Griffins Game #30 * Home Game #16 * AHL Game #482

Season Series: 1-0-0-1 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-1
All-Time Series: 105-91-2-8-6 All-Time Home Series: 51-40-2-6-4 All-Time Road Series: 54-51-0-2-2

Wolves at Griffins
Third of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Van Andel Arena…Chicago is one of the three teams to defeat the Griffins this season, as they claimed a 4-3 shootout victory over Grand Rapids on Nov. 9...Both meetings this season have been decided by a shootout...Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 212 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 231)…Grand Rapids has lost six of the last nine games against Chicago (3-5-0-1)...The Wolves are 9-3-2-2 at home this season compared to 5-4-2-1 on the road...The Griffins are 13-1-1-0 at home and 13-0-0-1 on the road, which are both franchise records to begin a season...The Griffins are on a 16-game point streak (15-0-1-0) and are 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games...Chicago is 5-1-1-3 in its last 10 outings...In the last five seasons since 2021-22, Grand Rapids is just 15-20-2-3 (.438) against the Wolves and has been outscored 137-113. Also since the 2021-22 season, the Griffins are 7-8-2-2 (.474) against the Wolves at Van Andel Arena and have been outscored 57-56...The Wolves are tied for 23rd with a power-play percentage of 15.5%, while their penalty kill ranks 25th at 78.3%...Chicago ranks 19th on the circuit with 2.96 goals scored per game and 10th with 2.79 goals against per game...Chicago’s Yanick Turcotte is tied for eighth in the AHL in penalty minutes (72). Domenick Fensore is tied for fourth among defensemen in points (20). Bryce Montgomery is tied for eighth among defensemen in penalty minutes (43)...Former Griffins assistant coach Spiros Anastas (2012-14) was named the interim head coach of the Wolves on Dec. 12...Defenseman William Lagesson competed for Chicago during the 2022-23 season and posted a career-high 32 points (10-22—32) in 65 games.  

Last Time Out
In their last game of 2025, the Griffins extended their point streak to 16 games (15-0-1-0), but fell in overtime to the Milwaukee Admirals 3-2 on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. Despite the loss, the Griffins’ 26-1-1-1 start and 54 points through 29 games remained the best in the AHL’s 90-year history. Grand Rapids’ 15-game win streak tied for the longest in franchise history, while it also stood tied for the sixth-longest in league history. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard bagged an assist to extend his point streak to five games, while John Leonard notched a short-handed goal, good for his 20th of the season in his 21st game. 

This Date in Griffins History
2008: Jimmy Howard is named the RBK/X-Pulse AHL Goaltender of the Month after posting the best numbers of his career for a calendar month with a 1.72 GAA and a .939 save percentage during December. 

A Happy New Year
The Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 26-1-1-1 ledger and 54 points through 29 games. Grand Rapids reached 50 points three games faster than any team in the AHL’s 90-year history. The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Wednesday, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. The Griffins remain on a 16-game point streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 31 (15-0-1-0). The Griffins are 13-0-0-1 on the road and 13-1-1-0 at home, which both are franchise records to begin a season. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (54), has a 19-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 28 points up on a playoff spot.

The Brick Wall
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fourth shutout of the season last Saturday at Milwaukee in just his 16th game. His four shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2016-17 (Eddie Pasquale). Cossa has a 15-1-1 record with a 1.65 goals-against average and a .936 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. In addition, Cossa’s seven-career shutouts tie Petr Mrazek for seventh on the team’s all-time list. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks first in GAA, first in save percentage, first in shutouts and first in wins. Last season, Cossa was named to his first AHL All-Star Classic and ranked among the AHL regular-season leaders in games played (41, T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), GAA (2.45, 11th), save percentage (.911, T13th), and wins (21, T10th). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 59-26-15 mark with seven shutouts to go along with a 2.37 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 101 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team.   

The Well is not Dry
Sheldon Dries 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. The Macomb, Michigan, native ranks third on the roster with 24 points (10-14—24) in 24 games, while also placing second in assists and fourth in goals. In addition, his career-high plus-16 rating is tied for fifth on the team and tied for ninth in the AHL. Throughout his nine-year AHL career, Dries has 268 points (148-120—268), 259 penalty minutes and a plus-43 rating in 363 games. 

FYI, He’s Back
On Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings reassigned left wing John Leonard to the Griffins after he logged four points (2-2—4) in seven games with the team. Leonard has 30 points and 20 goals in 21 games with the Griffins this season to go along with two penalty minutes, seven game-winners and a plus-14 rating. In the AHL rankings, the sixth-year veteran is tied for ninth in points, tied for first in goals and first in game-winners. He was named the Fortune Tires “Expect More” AHL Player of the Month for November with 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games and became just the third player in franchise history to win the award, joining Riley Barber (April 2022) and Chris Minard (Feb. 2012). Leonard’s career-best 10-game point streak from Oct. 10-Nov. 19 set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career. His career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied with teammate Austin Watson, Jiri Hudler, Kip Miller and Pavol Demitra for the third-longest run in franchise history. Throughout parts of six AHL seasons since 2020-21, Leonard has 201 points (103-98—201) in 270 games. 

Leaders of the Pack
The Griffins currently lead the Central Division and are 19 points above second-place Chicago and 28 points up on a playoff spot. Grand Rapids is 19-0-1-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 87-39. Last season, it took the Griffins 38 games to reach 19 wins against the division (19-15-3-1). Thirty-five of the remaining 43 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (81.4%), which includes the next 10 contests. The Griffins will see the most games against the Milwaukee Admirals (9) followed by the Chicago Wolves (8).   

What’s the Password?
The Griffins’ defense is the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.76 goals allowed per contest. Providence is the closest to Grand Rapids with 2.11 goals allowed per game. Grand Rapids shut out its opponent in two straight games from Dec. 21-27 for the first time since Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just four times in their last 23 games and have averaged just 1.14 goals allowed in their last seven outings, which includes three shutouts. In fact, the team has allowed more than two goals just six times all season (20.7%). In addition, the team’s penalty kill is third in the AHL at 86.0% (74-for-86). In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.65 GAA with a .936 save percentage, while first-year netminder Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Grand Rapids also has seven of the top 15 plus-minus ratings in the AHL and four of the top six ratings among defensemen. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (516), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,129 appearances. 

Veteran Presence 
Erik Gustafsson, a 15-year veteran, has 19 points (2-17—19) and a plus-19 rating in 18 games with Grand Rapids. He also has 10 points (2-8—10) and a plus-10 rating in his last six games with the Griffins. Among AHL defensemen, Gustafsson is tied for seventh in points, tied for fourth in assists, and tied for first in plus-minus rating. He has competed in 516 NHL games since 2015-16 after being selected with the 93rd overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. In his NHL career, Gustafsson has notched 240 points (47-193—240) and 163 penalty minutes in 516 regular-season games, adding 12 points (2-10—12) and 10 penalty minutes in 49 Stanley Cup Playoff outings. Prior to this season, the Nynashamn, Sweden, native last played in the AHL during the 2017-18 campaign with the Rockford IceHogs. In his four-year AHL career, Gustafsson has 77 points (13-64—77) and 100 penalty minutes in 138 outings. 

Fill Up the Tank
Grand Rapids has 61 goals in its last 15 contests (4.07 per game) and ranks first in the AHL with 3.93 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 114-51 and is 19-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. Last season, it took Grand Rapids 36 games to eclipse 100 goals compared to just 26 outings this campaign. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 52-23 at home, while possessing a 62-28 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (46-18). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins are tied for 12th in shots per game (29.1). John Leonard leads the team and is tied for first in the AHL with 20 goals, Dominik Shine places second on the roster with 14, and Eduards Tralmaks ranks third with 13.

Be Like Mike
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was one of three rookies to make the Detroit Red Wings’ opening-night roster out of training camp. The 15th overall pick in 2024 showed one assist in nine games with Detroit before being assigned to the Griffins on Oct. 27. The Oslo, Norway, native is currently on a five-game point streak (2-4—6), which is an AHL career high. Brandsegg-Nygard has 20 points (7-13—20) and a plus-16 rating in 26 AHL games this season. Among AHL rookies, he is tied for 11th in points, tied for sixth in assists, and tied for first in plus-minus. Last year, Brandsegg-Nygard tied for the team lead with three points (2-1—3) in three Calder Cup Playoff games, following his SHL season with Skelleftea. The 20-year-old has also competed with Team Norway in the last two World Championships, totaling a combined nine points (3-6—9) in 12 outings. 

Shine On, Captain 
On Dec. 7 at Toronto, Dominik Shine became just the third player in franchise history to reach 500 games with the team, scoring a goal in the process. He is in his 10th season with Grand Rapids, becoming just the third player in team history to reach the milestone (Brian Lashoff 14, Travis Richards 10). On Dec. 21 against Cleveland, Shine passed Kip Miller for the fourth-most points in franchise history (210) and on Dec. 17 at Iowa, he surpassed Tomas Tatar for the fourth-most goals in team history (88). He has 10 points (4-6—10) in his last nine outings, is tied for seventh in the AHL with 14 goals, and ranks second on the team with 27 points (14-13—27) in 24 games. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (507), fourth in goals (89), seventh in assists (122), fourth in points (211), fifth in penalty minutes (575), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for fourth in game-winners (14), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (860).  

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+16), third in game-winners (5), tied for sixth among rookies in assists (13), tied for 11th among rookies in points (20), tied for first among rookies in plus-minus (+16), first among rookies in game-winners (5)
Sebastian Cossa—First in GAA (1.65), first in save percentage (.936), first in shutouts (4), first in wins (15)
Sheldon Dries—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+16)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for third in plus-minus (+19), tied for seventh among defensemen in points (19), tied for fourth among defensemen in assists (17), tied for first among defensemen in plus-minus (+19)
Justin Holl—Tied for third in plus-minus (+19), tied for first among defensemen in plus-minus (+19)
William Lagesson—Seventh in plus-minus (+18), third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
John Leonard—Tied for first in goals (20), tied for ninth in points (30), tied for first in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (7)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for ninth in plus-minus (+16), tied for 14th among defensemen in goals (4), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+16)
Dominik Shine—Tied for seventh in goals (14), tied for third in plus-minus (+19)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for 12th in goals (13)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for fifth among defensemen in goals (5), tied for 14th among defensemen in points (16), seventh among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)
William Wallinder—Tied for 11th among defensemen in plus-minus (+12) 

Milestones 
Last Saturday at Milwaukee, Dan Watson collected his 100th win as a Griffin and goaltender Sebastian Cossa appeared in his 100th game as a Griffin.   
Sheldon Dries—Six points from 300 as a pro, two goals from 150 in the AHL
William Lagesson—Four assists from 100 as a pro
John Leonard—Two assists from 100 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Austin Watson—Two goals from 100 in the AHL   

Photos by Ross Dettman/Wolves