Griffins Game #12 * Home Game #7 * AHL Game #173

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 52-33-7-5 All-Time Home Series: 27-15-2-4 All-Time Road Series: 25-18-5-1

Griffins vs. Stars
First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena...The Griffins have wins in eight of the last 10 games against Texas, dating back to April 11, 2025…In the last five seasons, Grand Rapids has a 17-11-3-1 overall record (.594) against the Stars, including an 8-6-1-1 mark (.563) at Van Andel Arena...Texas is tied for 16th in the AHL with 3.00 goals per game and tied for 31st with 4.30 goals allowed per game…Grand Rapids ranks fourth with 3.82 goals per game and tied for third with 2.27 goals allowed per outing…The Stars are 2-1-0-1 at home and 0-5-1-0 on the road…The Griffins are 5-0-0-1 at home and 3-1-1-0 on the road…Texas enters the contest on a two-game losing skid, while the Griffins are on a seven-game point streak (6-0-0-1)…The Stars have been outscored 42-29 this season…Texas’ power play ranks 28th at 12.5% and its penalty kill also places 28th at 74.3%...The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks first at 93.5% and their power play comes in at sixth (25.0%)…Texas is led by Mike Sgarbossa (6-4—10) and rookie Dylan Hryckowian (4-6—10), as both tie for the team led with 10 points…Among AHL rookies, the Stars’ Hryckowian is tied for third in points (10), tied for fifth in assists (6) and tied for sixth in goals (4)…Texas’ roster features two Michiganders in Ben Gleason (Ortonville) and Brandon Halverson (Traverse City).

Last Time Out
Behind goals from five different players and a 25-save performance from Michal Postava, the Griffins improved their point streak to seven games (6-0-0-1) with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday at Allstate Arena. Carter Bear led the attack with two assists and a goal and now sits with nine points in nine games this season. Chase Stillman’s tally marked his first as a Griffin, Noah Dower Nilsson’s goal was his first in the AHL, and Kienan Draper’s empty-netter was his first at the professional level. Dominik Shine rounded out the scoring for Grand Rapids while also recording an assist, and Postava moved to 5-0 this year in his first game back with the Griffins after a two-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings.

This Date in Griffins History
2021: Former Griffins captain Matthew Ford announces his retirement after a 12-year pro career spent almost entirely in the American Hockey League. Ford amassed 124 points (57-67—124) in 236 games as a Griffin.

Sounds Like A Broken Record
With 18 points (8-1-1-1) through their first 11 games, the Griffins are off to their third-best start in the franchise’s 31 seasons, outscoring opponents 42-25. Over the first 11 games of the last three seasons under coach Dan Watson, the Griffins are a combined 25-4-2-2 (.818). The team is also currently on a seven-game point streak (6-0-0-1). At home, the Griffins are 5-0-0-1 with a plus-12 margin compared to 3-1-1-0 on the road with a plus-five margin.

Complimentary Hockey
The Griffins rank fourth in the AHL with 3.82 goals per game and are tied for third with 2.27 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids is 8-0 when scoring the game’s first goal and has outscored its opponents 20-8 in the third period. The Griffins have a plus-12 margin at home (23-11) and a plus-five margin on the road (19-14). The team has allowed less than three goals in seven of the 11 games this year (63.6%), while scoring four or more goals eight times (72.7%).

Mr. Postman
Netminder Michal Postava was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for October for the first time in his career. The 24-year-old went 4-0 in October with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage. Postava is off to a 5-0 start with a 1.20 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, Postava places second in GAA, first 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 30 regular-season outings in the AHL. Postava made his NHL debut with the Red Wings in a relief effort on Oct. 22 at Vancouver. He then collected his first NHL win during his first start on Oct. 26 at Edmonton (4-3 SOW, 25 saves). Postava is 22-6-0 in his AHL regular-season career with a 1.62 GAA, a .940 save percentage and four shutouts. 

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. 24, Shine collected his third-career hat trick, which included his 100th goal as a Griffin, making him the third player to hit that mark (Michel Picard 158; Francis Pare 102). His third goal on Oct. 24 was also his 11th unassisted tally, giving him sole possession of the franchise record. Shine (101) is now two goals away from second all time in team history (Michel Picard 158; Francis Pare 102). Shine has 10 points (5-5—10) in his last six outings since Oct. 11, and 11 points (5-6—11) in 11 games this season. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (534), third in goals (101), tied for fifth in assists (133), fourth in points (234), fifth in penalty minutes (596), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), first in unassisted goals (11), and third in shots (934).

BOO-YA
Third-year defenseman Shai Buium is on a career-high five-game point streak from Oct. 18-Nov. 1 (1-4—5). The 23-year-old is currently tied for sixth among AHL defensemen in points (1-7—8) and tied for sixth in assists (7). Last season, Buium was limited to just 36 games due to rehabbing an upper-body injury. Throughout his AHL career, the San Diego, California, native has 47 points (6-41—47) and 34 penalty minutes in 115 appearances. Buium was the 36th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Caution: Bear Attacks
Rookie Carter Bear enjoyed a five-game point streak from Oct. 10-21 (2-3—5) and collected his first multi-point game as a pro last Sunday at Chicago (1-2—3). Bear now has nine points (3-6—9) in his last eight appearances. 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.

Kiis This
Rookie Jesse Kiiskinen leads the team with 11 points (6-5—11) in 11 games and is on a four-game point streak (1-3—4). In a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Oct. 11, Kiiskinen logged four points (3-1—4), which included his first AHL hat trick. Kiiskinen completed the first hat trick by a Griffins rookie since Tyler Bertuzzi in the 2016 playoffs and became the first Griffins rookie in the regular season since Chad Billins in 2013. In addition to his natural hat trick, the 21-year-old was the first Griffins rookie to show four points in a game since Simon Edvinsson (1-3—4) on Feb. 15, 2023, at the Rockford IceHogs. Among AHL rookies, Kiiskinen ranks second in points, first in goals, tied for 13th in assists and tied for ninth in plus-minus (+4).

First-Year Fun
Rookie goaltender Trey Augustine is on a three-game point streak since Oct. 17 (2-0-1), collecting his first pro win behind 27 saves on Oct. 17 at Rockford. The 21-year-old is 2-1-2 this season with a 2.92 GAA and a .901 save percentage. Augustine, the 2025-26 Richter Award winner as the NCAA's best goaltender, comes to Grand Rapids after an illustrious career at Michigan State, winning three Big Ten titles. As a Spartan from 2023-26, Augustine went 66-25-7 with nine shutouts, a 2.40 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 99 appearances. In the all-time rankings at Michigan State, Augustine places second in SV%, fifth in GAA, sixth in saves (2.838), sixth in wins and sixth in shutouts. The South Lyon, Michigan, native is also the winningest goaltender in Team USA history at the World Junior Championship, collecting a 12-1-1 record and two gold medals across three tournaments.     

Very Special
The Griffins’ special-team units are off to a solid start, as the power play ranks sixth at 25.0% and the penalty kill places first at 93.5%. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in each of its last seven games, showing a 27.0% conversion rate (10-for-37). John Leonard is tied for fourth in the AHL with four power-play tallies. The Griffins killed 28-straight penalties from Oct. 9-21 and have allowed just two power-play goals in their last nine contests (34-for-36, 94.4%). This season, the team has allowed just three power-play goals (43-for-46).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker 
Trey Augustine—Seventh among rookie goalies in games played (5), tied for sixth among rookie goalies in wins (2), eighth among rookie goalies in GAA (2.92), sixth among rookie goalies in save percentage (.901)
Carter Bear—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+7), tied for ninth among rookies in goals (3), tied for fifth among rookies in assists (6), tied for fifth among rookies in points (9), tied for first among rookies in plus-minus (+7)
Jacob Bryson—Tied for sixth among defensemen in assists (7), tied for sixth among defensemen in points (8)
Shai Buium—Tied for sixth among defensemen in assists (7), tied for sixth among defensemen in points (8)
Justice Christensen—Tied for 15th among defensemen in penalty minutes (20), tied for sixth among rookies in penalty minutes (20)
Dylan James—Tied for 13th among rookies in assists (5), tied for 15th among rookies in points (7)
Jesse Kiiskinen—Tied for 13th in goals (6), first among rookies in goals (6), tied for 13th among rookies in assists (5), second among rookies in points (11), tied for ninth among rookies in plus-minus (+4)
William Lagesson—Third among defensemen in goals (4), tied for 13th among defensemen in points (7)
x John Leonard—Tied for fourth in power-play goals (4), tied for fifth in game-winners (2)
Michal Postava—Tied for first in wins (5), second in GAA (1.20), first in save percentage (.955)

Milestones
On Oct. 24, Dominik Shine scored a hat trick, which included his 100th goal as a Griffin, and Sheldon Dries skated in his 400th AHL game. 
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
x Sheldon Dries—Three points from 300 in the AHL
Jesse Kiiskinen—Three points from 100 as a pro
Michal Postava—Three wins from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—Two goals from second all time in team history
Wilmer Skoog—Four points from 100 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins