This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Wed., Jan. 9 // 8 p.m. EST // UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Road, 2-1-0-1 Overall. Fifth of 10 meetings overall, second of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
All-Time Series: 42-33-5-5-5 Road, 94-62-7-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids has points in five of the last six matchups (4-1-0-1) and is 11-4-1-1 in the last 17 regular season battles.

Belleville Senators at GRIFFINS // Fri., Jan. 11 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Belleville Senators at GRIFFINS // Sat., Jan. 12 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. both nights
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home, 1-1-0-0 Overall. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 0-0-0-0 Home, 1-1-0-0 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Ottawa Senators
Noteworthy: Friday and Saturday marks Belleville’s first-ever visit to Van Andel Arena.

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Jan. 4 GRIFFINS 2 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3 SO 19-11-3-3 (44 points, T2nd Central Division)
Sat., Jan. 5 GRIFFINS 4 at Hershey Bears 6 19-12-3-3 (44 points, 3rd Central)

Status Update: The Grand Rapids Griffins are 0-1-0-1 to begin the new year and have points in six of their last seven outings (4-1-1-1). Also collecting points in 23 of their last 30 games (17-7-3-3), the Griffins tie for third in the Central Division with a 19-12-3-3 overall record (44 points). Grand Rapids concludes a three-game road trip at the Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday before returning home on Friday and Saturday to host the Belleville Senators for the first time ever. Wednesday is game No. 38, marking the halfway point of the season.

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (39)
Goals: Terry (22)
Assists: Carter Camper (18)
Plus-Minus: Turner Elson (+14)
PIM: Dylan McIlrath (37)
Wins: Harri Sateri (11)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.38)
Save %: Rybar (0.911)

Last Week’s Notes:
Friday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – Grand Rapids suffered its third shootout loss of the season and first on the road...The Griffins are 104-111 all time in shootouts...Joseph Cramarossa was the only scorer in the three-round skills competition...Three of the Griffins’ last four games have been tied after regulation...Ryan Haggerty’s goal at 0:17 marked the fastest goal against to start a game since Brock Trotter set the record at :09 on April 3, 2009 at Hamilton...Matt Ford potted his seventh goal of the season at 3:45 in the first period and Turner Elson notched his 11th at 10:23 in the second...Patrik Rybar stopped 31 shots and is on a three-game point streak…Assigned by Detroit on Thursday, Wade Megan skated in his first game with the Griffins since Dec. 1 and picked up the only assist on Ford’s goal. Recap | Highlights
Saturday at Hershey – Grand Rapids had its six-game point streak (4-0-1-1) come to an end…The Griffins fell for the first time ever at Hershey (4-1-0-0)…The Griffins and Bears split the two-game season series, with Grand Rapids winning 6-3 back on Oct. 12…Jake Chelios picked up his 100th career AHL point while assisting on Chris Terry’s league-leading 22nd goal of the season…Rookie defenseman Trevor Hamilton recorded his first career multi-point game behind two assists…Wade Megan (1-1—2) and Matt Puempel (1-1—2) also notched multi-point outings…Grand Rapids outshot Hershey 39-30…Six goals against matched a season high. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: On Friday, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. On Saturday, the first 2,500 fans will receive a Griffins plaid hat, courtesy of Comerica Bank. Read the full list of promos here.

Terry Selected for 2019 AHL All-Star Classic: The AHL announced last Thursday that the Griffins’ top point producer and the league’s leading goal scorer, Chris Terry, has been selected to play for the Central Division All-Star Team at the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield, to be held Jan. 27-28 in Springfield, Mass. Terry, in his 10th season as a professional and first in Grand Rapids, has earned his third consecutive AHL All-Star bid and fourth overall (2012). The John B. Sollenberger Trophy award winner from 2017-18 as the league’s leading scorer and a reigning AHL First All-Star Team selection, Terry paces the league with 22 goals this season and places fourth with 39 points in 37 games while adding a plus-13 rating and 16 PIM. He is bidding to join Teemu Pulkkinen (34 in 2014-15) and Donald MacLean (56 in 2005-06) as the only Griffins to lead the league in goals. Read the full release here.

What You Doin’ Terr: The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry sits atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 22. The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career. He is also one of three active AHL players with 200 or more career goals. Over the last 20 contests since Nov. 24, Terry has accumulated 23 points (11-12—23), which is the second most in the league in that span. In the last seven games, he is responsible for 10 points (4-6—10). Terry places fourth in the league with 39 points overall.

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 242
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 208
3) Chris Terry - 205

High-Five x 3: Three times in the season’s opening 37 games the Griffins have embarked on at least a five-game point streak (7-0-1-1 from Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 4-0-1-1 from Dec. 21-Jan. 4, 4-0-0-1 from Oct. 27-Nov. 8).

Hicks Mix: With Filip Hronek on recall with the Red Wings, third-year pro Joe Hicketts is the team’s top defenseman in terms of point production with 11 (2-9—11) in 28 games. He has points in three of the last four games. Hicketts’ two goals this season have come in timely fashion, as he scored the game-tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation during a 5-4 shootout win Dec. 15 vs. Milwaukee and netted the game-winner on New Year’s Eve against Rockford with 4:44 to play.

Wading Back In: Following nearly a month’s stay in the NHL with Detroit where he appeared in five games after being recalled on Dec. 4 and assigned on Jan. 3, veteran center Wade Megan has three points (1-2—3) in his first two outings back in Grand Rapids’ lineup. Megan became the 172nd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut on Nov. 1 vs. New Jersey and has skated in 11 games this season and tallied one assist. Appearing in 16 games with the Griffins, the sixth-year pro shows 10 points (4-6—10) and a plus-five rating.

Zadina Returns to Griffins After World Junior Championship: The Detroit Red Wings last Friday reassigned rookie forward Filip Zadina from the Czech Republic U20 National Team to the Griffins. Zadina rejoined the Griffins for practice today. While representing his home country at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, Zadina, 19, registered one assist in five games and helped the Czechs advance to the quarterfinals. This year marked the second consecutive World Junior Championship Zadina has participated in. He also suited up for the Czech Republic at the World Under-18 Championships in 2017 and 2016 and the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Selected sixth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and the highest Red Wings draft pick to ever play for the Griffins, Zadina has accounted for 17 points (8-9—17) and 10 penalty minutes in 27 games during his first full professional season.

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in 15 of their first 18 games at Van Andel Arena (12-3-1-2) and in 10 of their last 11 (8-1-1-1). The Griffins’ 27 points at home ties for third in the AHL while their 0.750 points percentage ties for second. Grand Rapids is a +12 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.44 goals, compared to –12 and 2.68 on enemy ice.

Between the Pipes: Harri Sateri has points in nine of his last 11 starts (7-2-2) and has allowed one goal in two of his last four games. His 11 victories on the season tie for ninth in the league. In his last six outings, Patrik Rybar has notched a 2.13 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage to go along with a 2-2-2 record. Skating in his first season in North America, Rybar ranks sixth in the AHL with a 2.38 overall GAA.

Page Turner: Turner Elson ties for third on the team with 26 points (11-15—26) and is just four shy of matching his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). He has already bettered his output from his first season with the Griffins in 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP). The sixth-year pro shows two points (1-1—2) in his first five games back after missing four due to injury. Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which also ties for the most in the AHL. Three shorties is the most by a Griffin in a single season since Landon Ferraro and Tomas Nosek both collected three in 2014-15.

Happy Camper: First-year Griffin Carter Camper tallied a season-high five-game point streak from Dec. 21-31, including matching a career-high with a three-game goal streak from Dec. 28-31. Camper paces the club with 18 assists and ties for third with 26 points.

Puemped Up: Matt Puempel banked his team-leading 11th multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist last Saturday at Hershey. In comparison, Puempel had 15 in all of 2017-18. The sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin places second on the team in both goals (14) and points (28).

Milestones Within Reach:
Carter Camper – needs five goals to reach 100 in the AHL, needs four goals to reach 100 as a pro
Derek Hulak – needs four points to reach 100 in the AHL
Matthew Ford – needs five points to reach 400 in the AHL
Matt Puempel – needs three goals to reach 100 in the AHL, needs one assist to reach 100 in the AHL, needs four points to reach 200 in the AHL

Milwaukee Notes: Current record 19-12-5-1, 44 points, T3rd Central Division…Grand Rapids is 2-1-0-1 in the season series…Grand Rapids has points in five of the last six matchups (4-1-0-1) and is 11-4-1-1 in the last 17 regular season clashes…In the most recent meeting on Dec. 15, the Griffins rallied back twice from a two-goal deficit, including Joe Hicketts notching the game-tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation, before Dominic Turgeon scored the only goal in the shootout for a 5-4 victory…Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign, Grand Rapids is 9-3-0-0 at Milwaukee in the regular season…Milwaukee’s 5-2 win at Panther Arena on Dec. 11 ended Grand Rapids’ seven-game regular season winning streak in Wisconsin, as the Admirals defeated the Griffins on home ice for the first time since March 19, 2017…With a rivalry dating back to the International Hockey League days, the Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet up for the 179th time on Wednesday…Admirals netminder Tom McCollum played with the Griffins from 2009-16 and 2017-18 and is the franchise’s all-time goalie leader in wins (123), games played (263), minutes (14900:25) and saves (6640), helped Grand Rapids win the 2013 Calder Cup and is the team’s only four-time AHL Man of the Year nominee…McCollum picked up his first career win against his former club on Dec. 11 after stopping 26 of 28 shots...In three appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-0-2 with a 1.93 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage...Griffins first-year head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4)…In four meetings this season, Matt Puempel has collected three goals among five points, both of which are the most for either side…In 13 career games vs. Milwaukee as a Griffin, Puempel has 14 points (7-7—14)...Turner Elson (Oct. 11, 2013 vs. MIL), Joe Hicketts (Nov. 12, 2016 at MIL), and Trevor Hamilton (Dec. 15, 2018 vs. MIL) all picked up their first AHL goals against the Admirals, while Dominik Shine made his pro debut against Milwaukee (March 19, 2017 at MIL)…Milwaukee ranks third in penalty killing at 86.1% and ties for second in goals against per game (2.70)…Anthony Richard (13-11—24) and Emil Pettersson (9-15—24) lead the team in scoring…Defenseman Matt Donovan was selected to the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic.

Belleville Notes: Current record 16-20-2-0, 34 points, 8th North Division…This weekend marks Belleville’s first-ever visit to Van Andel Arena…In the inaugural meetings between the teams on Oct. 26-27 in Belleville, the Griffins and Senators split the two games with Belleville winning 5-3 on Oct 26 and Grand Rapids claiming a 3-1 victory the next night…Patrik Rybar turned aside 21 of 22 shots and earned his first win on North American soil on Oct. 27 at the Senators…Belleville is in its second AHL season…Belleville had 17 players play in at least one NHL game during its inaugural 2017-18 season…Rookie Drake Batherson was selected to the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic…Former Griffin Jake Paterson is 0-1-0 in four games with a 2.97 GAA and a 0.850 save percentage for Belleville this season…In two appearances for the Griffins in 2015-16, Paterson was 0-2-0 with a 3.11 GAA and a 0.928 save percentage…Grand Rapids is 140-91-1-11-17 all time (0.594) against current North Division members, with 96 of those games coming against Cleveland (52-29-0-5-10), 72 against Rochester (41-24-1-3-3) and 66 against Toronto (31-30-0-3-2).

Old Affiliates: The Belleville Senators are in their second season as the primary affiliate to the Ottawa Senators. The Griffins spent three seasons (1999-2002) as Ottawa’s affiliate, including their last two as members of the International Hockey League (1999-2001) and their first in the American Hockey League (2001-02). From 1999-2002, the Griffins won three straight division titles while compiling a 146-71-11-4-12 regular season record (0.653) to go along with an 18-14 playoff mark (0.563). The Senators showed similar success during the affiliation, advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs all three seasons and showing a 128-76-29-13 regular season record (0.606). Of the Griffins’ 174 alumni to play in the NHL, 38 came from 1999-02.

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 19 wins and 18 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 13th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights. Grand Rapids has won eight of its last 10 on the second night and three of the last four.

Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins