Griffins Game #11 * Road Game #8 * AHL Game #153

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 68-34-6-10 All-Time Home Series: 38-17-2-2 All-Time Road Series: 30-17-4-8

Griffins at Monsters
First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse…Grand Rapids is 14-3-1-0 against Cleveland in the past two seasons and has points nine straight games overall (8-0-1-0)...In the past five years, the Griffins are 24-7-2-1 against Cleveland and have outscored them 121-84. On forgein ice during that span, Grand Rapids is 12-3-1-1 against the Monsters with a +19 scoring margin (65-46)...The Griffins have points in seven of the last nine meetings in Cleveland (7-2-0-0)...Both teams rank in the top five for power-play scoring with Cleveland coming in at fourth (26.3%) and Grand Rapids at fifth (25.5%)...However, the penalty kill for both clubs rank in the bottom third of the league (Cleveland 69% 31st; Grand Rapids 75.5% T24th)...The Monsters are 3-1-0-0 at home and the Griffins are 3-4-0-0 on the road...The Monsters are the third-most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 119th meeting between the two franchises (Milwaukee 204, Chicago 184)...Griffins head coach Ben Simon is a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.

Last Time Out
A second-period barrage from the Rockford IceHogs handed the Griffins a 4-1 loss at the BMO Center. After being tied 1-1 after the first, the IceHogs used a three-goal middle frame to pull away from the Griffins. The lone goal for Grand Rapids came from rookie Cross Hanas, his fifth of the season. Hanas is now tied with Austin Czarnik for the most goals among Griffins’ skaters and is tied for second in the AHL among first-year players. Joel L’Esperance’s assist on Hanas’ goal extended his point streak to five games and placed him third on the team in points with nine (4-5—9). The Griffins remained without forwards Czarnik and Matt Luff due to recall to the Detroit Red Wings.

Roster Shake Up
- Nov. 2—F Matt Luff recalled by Detroit; G Victor Brattstrom reassigned from Toledo by Detroit; G Sebastian Cossa reassigned to Toledo by Detroit
- Nov. 3—F Trenton Bliss recalled by Grand Rapids
- Nov. 5—F Austin Czarnik recalled by Detroit
- Nov. 7—D Seth Barton reassigned from Toledo by Detroit; F Austin Czarnik and F Matt Luff reassigned by Detroit
- Nov. 8—F Austin Czarnik and F Matt Luff recalled by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
2002: Grand Rapids fires 48 shots during a 2-1 win at Utah, establishing a regular-season franchise record for most shots on goal in a road game decided during regulation.

Grab the Confetti
The Griffins will compete in their 2000th regular-season game tonight at Cleveland. The team will compete in its 1000th regular-season home contest on Wednesday, Nov. 16 versus the Rockford IceHogs. The Griffins are also eight road wins away from 500 as a franchise.

Power Struggle
The Griffins’ power play has gotten off to a fast start, scoring at least one goal on the man-advantage in seven of the 10 games thus far. After finishing 28th in the AHL last season with a 16.7% power-play rate, Grand Rapids now sits in fifth place with a conversion rate of 25.5%. The Griffins are tied for sixth with 47 power-play opportunities, while their 12 goals are tied for third. It has not been the same story on the other end of the ice, as the team is tied for 24th on the penalty kill at 75.5%. Grand Rapids has endured seven penalties in five of its 10 games, including three straight. The Griffins have been shorthanded 53 times this season, which is tied for second on the circuit. They have also given up three shorthanded goals, which is tied for first in the league.

Road Trip!
So far, Grand Rapids is 3-4-0-0 in its eight-game road trip with a stop in Cleveland yet to come. The eight-game journey is the longest in franchise history during the first two months of a season, beating out a five-game trip in November of 2017. In that five-game road stand in 2017, the Griffins finished with a 2-2-0-1 mark.

Back and Forth We Go
After beginning the campaign with a 2-1-0-0 mark, the Griffins have gone on to trade wins and losses in the next seven contests. Grand Rapids has dropped every opening game of a two-game weekend series this season but has gone on to win the following night. The Griffins will host the Toronto Marlies for a two-game series this weekend on Friday and Saturday.

Getting Revved Up
After suffering an injury in the season opener on Oct. 14 that kept him sidelined for the next four games, Jonatan Berggren has returned to action and has seven points (4-3—7) in the previous five outings. The former second-round selection tied his AHL game-high of two goals on Nov. 3 at Iowa and followed that performance with three points (1-2—3) on Nov. 4 at Iowa, which included an overtime penalty-shot winner. A year ago, the Enkoping, Sweden, native broke the Griffins’ single-season rookie scoring record with 64 points (21-43—64) in 70 outings.

Jumping for Joel
Joel L’Esperance is in the midst of a team-high five-game point streak (2-4—6), which included a season-high two points on Nov. 3 at Iowa (0-2—2). The Brighton, Mich., native ranks third on the roster with nine points (4-5—9) in the first 10 games to begin his career in Grand Rapids and his three power-play goals are tied for sixth in the AHL. L’Esperance signed a two-year contract with the Griffins this past offseason.

Inching Closer to No. 200
On Sunday, Nov. 6, forward Austin Czarnik became the 195th Griffin to appear in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut. Czarnik totaled 12:45 of ice time and two shots in the 3-2 overtime win at the New York Rangers. Previously, Matt Luff became the 194th Griffin in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit on Oct. 27 at the Boston Bruins.

Young Guns
Rookies Simon Edvinsson and Cross Hanas have made their presences known to begin their AHL careers. Edvinsson, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, is tied for ninth among first-year players with eight points (1-7—8), while his seven helpers are tied for second. With five goals in 10 games, Hanas is tied for second among rookies in the AHL and tied for first on the roster.

Bobbing for Apples
Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. In fact, the former Michigan State Spartan has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. This season has been no different, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading eight helpers in 10 games, which is tied for 14th in the league and his six power-play assists are tied for fourth in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in seven of the 10 contests this season.

Getting Busy
The Griffins concluded their first three-in-three of the season last week with a 1-2-0-0 record. Since the 2017-18 season, Grand Rapids is 13-18-2-3 (0.431) when playing three games in three nights and been outscored 122-99. The Griffins will have one more three-in-three this campaign from March 10-12.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Three power-play goals are tied for sixth
Simon Edvinsson—Eight points are tied for ninth among rookies, seven assists are tied for second among rookies
Cross Hanas—Five goals are tied for second among rookies
Taro Hirose—Eight assists are tied for 14th, six power-play assists are tied for fourth
Joel L’Esperance—Three power-play goals are tied for sixth

Milestones
Joel L’Esperance tallied his 150th point as a pro with an assist on Nov. 5 at Rockford.
Austin Czarnik—One assist from 150 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Five assists from 150 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—Two games from 300 as a Griffin, in the AHL and as a pro
Givani Smith—One point from 50 in the AHL and as a Griffin
Tyler Spezia—Four goals from 50 as a pro
Eemil Viro—One game from 150 as a pro

Photo by Cleveland Monsters