This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose // Thu., Jan. 23 // 8 p.m. EST // Canada Life Centre
GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose // Sat., Jan. 25 // 3 p.m. EST // Canada Life Centre

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST on Thursday and 2:45 p.m. EST on Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey 

Season Series: 2-2-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Away. Fifth and sixth of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at the Canada Life Centre

All-Time Series: 77-46-1-1-10 Overall, 35-25-0-0-3 Away

NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets 

Noteworthy: Nine of the last 12 meetings between the Moose and Griffins have been decided by just one goal, including all four games this season.  Through 63 all-time games played at Manitoba, Grand Rapids has never lost in overtime. 

Ups and Downs: The Griffins returned from the holiday break with a 3-0-0-0 record in their first three games but then dropped three straight outings from Jan. 4-11, averaging just one goal per game during the skid. The offense exploded for four goals in the third period last Wednesday against Chicago and have now scored 13 goals in its last three games (4.33 goals per game) with a 2-0-0-1 record. The defense has been solid once again, allowing just 1.89 goals since the break. The offense has averaged 3.00 goals per game since the break and at least four goals in five of the last nine outings. Grand Rapids remains in first place in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and tied for fifth in the AHL with a 22-12-3-1 record and 48 points through 38 games. The Griffins are 13-10-2-0 against their division rivals and have held at least a share of the top spot in the division since Nov. 8.

Pucks On Net: The 26 shots by the Griffins in the opening period last Friday against Cleveland were the most ever recorded in a period by either the Griffins or their opponent, spanning 2,359 combined regular season (2,170) and playoff (189) games. Grand Rapids finished the contest with a season-high 44 shots and have now averaged 30.9 shots per game in the month of January. The Griffins outshot their opponent just three times in the first 21 contests (14.3%) but have since outshot their opponent seven times in the last 17 games (41.2%). The Griffins average 26.0 shots per game, which ranks second-to-last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots six times and has exceeded 30 shots nine times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 28.5 shots per game (T15th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 20 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 339-278 compared to being outshot 353-344 in the second and 367-348 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 14-7-2-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and an 11-5-2-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

Shine Bright: Last Saturday, veteran Dominik Shine moved into a tie for 10th place on the team’s all-time goals scored list with his 72nd tally as a Griffin. Shine ranks first on the roster in points (11-18—29), tied for first in assists (18), tied for third in goals (11), and tied for second in power-play goals (4) in 38 games. Shine collected his seventh multi-point game of the season last Saturday against Cleveland (1-1—2), which set a new career-high mark, beating out his six multi-point games in 2021-22. The 31-year-old now has 10 points (5-5—10) in his last 13 contests. Last year, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (23), points (33) and plus-minus rating (+8) and is on pace to reach 55 points (21-34—55) this season. The Detroit native has spent his entire career with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and has accumulated 167 points (72-95—167) and 513 penalty minutes in 460 appearances. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played, sixth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in goals scored (72), tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for first in unassisted goals (10). 

Elm Tree: Elmer Soderblom, the tallest player in franchise history at 6-foot-8, is on a three-game point streak (2-2—4) and has six points (3-3—6) in his last five games During his two-point night last Wednesday, the 23-year-old bagged his 50th assist as a pro after registering his 50th point as a Griffin on Jan. 11 (21-29—50). Last year, Soderblom produced 29 points (13-16—29) in 61 contests before adding two points (1-1—2) in seven playoff games, making his Calder Cup Playoff debut on May 3, 2024 against Rockford. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native also appeared in 21 games with the Detroit Red Wings during his rookie season in 2022-23 and totaled eight points (5-3—8) in 21 games. Through 38 games this year, Soderblom has 17 points (5-12—17), 29 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating. He was recalled by Detroit on Tuesday.  

Come Out Firing: When the Griffins start hot, things usually turn out pretty well for the team, as they have a 14-1-2-1 record when scoring the game’s first goal. They also have yet to suffer a regulation loss when leading after the first period (9-0-2-1) and when leading after the second period (14-0-2-0). When Grand Rapids is trailing after the opening frame, it is 3-8-1-0 and 3-9-0-0 when it trails after the second period. 

Austin Powers: Veteran Austin Watson is on a three-game point streak (2-1—3), his fourth of at least three games this season, and has secured a point in 12 of the past 18 games (7-8—15) since Dec. 1. Watson ranks second on the roster with 28 points (11-17—28) in 36 games, tied for third in goals (11), third in assists (17), and first in power-play goals (5) and penalty minutes (71). The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native has spent the majority of his career in the NHL, showing 118 points (60-58—118) in 518 appearances. At the AHL level, Watson possesses 160 points (84-76—160) in 270 outings, as he had spent his entire AHL career with Milwaukee before this season.

Young Sheldon: After scoring 12 goals in 20 games from Oct. 27-Dec. 18, veteran Sheldon Dries was held without a goal for the next nine games from Dec. 20-Jan. 15. Dries is now on a three-game point streak (2-1—3) and scored a goal in consecutive games this past weekend for the first time since Dec. 17-18. The Macomb, Michigan, native is tied for first on the roster with 14 goals in 35 games and fifth with 21 points (14-7—21).  Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he spent four seasons at Western Michigan University from 2013-17 and totaled 84 points (44-40—84) in 148 con tests, serving as captain for three campaigns. The 30-year-old has competed in 431 pro games with 251 points (143-108—251) and 225 points (127-98—225) in 309 AHL appearances.

Home Sweet Home: Grand Rapids concluded a season-high five-game homestand last weekend with a 2-2-0-1 record and points in the final three games (2-0-0-1). The Griffins are in a stretch that will see them play eight of 10 games inside Van Andel Arena from Jan. 10-Feb. 1 after playing nine of 12 games on the road from Dec. 7-Jan. 4. The Griffins are 11-6-1-1 at home this season but have won three of their last nine home outings (3-4-1-1). Under head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids is 34-13-5-3 (.690) inside Van Andel Arena. On the road, the Griffins are 11-6-2-0 this season with points in five of their last six road contests (4-1-1-0). With Watson at the helm, Grand Rapids is 25-22-6-2 (.527) in foreign territory since 2023-24.

Rollercoaster Ride: The Griffins ranked 29th in the AHL through the first 10 games with 2.20 goals per contest before showing 4.10 goals per game from Nov. 7-Dec. 1 and going 8-2-0-0 during the run. The Griffins then averaged just 2.33 goals per game from Dec. 6-22 and went 3-4-2-0 in those contests. Grand Rapids has now potted 27 goals across nine games (3.00) since Dec. 28 with a 5-3-0-1 record, which includes 4.33 goals on average in its last three outings. The Griffins rank 21st on the circuit with 2.92 goals per outing, while placing first in goals against per game (2.47). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 18-0-0-1 compared to 4-12-3-0 when scoring fewer than three goals.

Lock it Down: The Griffins have allowed just 1.89 goals per game since returning from the holiday break and rank first overall with 2.47 goals allowed per game this season. Sebastian Cossa has shown a 2.31 GAA and .917 save percentage through 22 games, Jack Campbell has logged a 2.15 GAA and a .917 save percentage in five appearances, and Ville Husso possesses a 1.86 GAA and a .935 save percentage in eight contests. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 50 goals in its last 22 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.27 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 54 goals in their last 21 regular-season road games (2.57 GA per game).

Power Surge: The Griffins potted two power-play goals in consecutive games last week for the first time this season. The power play has converted seven of their last 29 power-play opportunities (24.1%) during their last 10 games. Grand Rapids had its best run when it scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%). The power play ranks 11th on the circuit at 18.3% (24-for-131). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 12-for-58 (20.7%, 13th) and its road power play is 12-for-73 (16.4%, 19th). The Griffins have given up six short-handed goals, which is tied for the fifth-most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has struggled as of late, allowing a power-play goal in five of their last six games (18-for-24 on PK, 75.0%). Grand Rapids has also surrendered a power-play goal in 12 of its last 18 outings (53-for-67 on PK, 79.1%). However, the penalty-kill unit remains one of the best in the league, as it ranks eighth at 84.8%. Grand Rapids has scored six short-handed tallies this season, which is tied for fourth in the AHL. When scoring on the power play, the Griffins are 12-4-2-1 and 6-9-1-1 when they allow a power-play goal. 

Holy Goalies: Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, has been the go-to netminder for the Griffins this season, as he has a 12-7-3 mark with a 2.31 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 22 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,298:08, 9th), games played (22, T8th), GAA (9th), wins (T5th), and save percentage (10th). The 22-year-old collected his first NHL victory during his debut on Dec. 9 at the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and two stops in the shootout. Cossa became the first netminder in NHL history to win his debut via a shootout in a relief effort. Veteran Jack Campbell made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves and later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 decision. Through six games with Grand Rapids, Campbell is 2-3-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Campbell has 444 pro games under his belt with a 2.66 GAA and 231 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (241 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). In the AHL, Campbell has shown a 119-85-27 record with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Ville Husso was reassigned by the Red Wings last Saturday and has shown a 6-1-0 mark with two shutouts in eight games with the Griffins this year to go along with a 1.86 GAA and a .935 save percentage. Throughout his nine-game career with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Husso has a 7-1-0 ledger with three shutouts, a 1.64 GAA and a .942 save percentage.

Written In The Stars: Goaltender Sebastian Cossa, forward Austin Watson, and head coach Dan Watson will represent the Griffins at this year’s AHL All-Star Classic to be held Feb. 2-3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Cossa, who is in his second full season with the Griffins, will make his first appearance in the AHL All-Star Classic and the first for a Griffins goalie since Petr Mrazek in 2013. The 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021 ranks among the AHL’s leaders in minutes played (1,298:08, 9th), games played (22, T8th), GAA (2.31, 9th), wins (12, T5th), and save percentage (.917, 10th). Austin Watson, a 13-year veteran, will also make his first AHL All-Star Classic appearance. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native ranks second on the roster with 28 points (11-17—28) in 36 games, while also leading the team in power-play goals (5) and ranking third in assists (17). Dan Watson is the first Griffins coach to achieve an all-star honor since Todd Nelson in 2017 and the fourth head coach in franchise history to coach in an all-star game, joining Nelson, Jeff Blashill (2014), and Bruce Cassidy (2002 AHL, 2001 IHL). This will mark Watson’s third career all-star appearance, as he was chosen to coach in the ECHL All-Star Game in both 2017 and 2022 while with the Toledo Walleye.  

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:
Shai Buium—Seventh among rookie defensemen in assists (13), tied for 11th among rookie defensemen in points (13), tied for seventh among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+7), tied for eighth among rookie defensemen in power-play assists (4)
Sebastian Cossa—Ninth in minutes played (1,298:08), tied for eighth in games played (22), ninth in GAA (2.31), tied for fifth in wins (12), 10th in save percentage (.917)
Nate Danielson—Third among rookies in assists (18), tied for 12th among rookies in plus-minus rating (+8), tied for first in short-handed assists (3), first among rookies in short-handed assists (3), tied for eighth among rookies in power-play assists (7)
Josiah Didier—Tied for fourth in short-handed assists (2), tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13), tied for second among defensemen in short-handed assists (2)
Alex Doucet—Tied for fifth in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
x William Lagesson—Tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for seventh in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (9), tied for ninth in penalty minutes (71)

Milestones:
Last Friday, Dominik Shine moved into a tie for 10th place on the team’s all-time goals scored list with his 72nd tally (tied with Darrly Bootland).
Sheldon Dries—Two assists from 100 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11 in a career, one goal from moving into a tie for ninth place in the franchise’s all-time goals scored list (Derek King, 73), five assists from 100 as a Griffin
Joe Snively—Three points from 200 in the AHL

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins