This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS (3-1-1-0) at Rockford IceHogs (1-2-0-0) // Sat., Oct. 17 // 8 p.m. EDT // BMO Center
GRIFFINS vs. Rockford IceHogs // Sun., Oct. 18 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EDT on Saturday and 3:45 p.m. on Sunday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Saturday and Sunday

Season Series: First and second of 10 meetings overall, first of five at the BMO Center, first of five at Van Andel Arena 

All-Time Series: 81-55-11-11 Overall, 35-34-4-6 Away, 46-21-7-5 Home

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks 

Noteworthy: The Griffins went 7-3-0-0 against the IceHogs a season ago and are 23-17-2-0 in the last five campaigns against Rockford. 

Kiis This: In a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday at Van Andel Arena, rookie Jesse Kiiskinen logged four points (3-1—4), which included his first AHL hat trick. Kiiskinen completed the first hat trick by a Griffins rookie since Tyler Bertuzzi in the 2016 playoffs and became the first Griffins rookie in the regular season since Chad Billins in 2013. In addition to his natural hat trick, the 21-year-old was the first Griffins rookie to show four points in a game since Simon Edvinsson (1-3—4) on Feb. 15, 2023, at the Rockford IceHogs. Kiiskinen ranks first on the roster in both points (5-2—7) and goals (5) through five games. The Hollola, Finland, native also places first among AHL rookies in points and goals, and among all skaters, is tied for fifth in points and tied for second in goals.

Mr. Postman: Netminder Michal Postava was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 11, 2026. He went 2-0 last week, with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage, and he collected his first AHL regular-season assist. Postava has won two of the last three player of the week honors, dating back to April 20 of last season. The fifth-year pro has yet to allow more than three goals in 28 regular-season outings in the AHL. Through three games this season, Postava has a 3-0 ledger with a 1.34 GAA and a .950 save percentage. In the AHL rankings, the netminder places eighth in both GAA and save percentage. Postava is 20-6-0 in his AHL regular-season career since 2025-26 with a 1.67 GAA, a .938 save percentage and four shutouts.  

Where It All Began: On Oct. 5, 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. In addition, last Sunday marked the 30-year anniversary of the first-ever home game for the Griffins. The Griffins hosted their first-ever game at Van Andel Arena before a sold-out crowd of 10,834 – the first of 39 that season – but fell by a 3-1 score to the defending Eastern Conference playoff champion Orlando Solar Bears. Darin Smith scored the first Griffins goal in the new facility, converting in the second period against Allan Bester. 

The Watson Supercomputer: Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and is in his fourth season at the helm. In a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves last Sunday, Watson earned his 400th win as a pro head coach in just his 640th contest. Under Watson, the Griffins have yet to drop a home opener, outscoring opponents 13-5. 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 128-69-18-7 regular-season mark (.633) and a 9-11 postseason ledger (.450). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 400-181-39-20 record (.671) during the regular season and a 60-45 (.571) mark over only eight playoff campaigns. 

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). Last Sunday, Shine collected his 100th professional goal and is three goals away from 100 as a Griffin. Only two players, Michel Picard (158) and Francis Pare (102), have reached the 100 mark in franchise history. 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 (528), third in goals (97), seventh in assists (128), fourth in points (225), 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 (915).

Holy Goalies: The Griffins’ goalie room features 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 94-71-9 record with 16 shutouts and a 2.04 GAA in 172 regular-season contests.

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 2,282 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,199-835-27-91-130 regular-season record (.586), to go along with 20 playoff appearances, eight division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).

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 is in 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.

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

Venture Across the Pond: Forwards Noah Dower Nilsson, Jesse Kiiskinen and Theo Rochette are all in 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.

Roster Breakdown: Eighteen players (forwards Carter Bear, Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine, Wilmer Skoog and Chase Stillman; 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. Seven players are Red Wings draft picks (Augustine, Bear, Becher, Buium, Dower Nilsson, Draper and James).

Young Guns: The Griffins currently have nine players who are considered rookies this season in forwards Carter Bear, 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 currently features four veterans, including forwards 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 555 professional games played, while Lagesson (432) places second and Bryson (385) ranks third. 

World Travelers: The Griffins currently have nine Americans in forwards Kienan Draper, John Leonard, Nolan Moyle, Sutter Muzzatti, Dominik Shine and Chase Stillman, defensemen Ronnie Attard and Shai Buium, and goaltender Trey Augustine. There are seven Canadians on the roster, including forwards Carter Bear, 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 two former first-round draft picks in Carter Bear (13th in 2025 DET) and Chase Stillman (29th in 2021 NJD). The team also shows 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 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 16 total draft picks.

Milestones
Last Sunday in a 5-1 win over Chicago, Dominik Shine collected his 100th pro goal, Jesse Kiiskinen potted his first AHL hat trick, and Dan Watson earned his 400th win as a pro head coach. 
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
x Sheldon Dries—Two games from 400 in the AHL
John Leonard—Three games from 300 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—Three goals from 100 as a Griffin

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins