GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – With the Springfield Thunderbirds’ 4-2 win over the Iowa Wild on Saturday, the Grand Rapids Griffins clinched their second consecutive berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Seeding, matchup and dates for the Griffins’ 19th playoff appearance in 29 seasons will be determined in the coming weeks, as the American Hockey League’s regular season draws toward its close on Sunday, April 20.

The Griffins will return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second straight season under head coach Dan Watson. During Watson’s first AHL playoff run last spring, the Griffins defeated the Rockford IceHogs 3-1 to reach the Central Division Finals, where they lost a winner-take-all Game 5 on the road to the division champion Milwaukee Admirals. Grand Rapids, which has won two Calder Cups (2017, 2013), is 86-68 (.558) all time during the AHL’s postseason.

The Griffins are led by two-time Calder Cup champion Joe Snively (20-19—39 in 63 GP) and veterans Austin Watson (16-21—37 in 56 GP) and Dominik Shine (11-26—37 in 53 GP), while Sebastian Cossa has done the heavy lifting in net for Grand Rapids with a 19-11-5 mark with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. 

The third-place Griffins have nine games remaining in the regular season and will play their final contest on Saturday, April 19 at Iowa. They will host the fourth-place Chicago Wolves this coming Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m., in a game crucial to determining which three Central Division teams will earn first-round byes.

Playoff ticket packages and single-game tickets will go on sale once matchups and dates have been determined. 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins