More of the Same
This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Iowa Wild // Fri., Jan. 5 // 8 p.m. EST // Wells Fargo Arena
GRIFFINS at Iowa Wild // Sat., Jan. 6 // 7 p.m. EST // Wells Fargo Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST on Friday and 6:45 p.m. EST on Saturday
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Wells Fargo Arena
All-Time Series: 43-23-5-3 Overall, 22-13-1-1 Road
NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild
Noteworthy: The Griffins travel to Iowa to meet the Wild for the first time this season. Former Griffins head coach Ben Simon is now an assistant coach for the Wild. Iowa is two points behind Grand Rapids in the Central Division standings.
Finding a Rhythm: After a lackluster start to the season, the Griffins have climbed into a tie for third place in the Central Division by winning a season-best three games in a row and earning points in five of their last six contests (4-1-1-0). On New Year’s Eve, the Griffins posted a dominating 5-1 victory over the second-best team in the AHL the Cleveland Monsters, who entered the game riding a seven-game win streak. Grand Rapids has won six of its last eight games (6-2-0-0) inside Van Andel Arena and has points in three of its past four road appearances (2-1-1-0). The Griffins have been stellar at home with an 8-4-1-0 mark, outscoring their opponents 42-30. Although it has been better in foreign territory as of late, earning consecutive victories, Grand Rapids still holds a 4-9-2-1 record away from home and is being outscored 62-43.
Future is Bright: Rookie Carter Mazur has lit the lamp in a team-high four straight games and has scored five goals in his last six contests after being held scoreless in his previous five outings. Since Dec. 15, Mazur has six points (5-1—6) in six outings. The Jackson, Michigan, product ranks fifth on the roster with 14 points (8-6—14) in 23 contests. On Nov. 15 against Chicago, Mazur tied his career high of three points (2-1—3) and later logged his second multi-point game of the season on Dec. 2 at Milwaukee (1-1—2). This past summer, the 21-year-old made his Team USA debut at the World Championship and accumulated four points (1-3—4) in 10 contests. The former third-round selection (70th overall) by the Red Wings has a total of 20 points (11-9—20) in 29 games throughout his pro career. Prior to turning pro, Mazur spent two seasons at the University of Denver (2021-23) and amassed 75 points (36-39—75) in 81 games, winning a national title in 2022 and earning a spot on the NCAA Second All-American Team in 2023.
Clutch Hutch: For the first time this season, goaltender Michael Hutchinson has won two straight games, stopping a combined 48 of 52 shots (.923 save percentage). Hutchinson had a busy December that saw him sign an AHL contract with the Griffins on Dec. 16 before being signed by the Detroit Red Wings three days later. After inking a one-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings for the remainder of the current season on Dec. 19, Hutchinson made his NHL season debut on Dec. 23 at New Jersey, making 33 saves in a 3-2 defeat. Hutchinson became the first right-handed catching goalie to play for the Red Wings since Greg Millen in 1992 and just the 12th right-handed catching netminder to compete for Detroit. With the Griffins, the 33-year-old has a 7-7-1 record through 15 games with one shutout to go along with a 2.85 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.
Jumping for Joel: For the first 11 games of the campaign, Joel L’Esperance had just two points (0-2—2) and was without a goal. Since then, the prolific goal scorer has 10 points (9-1—10) in his last 16 games, including nine goals. L’Esperance has found the back of the net in three consecutive games and now leads the roster with nine goals in 27 appearances. In 2022-23, the sixth-year pro tied his career high of 49 points (25-24—49) and potted over 20 goals for the fourth straight season. During his 300th pro contest on Nov. 24 versus Manitoba, the Brighton, Michigan, native scored two goals and later bagged his 200th pro point with another tally on Dec. 27 at Rockford. Throughout parts of six AHL seasons, L’Esperance has 197 points (114-83—197) in 282 outings.
Come Out of the Gates Fast: Playing with the lead has been huge for the Griffins this season, as they are 6-1-1-0 when leading after the first period and 9-0-1-0 when leading after the second. In comparison, Grand Rapids is just 6-12-2-1 when trailing or tied after the opening frame and 3-13-2-1 when trailing or tied after the second. The Griffins’ largest comeback of the season came on Dec. 15 against Texas when they trailed by two goals early in the second period and went on to collect a 4-2 victory. The last time Grand Rapids trailed in the third period and came back to win was on Dec. 9 at Belleville (trailed 2-1, won 4-3 in overtime).
Under Three is Key: Unsurprisingly, the Griffins have done well in games where they have scored four or more goals, going 10-1-1-0 (.875). Although, when scoring three goals or less the team is just 2-12-2-1 (.206). Grand Rapids has scored four or more goals in three straight games and in four of its last six outings. On the flip side, Grand Rapids is just 2-11-3-1 (.235) when allowing at least three goals, compared to a 10-2-0-0 mark (.833) when allowing two goals or less. In their last seven appearances, the Griffins have allowed three or more goals just three times.
Stay Out of the Sin Bin: The Griffins have struggled to kill off penalties as of late, as the team has allowed at least one power-play goal in a season-high five straight games. From Dec. 19-29, Grand Rapids allowed at least two power-play goals in four consecutive outings, all against Central Division rivals. Since Dec. 19, the Griffins are just 5-for-17 on the penalty kill (29.4%). The penalty kill unit has looked drastically different on the road, as it is at 68.4% on the road (32nd) compared to an 82.2% mark at home (15th). The Griffins rank last in the AHL with an overall penalty kill rate of 74.5%.
AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Sebastian Cossa—3.09 GAA places eighth among rookie netminders, .897 save percentage ranks eighth among rookie goaltenders
Simon Edvinsson—Six goals are tied for sixth among defensemen, two power-play goals are tied for fifth among defensemen, two game-winners are tied for fifth among defensemen
Albert Johansson—Plus-12 rating is tied for fifth among defensemen
Carter Mazur—Two game-winners are tied for fourth among rookies, three power-play goals are tied for 10th among rookies
Antti Tuomisto—Two goals are tied for ninth among rookie defensemen, one game-winner is tied for first among rookie defensemen
Milestones
On Friday, Josiah Didier competed in his 400th AHL game in a 6-3 win over Chicago. On Wednesday, Joel L’Esperance recorded his 200th point as a pro with a goal at Rockford.
Austin Czarnik—Two goals from 100 in the AHL
Tim Gettinger—One point from 150 as a pro, two points from 150 in the AHL
Taro Hirose—Three goals from 50 as a Griffin
Joel L’Esperance—One game from 100 as a Griffin, three points from 200 in the AHL
Nolan Stevens—Two goals from 50 as a pro
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins
