Americans. Throughout parts of four AHL seasons, the London, Ontario, native has 41 points (5-36—41), 46 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating in 85 contests. The 28-year-old has played almost exclusively in the NHL since the 2020-21 campaign and has 51 points (6-45—51) and 60 penalty minutes in 304-career NHL games. Bryson, the 99th overall pick by Buffalo in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, suited up for six straight seasons with the Sabres from 2020-26 before being traded to the Winnipeg Jets in March of last season. He signed a one-year contract with Detroit this past offseason.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Jacob Bryson—Tied for ninth in assists (7), tied for fourth among defensemen in assists (7), tied for fourth among defensemen in points (8)
Carter Bear—Tied for 15th among rookies in points (5)
Shai Buium—Tied for sixth among defensemen in assists (5), tied for seventh among defensemen in points (6)
Cameron Butler—Tied for 13th in penalty minutes (24)
Dylan James—Tied for 15th among rookies in points (5)
Jesse Kiiskinen—Tied for seventh in goals (6), tied for 12th in points (9), first among rookies in goals (6), second among rookies in points (9), tied for second among rookies in plus-minus (+5)
William Lagesson—Tied for second among defensemen in goals (4), tied for seventh among defensemen in points (6)
John Leonard—Tied for 10th in goals (5), tied for third in power-play goals (4), tied for third in game-winners (2) 
x Michal Postava—Tied for first in wins (4), tied for 12th in games played (4), third in GAA (1.25), fourth in save percentage (.954) 

Milestones
On Wednesday, John Leonard skated in his 300th AHL game and Jacob Bernard-Docker made his Griffins debut. 
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—One game from 400 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—Three goals from 100 as a Griffin

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins