This Week’s Game

GRIFFINS (7-1-1-1) at Chicago Wolves (3-4-0-1) // Sun., Nov. 1 // 4 p.m. EST // Allstate Arena

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

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey 

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Away. Second of eight meetings overall, first of four at Allstate Arena

All-Time Series: 111-94-2-8-6 Overall, 56-52-0-2-2 Away

NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes 

Noteworthy: The Wolves are the Griffins’ second-most frequent opponent, as Sunday’s game will mark the 222nd meeting between the two rivals. Grand Rapids’ 111 wins against Chicago are also the second-most against an opponent. 

Sounds Like a Broken Record: With 16 points (7-1-1-1) through their first 10 games, the Griffins are off to their third-best start in the franchise’s 31 seasons. Over the first 10 games of the last three seasons under coach Dan Watson, the Griffins are a combined 22-4-2-2 (.800). The team is also currently on a six-game point streak (5-0-0-1). At home, the Griffins are 5-0-0-1 with a plus-12 margin compared to 2-1-1-0 on the road with a plus-one margin. 

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 Saturday, Shine collected his third-career hat trick, which included his 100th goal as a Griffin, making him the third player to hit that mark (Michel Picard 158; Francis Pare 102). His third goal last Saturday was also his 11th unassisted tally, giving him sole possession of the franchise record. Shine is now three goals away from second all time in team history. Shine has eight points (4-4—8) in his last five outings since Oct. 11. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (533), third in goals (100), sixth in assists (132), fourth in points (232), fifth in penalty minutes (596), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), first in unassisted goals (11), and third in shots (932).

October Recap: The Griffins finished the first month of the season with a 7-1-1-1 mark (.800), which placed them first in the Central Division, first in the Western Conference and first in the AHL. The team went 5-0-0-1 at home and 5-1-0-0 against its division rivals. Grand Rapids also outscored its opponents 37-24. The power play went 13-for-52 (25%) and the penalty kill finished 43-for-46 (93.5%). Jesse Kiiskinen led the team with 10 points (6-4—10) in 10 games, followed by Dominik Shine (4-5—9), Sheldon Dries (5-3—8) and Jacob Bryson (1-7—8). In net, Michal Postava showed a 4-0 record with a 1.25 GAA and a .954 save percentage. Rookie Trey Augustine posted a 2-1-2 ledger with a 2.92 GAA and a .901 save percentage, while Carter Gylander went 1-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .923 save percentage. 

Tip of the Cap: The Griffins are on a three-week streak of a player securing a hat trick. The fun began on Oct. 11 with Jesse Kiiskinen’s first pro hat trick, followed by John Leonard on Oct. 18 and Dominik Shine last Saturday. Last season, the Griffins did not receive their third hat trick until Nov. 25 and finished the campaign with five total. 

Young Sheldon: Veteran Sheldon Dries recently return to the Griffins on Oct. 22, following a six-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings. In his return last weekend, the 32-year-old registered four points (2-2—4) in two games. Dries has shown at least two points in three of the four AHL games this season and is tied for third on the roster with eight points (5-3—8) in four outings. Last campaign, Dries notched 45 points (23-22—45) in 57 games and has scored at least 20 goals in each of his last four full AHL seasons since 2021-22. 

BOO-YA: Third-year defenseman Shai Buium is on a career-high four-game point streak from Oct. 18-24 (1-3—4). The 23-year-old is currently tied for sixth among AHL defensemen in both points (1-6—7) and assists (6). Last season, Buium was limited to just 36 games due to rehabbing an upper-body injury. Throughout his AHL career, the San Diego, California, native has 46 points (6-40—46) and 34 penalty minutes in 114 appearances. Buium was the 36th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. 

Ready When Called: Netminder Carter Gylander made his season debut last Saturday in a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters, earning his 50th pro win. Gylander is now on a 10-game point streak with Grand Rapids (9-0-1), dating back to Dec. 7, 2024. Last season, he went 7-0-1 with the Griffins to go along with a 1.62 GAA and a .942 save percentage. Throughout his 12-game AHL career, Gylander has a 10-1-1 ledger with a 2.14 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Gylander has spent the majority of his three-year career in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye, accumulating a 40-19-10 record with a 2.73 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 69 regular-season games.    

First-Year Fun: Rookie goaltender Trey Augustine is on a three-game point streak since Oct. 17 (2-0-1), collecting his first pro win behind 27 saves on Oct. 17 at Rockford. The 21-year-old is 2-1-2 this season with a 2.92 GAA and a .901 save percentage. 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, Augustine went 66-25-7 with nine shutouts, a 2.40 GAA and a .922 save percentage 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.     

Caution: Bear Attacks: Rookie Carter Bear enjoyed a team-best five-game point streak from Oct. 10-21 (2-3—5) and now has six points (2-4—6) in his last seven appearances. He made his pro debut on Oct. 9 against the Manitoba Moose and scored his first pro goal the following night at the Milwaukee Admirals. Bear was the 13th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. During his four-year junior career in the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips, the 19-year-old totaled 218 points (102-116—218) and a plus-98 rating in 195 regular-season games, adding 26 points (7-19—26) in 32 playoff outings. Last season, Bear led Everett to a WHL title and was named to the WHL Second All-Star Team with 77 points (36-41—77) in 53 regular-season games. Bear also won a bronze medal with Team Canada U20 at the 2026 World Junior Championship.

Very Special: The Griffins’ special-team units are off to a solid start, as the power play is tied for sixth at 25.0% and the penalty kill places first at 93.5%. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in each of its last six games, showing a 27.3% conversion rate (9-for-33). John Leonard is tied for third in the AHL with four power-play tallies. The Griffins killed 28-straight penalties from Oct. 9-21 and have allowed just two power-play goals in their last eight contests (34-for-36, 94.4%). This season, the team has allowed just three power-play goals (43-for-46).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Trey Augustine—Tied for second among rookie goalies in games played (5), tied for second among rookie goalies in wins (2), 13th among rookie goalies in GAA (2.92), 11th among rookie goalies in save percentage (.901)
Carter Bear—Tied for 12th among rookies in assists (4), tied for ninth among rookies in points (6), tied for seventh among rookies in plus-minus (+4)
Jacob Bryson—Tied for 12th in assists (7), tied for fourth among defensemen in assists (7), tied for fourth among defensemen in points (8)
Shai Buium—Tied for sixth among defensemen in assists (6), tied for sixth among defensemen in points (7)
Justice Christensen—Tied for 10th among defensemen in penalty minutes (20), tied for fourth among rookies in penalty minutes (20)
Sheldon Dries—Tied for 12th in goals (5)
Jesse Kiiskinen—Tied for seventh in goals (6), tied for 12th in points (10), first among rookies in goals (6), tied for 12th among rookies in assists (4), second among rookies in points (10), tied for seventh among rookies in plus-minus (+4)
William Lagesson—Tied for second among defensemen in goals (4), tied for sixth among defensemen in points (7), tied for 10th among defensemen in plus-minus (+5)
John Leonard—Tied for 12th in goals (5), tied for third in power-play goals (4), tied for third in game-winners (2)
x Michal Postava—Tied for first in wins (4), fifth in GAA (1.25), fifth in save percentage (.954)

Milestones
Last Saturday, Dominik Shine scored a hat trick, which included his 100th goal as a Griffin, and Sheldon Dries skated in his 400th AHL game. 
Ronnie Attard—One point from 100 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Three points from 300 in the AHL
Jesse Kiiskinen—Four points from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—Three goals from second all time in team history

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins