Griffins Game #36 * Road Game #17 * AHL Game #572

Season Series: 2-3-0-0 Home Series: 1-2-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 42-21-4-2 All-Time Home Series: 21-9-3-2 All-Time Road Series: 21-12-1-0

Wild at Griffins
Sixth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at Wells Fargo Arena…The Griffins are 18-17-4-0 overall since the 2017-18 seasons against the Wild but have been outscored by Iowa 130-115...Grand Rapids is 9-9-1-0 on the road against Iowa since the 2017-18 season with a minus-10 scoring margin (70-60)...The Griffins have points in nine of the last 15 overall meetings (8-6-1-0) against the Wild...The Wild are 6-9-1-2 at home this season while Grand Rapids is 6-10-0-0 on the road...Iowa is 6-4-0-0 in its last 10 outings and are on a four-game winning streak...The Griffins are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10...The last time the Griffins had a losing record against the Wild in Iowa was in 2019-20 (0-2-1-0)...2017 Calder Cup champion with the Griffins, Joe Hicketts (2016-21) is in his final year of a two-year contract with the Minnesota Wild...Former Griffin Patrick Curry (2020-22) signed with the Iowa Wild this past offseason...Wild forward Mitchell Chaffee grew up 20 minutes north of Grand Rapids in Rockford, Mich., and played a season of youth hockey with the Michigan Nationals 18U AAA team located in Bryon Center, Mich., which is 10 miles south of Grand Rapids.

Last Time Out
The Griffins concluded their seven-game homestand with a 1-0 shutout win over the Chicago Wolves on Saturday at Van Andel Arena, courtesy of Alex Nedeljkovic's 27 saves. In six games with Grand Rapids, Nedeljkovic has a 0.920 save percentage, 2.30 goals against average and a 3-2-1 ledger. Cross Hanas tallied the game-winner in the first stanza, his first goal since returning from injury on Jan. 4. In their seven-consecutive home games, the Griffins finished with a 3-3-0-1 record.

Roster Shake Up
- Jan. 4—G Alex Nedeljkovic assigned by Detroit on a conditioning loan; F Jakub Vrana assigned by Detroit
- Jan. 8—F Elmer Soderblom reassigned by Detroit
- Jan. 10—F Kirill Tyutyayev reassigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids
- Jan. 13—D Donovan Sebrango reassigned to Toledo by Detroit; F Drew Worrad reassigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids
- Jan. 15—F Drew Worrad recalled from Toledo by Grand Rapids

This Date in Griffins History
2009: Despite a 6-4 loss to the Manitoba Moose, Grand Rapids sets a franchise record by holding their opponents’ power play scoreless in 10 straight games, breaking the last standard of nine set from Nov. 19-Dec. 6, 2003.

Alexander the Great
Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic has been a welcomed addition to the Griffins roster, as the goaltender enters his second and final week of his conditioning loan from the Detroit Red Wings. Through six outings, Nedeljkovic has a 3-2-1 record along with a 2.30 goals against average and a 0.920 save percentage. Last Saturday, Nedeljkovic posted a 27-save shutout against the Chicago Wolves, his first in the AHL since Feb. 7, 2020 against Hartford (17 saves). On Jan. 11, Nedeljkovic recorded his fourth assist and fifth point of his AHL career, which was his first AHL point since Jan. 19, 2020. The only other season in Grand Rapids history during which two NHL goalies (Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg) played for the Griffins on conditioning stints was 2005-06, when both Chris Osgood (3 GP, 2-1, 3.34 GAA, 0.882%) and Manny Legace (1 GP, 1-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.909%) donned the Griffins’ wings instead of Detroit’s.

Better Things to Come
Following a Calder Cup title in 2017, the Griffins stood at 10-15-1-3 (24 pts.) through 29 games in the 2017-18 season. That 2017-18 team ended the season on a 42-25-2-7 run and finished second in the Central Division, reaching the playoffs for the sixth consecutive campaign. This season through 29 outings, Grand Rapids sat at 11-17-1-0 (23 pts.). The team rattled off a three-game point streak (2-0-0-1) to begin 2023, an identical start the 2017-18 team had in games 30, 31 and 32 of their respective season that catapulted them into the postseason.

On the Road Again
Last week, the Griffins wrapped up their season-high seven-game homestand that spanned from Dec. 31-Jan. 14. Grand Rapids finished with a 3-3-0-1 mark and are now 8-9-1-1 in West Michigan this season. The Griffins will now play seven out of their next eight games on the road. Grand Rapids holds a 6-10-0-0 ledger on foreign ice.

Finding His Stride
Rookie Cross Hanas is off to a positive start to his professional career with 14 points (8-6—14) in 23 games. The 21-year-old posted 12 points (7-5—12) during his first 15 appearances, which included a three-point outing on Nov. 11 against the Toronto Marlies. Hanas suffered an upper-body injury in late November that kept him sidelined until Jan. 4, missing 12 games. After failing to find the scoresheet in his first three games back, Hanas now has two points (1-1—2) in his last three contests, including the game-winner in a 1-0 decision against Chicago on Jan. 14.

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 full AHL campaign in his career. This season has a similar pace, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading 23 helpers in 35 games, which is tied for 12th on the circuit. In addition, his 13 power-play assists are tied for seventh in the AHL. Hirose has points in 22 of the 35 contests this season (9-23—32).

Just Keep it Close
The Griffins have had an up-and-down start to the season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 8-0-1-1 (0.900) in games decided by one goal and 4-0-1-0 (0.900) in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 6-19-0-0 (0.240) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

Power Struggle
After beginning the season with a 29.3% power-play conversion rate in the first nine games of the year, the Griffins have struggled as of late. Grand Rapids is 5-for-48 (10.4%) on the man-advantage in its last 14 outings and have just eight power-play goals in its last 19 contests (8-for-76, 10.5%). The Griffins rank 22nd in the AHL on the power play with a conversion rate of 17.9%.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Pontus Andreasson—Four power-play goals are tied for eighth among rookies
Austin Czarnik—Four game-winning goals are tied for fourth
Taro Hirose—23 assists are tied for 12th, 13 power-play assists are tied for seventh
Joel L’Esperance—Eight power-play goals are tied for third

Milestones
Wyatt Newpower appeared in his 100th pro game on Jan. 13 against Iowa while Joel L’Esperance skated in his 250th pro contest. Austin Czarnik appeared in his 400th pro game on Jan. 7 against the Texas Stars.
Alex Chiasson—Two points from 50 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Two goals from 100 as a pro
Danny O’Regan—One game from 400 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One assist from 50 as a pro, as a Griffins and in the AHL
Tyler Spezia—Two goals from 50 as a pro
Jakub Vrana—Two goals from 150 as a pro, two assists from 150 as a pro, two games from 500 as a pro

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins