Griffins Game #46 * Home Game #24 * AHL Game #725

Season Series: 5-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-1-0-0 Road Series: 4-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 50-33-7-5 All-Time Home Series: 25-15-2-4 All-Time Road Series: 25-18-5-1

Stars at Griffins
Seventh of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena...Grand Rapids is 5-1-0-0 against Texas this season with a 26-13 scoring margin...The Stars were the first team to shut out the Griffins this season (2-0 on Jan. 9)...The Griffins posted a 10-1 win at the Stars on Nov. 25, which set a franchise record for largest margin of victory...In the last five seasons since 2021-22, the Griffins are 18-15-4-1 (.539) against Texas with a minus-six scoring margin (121-115)...Also since 2021-22, Grand Rapids is 7-9-1-1 (.444) against the Stars at home with a minus-12 margin (52-40)...Texas is 11-11-2-0 at home this season compared to 11-8-1-1 on the road...The Stars are on a season-high seven-game win streak and are 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games...The Griffins are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 outings...Grand Rapids is 17-5-1-0 at home compared to 18-2-1-1 on the road...Texas’ power play ranks 30th in the AHL at 14.1%, while Grand Rapids ranks 16th at 19.1%...The Stars’ penalty kill ranks 26th at 78.5% and the Griffins place first at 87.1%...The Griffins rank first with 3.47 goals per game and Texas is 21st at 2.87 goals...Defensively, the Stars are tied for 14th at 3.04 goals allowed per game and Grand Rapids ranks second at 1.96...A six-year captain of the Stars, Curtis McKenzie is in his 10th campaign with Texas. With Texas, McKenzie has 386 points (158-228—382) in 540 regular-season games...Sheldon Dries made his pro debut with the Stars on Oct. 6, 2017 at Chicago and totaled 30 points (19-11—30) in 70 games during his rookie season with the club...Texas’ Cross Hanas was a second-round pick by the Red Wings in 2020 (55th overall) and played in three seasons with the Griffins from 2022-25, showing 50 points (26-24—50) in 146 games...Texas’ Antonio Stranges hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and spent his youth career with Little Caesars in Detroit...The Stars are led by Cameron Hughes with 43 points (10-33—43) in 45 games. In the AHL rankings, Hughes is tied for ninth in points and tied for second in assists...In net, Texas’ Remi Poirier is tied for eighth in save percentage (.910), tied for ninth in wins (15), and tied for second in games played (31). 

Last Time Out
Austin Watson and Shai Buium each bagged a pair of assists, as the Griffins secured a 5-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers in their last game before the all-star break on Saturday at Bojangles Coliseum. With a 35-7-2-1 record (73 pts.), Grand Rapids tied the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (34-6-3-2) for the second-best start in the AHL’s 90-year history through 45 games, and improved to 18-2-1-1 on the road. Antti Tuomisto tallied the game-winner on the power play for his seventh of the season, while Sebastian Cossa recorded his 20th win of the campaign to go along with 38 saves (20-4-2). 

This Date in Griffins History
2004: With a 4-0 win over Manitoba at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins set a franchise record of 11 consecutive home games without a loss (8-0-3-0). Joey MacDonald makes 22 saves for his second straight shutout at home.

Leaders of the Pack 
The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season, and are 19 points above second-place Chicago and 35 points up on a playoff spot. Grand Rapids is 27-5-2-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 124-71, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. The Griffins’ 27 wins against the division have already eclipsed last year’s mark of 26 and are the most divisional victories since 2023-24 (30). Twenty-one of the remaining 27 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (77.8%). The Griffins will see the most games against the Milwaukee Admirals (5) and Rockford IceHogs (5). 

Steady the Ship
Despite dropping six of 10 games from Jan. 7-30 and four of the last seven contests, the Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 35-7-2-1 ledger and 73 points through 45 games. Grand Rapids tied the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (34-6-3-2, 73 pts.) for the second-best start in AHL history through 45 games. The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins’ 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended on Jan. 9, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 18-2-1-1 on the road and 17-5-1-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1) set a new AHL record, eclipsing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals’ 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (73), has a 19-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 35 points up on a playoff spot. 

Sparkling Stars
Griffins goaltender Sebastian Cossa and forwards John Leonard and Dominik Shine served as the team’s representatives at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO in Rockford, Illinois earlier this week. Due to an injury, Leonard was unable to participate. They joined their head coach, Dan Watson, who served as the coach for the Central Division. The three all-star player selections were the most for the Griffins since 2013 (Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist). Including Watson, the four all-star representatives were the most in team history since four players were chosen for the 2004 event in Grand Rapids (Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson). Cossa became the first Griffins goalie to earn consecutive all-star selections, and the first Griffins player since Chris Terry (2019 and 2020). This was also Leonard’s second straight all-star selection, as he was chosen for last year’s event as a member of the Charlotte Checkers, while captain Shine competed in his first-ever all-star game. Leonard was unable to participate due to injury. Shine posted one assist, three shots and an even plus-minus rating during the three-on-three tournament, and Cossa ranked second among all goalies with a 1.05 goals-against average and an .818 save percentage in 15:10 minutes. Watson led the Central Division to its second-consecutive finals appearance, falling 3-1 to the Pacific Division. 

Record Setters 
Below is a list of team and league records that the Griffins have either set or tied this season. 
- Best record in AHL history through 25 games (23-1-0-1, 47 pts.), 30 games (27-1-1-1, 56 pts.) and 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)
- Tied second-best record in AHL history through 45 games (35-7-2-1, 73 pts.)
- Reached the 60-point mark in just 32 games, three games faster than any team in AHL history
- AHL record 17-game road points streak from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1)
- Tied franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, which also tied for sixth-longest in AHL history
- Tied franchise-record 19-game points streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0)
- Franchise-record start with an 8-0 record and was the league’s last undefeated team for first time since 2000-01 IHL season
- Started 6-0 at home for first time since 2009-10 (8-0)
- Franchise record for largest margin of victory (9) on Nov. 25 at Texas (10-1 W) 
- Franchise record for fewest shots in a game (10) on Jan. 17 versus Milwaukee 

Going for Gold
On Jan. 6, Team Latvia announced that forward Eduards Tralmaks will represent the country at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games from Feb. 6-22. Tralmaks becomes the seventh player to participate in an Olympics while playing for the Griffins. Tralmaks is also the sixth current or former Griffin to be named to an Olympic roster for 2026, joining USA’s Dylan Larkin, Germany’s Moritz Seider, Czechia’s Filip Hronek and Radim Simek, and Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar. Tralmaks, a native of Riga, Latvia, has 24 points (18-6—24), six penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating in 44 games with the Griffins this season. He ranks among the team leaders in goals (2nd), points (5th), and plus-minus rating (T2nd), while tying for 14th in the AHL in goals and plus-minus rating. Tralmaks has competed for Team Latvia at the two previous World Championships in 2024 and 2025, showing a combined nine points (4-5—9) in 14 games. At last year's World Championship, Tralmaks led Latvia in points (3-4—7) and assists, while ranking second in goals in seven games. Also in 2024-25, he potted one goal in three Olympic qualifying games with Latvia.  

What’s The Password? 
The Griffins’ defense remains one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks second with 1.96 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids posted its seventh shutout of the season on Jan. 21 against Milwaukee, which are the most since the team registered eight in 2016-17. The Griffins shut out their opponent in two straight games from Jan. 17-21 in addition to posting consecutive shutouts from Dec. 21-27. Prior to this season, the last time Grand Rapids logged two straight shutouts was Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just 12 times all season (26.7%) and have averaged 2.80 goals allowed in their last five outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 87.1%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.99 GAA with a .928 save percentage, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.75 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Grand Rapids also has four of the top 11 plus-minus ratings among defensemen. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (517) (currently with Detroit), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,130 appearances. 

Slowed Down a Smidge
Grand Rapids was shut out for the second time this season last Friday and has been held to under three goals in eight of the last 13 games. The Griffins now have 17 goals in their last five contests (3.40 per game) and finished January with 32 goals (2.46 per game). At the start of January, the Griffins averaged 3.93 goals per game. Despite the slow January, Grand Rapids still ranks first in the AHL with 3.47 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 156-88 and is 26-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 67-41 at home, while possessing an 89-47 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (63-29). John Leonard leads the team and ranks second in the AHL with 26 goals, while Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 18 and Sheldon Dries places third with 17. 

The Well is Not Dry
Sheldon Dries has goals in three of his last four games and in six of his last 10 outings since Jan. 17. Throughout 37 games with Grand Rapids this season, Dries has 31 points (17-14—31) and a plus-15 rating. The Macomb, Michigan, native ranks second on the roster in points, tied for fifth in assists, and third in goals. He had two points in four straight games from Dec. 17-27 (3-5—8) and was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 21 when he logged six points (2-4—6) and a plus-eight rating in three games. Throughout his nine-year AHL career, Dries has 275 points (155-120—275), 270 penalty minutes and a plus-42 rating in 376 games. 

Damn Daniel, Back at it Again
Since returning from an injury that sidelined him for three games from Jan. 25-30, Nate Danielson has three points (1-2—3) in four outings. Danielson also has eight points (2-6—8) in 11 contests since being reassigned by Detroit on Jan. 6. Danielson, the ninth overall pick by Detroit in 2023, made his NHL debut on Nov. 9, 2025, against Chicago and competed for the Red Wings from Nov. 9-Jan. 3. With Detroit, the 21-year-old logged seven points (2-5—7) and four penalty minutes in 28 games. Danielson has 13 points (3-10—13), four penalty minutes and a plus-four rating in 15 games with Grand Rapids this season. In his AHL career since 2024-25, the second-year pro has 52 points (15-37—52) in 86 games. 

January at a Glance
The Griffins finished January with a 7-5-1-0 record and a plus-two scoring margin (32-30). Prior to January, Grand Rapids had just one loss in regulation and three total defeats in any fashion. The Griffins also logged 2.46 goals per game, which was the lowest goal total of any month this season (October: 4.00, November: 4.08, December: 3.73). The power play went just 5-for-38 (13.2%) and the penalty kill finished 26-for-30 (86.7%). John Leonard led the team with 10 points (6-4—10) in 11 games, while Sebastian Cossa went 3-3-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .906 save percentage and Michal Postava finished 4-2-0 with two shutouts, a 1.27 GAA and a .943 save percentage between the pipes. 

The Brick Wall
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fourth shutout of the season on Dec. 27 at Milwaukee in just his 16th game. His four shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2016-17 (Eddie Pasquale). He then showed a career-high 47 saves on Jan. 2 against Chicago, which tied Jared Coreau’s franchise record for saves in a home game. Cossa won two straight AHL Goaltender of the Month awards (November and December), becoming the first netminder in franchise history to receive the honor twice in the same season. The 23-year-old also became just the third goaltender in team history to win the award twice in any fashion, joining Jared Coreau (Feb. 2018, Dec. 2015) and Jimmy Howard (Dec. 2007, March 2006). Cossa has a 20-4-2 record with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. He enjoyed a career-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 27, showing a 1.51 GAA and a .939 save percentage, and a 14-game point streak from Nov. 25-Jan. 13 (12-0-2). In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks second in GAA, second in save percentage, first in shutouts, tied for first in wins and eighth in minutes played (1535:01). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 64-29-16 mark with seven shutouts to go along with a 2.39 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 110 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team. 

Just Getting Started
Rookie netminder Michal Postava tied a franchise record by becoming the 10th netminder in team history to post back-to-back shutouts from Jan. 17-21. He collected his first AHL shutout on Jan. 17 with 10 saves in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee and followed that performance with a 19-save blanking of Milwaukee on Jan. 21. His 10 saves on Jan. 17 set a new franchise record for fewest in a shutout. Postava logged a shutout streak of 156:20 from Jan. 9-25, which was 3:47 short of breaking the franchise record by Jared Coreau in 2014-15 (160:06). After beginning the campaign 5-0, the 23-year-old suffered his first AHL defeat on Jan. 9 against Texas. Postava is now 8-3-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage in 13 games. Last season, Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion with Kometa Brno, showing a league-best .940 save percentage with a 1.97 GAA and a 10-7 record in 17 playoff games. During the regular season with Kometa Brno, Postava ranked among the Czech Extraliga leaders in save percentage (.921, 5th), GAA (2.39, 11th), wins (23, 4th), games played (42, T2nd) and shutouts (3, T7th). As an undrafted free agent, Postava signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer.    

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for third in game-winners (5), tied for eighth among rookies in assists (17), tied for 13th among rookies in points (25), fifth among rookies in plus-minus (+15), tied for 10th among rookies in shots (87), first among rookies in game-winners (5)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.99), second in save percentage (.928), first in shutouts (4), tied for first in wins (20), tied for ninth in games played (26), eighth in minutes played (1535:01)
Sheldon Dries—Tied for 10th in power-play goals (7)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 15th among defensemen in assists (18), tied for eighth among defensemen in plus-minus (+18), tied for eighth among defensemen in power-play goals (2)
Justin Holl—Tied for 14th in plus-minus (+19), seventh among defensemen in plus-minus (+19)
Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for third in shorthanded assists (2), tied for second among defensemen in shorthanded assists (2)
William Lagesson—Fourth in plus-minus (+24), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+24)
John Leonard—Second in goals (26), tied for second in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (8)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for 13th among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
x Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for 14th in goals (18), tied for 14th in plus-minus (+19)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 10th among defensemen in goals (7), tied for eighth among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
Austin Watson—Seventh in penalty minutes (111) 

Milestones
Last Saturday in a 5-2 win at Charlotte, Ian Mitchell competed in his 300th game as a pro.  
Ondrej Becher—One game from 100 as a Griffin
Sheldon Dries—Two games from 500 as a pro
Dominik Shine—Five goals from claiming third on the all-time franchise goals list (95), one unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins