Griffins Game #13 * Home Game #5 * AHL Game #176

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 35-34-4-2 All-Time Home Series: 20-15-2-1 All-Time Road Series: 15-19-2-1

Marlies at Griffins
Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins and Marlies had met for 11 consecutive seasons from 2005-16 before taking a three-year hiatus (2016-19)…The Griffins are 4-4-1-0 against Toronto since the 2019-20 season and have been outscored 33-31...Grand Rapids is 2-2-1-0 against Toronto at home since 2019-20 and have been outscored 18-17...Grand Rapids snapped Toronto’s six-game win streak last night and two of the three losses the Marlies have endured have come from the Griffins...The Marlies have scored 43 goals in 11 games while conceding 33...Last season, Bobby McMann placed fifth among rookie in goals scored with 24 while Alex Steeves ranked among the AHL’s rookie leaders in goals (23, T6th), assists (23, T17th) and points (46, 10th)...Ben Simon served as an assistant coach with the Marlies during the 2014-15 season (40-27-9-0 record).

Last Time Out
Cross Hanas’ overtime tally capped off a Griffins three-goal comeback and snapped the Toronto Marlies’ six-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory at Van Andel Arena on Friday. After scoring three goals in the final frame, the Griffins forced an additional five minutes for the second time this season. Hanas shifted around the defense and found himself one-on-one with Dryden McKay at the crease and sent the puck over the netminder for the victory. Pontus Andreasson recorded two of the three goals scored in the third and added the assist on Hanas’ game-winner. The two tallies from Andreasson were his first in North America while fellow Swede Albert Johansson (0-1–1) joined him on the scoresheet with his first point in the AHL. Two of the three losses Toronto has endured have come from the Griffins.

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
- Nov. 10—F Jonatan Berggren and F Givani Smith recalled by Detroit
- Nov. 11—F Givani Smith reassigned by Detroit; G John Lethemon assigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids

This Date in Griffins History
2016: Joe Hicketts scores his first pro goal 1:53 into overtime to give the Griffins a 4-3 road win over Central Division-leading Milwaukee.

Grab the Confetti
The Griffins franchise competed in its 2000th regular-season game on Wednesday at Cleveland, losing 5-2. 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. Grand Rapids has an all-time record of 1049-736-27-70-119 (0.585) throughout 27 seasons of pro hockey.

Congratulations are in Order
Chris Neil will become the first Griffin to have his jersey retired in the NHL when the Ottawa Senators raise his No. 25 to the rafters on Feb. 17. Neil played two seasons with the Griffins (1999-2001), racking up 55 points (24-31—55) and 655 penalty minutes in 129 games. His 655 PIM are the fourth-most in franchise history and his 354 PIM in 2000-01 stand as the third-highest single-season total for a Griffin. His 1,026 NHL games played after making his Griffins debut are the third-most all time, behind only longtime Ottawa teammate Jason Spezza (1,248) and Valtteri Filppula (1,056). Neil retired Dec. 14, 2017, after playing all 15 of his NHL seasons with Ottawa. He ranks third in Senators history in games played (1,026) and first in penalty minutes (2,522), and he is one of two players in NHL history with at least 1,000 games and 2,500 penalty minutes to play his entire career with the same team (Ken Daneyko, New Jersey Devils; 1,283 games, 2,516 penalty minutes).

Power Struggle
The Griffins’ power play has gotten off to a fast start, scoring at least one goal on the man-advantage in eight of the 12 games thus far. After finishing 28th in the AHL last season with a 16.7% power-play rate, Grand Rapids now sits in eighth place with a conversion rate of 23.2%. The Griffins are tied for third with 56 power-play opportunities, while their 13 goals are tied for third. It has not been the same story on the other end of the ice, as the team is 25th on the penalty kill at 75%. Grand Rapids has endured seven penalties in five of its 12 games, including three straight from Nov. 3-5. The Griffins have been shorthanded 60 times this season, which ranks first on the circuit. They have also given up four shorthanded goals, which is tied for first in the league.

Road Trip!
Grand Rapids finished its season-high eight-game road trip with a 3-5-0-0 record. Grand Rapids finished below 0.500 on a road trip of six or more games for the first time since 2008-09. During the seven such road trips in the interim, the Griffins compiled a 26-13-1-5 record (0.644). The eight-game journey was the longest in franchise history during the first two months of a season, beating out a five-game trip in November of 2017.

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 eight of the next nine contests. In three straight two-game series, Grand Rapids dropped every opening game this season but has gone on to win the following night. However, the Griffins broke that trend when they defeated the Marlies in game one of the two-game weekend series last night.

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 six 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. Berggren was recalled by Detroit on Thursday and made his NHL debut that same night against the New York Rangers, becoming the 196th Griffin to compete in the NHL.

Jumping for Joel
Joel L’Esperance saw his team-high five-game point streak (2-4—6) come to an end on Wednesday, which included a season-high two points on Nov. 3 at Iowa (0-2—2). The Brighton, Mich., native is tied for second on the roster with 10 points (5-5—10) in the first 12 games to begin his career in Grand Rapids and his three power-play goals are tied for seventh in the AHL. L’Esperance signed a two-year contract with the Griffins this past offseason.

Inching Closer to No. 200
Jonatan Berggren made his NHL debut with Detroit on Nov. 10, becoming the 196th Griffin to compete in the NHL. 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 13th among first-year players with eight points (1-7—8), while his seven helpers are tied for second. With six goals in 12 games, Hanas ranks second among rookies in the AHL and places 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 10 helpers in 12 games, which is tied for fifth in the league and his seven power-play assists are tied for first in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in nine of the 12 contests this season.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Three power-play goals are tied for seventh
Simon Edvinsson—Eight points are tied for 13th among rookies, seven assists are tied for second among rookies
Cross Hanas—Six goals rank for second among rookies
Taro Hirose—Ten assists are tied for fifth, seven power-play assists are tied for first
Joel L’Esperance—Three power-play goals are tied for seventh
Donovan Sebrango—Three goals are tied for third among defensemen

Milestones
Dominik Shine skated in his 300th game as a Griffin, in the AHL and as a pro on Nov. 11 against Toronto. Eemil Viro joined Shine with his 150th contest as a pro.
Austin Czarnik—One assist from 150 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Five assists from 150 in the AHL
Givani Smith—One point from 50 in the AHL and as a Griffin
Tyler Spezia—Four goals from 50 as a pro

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins