Griffins Game #52 * Home Game #27 * AHL Game #838

Season Series: 3-1-1-0 Home Series: 1-0-1-0 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 94-82-2-8-3 All-Time Home Series: 45-37-2-6-2 All-Time Road Series: 49-45-0-2-1

Wolves at Griffins
Sixth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 189 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 209)…The Griffins are currently on a four-game point streak against Chicago, their longest run against the Wolves since a five-game point streak from Nov. 21, 2015-Feb. 28, 2016...Sixteen total goals were scored between the two teams 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 7-18-2-0 (0.296) against the Wolves and has been outscored 110-63...The Griffins possess a 15-31-2-1 (0.338) overall record against Chicago since 2017-18 and have been outscored 188-127...Since the 2017-18 season, the Griffins are 5-16-2-0 (0.261) against the Wolves in West Michigan and have been outscored 89-51...The last time Grand Rapids was at 0.500 at Van Andel Arena against the Wolves was in the 2018-19 season when it went 2-2-0-0...The Wolves come into the contest with a 7-2-0-1 record in their past 10 games and have a 12-12-0-0 ledger on the road...The Griffins are 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 outings and possess a 10-12-3-1 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 Griffins secured a 6-2 win over the Monsters behind Dominik Shine’s pair of goals at Van Andel Arena. Shine had his first two-goal outing of the season, which tied his career high. The veteran forward is riding a two-game goal streak and has 11 total on the season (11-6–17). Eleven skaters for Grand Rapids posted a point or more, including Joel L’Esperance, who has scored in four-consecutive games (4-2–6), the longest goal streak by a Griffin this campaign. The four-goal win tied for the largest margin of victory for Grand Rapids this season. The Griffins improved to 16-5-1-0 against Cleveland over the past two seasons.

Roster Shake Up
- Feb. 21—F Riley Sawchuk signed to a PTO and to a standard player’s contract for the 2023-24 season by Grand Rapids
- Feb. 22—F Jakub Vrana reassigned by Detroit
- Feb. 23—F Jakub Vrana recalled by Detroit; D Seth Barton reassigned to Grand Rapids from Toledo by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
2012: The AHL names Chris Minard as the Reebok/AHL Player of the Month for February, making him the only player in franchise history to earn the honor. The left wing registered eight goals and five assists for 13 points and recorded a plus-seven rating in 10 games.

Inching Closer & Closer
The Griffins secured three out of four possible points last week and now have points in three of their past four games (2-0-1-0). Grand Rapids faces an extremely important slate of games this week, as it battles Chicago and Iowa, its rivals for the final playoff position in the Central Division. Grand Rapids is tied for sixth in the division and is now just six points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand (21 remaining) on fifth-place Iowa. Grand Rapids has points in 12 of its last 17 contests (9-5-2-1, 618). Since the new year, Grand Rapids has lost in regulation just seven times through 22 games (11-7-2-2, 0.591).

Rewrite the Record Book
Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. The former Michigan State Spartan has continued to climb the Griffins’ all-time assist leaderboard, and with 112 assists he is now two shy of tying Jiri Hudler for seventh in franchise history. Hirose is as consistent as they come, as he has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. The Calgary, Alberta, native has totaled a team-leading 29 helpers in 51 games this year. In addition, his 15 power-play assists this season are tied for 14th in the AHL. Hirose also leads the roster with 41 points (12-29—41) in 51 appearances.

Jumping for Joel
Joel L’Esperance has been on a tear as of late with goals in four straight games from Feb. 19-25, which is the longest streak by a Griffin this season. His active goal streak is also tied for a career high, with his most recent four-game goal run coming from Jan. 28-Feb. 9, 2022. L’Esperance has six points (4-2—6) in his last four contests and leads the team with 18 tallies in 51 games. In addition, L’Esperance’s 10 power-play goals are tied for fifth in the AHL.

Shine Like a Diamond
Veteran forward Dominik Shine tied a career high with two goals last Saturday and now has lit the lamp three times in his last two contests. The Detroit native has 11 goals in 48 games this season and has a career-high 15.3 shooting percentage on 72 shots. Last season, Shine posted a career-best 17 goals, and he’s on pace for 16 this campaign. Shine has spent his entire pro career with the Griffins and has 97 points (48-49—97) in 336 appearances.

Danny Boy
Danny O’Regan is starting to find a rhythm with the Griffins after joining the team on Dec. 19. After exploding for three points (2-1—3) in his Griffins debut, O’Regan had just three points in his next 12 games from Dec. 28-Feb. 15. However, the German-born forward now has six points in his last five outings, including three points (1-2—3) in two games last weekend.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig
The Griffins are in the midst of a five-game homestand and will play seven out of eight games at Van Andel Arena from Feb. 24-March 11. Grand Rapids is 10-12-3-1 (0.462) at home this season and has been outscored 95-74. On the road, the Griffins are 12-12-0-1 (0.500) with a minus-21 scoring margin. Out of the 21 remaining games, Grand Rapids will play 10 at Van Andel Arena.

Just Keep it Close
The Griffins have had their ups and downs this season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 12-0-3-2 (0.853) in games decided by one goal and 4-0-3-0 in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 10-24-0-0 (0.294) 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.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Five game-winning goals are tied for sixth, three short-handed goals are tied for first
Simon Edvinsson—20 assists rank fifth among rookie defensemen, 25 points rank fifth among rookie defensemen, five goals are tied for fifth among rookie defensemen
Joel L’Esperance—10 power-play goals are tied for fifth, 165 shots rank fourth

Milestones
Joel L’Esperance recorded his 100th goal as a pro on Feb. 19 at Manitoba. Adam Erne eclipsed 50 assists in the AHL on Feb. 17 against the Cleveland Monsters. Simon Edvinsson recorded four points (1-3—4) on Feb. 15 and eclipsed 50 points as a pro. Albert Johansson notched his 50th assist as a pro on Feb. 15 against Rockford and Tyler Spezia skated in his 250th game as a pro.
Alex Chiasson—Four assists from 150 as a pro
Simon Edvinsson—Three assists from 50 as a pro
Adam Erne—Two assists from 100 as a pro
Taro Hirose—Two points from 150 as a Griffin and in the AHL
Steven Kampfer—Two assists from 150 as a pro
Joel L’Esperance—Two goals from 100 in the AHL
Alex Nedeljkovic—Two wins from 100 in the AHL
Chase Pearson—Two assists from 50 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Dominik Shine—One assist from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL, two goals from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL
Ben Simon—Two games from 300 as Griffins head coach

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins