Griffins Game #35 * Home Game #19 * AHL Game #557

Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 92-82-2-7-3 All-Time Home Series: 44-37-2-5-2 All-Time Road Series: 48-45-0-2-1

Wolves at Griffins
Third of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 186 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 207)…Sixteen total goals were scored between the two teams the last time they met on Dec. 22 (8-7 OTW), which was Grand Rapids’ first 8-7 result in franchise history. Chicago’s seven goals were the second-most allowed by the Griffins in a win, trailing only a 10-8 victory over Chicago on Nov. 27, 2010...Since the 2020-21 season, Grand Rapids is just 5-18-1-0 (0.229) against the Wolves and has been outscored 102-53...The Griffins possess a 13-31-1-1 (0.304) overall record against Chicago since 2017-18 and have been outscored 180-117...Since the 2017-18 season, the Griffins are 5-15-1-0 (0.262) against the Wolves on home ice and have been outscored 78-49...The last time Grand Rapids was above 0.500 in West Michigan against the Wolves was in the 2016-17 season when it went 4-1-0-0...The Wolves come into the contest with a 5-3-1-1 record in their past 10 games and have a 6-7-0-0 road ledger...The Griffins are 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 outings and possess a 7-9-1-1 mark at home...As part of his 11-year pro career, Griffins coach Ben Simon registered 87 points (37-50—87) in 196 games with the Wolves from 2001-03 and 2004-05 and was a part of their first Calder Cup title in 2002.

Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild handed the Griffins their third-shutout loss of the season in a 4-0 contest on Friday at Van Andel Arena. Chase Pearson’s three-game point streak (1-2–3) was snapped, recording two penalty minutes and two shots in the contest. Jesper Wallstedt made 24 saves in his first shutout in the AHL. In the two-game series this week between Iowa and Grand Rapids, Sammy Walker had four points (2-2–4) and now has eight points in five outings (4-4–8) against the Griffins in 2022-23. Wyatt Newpower skated in his 100th professional game.

Roster Shake Up
- Dec. 29—F Cedric Lacroix assigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids
- 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

This Date in Griffins History
1997: Griffins come up with their biggest road effort of the season, trouncing host Chicago, 7-1, as Pavol Demitra tallies three goals and Kevyn Adams notches two scores for Grand Rapids.

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.

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 five outings, Nedeljkovic has a 2-2-1 record along with a 2.76 goals against average and a 0.906 save percentage. 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.

Nothing Like Some Home Cooking
The Griffins are in the midst of a season-high seven-game homestand that began on Dec. 31 and will conclude on Jan. 14. Grand Rapids is currently 2-3-0-1 during the run with tonight’s game yet to play. The Griffins are 7-9-1-1 on home ice while they are 6-10-0-0 away from West Michigan.

The Last Czar
Veteran forward Austin Czarnik has been a major boost to the Griffins lineup, totaling 22 points (9-13—22) in just 21 games. Czarnik has at least one point in 13 of the 21 contests and at least two points in five outings. Czarnik added to his point total this past week, collecting three points (2-1—3) in as many games. He has also spent a decent amount of time with the Detroit Red Wings, amassing three points (2-1—3) in 12 appearances. The Washington Township, Mich., native was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week on Oct. 17 when he registered five points (3-2—5) in two games and became the first Griffins forward to win the award since Matt Lorito on Nov. 20, 2016.

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 22 helpers in 34 games, which is tied for 13th on the circuit. In addition, his 13 power-play assists are tied for seventh in the AHL. Hirose has points in 21 of the 34 contests this season (9-22—31).

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 7-0-1-1 (0.889) 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-44 (11.4%) on the man-advantage in its last 13 outings and have just eight power-play goals in its last 18 contests (8-for-72, 11.1%). The Griffins are tied for 21st in the AHL on the power play with a conversion rate of 18.4%.

Take the Over
The Griffins averaged just 2.75 goals a game during the 2021-22 season while giving up 3.16. However, Grand Rapids is averaging 2.76 goals this season while conceding 3.94. Sixteen of its 34 games so far have had seven or more total goals scored, with 10 of those contests having eight or more tallies. The Griffins place third-to-last on the circuit with 134 goals against while their 94 goals for are tied for 29th in the AHL.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Pontus Andreasson—Four power-play goals are tied for seventh among rookies
Austin Czarnik—Four game-winning goals are tied for fourth
Taro Hirose—22 assists are tied for 13th, 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, three games from 500 as a pro

Photo by Ross Dettman/Wolves