This Week’s Games
Fri., Oct. 16 GRIFFINS vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Oct. 17 GRIFFINS vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Meanwhile, In Hockeytown West...: Grand Rapids will kick off the home portion of its 20th season this Friday at Van Andel Arena, where they’ll face off in the first of back-to-back home games against the San Antonio Rampage. The Griffins have previously sold out their home-opener 19 seasons in a row and aim to extend the streak to 20 on Friday with a potential capacity crowd of 10,834. With tickets going fast, fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Single-game tickets for all home games are now available for purchase at all Star Tickets locations, including The Zone, online through griffinshockey.com, or by phone through Star Tickets at (800) 585-3737.

Opening Night Promotions: Friday’s Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank features many returning promotions, along with a giveaway and jersey auction. The first 2,500 fans will receive a 2015-16 Griffins Magnet Schedule, courtesy of Huntington Bank. Post-game events include the return of the popular post-game open skate presented by Arby’s and a jersey auction where fans can bid on select jerseys that were worn during Wednesday home games last season. Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last, and also take advantage of College Night specials. Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, college students can show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone). Limit one ticket per ID. Every Friday night is also a Griffins D-Zone night. Avoid the concession lines and get your $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served to you in your seats. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/dzone today! Fans can purchase a package of four or more D-ZONE tickets for any Friday night game, or customize their own ticket package with the D-Zone seven-game pack or purchase the 14-pack, which includes all Friday games this season. Enjoy all of the popcorn you can eat with this special offer that includes four or more upper or lower level tickets and a Griffins popcorn bucket good for unlimited popcorn refills throughout the game. Popcorn packs are only available by calling 616-774-4585 ext. 2 or at griffinshockey.com/popcorn.

Weekend Recap: The Griffins kicked off their 20th season with a road trip to California but dropped both of their games against their new Pacific Division opponents, the Bakersfield Condors and the San Diego Gulls. On Friday, a tightly-contested game between Grand Rapids and Bakersfield ultimately went in favor of the home team, when Andrew Miller scored the only goal of the game with 1:43 remaining in regulation. After Tom McCollum, who made 39 of 40 saves on the night, was pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Griffins thought they had tied the score with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. Martin Frk set up Nathan Paetsch for a one-timer from the right point that went wide of Brossoit’s near post. Anthony Mantha gathered the puck at the far post and attempted to bank the puck off of Brossoit and in. The call on the ice of no goal was upheld after a lengthy review. Bakersfield would hold on to win their first game since relocating from Oklahoma City. On Saturday, the Griffins fell to the Condors 4-2 in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,920 at Valley View Casino Center. Nick Ritchie, in his professional debut, kicked off the scoring with a first-period goal at 15:01, before Brandon Montour rifled in a one-timer on a power play past goaltender Jared Coreau. In his first game as a Griffin, Eric Tangradi nabbed the first goal of the 2015-16 season on a breakaway 1:24 into the third period, but Ritchie restored the Gulls’ two-goal lead just 4:58 later. Colin Campbell put the Griffins within one at 12:44 of the final frame before Antoine Laganiere put the game out of reach with an empty-netter with 31 seconds remaining.

Bookended Shutouts: The Griffins ended their 2014-15 season with a 2-0 loss to the Utica Comets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals and were also shut out in their season opener last Friday against the Bakersfield Condors, 1-0. Adding on Saturday’s game against San Diego in which it took 41:42 into the game to score, the Griffins had gone 182:28 without a goal before Eric Tangradi’s tally against the Gulls. The last Griffin to score a goal for Grand Rapids prior to Saturday was current Red Wing Dylan Larkin, who notched a second-period tally in Game 5 against the Utica Comets at Van Andel Arena.

Abby Attack: Former Griffin Justin Abdelkader was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after sharing the league lead with four goals and tied for second in the NHL in points as the Red Wings (2-0-0, 4 pts.) opened the season with a pair of victories. He recorded his second career hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in a 4-0 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs Oct. 9, becoming the third player in franchise history to notch three goals in Detroit’s opening game of the season (also Adam Brown in 1945-46 and Brendan Shanahan in 2001-02). Abdelkader then posted 1-1—2, as well as the decisive goal, in a 4-3 comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 10. Abdelkader spent two seasons with the Griffins from 2008-10, compiling 27 goals, 31 assists and 58 points in 109 games.

Rootin’, Shootin’ Rookies: Two former Griffins currently on NHL rosters made their debuts last week, becoming the 148th and 149th Grand Rapids alumni to play in the NHL. Mattias Janmark (Dallas Stars) appeared in just two regular season games with the Griffins at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season and went on to tally one assist in six 2014 Calder Cup playoffs games with the team. During those same playoffs, the Stockholm, Sweden, native skated in two games against his club’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, who eliminated the Griffins 4-2 en route to an eventual Calder Cup. Janmark made his NHL debut on Thursday in Dallas’ 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring his first NHL goal just 1:39 into the contest. Dylan Larkin made his NHL debut on Friday after earning a roster spot with Detroit through training camp and the preseason. He became the first Red Wings teenager in 25 years to make his NHL debut on opening night. The last to achieve this feat was center Mike Sillinger, who went on to accumulate 548 points (240-308—548) in 1,049 career NHL games from 1990-2008. Larkin was impressive in his debut, tallying a goal and an assist in a 4-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following night, he nabbed an assist in Detroit’s 4-3 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

#150: Former Griffin Kevin Porter became the 150th Griffins alumni to play in the NHL by appearing in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game at Arizona on Saturday. Porter played for Grand Rapids last season, one of just two Griffins - along with captain Jeff Hoggan - to appear in all 76 regular season games, tallying 39 points (16-23—39) and 25 penalty minutes, before picking up four points (1-3—4) in 16 Calder Cup playoff games with the team.

Home Opener Record: The Griffins post a 10-8-0-1 overall record in home openers and have lost their last three in a row, all under the command of former head coach Jeff Blashill.

New Era, New Logo: The Griffins begin their 20th anniversary season with a brand-new logo and overall look, as the team changed its primary logo and colors on Aug. 18. Marking the first primary logo change in the history of the franchise, the Reebok-designed logo features Griff fiercely protecting the skyline of Grand Rapids, reinforcing the pride that the Griffins have in their city while portraying an aggressiveness that was absent from the original logo. Prior to its adoption as the primary logo, the artwork had been featured on the Griffins’ home Wednesday jerseys since 2012. Grand Rapids debuted its black road jerseys last weekend, but Friday’s game at Van Andel Arena will be the first time the new white home jerseys are played in.

Full Circle: Todd Nelson, 46, became the 10th head coach in Griffins franchise history on June 19, 2015, after splitting the 2014-15 season in head-coaching roles with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) and the Edmonton Oilers (NHL). The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, native guided the Barons to a 15-6-2-2 record and first place in the West Division, including a 10-game point streak from Nov. 15-Dec. 6, before taking over for Dallas Eakins as the interim head coach of the Oilers on Dec. 15. In his first stint as an NHL head coach, Nelson led Edmonton to a 17-25-9 record in 51 games. As an AHL coach, Nelson owns a 176-113-12-34 overall record, including his Griffins debut last weekend. The first player ever signed to a Griffins contract, Nelson is one of the most significant defensemen in franchise history. His 236 games played rank 19th all time and sixth among defensemen, while his 56 assists and 67 points both place 13th among Grand Rapids blueliners. Following in the footsteps of Danton Cole (2002-05), whom he served under as an assistant coach, Nelson is the second former Griffins player to be employed as Grand Rapids’ head coach.

Bon Voyage: After finishing his tenure (2012-15) as the head coach of the Griffins with a 134-71-12-11 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record through 228 regular season games, Jeff Blashill began his new role as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings last Friday when the Wings hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Joe Louis Arena. Blashill faced off against his predecessor and mentor, Mike Babcock, who served as the bench boss in Detroit for 10 years and accumulated a 458-223-105 record through 786 games. It was a remarkable start for the former Grand Rapids head coach, who led his squad to a 4-0 shutout of the Leafs. Blashill’s Wings followed up that performance with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, setting the team off to a 2-0-0 record to begin its new era.

Those Who Can, Coach: Providing support on the Griffins’ bench this season are three assistant coaches in Bruce Ramsay, Ben Simon and Mike Knuble. All three assistants, along with bench boss Todd Nelson, are former Griffins players, with Ramsay and Nelson members of the Griffins’ inaugural team in 1996-97. In all, “Rammer” collected nine goals, 14 assists and 781 penalty minutes in 175 games with Grand Rapids from 1996-99. His PIM still rank second all-time in franchise history, and he’s one of three players to ever twice eclipse 300 PIM, producing 306 PIM in 1996-97 and leading the team with 310 PIM in 1997-98. Simon spent the 2006-07 season with the Griffins and tallied nine points (4-5—9) in 21 games, while Knuble appeared in just one game with Grand Rapids on Jan. 23, 2013. Knuble is only the second Grand Rapids native to play for the team after Luke Glendening made his debut during the same season.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Jeff Hoggan makes his return to Grand Rapids this season for his fourth campaign, marking the longest captaincy in Griffins franchise history. The 37-year-old, who was the oldest skater in the league last season, places among the Grand Rapids’ all-time leaders with 48 goals (T22nd), 107 points (T22nd) and a plus-31 rating (T17th). Entering his 14th professional season, Hoggan has now accumulated 318 points (159-159—318) in 623 AHL contests with Grand Rapids, San Antonio, Providence, Worcester and Houston, while also registering 11 points (2-9—11) in 107 NHL games with Phoenix, Boston and St. Louis.

Standings Change: The league’s expansion to the west coast has resulted in a change in the number of games played for teams in the Pacific Division. All Californian teams in the Pacific Division will play 68 games during the regular season, while all other AHL teams will play 76. As a result, standings will now be ranked according to the teams’ overall points percentages (points earned divided by points available).

Detroit Exports: Twenty Red Wings-contracted players are on the Griffins’ 27-man roster, including goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum; defensemen Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff, Xavier Ouellet, Robbie Russo and Ryan Sproul; and forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Callahan, Colin Campbell, Daniel Cleary, Martin Frk, Anthony Mantha, Andy Miele, Zach Nastasiuk, Tomas Nosek, Eric Tangradi and Marek Tvrdon.

Signed and Sealed: Seven players on the current roster are under contract to the Griffins: forwards Triston Grant, Jeff Hoggan, Joel Rechlicz (PTO) and Mark Zengerle and defensemen Matt Corrente (PTO), Scott Czarnowczan and Nathan Paetsch.

Suspension: Right wing Joel Rechlicz has been suspended for three games as a consequence of a charging incident in a preseason game versus Lake Erie on Oct. 2. He missed both games last weekend and will also miss the Griffins’ home opener on Friday at Van Andel Arena.

Veteran Roll Call: AHL clubs may dress up to five veteran skaters with more than 260 games of experience in the NHL, AHL or European Elite leagues, plus another with 320 or fewer games played. The Griffins have eight skaters who are considered veterans: forwards Daniel Cleary, Triston Grant, Jeff Hoggan, Andy Miele and Eric Tangradi; and defensemen Matt Corrente, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch. Grand Rapids’ veterans boast a combined total of 2,736 AHL regular season games played.

New Kids On The Block: The Griffins have three players who are considered rookies this season, including newcomer defenseman Robbie Russo. Tyler Bertuzzi (two regular season games, 14 playoff games) and Zach Nastasiuk (11 regular season games, 11 playoff games) had all appeared with the Griffins over the course of the previous two seasons but have not met the AHL’s 25-game threshold.

Off To The Pond: The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Detroit's 8th choice, 175th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Nedomlel spent his second professional season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in 2014-15 and registered 14 points (3-11—14), 56 penalty minutes and a plus-six rating in 49 regular season games. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound blueliner also tallied two assists and 10 PIM in 12 games during the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, helping the Walleye advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the South Carolina Stingrays. Nedomlel, 22, has appeared in three career AHL games, all with the Griffins during the 2013-14 campaign.

Where Are They Now?: Three players from the Griffins’ 2014-15 season-ending roster find themselves with other organizations, including Chris Bruton (Braehead Clan – EIHL), Kevin Porter (W-B/Scranton – NHL) and Brennan Evans (Texas Stars – AHL).

Griffins’ Coaching Tree: Five former players or coaches for the Griffins are currently involved in coaching with other AHL squads, including Lake Erie head coach Jared Bednar (1998-99), Providence head coach Bruce Cassidy (HC 2000-02), Hershey assistant coach Bryan Helmer (2004-06), Springfield assistant coach Doug Janik (2009-12) and Ontario head coach Mike Stothers (HC 2007-08).

Walleye World: The Toledo Walleye, the Griffins’ ECHL affiliate, will open their 2015-16 season on the road this Friday against the Indy Fuel. Oddly enough, the Walleye won’t open the home portion of their schedule until Nov. 7 against the Adirondack Thunder at The Huntington Center. A handful of Griffins-contracted skaters are members of the Walleye this season, including defensemen Derek Docken and Steve Spinell and forwards Alden Hirschfeld and Dominic Zombo. Goaltender Jake Paterson, who was Detroit's 2nd choice, 80th overall, in 2012 NHL Entry Draft, is also with Toledo. All five players could see playing time with Grand Rapids this season.

Scouting Report

Fri., Oct. 16 vs. San Antonio Rampage (0-0-1-0) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 17 vs. San Antonio Rampage – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Fri.) and 7 p.m. (Sat.). Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 36-22-1-5-2 Overall, 18-10-1-3-1 Home. Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two at home. NHL Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche. Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth (1st season). Notes: Previously the affiliate of the Florida Panthers, the Rampage are the new affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche…Head coach Dean Chynoweth is in his first season coaching the Rampage after previously manning the Lake Erie Monsters…Chynoweth’s 2014-15 Monsters were Grand Rapids’ opponent on opening night last season at Van Andel Arena, shutting out the Griffins by a 4-0 margin…Center Ben Street sits atop the Rampage’s scoring list after one game with three points (1-2—3) and 11 shots.

This Week’s Games
Fri., Oct. 16 GRIFFINS vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Oct. 17 GRIFFINS vs. San Antonio Rampage 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Meanwhile, In Hockeytown West...: Grand Rapids will kick off the home portion of its 20th season this Friday at Van Andel Arena, where they’ll face off in the first of back-to-back home games against the San Antonio Rampage. The Griffins have previously sold out their home-opener 19 seasons in a row and aim to extend the streak to 20 on Friday with a potential capacity crowd of 10,834. With tickets going fast, fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Single-game tickets for all home games are now available for purchase at all Star Tickets locations, including The Zone, online through griffinshockey.com, or by phone through Star Tickets at (800) 585-3737.

Opening Night Promotions: Friday’s Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank features many returning promotions, along with a giveaway and jersey auction. The first 2,500 fans will receive a 2015-16 Griffins Magnet Schedule, courtesy of Huntington Bank. Post-game events include the return of the popular post-game open skate presented by Arby’s and a jersey auction where fans can bid on select jerseys that were worn during Wednesday home games last season. Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last, and also take advantage of College Night specials. Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, college students can show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone). Limit one ticket per ID. Every Friday night is also a Griffins D-Zone night. Avoid the concession lines and get your $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served to you in your seats. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/dzone today! Fans can purchase a package of four or more D-ZONE tickets for any Friday night game, or customize their own ticket package with the D-Zone seven-game pack or purchase the 14-pack, which includes all Friday games this season. Enjoy all of the popcorn you can eat with this special offer that includes four or more upper or lower level tickets and a Griffins popcorn bucket good for unlimited popcorn refills throughout the game. Popcorn packs are only available by calling 616-774-4585 ext. 2 or at griffinshockey.com/popcorn.

Weekend Recap: The Griffins kicked off their 20th season with a road trip to California but dropped both of their games against their new Pacific Division opponents, the Bakersfield Condors and the San Diego Gulls. On Friday, a tightly-contested game between Grand Rapids and Bakersfield ultimately went in favor of the home team, when Andrew Miller scored the only goal of the game with 1:43 remaining in regulation. After Tom McCollum, who made 39 of 40 saves on the night, was pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Griffins thought they had tied the score with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. Martin Frk set up Nathan Paetsch for a one-timer from the right point that went wide of Brossoit’s near post. Anthony Mantha gathered the puck at the far post and attempted to bank the puck off of Brossoit and in. The call on the ice of no goal was upheld after a lengthy review. Bakersfield would hold on to win their first game since relocating from Oklahoma City. On Saturday, the Griffins fell to the Condors 4-2 in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,920 at Valley View Casino Center. Nick Ritchie, in his professional debut, kicked off the scoring with a first-period goal at 15:01, before Brandon Montour rifled in a one-timer on a power play past goaltender Jared Coreau. In his first game as a Griffin, Eric Tangradi nabbed the first goal of the 2015-16 season on a breakaway 1:24 into the third period, but Ritchie restored the Gulls’ two-goal lead just 4:58 later. Colin Campbell put the Griffins within one at 12:44 of the final frame before Antoine Laganiere put the game out of reach with an empty-netter with 31 seconds remaining.

Bookended Shutouts: The Griffins ended their 2014-15 season with a 2-0 loss to the Utica Comets in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals and were also shut out in their season opener last Friday against the Bakersfield Condors, 1-0. Adding on Saturday’s game against San Diego in which it took 41:42 into the game to score, the Griffins had gone 182:28 without a goal before Eric Tangradi’s tally against the Gulls. The last Griffin to score a goal for Grand Rapids prior to Saturday was current Red Wing Dylan Larkin, who notched a second-period tally in Game 5 against the Utica Comets at Van Andel Arena.

Abby Attack: Former Griffin Justin Abdelkader was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after sharing the league lead with four goals and tied for second in the NHL in points as the Red Wings (2-0-0, 4 pts.) opened the season with a pair of victories. He recorded his second career hat trick, including the game-winning goal, in a 4-0 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs Oct. 9, becoming the third player in franchise history to notch three goals in Detroit’s opening game of the season (also Adam Brown in 1945-46 and Brendan Shanahan in 2001-02). Abdelkader then posted 1-1—2, as well as the decisive goal, in a 4-3 comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 10. Abdelkader spent two seasons with the Griffins from 2008-10, compiling 27 goals, 31 assists and 58 points in 109 games.

Rootin’, Shootin’ Rookies: Two former Griffins currently on NHL rosters made their debuts last week, becoming the 148th and 149th Grand Rapids alumni to play in the NHL. Mattias Janmark (Dallas Stars) appeared in just two regular season games with the Griffins at the conclusion of the 2013-14 season and went on to tally one assist in six 2014 Calder Cup playoffs games with the team. During those same playoffs, the Stockholm, Sweden, native skated in two games against his club’s AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, who eliminated the Griffins 4-2 en route to an eventual Calder Cup. Janmark made his NHL debut on Thursday in Dallas’ 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring his first NHL goal just 1:39 into the contest. Dylan Larkin made his NHL debut on Friday after earning a roster spot with Detroit through training camp and the preseason. He became the first Red Wings teenager in 25 years to make his NHL debut on opening night. The last to achieve this feat was center Mike Sillinger, who went on to accumulate 548 points (240-308—548) in 1,049 career NHL games from 1990-2008. Larkin was impressive in his debut, tallying a goal and an assist in a 4-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The following night, he nabbed an assist in Detroit’s 4-3 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

#150: Former Griffin Kevin Porter became the 150th Griffins alumni to play in the NHL by appearing in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game at Arizona on Saturday. Porter played for Grand Rapids last season, one of just two Griffins - along with captain Jeff Hoggan - to appear in all 76 regular season games, tallying 39 points (16-23—39) and 25 penalty minutes, before picking up four points (1-3—4) in 16 Calder Cup playoff games with the team.

Home Opener Record: The Griffins post a 10-8-0-1 overall record in home openers and have lost their last three in a row, all under the command of former head coach Jeff Blashill.

New Era, New Logo: The Griffins begin their 20th anniversary season with a brand-new logo and overall look, as the team changed its primary logo and colors on Aug. 18. Marking the first primary logo change in the history of the franchise, the Reebok-designed logo features Griff fiercely protecting the skyline of Grand Rapids, reinforcing the pride that the Griffins have in their city while portraying an aggressiveness that was absent from the original logo. Prior to its adoption as the primary logo, the artwork had been featured on the Griffins’ home Wednesday jerseys since 2012. Grand Rapids debuted its black road jerseys last weekend, but Friday’s game at Van Andel Arena will be the first time the new white home jerseys are played in.

Full Circle: Todd Nelson, 46, became the 10th head coach in Griffins franchise history on June 19, 2015, after splitting the 2014-15 season in head-coaching roles with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) and the Edmonton Oilers (NHL). The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, native guided the Barons to a 15-6-2-2 record and first place in the West Division, including a 10-game point streak from Nov. 15-Dec. 6, before taking over for Dallas Eakins as the interim head coach of the Oilers on Dec. 15. In his first stint as an NHL head coach, Nelson led Edmonton to a 17-25-9 record in 51 games. As an AHL coach, Nelson owns a 176-113-12-34 overall record, including his Griffins debut last weekend. The first player ever signed to a Griffins contract, Nelson is one of the most significant defensemen in franchise history. His 236 games played rank 19th all time and sixth among defensemen, while his 56 assists and 67 points both place 13th among Grand Rapids blueliners. Following in the footsteps of Danton Cole (2002-05), whom he served under as an assistant coach, Nelson is the second former Griffins player to be employed as Grand Rapids’ head coach.

Bon Voyage: After finishing his tenure (2012-15) as the head coach of the Griffins with a 134-71-12-11 (W-L-OTL-SOL) record through 228 regular season games, Jeff Blashill began his new role as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings last Friday when the Wings hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Joe Louis Arena. Blashill faced off against his predecessor and mentor, Mike Babcock, who served as the bench boss in Detroit for 10 years and accumulated a 458-223-105 record through 786 games. It was a remarkable start for the former Grand Rapids head coach, who led his squad to a 4-0 shutout of the Leafs. Blashill’s Wings followed up that performance with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, setting the team off to a 2-0-0 record to begin its new era.

Those Who Can, Coach: Providing support on the Griffins’ bench this season are three assistant coaches in Bruce Ramsay, Ben Simon and Mike Knuble. All three assistants, along with bench boss Todd Nelson, are former Griffins players, with Ramsay and Nelson members of the Griffins’ inaugural team in 1996-97. In all, “Rammer” collected nine goals, 14 assists and 781 penalty minutes in 175 games with Grand Rapids from 1996-99. His PIM still rank second all-time in franchise history, and he’s one of three players to ever twice eclipse 300 PIM, producing 306 PIM in 1996-97 and leading the team with 310 PIM in 1997-98. Simon spent the 2006-07 season with the Griffins and tallied nine points (4-5—9) in 21 games, while Knuble appeared in just one game with Grand Rapids on Jan. 23, 2013. Knuble is only the second Grand Rapids native to play for the team after Luke Glendening made his debut during the same season.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: Jeff Hoggan makes his return to Grand Rapids this season for his fourth campaign, marking the longest captaincy in Griffins franchise history. The 37-year-old, who was the oldest skater in the league last season, places among the Grand Rapids’ all-time leaders with 48 goals (T22nd), 107 points (T22nd) and a plus-31 rating (T17th). Entering his 14th professional season, Hoggan has now accumulated 318 points (159-159—318) in 623 AHL contests with Grand Rapids, San Antonio, Providence, Worcester and Houston, while also registering 11 points (2-9—11) in 107 NHL games with Phoenix, Boston and St. Louis.

Standings Change: The league’s expansion to the west coast has resulted in a change in the number of games played for teams in the Pacific Division. All Californian teams in the Pacific Division will play 68 games during the regular season, while all other AHL teams will play 76. As a result, standings will now be ranked according to the teams’ overall points percentages (points earned divided by points available).

Detroit Exports: Twenty Red Wings-contracted players are on the Griffins’ 27-man roster, including goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum; defensemen Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff, Xavier Ouellet, Robbie Russo and Ryan Sproul; and forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Callahan, Colin Campbell, Daniel Cleary, Martin Frk, Anthony Mantha, Andy Miele, Zach Nastasiuk, Tomas Nosek, Eric Tangradi and Marek Tvrdon.

Signed and Sealed: Seven players on the current roster are under contract to the Griffins: forwards Triston Grant, Jeff Hoggan, Joel Rechlicz (PTO) and Mark Zengerle and defensemen Matt Corrente (PTO), Scott Czarnowczan and Nathan Paetsch.

Suspension: Right wing Joel Rechlicz has been suspended for three games as a consequence of a charging incident in a preseason game versus Lake Erie on Oct. 2. He missed both games last weekend and will also miss the Griffins’ home opener on Friday at Van Andel Arena.

Veteran Roll Call: AHL clubs may dress up to five veteran skaters with more than 260 games of experience in the NHL, AHL or European Elite leagues, plus another with 320 or fewer games played. The Griffins have eight skaters who are considered veterans: forwards Daniel Cleary, Triston Grant, Jeff Hoggan, Andy Miele and Eric Tangradi; and defensemen Matt Corrente, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch. Grand Rapids’ veterans boast a combined total of 2,736 AHL regular season games played.

New Kids On The Block: The Griffins have three players who are considered rookies this season, including newcomer defenseman Robbie Russo. Tyler Bertuzzi (two regular season games, 14 playoff games) and Zach Nastasiuk (11 regular season games, 11 playoff games) had all appeared with the Griffins over the course of the previous two seasons but have not met the AHL’s 25-game threshold.

Off To The Pond: The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Detroit's 8th choice, 175th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Nedomlel spent his second professional season with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in 2014-15 and registered 14 points (3-11—14), 56 penalty minutes and a plus-six rating in 49 regular season games. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound blueliner also tallied two assists and 10 PIM in 12 games during the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, helping the Walleye advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the South Carolina Stingrays. Nedomlel, 22, has appeared in three career AHL games, all with the Griffins during the 2013-14 campaign.

Where Are They Now?: Three players from the Griffins’ 2014-15 season-ending roster find themselves with other organizations, including Chris Bruton (Braehead Clan – EIHL), Kevin Porter (W-B/Scranton – NHL) and Brennan Evans (Texas Stars – AHL).

Griffins’ Coaching Tree: Five former players or coaches for the Griffins are currently involved in coaching with other AHL squads, including Lake Erie head coach Jared Bednar (1998-99), Providence head coach Bruce Cassidy (HC 2000-02), Hershey assistant coach Bryan Helmer (2004-06), Springfield assistant coach Doug Janik (2009-12) and Ontario head coach Mike Stothers (HC 2007-08).

Walleye World: The Toledo Walleye, the Griffins’ ECHL affiliate, will open their 2015-16 season on the road this Friday against the Indy Fuel. Oddly enough, the Walleye won’t open the home portion of their schedule until Nov. 7 against the Adirondack Thunder at The Huntington Center. A handful of Griffins-contracted skaters are members of the Walleye this season, including defensemen Derek Docken and Steve Spinell and forwards Alden Hirschfeld and Dominic Zombo. Goaltender Jake Paterson, who was Detroit's 2nd choice, 80th overall, in 2012 NHL Entry Draft, is also with Toledo. All five players could see playing time with Grand Rapids this season.

Scouting Report

Fri., Oct. 16 vs. San Antonio Rampage (0-0-1-0) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 17 vs. San Antonio Rampage – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Fri.) and 7 p.m. (Sat.). Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 36-22-1-5-2 Overall, 18-10-1-3-1 Home. Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two at home. NHL Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche. Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth (1st season). Notes: Previously the affiliate of the Florida Panthers, the Rampage are the new affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche…Head coach Dean Chynoweth is in his first season coaching the Rampage after previously manning the Lake Erie Monsters…Chynoweth’s 2014-15 Monsters were Grand Rapids’ opponent on opening night last season at Van Andel Arena, shutting out the Griffins by a 4-0 margin…Center Ben Street sits atop the Rampage’s scoring list after one game with three points (1-2—3) and 11 shots.