This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS (1-0-1-0) vs. Manitoba Moose (2-0-0-0) // Fri., Oct. 9 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Friday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday

Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 86-48-1-2-10 Overall, 45-21-1-2-7 Home

NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets 

Noteworthy: Grand Rapids will begin its home portion of the regular season with the Home Opener presented by Huntington Bank. In addition to a magnet schedule giveaway, fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy a special pregame show that includes a full-team introduction.  

GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals (1-0-0-0) // Sat., Oct. 10 // 7 p.m. EDT // Panther Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. EDT on Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Saturday

Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Panther Arena

All-Time Series: 123-90-7-12-8 Overall, 56-49-5-7-5 Road

NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators 

Noteworthy: The Griffins have met the Admirals 240 times heading into the campaign, the most of any opponent. In addition, the 123 victories over Milwaukee are also the most of any foe.  

GRIFFINS vs. Chicago Wolves (0-2-0-0) // Sun., Oct. 11 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena  

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Sunday

Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 110-94-2-8-6 Overall, 54-42-2-6-4 Home

NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes 

Noteworthy: Sunday’s game will mark the conclusion of the Griffins’ first-of-five three-in-threes this season.

Where It All Began: Yesterday, the Griffins hit the 30-year anniversary of their first-ever game and victory, which occurred on Oct. 5, 1996, in a 1-0 win at the Indianapolis Ice. Grand Rapids opened its inaugural campaign on the road at Market Square Arena versus the Ice and emerged with a 1-0 win behind 30 saves by Pokey Reddick and a first-period power-play goal by Michel Picard, the first goal in franchise history. 

All 32 Teams Unlocked: Last Thursday with the New Jersey Devils, Amadeus Lombardi made his NHL debut, becoming the 224th former Griffin to compete in the NHL. During last Friday’s season opener with the Detroit Red Wings, Anton Johansson became the 225th alum to make their NHL debut. With Sebastian Cossa making his season debut with the Utah Mammoth last Saturday, at least one former Griffin has now played for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. 

31st Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins are in the franchise’s 31st overall season of play, 26th as a member of the American Hockey League, and 25th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. The Griffins have competed in 2,279 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,197-834-27-91-130 regular-season record (.586), to go along with 20 playoff appearances, eight division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).

The Watson Supercomputer: Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and enters his fourth season at the helm. The Griffins have yet to drop a season opener under Watson, continuing the trend last Friday with a 5-2 win at Cleveland. Last season, Watson became the third head coach in franchise history to reach the postseason in each of his first three full years as head boss (Jeff Blashill 2012-15 & Todd Nelson 2015-18) and is looking to become the first coach to lead the Griffins to four consecutive playoff appearances. Watson was also named the head coach of the Central Division at the AHL All-Star Classic for the second straight season, becoming the second coach in team history to attend two all-star events and the first in its AHL history. In the 2025-26 regular season, Watson led the Griffins to a Central Division title as well as a Western Conference championship with a franchise-record 51-16-4-1 (.743) mark. With Grand Rapids, Watson sports a 126-68-18-7 regular-season mark (.633) and a 9-11 postseason ledger (.450). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 398-180-39-20 record (.671) during the regular season and a 60-45 (.571) mark over only eight playoff campaigns.

2025-26 Season in Review: The Griffins skated in their 30th season a year ago and concluded with a franchise-record 51-16-4-1 (.743) mark and 107 points, which were the fourth-most in team history. The Griffins went 24-9-3-0 at Van Andel Arena and 27-7-1-1 on foreign ice, earning the most road wins in franchise history. Grand Rapids also went on to win the Central Division and Western Conference during the regular season before falling in the Central Division Finals for the second time in the last three years. Grand Rapids enjoyed a franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, 2025, which tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history, and the 19-game point streak from Nov. 22, 2025-Jan. 7, 2026 (18-0-1-0) tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins began the 2025-26 season with a 29-1-1-1 record and their 17-game point streak on the road from Oct. 10, 2025-Jan. 23, 2026 (15-0-1-1) set an AHL record. The team had three representatives at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Sebastian Cossa, John Leonard and Dominik Shine, in addition to having head coach Dan Watson man the bench for the Central Division. Leonard led the team in points (33-21—54) and goals (33), while Erik Gustafsson paced the roster in assists (33). Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, led the roster’s rookies in points (44), goals (20) and assists (24). Brandsegg-Nygard ranked among the 2025-26 AHL rookie leaders in points (T10th), assists (T14th), goals (T6th), plus-minus (+17, T8th), power-play goals (7, T6th) and game-winners (8, 1st). Defensively, Gustafsson led the team’s blueliners in points (37) and assists (33), while Antti Tuomisto ranked first in goals (8) and William Lagesson placed first in plus-minus rating (+33). Lagesson’s plus-33 rating ranked first among AHL defensemen and third among all skaters. In net, Cossa and Michal Postava were named the winners of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, given annually to the team that allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. Cossa produced a 26-8-4 record with five shutouts to go along with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 SV% in 39 games. During his rookie season, Postava went 17-6-0 with four shutouts, a 1.71 GAA and a .937 SV% in 25 outings and was named the starter for the entire 2026 postseason. Cossa ranked among the league leaders in games played (T12th), minutes played (12th), wins (3rd), GAA (5th) and save percentage (6th).

I Shall Return: Veterans John Leonard (33-21—54) and Sheldon Dries (23-22—45) both return to the Griffins after being the team’s top two point producers last season. Captain Dominik Shine (21-18—39), who finished sixth on the roster in 2025-26 with nearly a point-per-game output, also returns. The Griffins went 35-3-2-0 (.900) a season ago when Shine was in the lineup. In addition to generating 21% of the team’s points, Leonard, Dries and Shine accounted for 30% of Grand Rapids’ goals from a year ago. Defensively, William Lagesson is back for his third campaign after pacing all AHL defensemen and ranking third among all skaters with a plus-33 rating last season. Goaltender Michal Postava enters his second season in North America after posting a 1.71 GAA and a .937 save percentage in 25 regular-season games, which were both franchise records for a single season.

Shine On, Captain: Dominik Shine is in his 11th season with the Griffins and his second as captain, becoming just the second player in team history to reach 11 seasons (Brian Lashoff 14). During the 2025-26 AHL season, Shine finished with 39 points (21-18—39), 41 penalty minutes and a plus-25 rating, setting career highs in goals, plus-minus and shooting percentage (20.5%). He also competed in his first-ever AHL All-Star Classic, serving as an alternate captain for the Western Conference. Shine spent Feb. 28 until the end of the NHL regular season with the Detroit Red Wings and showed three goals and seven penalty minutes across a career-best 18 outings. He scored his first NHL goal on March 8 at the New Jersey Devils, becoming the fifth-oldest player in Red Wings history to score his first-career NHL goal. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (525), third in goals (96), seventh in assists (128), fourth in points (224), fifth in penalty minutes (594), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (907).

Pure Michigan: Several Griffins will be competing in their home state this year, as the roster features seven Michiganders in Ronnie Attard (White Lake Township), Trey Augustine (South Lyon), Kienan Draper (Bloomfield Hills), Sheldon Dries (Macomb), Sutter Muzzatti (Okemos), Dominik Shine (Detroit) and Jacob Truscott (Port Huron). In addition, the roster is comprised of seven players that competed collegiately in the Great Lakes State, including Attard (Western Michigan), Augustine (Michigan State), Draper (Michigan), Dries (Western Michigan), Nolan Moyle (Michigan), Shine (Northern Michigan) and Truscott (Michigan). 

Holy Goalies: The Griffins’ goalie room this year will feature a pair of young prospects in Trey Augustine and Michal Postava. Augustine, the 41st overall pick by Detroit in 2023, enters his rookie campaign, while Postava, signed in 2025 as an undrafted free agent out of Czechia, returns to the Griffins for his second season in North America. Augustine, the 2025-26 Richter Award winner as the NCAA’s best goaltender, comes to Grand Rapids after an illustrious career at Michigan State, winning three Big Ten titles. As a Spartan from 2023-26, the 21-year-old went 66-25-7 with nine shutouts, a 2.40 GAA and a .922 SV% in 99 appearances. In the all-time rankings at Michigan State, Augustine places second in SV%, fifth in GAA, sixth in saves (2,838), sixth in wins and sixth in shutouts. The South Lyon, Michigan, native is also the winningest goaltender in Team USA history at the World Junior Championship, collecting a 12-1-1 record and two gold medals across three tournaments. As a rookie last season with Grand Rapids, Postava logged a 17-6-0 record during the regular season to go along with four shutouts, a 1.71 GAA and a .937 SV% in 25 outings. Along with teammate Sebastian Cossa, the duo won the 2025-26 Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with a league-low 159 combined goals allowed. In the franchise’s all-time single-season record book, Postava’s 2025-26 season ranked first in GAA, first in save percentage and tied for 10th in shutouts. The 24-year-old was also named the team’s starter for the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs and went 4-4 with one shutout, a 2.09 GAA and a .912 SV% in eight appearances. Throughout Postava’s five-year pro career, the 6-foot-1 netminder has shown a 92-71-9 record with 16 shutouts, a 2.05 GAA and a .932 SV% in 170 regular-season contests.

Roster Breakdown: Seventeen players (forwards Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Noah Dower Nilsson, Sheldon Dries, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog; defensemen Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson; goaltenders Trey Augustine and Michal Postava) on the roster are under contract to the Red Wings, while six players (forwards Tag Bertuzzi, Kienan Draper and Nolan Moyle; and defensemen Justice Christensen, Alex Kannok Leipert and Jacob Truscott) are playing on a Griffins contract. Six players are Red Wings draft picks (Augustine, Becher, Buium, Dower Nilsson, Draper and James).

Venture Across the Pond: Forwards Noah Dower Nilsson, Jesse Kiiskinen and Theo Rochette are all embarking on their first full professional seasons in North America. Dower Nilsson, the 70th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, competed in parts of four Swedish Hockey League seasons with Frolunda since 2022-23, notching 28 points (11-17—28) in 91 regular-season outings. Kiiskinen was the 68th overall pick by the Nashville Predators in 2023 and has shown 83 points (35-48—83) in 145 regular-season games in the Liiga (Finland) since 2022-23. Rochette is a 24-year-old undrafted prospect out of Switzerland who has suited up for three seasons in the National League (Swiss), totaling 104 points (50-54—104) in 131 regular-season games with Lausanne.

Young Guns: The Griffins have eight players who are considered rookies this season in forwards Dylan James, Kienan Draper, Noah Dower Nilsson, Sutter Muzzatti and Jesse Kiiskinen, defensemen Justice Christensen and Jacob Truscott, and goaltender Trey Augustine.

Oldies but Goodies: The Griffins’ roster features five veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard and Dominik Shine, and defensemen Jacob Bryson and William Lagesson. A player receives veteran status if he has competed in at least 261 games in the NHL, AHL or European elite leagues. Shine leads all veterans with 552 professional games played, while Dries (525) ranks second and Lagesson (429) places third. 

World Travelers: The Griffins have nine Americans in forwards Kienan Draper, Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Nolan Moyle, Sutter Muzzatti, Dominik Shine, defensemen Ronnie Attard and Shai Buium, and goaltender Trey Augustine. There are six Canadians on the roster, including forwards Tag Bertuzzi, Cameron Butler and Dylan James, and defensemen Jacob Bryson, Justice Christensen and Alex Kannok Leipert. From overseas, Sweden leads the way with three players in forwards Noah Dower Nilsson and Wilmer Skoog, and defenseman William Lagesson. Next, the roster features two Czechs in forward Ondrej Becher and goaltender Michal Postava. Finally, Finland (Jesse Kiiskinen) and Switzerland (Theo Rochette) both feature one player with the Griffins.

Pour Me A Draft: The Griffins’ roster is highlighted with three former second-round picks, including Trey Augustine (41st in 2023 DET), Shai Buium (36th in 2021 DET) and Dylan James (40th in 2022 DET). The roster also includes four third-round picks in Ronnie Attard (72nd in 2019 PHI), Ondrej Becher (80th in 2024 DET), Noah Dower Nilsson (70th in 2023 DET) and Jesse Kiiskinen (68th in 2023 NSH), and 14 total draft picks.

Milestones
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Two games from 400 in the AHL 
John Leonard—Four games from 300 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One goal from 100 as a pro, four goals from 100 as a Griffin
Dan Watson—Two wins from 400 as pro head coach

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins