2026-27 SEASON ISSUE NO. 1
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G R A N D
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G R I F F I N S
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Vol. 30, No. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS STARTING LINEUP 26 ��������MR. POSTMAN Goaltender Michal Postava is primed to embrace a larger role between the pipes with the Griffins in 2026-27. 34 ��������HELP IS ON THE WAY Ten years after backstopping the Griffins to a Calder Cup, Jared Coreau is chasing a different kind of save. 42 ��������SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME One hundred five days can seem like either an eternity or the blink of an eye, depending on one’s perspective, but the AHL and its teams certainly stayed busy during the 2026 offseason.
46 ��������SUNNY SWEDE With his big shots and bright potential, Anton Johansson is the latest player to come out of the golden Swedento-Michigan pipeline.
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54 ��������WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CALLE JARNKROK? Check out where nearly 100 Griffins alumni will be playing and coaching after signing new contracts or extensions with teams across the globe for the 2026-27 season. 58 ��������A NEW CHAPTER Life looks a lot different these days for Luke Glendening, but he’s as committed as ever to his next opportunity.
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ON THE BENCH 2 �������������Chalk Talk 3 �������������Hockey Operations Staff 4 �������������Scouting Report 9 �������������Griffins Schedule 10 �����������Welcome Letters 12 �����������AHL Tradition 15 �����������Charitable Goals 16 �����������AHL Team Directory 21 �����������Detroit Red Wings
22 �����������Promotional Calendar 40 �����������Meet the Griffins 65 �����������Griffins Records 68 �����������Griffins All-Stars 73 �����������Penalty Calls 74 �����������AHL Teams Map 76 �����������It All Starts Here 79 �����������Kids Page 80 �����������Parting Shot
After smashing franchise records during his stellar rookie season,
46
Michal Postava headlines a strong Griffins goaltending unit for 2026-27.
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo
Griffiti magazine is published four times a year by the Grand Rapids Griffins, Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All contents ©2026 Grand Rapids Griffins. For advertising information, contact Griffins Sales & Marketing, (616) 774-4585. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will not be returned.
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CHALK TALK WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH DAN WATSON By Jonathan Mills
Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson is a firm believer that success can carry over from season to season, but only if the foundation built off the ice is strong enough to withstand the change that inevitably happens on it. “For us, it’s a culture that has been set,” Watson said. “That’s the standard we can hold all our players to. And we can talk about how we want to play or the type of team we’re going to have, but it’s what happens inside the locker room that will breed success. I think you can have success, longevity of it, season after season with different players if that’s set up. “The fact that we have returning players who understand what’s expected, if those things are upheld, and we don’t let anything negative creep in, I still think no matter what our roster looks like we’re going to be in a good spot.” This season, that’s one of the challenges facing Grand Rapids, which earned its third consecutive Calder Cup Playoff berth under Watson in 2025-26 by putting together the best regular-season record (51-16-4-1; .743) in franchise history. The Griffins ranked first in the Central Division, first in the Western Conference, and second in the entire American Hockey League. According to Watson, the Griffins’ total buyin into the system they set out to play last season largely led to their success in the standings. “We did what we needed to do defensively, and it led to offense,” Watson said. “We finished 2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
first in goals against and second in goals for. We believe that if you do the right things when you don’t have the puck, when you do have the puck it’ll lead to more possession time and opportunities to play in the offensive zone. Certainly, last year, I think the team bought into that and was one of the hardest working teams without the puck that I’ve been involved with. I even heard that from other coaches, and I think that’s just the biggest compliment to our players. That just goes to show the willingness by the group to do things that were hard last year.” Since becoming Grand Rapids’ bench boss on June 14, 2023, Watson has prioritized the importance of maintaining a collective identity. And whoever proudly suits up for the Griffins this season, they’ll repeatedly hear and be expected to deliver on that message. “That’s huge for me,” Watson said. “The way we practice is another big driver. If you do that right, then once the guys really feel it and see it – all you need is a tiny bit of success. It doesn’t mean a goal is going to be scored, but show a guy who tracks hard, turns a puck over and gets a scoring chance? Then guys feel like it’s a part of who they are.” There’s a lot that goes into building an identity, especially one that stands the test of peaks and valleys during a 72-game regular season. For Watson, that starts with trust, and trust starts with honesty. “I need, and want, to have the respect of the players,” Watson said. “Gain that trust and
respect that when they come into my office, they’re getting an honest answer and honest feedback. They need to know whether they’re playing well, if they’re not playing well, what they’re doing on special teams or whatever it might be. We have to build trust with our players, so that we can all have these honest conversations to not only help them get better but also help us to develop as coaches, too.” His coaching staff may not receive as much attention as Watson himself or some of the Detroit Red Wings organization’s headlinegrabbing prospects, but they’ve all played a big role in what Grand Rapids has accomplished in recent memory. “We’re a tight-knit group but we’re all different,” Watson said. “For us, it’s knowing what we want, knowing our workflow, trusting each other. Also not being worried about conflict or confrontation, and what I mean by that is it’s healthy. Those are negative words, but if someone doesn’t agree and they have a reason why, we’re not scared to speak about it. We all see the game extremely well, but in different ways. That helps us. It helps us get better as
coaches and as a staff.” It will be extremely difficult for the Griffins to replicate a regular season as special as 202526 was, and it obviously wasn’t the ending – eliminated by the Chicago Wolves in the Central Division Finals – they envisioned. To get to where they believe they can go this season, it’s going to take everyone. And in Watson’s mind, the buck starts with him. “I pride myself in being prepared,” Watson said. “Now, with all the analytics that are out there now, you’re still learning and fine-tuning all the data you’re collecting. It’s trying to figure out how we are using all that information to benefit the players. There’s just so much out there. So, it’s learning all of that. “It’s also continuing to learn and grow myself as a person first and a coach second. It’s a never-ending process. Whether it’s books you’re reading, there’s even other coaches that I like to listen to so I can hear their postgame comments, you try to find what’s going to work best for you. I think it’s the same as a player. You always want to get better. As long as the coaches are willing to do that, I think the players will follow along.”
2026-27 GRIFFINS HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF
Interim General Manager Dan Cleary
Head Coach Dan Watson
Assistant Coach Steph Julien
Assistant Coach Brian Lashoff
Goaltending Coach Roope Koistinen
Video Coach Brad Krakowitz
Athletic Trainer Austin Frank
Assistant Athletic Trainer Katie Berglund
Physical Therapist Jared VanZant
Equipment Manager Brad Thompson
Asst. Equipment Manager Kyle Hornkohl
Biomechanist/Sport Scientist Jack Rummells
Strength-Cond. Coordinator Marcus Kinney
Massage Therapist Mandi Zemba
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3
SCOUTING REPORT By Andrew Streitel
MANITOBA • OCT. 9, OCT. 21, NOV. 18
After reaching the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, where they fell to Grand Rapids in the Central Division Semifinals, the Manitoba Moose enter the 2026-27 season without their top four scorers from last season. Mason Shaw (15-29—44), Jaret Anderson-Dolan (13-23—36), Samuel Fagemo (19-16—35) and Phillip Di Giuseppe (15-20—35) have all signed elsewhere, leaving Walker Duehr (17-17—34) as the team’s top returning scorer. Duehr, a 28-year-old veteran, enters the campaign with 112 points (59-53—112) in 205 AHL games, in addition to 21 points (11-10—21) in 95 NHL outings. Duehr was an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State University back in 2021. One of the Winnipeg Jets’ most recent prized possessions, Viggo Bjorck, signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 13, 2026 and is expected to make his North America debut this season. Bjorck, an 18-year-old out of Stockholm, Sweden, was the eighth overall pick by the Jets in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Last season, he logged 15 points (6-9—15) in 42 Swedish Hockey League games with Djurgardens and collected a gold medal with Team Sweden at the World Junior Championship. During the 2024-25 campaign, the 5-foot-9 forward broke Sweden’s J20 Nationell league record for scoring by a 16-year-old, showing 74 points (27-47—74) in 42 games.
CHICAGO • OCT. 11
Chicago’s chase for a fourth Calder Cup fell just short in 2025-26, as its season ended against the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup Finals, 4-1. During the Wolves’ run to the finals, they defeated the Griffins 3-1 in the Central Division Finals, with all four games decided by just one goal. In addition, Chicago stopped a three-year run for the Pacific Division as champions of the Western Conference, which a Central Division team had not won since 2022. After working as an interim head coach for much of the 2025-26 regular season, Spiros Anastas had that label removed by the Carolina Hurricanes and was officially named the 15th head coach in Wolves history prior to the start of the 2026 postseason. Anastas won the 2013 Calder Cup with the Griffins as an assistant coach under then-head coach Jeff Blashill and served as an assistant with Grand Rapids from 2012-14. In addition to his time with Grand Rapids, Anastas spent the 2011-12 campaign as an assistant coach at Western Michigan University. 4 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
ROCKFORD • OCT. 18, NOV. 11
Under first-year head coach Jared Nightingale, the Rockford IceHogs last season missed out on the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years. In addition to finishing last in the division with a 28-39-3-2 record (61 pts.), the IceHogs placed 30th out of 32 AHL teams. Nightingale, who played in two games with Grand Rapids in 2014-15, returns to Rockford for his second season as bench boss. This will mark his fifth overall season with the IceHogs, as he served as an assistant coach for the team from 2021-24. Forward Brett Seney is back in Rockford for his fifth season with the organization and ninth campaign as a professional. Seney, who has served as captain of the IceHogs since 2024-25, led the team with 51 points (17-34—51) last season and competed in the AHL All-Star Classic for the second time in his career. The 30-year-old enters the 2026-27 campaign with 347 points (120-227) and 474 penalty minutes in 442 AHL games since 2017-18. Seney has also represented Team Canada at the last two Spengler Cups.
CLEVELAND • OCT. 23, OCT. 24
The biggest news of the offseason for Cleveland was the hiring of Nick Bootland as the eighth head coach in team history. Bootland joined the Monsters following the departure of Trent Vogelhuber, who was hired as an assistant coach by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became a two-time Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears when he served as an assistant from 2022-26. Bootland began his coaching career in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings and was their head coach/director of hockey operations for 14 seasons from 2008-22. He is the older brother of former Griffin Darryl Bootland, a fan favorite who racked up 140 points (72-68—140) and a teamrecord 1,164 penalty minutes in 293 games between 2002-07. Cleveland’s leading scorer from last year, Luca Del Bel Belluz, is back for his fourth season with the organization. Del Bel Belluz ranked first for the Monsters in points (58), goals (22) and assists (36), competing in the AHL All-Star Classic for the second consecutive season. The 22-year-old was the 44th overall pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has 142 points (58-84—142) in 174 AHL outings, adding 10 points (3-7—10) in 30 NHL appearances.
TEXAS • NOV. 4
Forward Curtis McKenzie returns to Texas for his seventh season as captain and 11th year with the organization. Last season, the 35-year-old became the 115th AHL player to reach 200 goals and competed in his 800th professional game. McKenzie ranks second in Texas history in goals (164), assists (237), points (401) and games played (567) entering the 2026-27 campaign. He also holds the franchise record for power-play goals (55), penalty minutes (703), playoff appearances (88) and playoff goals (27). Toby Petersen is back for his second season as head coach of Texas after reaching the Central Division Semifinals a year ago. Last season marked the first time he served as a head coach, as he was previously a skills coach with the Colorado Avalanche (2023-25) and an assistant coach with Rochester (2017-20), Cleveland (2015-17) and Springfield (2014-15). Petersen spent the final seven seasons of his playing career within Dallas’ organization, which included retiring as a member of the Texas Stars in 2013-14.
MILWAUKEE • NOV. 6
Last season, Milwaukee ranked third in the AHL with 1,199 penalty minutes for an average of 16.65 minutes per game. By comparison, the Griffins placed third-to-last with 759 penalty minutes (10.54 per game). Veteran forward Kyle Marino led the team and placed sixth in the AHL with 174 penalty minutes in 69 games and returns for his third campaign with the Admirals in 2026-27. Across his two prior seasons with Milwaukee, Marino has 326 penalty minutes in 135 outings. In addition, Oasiz Wiesblatt posted 124 penalty minutes in 67 games to rank second on the roster and fourth among AHL rookies. Wiesblatt returns for his second pro season and has accumulated 272 penalty minutes in 133 games over the last two years. Defenseman Andrew Gibson enters his second professional season with Milwaukee after logging 13 points (211—13) and 80 penalty minutes in 71 games as a rookie last year. Gibson was the 42nd overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023 before being traded to the Nashville Predators on June 25, 2024, in exchange for current Griffin Jesse Kiiskinen and a 2024 second-round pick. Prior to turning pro, Gibson spent parts of four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2021-25 and competed for Team Canada at the 2023 U18 World Junior Championship and the 2025 World Junior Championship. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 5
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2026-27 SEASON
Dear Griffins Fans, Three decades ago, on Oct. 11, 1996, the Griffins took to the ice at Van Andel Arena for the very first time. The memories we shared and the achievements we celebrated over the ensuing 30 seasons are impossible to count. And yet, the 2025-26 Griffins stood alone in many respects as one of the greatest teams in the American Hockey League’s first 90 seasons. A mind-boggling 29-1-1-1 start, the league’s best ever. The only team in AHL history to win 40 of its first 50 games. A league-record 17-game road points streak. The fastest Griffins team to hit 50 wins and 100 points. Clinching a playoff spot on the laughably early date of Feb. 27. Setting franchise records for best overall record (.743) and best road mark (.778). The list of superlatives seemed endless. Now, what to do for an encore? Head coach Dan Watson returns with his full staff, as he takes aim at becoming the first coach to lead the Griffins to four consecutive playoff berths. New faces such as 2025 Detroit first-round pick Carter Bear and 2023 second-rounder Trey Augustine, who last season was named the top men’s goaltender in NCAA Division I while playing at Michigan State, supplement an impressive returning core of players under Watson’s watch. Captain Dominik Shine begins his 11th season in a Griffins uniform, top scorers John Leonard and Sheldon Dries are back to fill the net, and goalie Michal Postava is coming off a scintillating rookie campaign in which he set Griffins records for goals-against average (1.71) and save percentage (.937). If he had played just 39 more minutes, he would have officially qualified as the best AHL netminder in both categories by a significant margin. So, while we expect your experience as a Griffins fan this season to be as satisfying as ever, we’re proud to introduce some exciting enhancements off the ice. Brand new seats throughout the arena’s lower bowl will provide ultimate comfort on game night, and your wallet will find relief as well. Among other special offers, our new Family Meal Deal – available during every Saturday game at select concession stands – features four hot dogs, four fries, and four sodas for just $32. Here’s to countless more reasons to cheer this season. Sincerely,
Dan DeVos Chief Executive Officer Grand Rapids Griffins
10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
2026-20 2026-27 SEASON 2026-2027 Season
A Message from the President
A Message from the President Dear Fans,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2026-27 American
Dear Fans, Hockey League season!
Since our first faceoff in 1936, we have grown exponentially
It isasmy pleasure toremaining welcome thein 2026-27 Am a league while still trueyou to ourto roots our local communities. In our arenas across North America, you Hockey League season!
Scott Howson PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
American Hockey League
ott Howson
PRESIDENT & F EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ican Hockey League
have cheered on future superstars, Stanley Cup champions and Hockey Hall of Famers as they have skated in the Since first faceoff have proud grown expone AHL.our As we embark on our in 91st1936, season,we we remain of league our commitment being the top development as a while to still remaining true to league our roots in o for nearly all of the players, coaches, executives, trainers, local communities. In our arenas across North Ameri broadcasters and officials who you see throughout the National Hockeyon League today. have cheered future superstars, Stanley Cup cham
and Hockey Hall of Famers as they have skated in th We look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence st AHL. As we embark on our of 91opening season, remain pro in 2026-27, from the excitement night we to the pageantry of the AHL All-Star Classic in Cleveland to the of our commitment to being the top development lea pure emotion of the Calder Cup Playoffs. for nearly all of the players, coaches, executives, train broadcasters who see throughout th On behalf of all and of ourofficials teams, thank youyou for your ongoing support Hockey of the American Hockey League. National League today. Sincerely,
We look forward to continuing our tradition of excelle in 2026-27, from the excitement of opening night to pageantry of the AHL All-Star Classic in Cleveland to Scott Howson President & CEO American Hockey League pure emotion of| the Calder Cup Playoffs.
On behalf of all of our teams, thank you for your ongo support of the American Hockey League. Sincerely,
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 11
The Beginnings Embarking on its 91st season
Eight teams hit the ice that
in the forming of this new
has grown into a 32-team,
in 2026-27, the American
first season, representing
league, and his name would be
coast-to-coast league that
Hockey League is continuing
Buffalo, Cleveland, New
given to its championship
provides fans with exciting,
a tradition of excellence
Haven, Philadelphia,
trophy. The Toronto Marlies
high-level professional
that began in 1936 when the
Pittsburgh, Providence,
are the reigning Calder Cup
hockey while preparing
Canadian-American Hockey
Springfield and Syracuse.
champions after capturing
thousands of players, coaches,
League joined with the
Frank Calder, the National
their second title last spring.
officials, executives, trainers,
Hockey League’s president at
From those roots, the
broadcasters and more for
the time, was instrumental
American Hockey League
International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL.
careers in the NHL.
By the Numbers
87.0%
Percentage of all NHL players in 2025-26 who were graduates of the AHL
12 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
901
Former AHL players who skated in the NHL last season
334
AHL players who also played in the NHL in 2025-26
274
Former 1st- and 2ndround NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL in 2025-26
The Players
The Legends
The Coaches
In today’s National Hockey
For nine decades, the American Hockey
At the start of the 2026-27 season, the
League nearly 90 percent
League has been home to some of the
National Hockey League featured 22 head
of the players are AHL
greatest players in the history of our sport.
coaches who were former AHL bench
alumni, including 2025-26
In fact, there are 140 honored members
bosses, including 2025-26 Jack Adams
Hart Trophy winner Nikita
of the Hockey Hall of Fame who have
Award winner Jon Cooper of the Tampa
Kucherov, Norris Trophy
been affiliated with the AHL during their
Bay Lightning and newcomers Manny
recipient Zach Werenski
careers.
Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks and Ryan Craig of the Vegas Golden Knights.
and Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy.
All-time greats from Milt Schmidt and
The 2026 Stanley Cup
Gump Worsley to Roberto Luongo and
Colorado’s Jared Bednar, Washington’s
champion Carolina
Martin St. Louis came through the AHL
Spencer Carbery, New Jersey’s Sheldon
Hurricanes were stocked
ranks and now find themselves enshrined
Keefe, San Jose’s Ryan Warsofsky and
with AHL graduates
in Toronto, and the coveted Calder Cup
Seattle’s Lane Lambert are also among
including former AHL All-
is inscribed with the names of legendary
the current NHL coaches who spent time
Stars Logan Stankoven
AHL alumni like Johnny Bower, Larry
in the American Hockey League before
and Brandon Bussi.
Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy
making the jump.
Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile During the 2025-26 season,
Francis, Patrick Roy, Doug Harvey and
a total of 901 AHL alumni
Billy Smith.
played in the National Hockey League. There were 334 players who skated in both leagues last year alone, and 274 former first- and secondround NHL draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including Konsta Helenius, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Yakemchuk, Trevor Connelly, Matvei Gridin, David Reinbacher, Bradly Nadeau, and 2026 Calder Cup champions Easton Cowan and Ben Danford.
LO G A N S TA NLO KOGVAENNS TA N KO V E N 2023 - 24 A H L2023 R O O- 24 K I EAOHFL TRHOEOYKEI EA RO F T H E Y E A R 2026 S TA N L E2026 Y C USPTAC N H LAEMYPCI OUNP C H A M P I O N
TO P R O W: A H L G R A D UAT E S T R E V O R Z E G R A S , B R A N D O N B U S S I B OT TO M R O W: A H L G R A D UAT E S A N D R E I VA S I L E V S K I Y, F I L I P F O R S B E R G
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 13
WHEN THE GRIFFINS SCORE, OUR COMMUNITY WINS Through the Griffins’ long-running Charitable Goals program, local companies team up with Griffins players to help raise money for various charities. Every time the player scores a goal or makes a save, the company makes a donation toward a mutually agreed-upon charity.
2026-27 CHARITABLE GOALS PARTNERS
PLAYER
DONATION
CHARITY BENEFITED
PLAYER
$100 JOHN LEONARD
PER GOAL
$100 THEO ROCHETTE
PER GOAL
WILMER SKOOG
SHELDON DRIES
GRIFFINS GOALTENDERS
GRIFFINS HOME POWER PLAY
$100 ONDREJ BECHER
PER GOAL
PER GOAL
$1
PER SAVE
$50 DOMINIK SHINE
$100 PER POWER PLAY GOAL
CHARITY BENEFITED
$100
$50 PER GOAL
DONATION
PER GOAL
$25
GRIFFINS HOME PENALTY KILL
PER PENALTY KILL
griffinshockey.com/charitablegoals Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 15
A H L D I R EC TO RY
EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION: Charlotte, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton NORTH DIVISION: Belleville, Cleveland, Hamilton, Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica
HERSHEY BEARS
NHL Affiliation:....................... Washington Capitals Home Ice:..............................GIANT Center (10,500) General Manager:..............................Bryan Helmer Head Coach:............................................Derek King Entered AHL:...............................................1938-39 Calder Cups:........13 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2023, 2024) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 73 of 86 2025-26 Record:...................32-31-6-3, 73 pts./.507 Website:......................................hersheybears.com
SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS
NHL Affiliation:................................. St. Louis Blues Home Ice:...................... MassMutual Center (6,793) General Managers:................Ryan Miller, Tim Taylor Head Coach:.............................................. Steve Ott Entered AHL:...............................................2016-17 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................4 of 8 2025-26 Record:...................32-32-6-2, 72 pts./.500 Website:..................... springfieldthunderbirds.com 16 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
NHL Affiliation:..............................Florida Panthers Home Ice:......................Bojangles Coliseum (8,500) General Manager:..............................Paul Krepelka Head Coach:................................... Geordie Kinnear Entered AHL:...............................................2010-11 Calder Cups:........................................... One (2019) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 10 of 14 2025-26 Record:...................44-23-5-0, 93 pts./.646 Website:............................... charlottecheckers.com
LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS
NHL Affiliation:..........................Philadelphia Flyers Home Ice:....................................PPL Center (8,420) General Manager:.............................Alyn McCauley Head Coach:......................................John Snowden Entered AHL:.. 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) Calder Cups:..................................Two (1998, 2005) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 15 of 28 2025-26 Record:...................31-35-3-3, 68 pts./.472 Website:................................phantomshockey.com
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS NHL Affiliation:........................Pittsburgh Penguins Home Ice:.....Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza (7,500) General Manager:............................... Jason Spezza Head Coach:....................................Kirk MacDonald Entered AHL:...............................................1999-00 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 21 of 25 2025-26 Record:.................46-17-7-2, 101 pts./.701 Website:......................................wbspenguins.com
HARTFORD WOLF PACK
NHL Affiliation:........................... New York Rangers Home Ice:....................................XL Center (15,635) General Manager:................................ Ryan Martin Head Coach:..............................................Jay Leach Entered AHL:...............................................1997-98 Calder Cups:........................................... One (2000) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 17 of 27 2025-26 Record:...................26-38-5-3, 60 pts./.417 Website:............................... hartfordwolfpack.com
PROVIDENCE BRUINS
NHL Affiliation:..................................Boston Bruins Home Ice:............... Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,273) General Manager:............................. Dennis Bonvie Head Coach:.....................................Trent Whitfield Entered AHL:...............................................1992-93 Calder Cups:........................................... One (1999) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 27 of 32 2025-26 Record:.................54-16-2-0, 110 pts./.764 Website:................................providencebruins.com
BELLEVILLE SENATORS
NHL Affiliation:..............................Ottawa Senators Home Ice:.................................... CAA Arena (4,365) General Manager:...................................Matt Turek Head Coach:.................................Andrew Campbell Entered AHL:...............................................2017-18 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons In Playoffs:.........................................2 of 7 2025-26 Record:...................28-35-8-1, 65 pts./.451 Website:......................................bellevillesens.com
2026-27
CLEVELAND MONSTERS
NHL Affiliation:.................... Columbus Blue Jackets Home Ice:.Rocket Arena (18,277/9,447 lower bowl) General Manager:................................... Chris Clark Head Coach:.......................................Nick Bootland Entered AHL:..........2007-08 (as Lake Erie Monsters) Calder Cups:........................................... One (2016) Seasons in Playoffs:....................................... 6 of 17 2025-26 Record:...................37-26-6-3, 83 pts./.576 Website:............................. clevelandmonsters.com
HAMILTON HAMMERS
NHL Affiliation:..........................New York Islanders Home Ice:................................TD Coliseum (18,000) General Manager:.................................... Evan Gold Head Coach:.............................................Jay McKee Entered AHL:...............................................2026-27 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................0 of 0 2025-26 Record:....................................Did not play Website:............................. hamiltonhammers.com
LAVAL ROCKET
NHL Affiliation:........................ Montreal Canadiens Home Ice:....................................Place Bell (10,043) General Manager:............................ John Sedgwick Head Coach:.........................................Daniel Jacob Entered AHL:...............................................2017-18 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................4 of 7 2025-26 Record:...................41-23-3-5, 90 Pts./.625 Website:..........................................rocketlaval.com
THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP
ROCHESTER AMERICANS
NHL Affiliation:.................................Buffalo Sabres Home Ice:.............................Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (10,662) General Manager:..................................Stacy Roest Head Coach:......................................Michael Leone Entered AHL:...............................................1956-57 Calder Cups:.......................... Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 51 of 68 2025-26 Record:...................31-31-6-4, 72 pts./.500 Website:............................................... amerks.com
TORONTO MARLIES
NHL Affiliation:........................Toronto Maple Leafs Home Ice:...................... Coca-Cola Coliseum (7,851) General Manager:..................................Ryan Hardy Head Coach:.......................................Steve Sullivan Entered AHL:...............................................2005-06 Calder Cups:..................................Two (2018, 2026) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 15 of 19 2025-26 Record:...................36-26-5-5, 82 pts./.569 Website:...................................................marlies.ca
SYRACUSE CRUNCH
NHL Affiliation:...................... Tampa Bay Lightning Home Ice:.............Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial (6,110) General Manager/Head Coach:...........Joel Bouchard Entered AHL:...............................................1994-95 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 20 of 30 2025-26 Record:...................41-24-3-4, 89 pts./.618 Website:...................................syracusecrunch.com
UTICA COMETS
NHL Affiliation:............................New Jersey Devils Home Ice:........ Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,917) General Manager:................................Braden Birch Head Coach:..........................................Ryan Parent Entered AHL:...............................................2013-14 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:....................................... 5 of 11 2025-26 Record:...................30-31-6-5, 71 pts./.493 Website:........................................uticacomets.com
A total of 23 teams will qualify for the AHL’s 2027 postseason, with five rounds of playoffs leading to the crowning of a Calder Cup champion. The playoff field will include the top six finishers in the eight-team North Division, the top five finishers each in the seven-team Atlantic and Central Divisions, and the top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division. First Round matchups will be best-ofthree series. The two highest seeds in the North, the three highest seeds in each of the Atlantic and Central, and the firstplace team in the Pacific will receive byes into the best-of-five Division Semifinals, with the First Round winners re-seeded in each division. The Division Finals will also be best-of-five series, followed by bestof-seven Conference Finals and a best-ofseven Calder Cup Finals.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 17
A H L D I R EC TO RY
WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION: Abbotsford, Bakersfield, Calgary, Coachella Valley, Colorado, Henderson, Ontario, San Diego, San Jose, Tucson CENTRAL DIVISION: Grand Rapids, Chicago, Iowa, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford, Texas
CALGARY WRANGLERS
NHL Affiliation:................................Calgary Flames Home Ice:.............Scotiabank Saddledome (19,289) General Manager:.................................Brad Pascall Head Coach:..........................................Brett Sutter Entered AHL:...............................................2022-23 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................3 of 4 2025-26 Record:.................23-34-10-5, 61 pts./.424 Website:................................ calgarywranglers.com
HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS
NHL Affiliation:......................Vegas Golden Knights Home Ice:....................... Lee’s Family Forum (5,567) General Manager:................................... Tim Speltz Head Coach:..............................................Joel Ward Entered AHL:...............................................2020-21 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................2 of 5 2025-26 Record:...................39-21-7-5, 90 pts./.625 Website:......................hendersonsilverknights.com 18 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS
NHL Affiliation:..........................Vancouver Canucks Home Ice:...............................Rogers Forum (7,073) General Manager:.............................Richard Seeley Head Coach:...............................Ryan Papaioannou Entered AHL:...............................................2021-22 Calder Cups:........................................... One (2025) Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................4 of 5 2025-26 Record:...................28-37-4-3, 63 pts./.438 Website:............................ abbotsford.canucks.com
COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS
NHL Affiliation:.................................Seattle Kraken Home Ice:............................Acrisure Arena (10,087) General Manager:................................... Troy Bodie Head Coach:........................................ Derek Laxdal Entered AHL:...............................................2022-23 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................4 of 4 2025-26 Record:...................41-25-6-0, 88 pts./.611 Website:...........................................cvfirebirds.com
ONTARIO REIGN
NHL Affiliation:.............................Los Angeles Kings Home Ice:................................Toyota Arena (9,491) General Manager:.......................... Nelson Emerson Head Coach:.........................................Andrew Lord Entered AHL:...............................................2015-16 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................8 of 9 2025-26 Record:...................47-20-3-2, 99 pts./.688 Website:....................................... ontarioreign.com
BAKERSFIELD CONDORS
NHL Affiliation:..............................Edmonton Oilers Home Ice:....................Dignity Health Arena (8,800) General Manager:...............................Keith Gretzky Head Coach:......................................... Colin Chaulk Entered AHL:...............................................2015-16 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................5 of 9 2025-26 Record:.................37-23-11-1, 86 pts./.597 Website:.............................bakersfieldcondors.com
COLORADO EAGLES
NHL Affiliation:.........................Colorado Avalanche Home Ice:................................... Blue Arena (5,089) General Manager:.......................... Kevin McDonald Head Coach:.........................................Jussi Ahokas Entered AHL:...............................................2018-19 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................6 of 6 2025-26 Record:...................41-20-6-5, 93 pts./.646 SAN DIEGO GULLS Website:................................... coloradoeagles.com PRIMARY MARK
SAN DIEGO GULLS
NHL Affiliation:............................... Anaheim Ducks Home Ice:.........Pechanga Arena San Diego (12,920) General Manager:............................. Rick Patterson Head Coach:........................................Dave Manson Entered AHL:...............................................2015-16 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................5 of 9 2025-26 Record:...................33-27-8-4, 78 pts./.542 Website:.....................................sandiegogulls.com PANTONE 1655 C
PANTONE MEDIUM BLUE C
PANTONE 5455 C
PROCESS BLACK
WHITE
2026-27
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA
NHL Affiliation:............................... San Jose Sharks Home Ice:...............................Tech CU Arena (4,200) General Manager:........................................Joe Will Head Coach:......................................John McCarthy Entered AHL:...............................................2015-16 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................6 of 9 2025-26 Record:...................40-28-2-2, 84 pts./.583 Website:.........................................sjbarracuda.com
CHICAGO WOLVES
NHL Affiliation:.........................Carolina Hurricanes Home Ice:.............................Allstate Arena (16,692) General Manager:................................Darren Yorke Head Coach:......................................Spiros Anastas Entered AHL:...............................................2001-02 Calder Cups:......................Three (2002, 2008, 2022) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 16 of 23 2025-26 Record:...................36-21-8-7, 87 pts./.604 Website:....................................chicagowolves.com
MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS
NHL Affiliation:......................... Nashville Predators Home Ice:..............................Panther Arena (9,450) General Manager:.................................Scott Nichol Head Coach:............................................ Karl Taylor Entered AHL:...............................................2001-02 Calder Cups:........................................... One (2004) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 20 of 23 2025-26 Record:...................32-33-4-3, 71 pts./.493 Website:............................milwaukeeadmirals.com
TUCSON ROADRUNNERS
NHL Affiliation:.............................. Utah Mammoth Home Ice:................................Tucson Arena (6,521) General Manager:.............................John Ferguson Head Coach:.........................................Steve Potvin Entered AHL:...............................................2016-17 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:.........................................4 of 8 2025-26 Record:.................34-28-10-0, 78 pts./.542 Website:.............................tucsonroadrunners.com
IOWA WILD
NHL Affiliation:...............................Minnesota Wild Home Ice:...............................Casey’s Center (8,356) General Manager:............................Matt Hendricks Head Coach:............................................. Stu Bickel Entered AHL:...............................................2013-14 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:....................................... 2 of 11 2025-26 Record:...................27-36-6-3, 63 pts./.438 Website:.............................................iowawild.com
ROCKFORD ICEHOGS
NHL Affiliation:........................Chicago Blackhawks Home Ice:..................................BMO Center (5,895) General Manager:..............................Mark Bernard Head Coach:.................................Jared Nightingale Entered AHL:...............................................2007-08 Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 10 of 17 2025-26 Record:...................28-39-3-2, 61 pts./.424 Website:...............................................icehogs.com
GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
NHL Affiliation:........................... Detroit Red Wings Home Ice:.........................Van Andel Arena (10,834) Interim General Manager:.......................Dan Cleary Head Coach:..........................................Dan Watson Entered AHL:...............................................2001-02 Calder Cups:..................................Two (2013, 2017) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 16 of 23 2025-26 Record:.................51-16-4-1, 107 pts./.743 Website:.....................................griffinshockey.com
MANITOBA MOOSE
NHL Affiliation:..................................Winnipeg Jets Home Ice:....................... Canada Life Centre (7,667) General Manager:............................Craig Heisinger Head Coach:......................................Mark Morrison Entered AHL:...... 2001-02 (played through 2010-11; re-entered 2015-16) Calder Cups:.................................................... None Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 14 of 19 2025-26 Record:...................35-29-5-3, 78 pts./.542 Website:......................................moosehockey.com
TEXAS STARS
NHL Affiliation:......................................Dallas Stars Home Ice:........... H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (6,778) General Manager:..................................Scott White Head Coach:.......................................Toby Petersen Entered AHL:...............................................2009-10 Calder Cups:........................................... One (2014) Seasons in Playoffs:..................................... 12 of 15 2025-26 Record:...................37-29-4-2, 80 pts./.556 Website:........................................... texasstars.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 19
20 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
DETROIT RED WINGS
F
ormer Griffin Moritz Seider, the NHL’s 2021-22 Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year,
finished fifth in voting last season for the Norris Trophy, bestowed annually to the league’s top defenseman.
Photo credit: Getty Images
TOP AFFILIATE: Grand Rapids Griffins • 25th Season ARENA: Little Caesars Arena • Seating Capacity: 19,515 CONTACT: (313) 471-7000 • detroitredwings.com STANLEY CUPS: 1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008 MANAGEMENT INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER: Shawn Horcoff VP/HOCKEY OPERATIONS: Nicklas Lidstrom ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS: Kris Draper, Aaron Kahn COACHING STAFF HEAD COACH: Todd McLellan ASSISTANT COACHES: Alex Tanguay, Trent Yawney GOALTENDING COACH: Michael Leighton VIDEO COORDINATOR: Jeff Weintraub ASSISTANT VIDEO COORDINATOR: Erich Junge
GRIFFINS WHO HAVE EARNED THEIR WINGS Justin Abdelkader Adam Almquist Joakim Andersson Zach Aston-Reese Andreas Athanasiou Sean Avery Riley Barber Ryan Barnes Jonatan Berggren Tyler Bertuzzi Patrick Boileau Darryl Bootland Madison Bowey Michael BrandseggNygård Mathias Brome Fabian Brunnstrom Mitch Callahan Jake Chelios Alex Chiasson Dennis Cholowski Ty Conklin Chris Conner Jared Coreau Sebastian Cossa Kyle Criscuolo Austin Czarnik Nate Danielson
2008-09 2013-14 2011-12 2023-24 2015-16 2002-03 2021-22 2003-04 2022-23 2016-17 2002-03 2003-04 2019-20 2025-26 2020-21 2011-12 2013-14 2018-19 2022-23 2018-19 2011-12 2011-12 2016-17 2024-25 2021-22 2022-23 2025-26
Danny DeKeyser Aaron Downey Sheldon Dries Patrick Eaves Simon Edvinsson Christoffer Ehn Matt Ellis Turner Elson Cory Emmerton Jonathan Ericsson Adam Erne Landon Ferraro Valtteri Filppula Emmitt Finnie Martin Frk Luke Glendening Erik Gustafsson Mark Hartigan Darren Helm Joe Hicketts Taro Hirose Jimmy Howard Filip Hronek Jiri Hudler Matt Hussey Ville Husso Michael Hutchinson Doug Janik
2013-14 2008-09 2025-26 2013-14 2022-23 2018-19 2006-07 2021-22 2010-11 2007-08 2022-23 2013-14 2005-06 2025-26 2017-18 2013-14 2025-26 2007-08 2007-08 2017-18 2019-20 2005-06 2018-19 2003-04 2006-07 2024-25 2023-24 2009-10
Nick Jensen Albert Johansson Tomas Jurco Marco Kasper Jakub Kindl Tomas Kopecky Niklas Kronwall William Lagesson Marc Lamothe Josh Langfeld Dylan Larkin Brian Lashoff Brett Lebda Ville Leino John Leonard Gustav Lindstrom Matt Lorito Matt Luff Joey MacDonald Donald MacLean Anthony Mantha Alexey Marchenko Carter Mazur Darren McCarty Tom McCollum Dylan McIlrath Derek Meech Wade Megan
2016-17 2024-25 2013-14 2024-25 2009-10 2005-06 2003-04 2024-25 2003-04 2006-07 2015-16 2012-13 2005-06 2008-09 2025-26 2019-20 2016-17 2022-23 2006-07 2005-06 2015-16 2013-14 2024-25 2007-08 2010-11 2018-19 2006-07 2018-19
Drew Miller Kevin Miller Mark Mowers Petr Mrazek Jan Mursak Anders Myrvold Alex Nedeljkovic Andrej Nestrasil Kris Newbury Tomas Nosek Gustav Nyquist Xavier Ouellet Chase Pearson Calvin Pickard Matt Puempel Teemu Pulkkinen Kyle Quincey Michael Rasmussen Dan Renouf Mattias Ritola Jamie Rivers Nathan Robinson Stacy Roest Robbie Russo Axel Sandin-Pellikka Moritz Seider Riley Sheahan Dominik Shine
2016-17 2003-04 2003-04 2012-13 2010-11 2003-04 2022-23 2014-15 2009-10 2015-16 2011-12 2013-14 2021-22 2019-20 2018-19 2013-14 2005-06 2018-19 2016-17 2007-08 2003-04 2003-04 2002-03 2016-17 2025-26 2021-22 2011-12 2024-25
Brendan Smith Givani Smith Elmer Soderblom Ryan Sproul Garrett Stafford Ben Street Libor Sulak Evgeny Svechnikov Eric Tangradi Tomas Tatar Jordin Tootoo Dominic Turgeon Joe Veleno Jakub Vrana Austin Watson Jason Williams Luke Witkowski Filip Zadina
2011-12 2019-20 2022-23 2013-14 2007-08 2016-17 2018-19 2016-17 2015-16 2010-11 2013-14 2017-18 2020-21 2022-23 2024-25 2002-03 2021-22 2018-19
* not including conditioning stints for Curtis Joseph (2003-04), Chris Osgood (2005-06), Manny Legace (2005-06), Chris Chelios (2008-09), Andreas Lilja (2009-10), Jonas Gustavsson (2012-13), Carlo Colaiacovo (2012-13), Stephen Weiss (2014-15), Gemel Smith (2021-22) and Magnus Hellberg (2022-23).
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 21
MARK YOUR CALENDAR 2026-27 OCT. 9 Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank/Magnet Schedule Giveaway/Postgame Open Skate
OCT. 11 Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game presented by Nestlé Purina/ 4 p.m. Start OCT. 18 Crayola Experience presented by Grand Rapids Public Museum/Crayola Kids Tumbler Giveaway (12 and under)/4 p.m. Start OCT. 23 Oktoberfest presented by Fox Motors/Calendar Giveaway OCT. 24 Mushroom Kingdom Night presented by Gardner White/ Character Appearances/Super Griff Bobblehead Giveaway 22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
NOV. 6 Military Appreciation Night presented by DTE/Patriotic T-Shirt Giveaway/Military Jersey Auction
NOV. 27 26th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game presented by J&H Family Stores
NOV. 11 25th Annual School Day Game presented by Corewell Health/11 a.m. Start
NOV. 29 Hot Wheels Game Day presented by Centennial Securities/Hot Wheels Car Giveaway/4 p.m. Start DEC. 18 11th Annual Red Kettle Game presented by The Salvation Army/Red Kettle Jersey Auction
NOV. 16 18th Annual Tip-A-Griffin at Peppino’s, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation
DEC. 19 Catch ‘Em All Night presented by Adventure Credit Union/Trainer Trucker Hat Giveaway
FEB. 6 Princess Night presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union/ Character Appearances
DEC. 31 29th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration/Postgame Fireworks and Open Skate/6 p.m. Start
JAN. 9 Block Builders Night presented by University of Michigan Health-West/Griff Building Block Set Giveaway JAN. 10
JAN. 16-17 22nd Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation JAN. 31 Sensory & Support Night/ Sensory Inclusive Experiences/ Sensory & Support Jersey Auction/4 p.m. Start
FINN-ions Night/Character Appearances/4 p.m. Start JAN. 16 10-Year Anniversary 2017 Calder Cup Celebration presented by Fifth Third Bank/Commemorative Poster Giveaway
FEB. 4 20th Annual Griffins & Sled Wings Sled Hockey Game at Griffs IceHouse at Belknap Park, benefiting the Grand Rapids Sled Wings and the Griffins Youth Foundation
FEB. 27 Wizards Night presented by Acrisure/Character Appearances/Scarf Giveaway/ Wizards Jersey Auction MARCH 19 15th Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/Purple Jersey Auction MARCH 20 Star Wars Night presented by DTE/Character Appearances APRIL 2 Puck & Pinstripes Night presented by Hope Network Foundation/Pucks & Pinstripes Jersey Auction/Postgame Open Skate APRIL 3 Fan Appreciation Night presented by Huntington Bank/ Prizes and Giveaways Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 23
G N O L N O S A E S E S E H T T U O CHECK
S N O I T O PROM
urring promotioenasdovcc se e th tage f n o a te o n k Ta ake ! n so a se e th ry Be sure rltoy m t a roughoudogs, free tickets, milit and regula p th eer and discounts and more! of chea bst udent
$3 BEERS AND $3 HOT DOGS
Every Friday, enjoy $3 domestic drafts and $3 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. $5 BUSCH LIGHT
New this season, refresh with a 12 oz. can of Busch Light for just $5 at every home game. Find this special only at the bars in front of sections 104 and 126. FAMILY MEAL DEAL
New for the 2026-27 season, take advantage of the Family Meal Deal during every Saturday game. Available at select concession stands, it features four hot dogs, four fries, and four sodas for just $32. MILITARY NIGHTS
Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level Faceoff or Crease tickets for $16 each, four Upper Level Center Ice tickets for $19 each, or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $23 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers. COLLEGE DISCOUNT
College students can buy online using their school .edu email address or show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level Faceoff or Crease ticket for $16, an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $19, or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $23. Limit one ticket per ID if purchasing in person. Visit griffinshockey.com/college to purchase College Night tickets and sign up for text alerts.
FREE RIDE FRIDAY ON THE RAPID
Ride the Rapid to and from any Friday game and enjoy a complimentary fare by showing your ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapid.org for schedule information, routes and maps. WINNING WEDNESDAYS
Presented by Gun Lake Casino and Resort, every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans who exchange their Winning Wednesday ticket at The Zone on a non-game day will receive 20% off the purchase of one regular price item (excluding CCM jerseys). One discount per person present. The first 1,000 fans in attendance on Wednesday games will also receive a free t-shirt courtesy of Gun Lake Casino and Resort. LIBRARY NIGHTS
For all Wednesday and Sunday games, fans can present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone anytime during the store’s regular business hours to purchase an Upper Level Faceoff ticket for $22 (regularly $28), an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $25 (regularly $31), or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $28 (regularly $34). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.
FRIENDS & FAMILY TICKET PACK
Presented by Morning Belle, Griffins fans can score even more value for Saturday night games this season through the Friends & Family Ticket Pack, with tickets starting at just $24 and $5 in concession cash per ticket. Visit griffinshockey.com or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. SUNDAY IS FUN DAY
For all Sunday games, enjoy $1 small Pepsi drinks and $1 small ice cream cups from 3-5 p.m., while supplies last. PEPSI READING GOALS
Children with Griff’s Reading Goals bookmarks who have completed the required three hours of reading can redeem their bookmark for two free Upper Level tickets to any of the following games: Bookmark #1 – Oct. 18, Nov. 4, Nov. 27, and Nov. 29; Bookmark #2 – Jan. 10, Jan. 31, March 3, and March 24. APPLIED INNOVATION ISLAND
Presented by Applied Innovation, this section, located on the terrace level above section 118, provides the best seats in the house for groups of up to 30 people, with La-Z-Boy chairs and an array of unprecedented amenities. Call (616) 744-4585 ext. 4. POSTGAME OPEN SKATES
Bring your skates to the rink and take to the ice for a postgame open skate on Oct. 9, Dec. 31 and April 2. As a reminder, Van Andel Arena has a no-bag policy, but security will allow fans to use bags to bring in their skates.
All promotions and dates subject to change. • For more information, visit griffinshockey.com. 24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
MR. POSTMAN Story by Jonathan Mills Photos by Nicolas Carrillo
Goaltender Michal Postava is primed to embrace a larger role between the pipes with the Griffins in 2026-27. 26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Sixty-five years after The Marvelettes turned “Please Mr. Postman” into Motown’s first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, the Grand Rapids Griffins have a first-class, 24-year-old Czech goaltender who wants to deliver for his teammates — all puns intended — and do his absolute best to continue to build on the success that the Detroit Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate enjoyed in the 2025-26 season. “Coming from Europe, last year was my first time being on a club outside of a Czech one,” said Michal Postava. “It was a little hard for me at first, but I think I fit in well with the team. We had a good team last season, but now there’s some change. I’m still trying to be a better goaltender and person, really just trying to get better in everything.” The results suggest his adjustment to the North American game and style of play went smoothly, to say the least. In 25 regular-season contests for Grand Rapids last season, Postava recorded a 17-6-0 mark with a franchise rookie-record four shutouts, and his 1.71
goals-against average and .937 save percentage established Griffins single-season and career records. Remarkably, he never surrendered more than three goals in a game. “I was happy with my year,” he said. “I just tried to enjoy every day and be the best version of myself.” Had he logged just a few more minutes – he finished less than two periods shy of qualifying – his goals-against average and save percentage both would have ranked first in the AHL, and he tied for third on the circuit in shutouts. Put another way, the Griffins rarely had to wonder what they were getting from Postava when the 6-foot-1, 222-pound goaltender was stationed between the pipes. “He played in some big moments and big games,” Griffins head coach Dan Watson said. “It doesn’t seem like anything fazes him. He just goes out there and if a goal is scored on him, he takes that mindset of, ‘It is what it is. I’m going to make the next save.’” Postava and former teammate Sebastian Cossa, who was traded by Detroit to the Utah Postava posted his first AHL shutout on Jan. 17, 2026, with 10 saves in 2-0 victory over Milwaukee.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 27
Postava’s 1.71 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in 2025-26 both set single-season and career Griffins records.
Mammoth in July, were named the winners of the AHL’s 2025-26 Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, given to the netminders on the club that allowed the fewest goals per game in the regular season (2.21). That award reflected work done by the entire team, not just the goalies. Postava also started all eight of the Griffins’ 2026 Calder Cup Playoff games, posting a 2.09 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Eight games is admittedly a small sample size, but it was enough to show how he handles a louder building and a shorter leash, and Postava now knows exactly what to expect when the stakes rise again. “Those playoff games were a lot different than the regular-season ones, for sure,” Postava said. “They were more emotional too. You can feel everyone, even the fans, trying to push you. There’s a big home-ice advantage. I just tried to enjoy every moment, but we were knocked out a little too early.” That’s all built on a foundation he brought with him. Postava signed a two-year, entry28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
level contract with the Red Wings last summer after backstopping HC Kometa Brno to the Czech Extraliga championship in 2024-25. There, he recorded a 2.39 GAA and a .921 save percentage along with three shutouts in 42 regular-season contests, then a 1.97 GAA and a .940 save percentage with three more shutouts in 17 postseason games. Still, there were many firsts last season, on the ice and off, and Postava had to experience a lot of them by himself – away from everything familiar. The distance from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Valasske Mezirici, Czechia, where Postava was born, is 4,500 miles, a long way to travel back and forth or host visitors during the season. A goalie’s job is to stay steady while everything around him moves fast, but doing that with loved ones a six-hour time difference away adds another complicated layer. Fortunately, Postava did his best to stay connected with family and friends. “I call my family when I have the time,” Postava said. “They like watching my games,
but the time difference is six hours. So, they were watching some of my games at 2 or 3 a.m. They always support me and wish me luck. During the season, I had a few video calls with a lot of my family members, when I would talk to them about life and hockey.” It can be difficult to be the new guy on any team. Postava said he certainly doesn’t feel that way anymore. “I feel a lot better now,” Postava said. “This will be my second season, but I’m comfortable. I used to be shyer, but I feel like I’m not as shy anymore. I’m looking at things in a different way. It helps to know a lot of the guys already and what’s going on.” Comfort like that rarely shows up on a stat sheet, but it often shows up in the crease. A player who is not second-guessing his surroundings has more room to simply read the play and react. But getting used to the AHL can be a different experience for every prospect. For Postava, it meant learning how critical it is to take care of himself so he can perform at the high level he knows he can. They’re small habits for sure, but they add Postava’s shutout streak of 156:20 from Jan. 9-25, 2026 was only 3:47 short of breaking a franchise record.
WHAT WAS AND WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Michal Postava had arguably the greatest season for a goaltender in Griffins history as a rookie in 2025-26. Combining with teammate Sebastian Cossa to win the AHL’s Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for best team goaltending, he did not allow more than three goals in any of his 25 regular-season appearances. His 1.71 goals-against average and .937 save percentage broke single-season franchise records that had stood for more than two decades and placed him atop the team’s career leaders in each category as well. GRG Goals-Against Average – Career 1. Michal Postava.....................................................................1.71 2. Martin Prusek.......................................................................1.83 3. Marc Lamothe......................................................................2.10 4. Simon Lajeunesse................................................................2.11 5. Jani Hurme...........................................................................2.18 GRG Goals-Against Average – Season 1. Michal Postava.......................... 1.71............................. 2025-26 2. Martin Prusek............................ 1.83............................. 2001-02 3. Joey MacDonald........................ 1.97............................. 2003-04 4. Marc Lamothe........................... 2.06............................. 2003-04 5. Mike Fountain........................... 2.08............................. 2000-01 GRG Save Percentage – Career 1. Michal Postava................................................................... .937 2. Martin Prusek..................................................................... .930 3. Marc Lamothe.................................................................... .924 4. Jani Hurme......................................................................... .921 5. Petr Mrazek........................................................................ .920 GRG Save Percentage – Season 1. Michal Postava.......................... .937............................. 2025-26 2. Joey MacDonald........................ .936............................. 2003-04 3. Martin Prusek............................ .930............................. 2001-02 4. Jared Coreau.............................. .927............................. 2014-15 5. Joey MacDonald........................ .926............................. 2004-05 Postava played 1401:28 minutes last season. If he had played just 38:32 more – less than two periods – he would have logged enough minutes (1440) to easily qualify as the AHL’s top goaltender in terms of both goals-against average and save percentage. As it was, his four shutouts set a single-season record for Griffins rookies and tied for third among all league goalies. AHL Goals-Against Average – 2025-26 1. Michal Postava..........................GR.......................................1.71 2. Michael DiPietro........................PRO.....................................1.91 3. Carl Lindbom.............................HSK.....................................2.16 4. Sergei Murashov.......................WBS....................................2.20 5. Jacob Fowler.............................LAV.....................................2.23 AHL Save Percentage – 2025-26 1. Michal Postava..........................GR...................................... .937 2. Michael DiPietro........................PRO.................................... .930 3. Carl Lindbom.............................HSK.................................... .926 4. Sergei Murashov.......................WBS................................... .919 5T. Jacob Fowler............................LAV.................................... .916 5T. Cayden Primeau.......................CHI..................................... .916 If he had played enough minutes to qualify.
Photo: Getty Images
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 29
up over a schedule as demanding as the AHL’s. “I use the cold and hot tubs a lot now,” Postava said. “Taking care of my body, thinking about that more than I might’ve been before, and really being prepared for the next day. Those are probably the most important things.” This fall marked his second NHL training camp with the Red Wings, and Postava gleaned much information and made much progress during his time at BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena. He was also recalled by Detroit twice last season, gaining exposure to the NHL level and some life on the road. “It’s been a great experience,” Postava said of his time around the Red Wings. “I know how people play. I know what the coaches want from us, especially as goalies, and all of that.” Speaking at Detroit’s camp, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan discussed Postava’s growth and where he fits in the organization’s plans. Read between the lines a little bit and it’s a vote of confidence.
“In fairness to [Postava], we don’t want to reassign players sitting up here,” McLellan said. “But we’ll probably have our two goalies that are going to start, and not because we don’t think he can play here. Same thing with Trey [Augustine], but they need to be playing while [John Gibson] and [Daniil] Tarasov get their legs underneath them and we’ll see where it all goes. But the organization moved a very good goaltender [Cossa] at the [2026 NHL Entry] Draft, and they did that because of the other two that are still here. It was an area of strength and depth of ours, and that’s why we did it.” Hoping to draw upon lessons from Gibson and Tarasov that he picked up during his time at the Red Wings’ training camp, Postava aims to bring that same poise and composure to his own game as he settles into a familiar environment but a new season. “Gibson and Tarasov, you can see how much experience they have,” Postava said. “I just watched them. They are so calm and you can see that in their play. That helps me a lot, looking at them doing normal things and Postava never surrendered more than three goals in his 25 regular-season appearances in 2025-26.
30 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
In his first campaign with the Griffins, Postava showed a 17-6-0 record with four shutouts.
trying to do that in my game as well.” Those who see Postava almost daily, like Watson, quickly notice his even keel. “Nothing seems to rattle him,” Watson said. “He works extremely hard in practice. He’s very competitive and calm. The best compliment a goaltender can get is in practice when the top goal scorers come back and say, ‘I can’t score on this guy. I can’t score on this guy.’ “When you hear that, you know that he’s working hard, and he’s going to make our players better by continuing to do that.” That process runs both ways, as Watson believes the reps are paying off for Postava and helping him evolve into a more effective goalie. “That’s a big part of him getting better, facing the quality of players that we have in Grand Rapids,” Watson said. “Also putting his head down and simply going to work, and listening to Roope Koistinen, our goaltending coach. Postava is really a student of the game. He likes to learn. I really just see him continuing that uphill trajectory.” Postava also appreciates Watson’s honest and open communication style. “I can’t say anything negative about him,”
Postava said of Grand Rapids’ bench boss. “He tells us what we need to do and lets us just go out and do our work. He communicates with us about a lot of things. He’s a really good coach.” That relationship matters in a season when Grand Rapids’ dressing room is set to look different. For a goaltender who was the new guy just a year ago, Postava is now one of the players who already knows how things run, and Watson hopes he will continue to lean on the veterans. “We got a lot of younger players this year,” Watson said. “We were an older team last year; sure, we had some young guys in there too, but this year we’re going to be really young. There’s always going to be learning curves throughout the year. Learning how to be a pro is going to be really important early on. Making sure that the guys, as crazy as it sounds, are on time. Making sure the guys are mentally dialed in for how hard our schedule is going to be early on. Making sure the young guys understand how we operate day to day with skills, skating coaches, and practices. We throw a lot at them every day. That’s a big learning curve for Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 31
guys coming from college, from junior, from overseas, or wherever they might be coming from. We’re going to have to hammer all of that home early on.” For a young netminder like Postava, the path from prospect to NHL regular is rarely a straight line. It’s built from days like the ones he’s stacking now: extra reps, focused practice sessions, and improvement that can be overlooked until it becomes impossible to miss. Before heading home this past summer, Postava got a straightforward message from Watson and the rest of the Griffins’ coaching staff. Now, he’s fully determined to stay in tune with what he was told and hit all the right notes. That’s because if Postava has his way, the delivery will be right on time. “They just told me to keep working,” Postava said. “They told me that I am a good goalie, but I just need to keep proving that. I need to prove it every day, work hard, be ready for the next opportunity and for this season.”
Photo: Getty Images
A Power Play for Your Privacy. Protect what matters.
HELP IS ON THE WAY
Story by Phil de Haan Photos by Mark Newman
Ten years after backstopping the Griffins to a Calder Cup, Jared Coreau is chasing a different kind of save. 34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
EDITOR’S NOTE: A decade since the Griffins’ 2017 Calder Cup championship, Griffiti is catching up with some key players from that team in a series of stories this season. It’s 3 a.m., and Jared Coreau’s phone is ringing. A car has slid into a ditch, and someone is waiting behind the wheel for help. Coreau climbs into his tow truck the same way he used to climb onto the team bus a decade ago before a long road trip: half-asleep, still working out what the job ahead will ask of him. A decade removed from a Calder Cup championship, Coreau, 34, currently both drives a tow truck and serves as a volunteer firefighter, working his way toward a full-time firefighting gig near Peterborough, Ontario, 75 miles northeast of Toronto. “Whether it’s stopping pucks, hauling cars, fighting fires, whatever it is,” Coreau said, “you get it done. It may not be pretty. It may not be the most elegant way to do something. But at the end of the day, there’s a job to do, and you get the job done, and you succeed.” It’s more or less the same thing he told Mark Newman in a story in Griffiti not long after he
signed his first pro contract with the Detroit Red Wings. “Perseverance is a huge part of my personality,” he said back then. “I want people to say I faced adversity and worked through it.” He’d already lived that philosophy before arriving in Grand Rapids. Cut from seven teams in a single year as a teenager, he played junior hockey in Peterborough (OJHL) and Lincoln (USHL), Nebraska. He then spent three years at Northern Michigan before signing with Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2013. His introduction to pro hockey was rocky: a 201314 season split between Toledo and Grand Rapids in which he went 1-16-6. But just three seasons later, he played 14 games for the Red Wings and led the Griffins to the Calder Cup with a franchise-record 15-4 mark during the playoffs. Perseverance. Ask Coreau what comes to mind first when he thinks back to that Calder Cup-winning night, and he doesn’t hesitate. “When that final buzzer went against Syracuse at home, it’s just that instant euphoria,” he said. “The lights went dim, you saw the boys jumping off the bench, and it’s
Coreau denied former NHLer Michael Bournival in the final seconds of Game 6 to preserve the Griffins’ one-goal lead and secure the team’s second Calder Cup in five seasons.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 35
almost a bit of disbelief. You’re ripping off your gloves and your helmet and thinking, ‘Wow, we actually did it.’” The bigger picture, though, is what he comes back to. That team had something against which Coreau still measures every group he’s been part of. “We had such an incredible connection, from the coaching staff to the training staff to the players,” he said. “It was just so special.” It hadn’t always been that way. Todd Nelson had taken over as head coach from Jeff Blashill the year before, and that first season saw some growing pains, Coreau said, with a new coaching style and a roster still adjusting to the transition. By year two, however, with the leadership group largely back, things began to click. “There wasn’t a single person that didn’t pull the rope, and there wasn’t a single person left out,” Coreau said. “It was a team of best friends, really.” Nelson, he said, treated players as people first. “He wanted to know if everything was okay in your life, not just at the rink,” Coreau recalled. And he coached to strengths rather than
trying to reshape a player into something he wasn’t. Coreau’s example, said with a laugh, was forward Martin Frk: “Hey – Frky, he’s not going to pass the puck. He’s going to do slap shots. So, we’re going to feed him the puck.” The series against Syracuse is remembered, statistically, for being incredibly tight. Grand Rapids won all four of its Finals games by a single goal, and the Crunch actually outscored the Griffins over the six games. “When they beat us, they beat us bad,” Coreau said. “And when we beat them, they made us earn it.” Nowhere was that more the case than in Game 2, a thrilling 6-5 double-overtime win in which Coreau made 50 saves to help stake Grand Rapids to a 2-0 series lead. His 16 saves during the first overtime tied a franchise record for most in a home playoff period. “Every shot the guys would take on their goalie at the other end, there’s that little bit of, ‘Oh, I hope this one goes in,’” he said. “It’s getting to be a long game. I think I had to snack on a piece of pizza between the two overtimes just to have something in my stomach.” When Ben Street finally ended it at 7:02 Coreau went 15-4 during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, including a perfect 10-0 record at Van Andel Arena.
36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
A decade removed from his AHL championship, Coreau is now working toward a career as a fulltime firefighter in Ontario.
of the second OT, Coreau said the feeling is still hard to explain, but he felt like a little bit of weight was lifted off his shoulders. Grand Rapids didn’t lose a single home game that postseason, going 10-0 at Van Andel Arena, with three of those wins coming after the Griffins trailed entering the third period. Coreau never doubted it. “I trusted everyone in front of me, and I think they had the trust in me as well,” he said. “If we were down, I knew we were coming back. I never had a sliver of doubt with that team in front of me.” Syracuse’s power play went cold late in the series, going 1-for-20 down the stretch, the product, Coreau said, of penalty-kill coach Ben Simon’s detailed video work and a group of shot-blockers willing to do whatever it took. Coreau still remembers the sound of it. And sometimes the absence of sound. “I remember a goalie coach telling me: when you hear it hit the pads, that’s fine. When you don’t hear anything, that’s when it hit the body,” Coreau said. “I always felt for my guys, but in
that series, guys were laying it all on the line.” The fans were bringing it too, he said. “Best fans in the American Hockey League. I always believed that, and in the playoffs, they upped the ante.” Coreau remembers his ritual after every Griffins goal — a quick skate to the corner — and how the crowd got louder every time he took his mini lap. “It would amp me up every single time,” he said. The crowd was never louder, though, than it was in Game 6, with a chance to hoist the Calder Cup on home ice on the line. Coreau had already made 28 saves when, with Grand Rapids clinging to a one-goal lead in the final seconds after having trailed three times, he made arguably the save of the series, denying an attempt by former Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Michael Bournival after he found a loose puck below the right circle. “I was cheating a little, thinking he might throw it across the crease,” Coreau said. “He went short side instead. I actually lost my Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 37
Coreau shared the Calder Cup celebration with his parents, Jeff and Sharon.
balance a bit, but I got enough of it. Once it went behind the net, I just told myself: hold this post, seal every hole. When I heard the buzzer, I knew we were good.” He laughed. “At that point, I would have made the save with my face.” It was, by his own description, a bit of a Dominik Hasek special. Fitting, since Hasek is the reason Coreau became a goaltender in the first place. He was a boy at his first NHL game at the old Corel Centre in Ottawa, sitting a few rows behind the net, watching Hasek in net for the Sabres and Damian Rhodes for the Senators. He doesn’t remember the game moving up the ice, just Hasek’s stance between whistles, how he cleaned his crease, how he drank his water. “The next morning,” Coreau said, “I woke up and told my parents – and I didn’t even say I want to play hockey – I said, ‘I want to be a goalie.’” When Coreau finally raised the Calder Cup, years after that decision, both of his parents, Jeff and Sharon, were in the building. Both had been raised in big families on farms, and he 38 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
credits them with modeling the hard work that got him there. “I was pretty close to quitting hockey at one point,” Coreau said. “Someone took a chance on me in Peterborough, and I always prided myself on hard work, so I kept at it. Achieving a championship, winning the Calder Cup, with my parents there, I did this for them as well.” Coreau’s path after Grand Rapids ran through San Diego, San Antonio and Bridgeport in the AHL before taking him overseas, to Austria, Slovakia and Sweden. Somewhere in that stretch, he started a different kind of training. “I took life very seriously [in Grand Rapids],” Coreau said. “I’d look at other guys and think, you seem to be having a way better time, and I’m over here thinking I have to do this and this, or I’m not going to play well. It’s a selffulfilling prophecy.” He began going to therapy. When he decided to talk about it openly, he called a handful of people from that 2017 team first: Brian Lashoff, Matthew Ford, Todd Nelson.
“The first thing every single one of them said to me was, ‘Good for you,’” Coreau said. “That meant a lot.” Have retired from hockey after the 202324 season, Coreau is now a paid-on-call firefighter with Cavan Monaghan Township, near Peterborough, the town where his career took root. He’s building toward a full-time department job, and his tow truck work is part of that plan. It’s a form of emergency services, he believes: locked-out drivers, ditched cars, breakdowns on the shoulder, often working alongside police, ambulance and fire crews. “Sometimes it’s thankless, but so is firefighting,” he said. “I love that what I’m doing is being done with a bigger goal in mind.” A former AHL goalie-turned-firefighter, Scott Greenham, sold him on it. “He said, ‘You’ll love it.’ You get to your shift, prep your tools, check your trucks, and then at the sound of the tones, it’s the drop of the puck. Game time. You’ve got a crew around you and you work as a team.” Teamwork. It’s what Coreau keeps circling back to, whether he’s talking about 2017 or
2026. And he recalls how his father, a retired electrician, still talks about the friends he made on jobs decades ago in some of the same ways Coreau talks about Grand Rapids. Coreau also tries to give back to the game. He coaches goalies for free, paying homage to the ways in which his parents quietly outfitted other kids back in Perth when their families couldn’t afford it. He also brought the Calder Cup to the Canadian Tire in Perth the summer he won it, and the store matched every dollar raised for Jumpstart, a program that helps cover the cost of sport for kids who couldn’t otherwise afford it. A decade removed from one of the best experiences of his life, Coreau isn’t looking to relive the past, though he clearly appreciates it. “I miss the camaraderie,” he said simply. “But I’m excited about the future.” He’s hoping to make it back to Grand Rapids during the 2026-27 season to catch up with old teammates. “It was a team of best friends,” he said. “And I know that when I see those guys again, it will be as if no time has passed at all.”
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www.hollandlitho.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 39
2026 - 27 GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS ROSTER 3
30 RONNIE ATTARD Defenseman 6-3, 215 lbs. Born: 3/20/99
White Lake Township, Mich.
84
11
TREY AUGUSTINE
Goaltender 6-1, 190 lbs. Born: 2/23/05 South Lyon, Mich.
Forward 6-1, 203 lbs. Born: 2/18/01 Vancouver, B.C.
83
JACOB BRYSON
Defenseman 5-9, 177 lbs. Born: 11/18/97 London, Ont.
70
JUSTICE CHRISTENSEN Defenseman 5-9, 195 lbs. Born: 8/30/05 Red Deer, Alta.
40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
CARTER BEAR
Forward 6-1, 190 lbs. Born: 11/4/06 West St. Paul, Man.
8
78 TAG BERTUZZI
25
NOAH DOWER NILSSON Forward 6-1, 197 lbs. Born: 4/25/05 Stromstad, Sweden
ONDREJ BECHER
Forward 6-2, 187 lbs. Born: 2/22/04 Ostrava, Czechia
42 SHAI BUIUM
Defenseman 6-3, 210 lbs. Born: 3/26/03 San Diego, Calif.
33 KIENAN DRAPER
Forward 6-2, 210 lbs. Born: 2/19/02 Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
CAMERON BUTLER Forward 6-4, 223 lbs. Born: 6/9/02 Ottawa, Ont.
15 SHELDON DRIES
Forward 5-9, 182 lbs. Born: 4/23/94 Macomb, Mich.
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Apply at ridetherapid.org/jobs-at-the-rapid
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SINCE 1934 PROUD SPONSOR OF THE GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
31
26
41
CARTER GYLANDER
DYLAN JAMES
Goaltender 6-5, 197 lbs. Born: 6/5/01 Beaumont, Alta.
37
Forward 6-0, 195 lbs. Born: 4/13/99 Calgary, Alta.
19
WILLIAM LAGESSON
35
Forward 5-11, 192 lbs. Born: 8/7/98 Amherst, Mass.
93
MICHAL POSTAVA Goaltender 6-1, 222 lbs. Born: 2/28/02
THEO ROCHETTE
Valasske Mezirici, Czechia
61
20 Forward 6-1, 185 lbs. Born: 3/19/03 St. Louis, Mo.
Defenseman 6-0, 207 lbs. Born: 7/20/00 Regina, Sask.
JESSE KIISKINEN Forward 6-1, 182 lbs. Born: 8/23/05 Hollola, Finland
82 NOLAN MOYLE
Forward 6-2, 195 lbs. Born: 4/13/99 Pinehurst, N.C.
65
Forward 5-11, 168 lbs. Born: 2/20/02 Neuchatel, Switzerland
CHASE STILLMAN
ALEX KANNOK LEIPERT
27 JOHN LEONARD
Defenseman 6-2, 214 lbs. Born: 2/22/96 Gothenburg, Sweden
92
SUTTER MUZZATTI Forward 6-6, 241 lbs. Born: 6/28/03 Okemos, Mich.
32
DOMINIK SHINE Forward 5-11, 180 lbs. Born: 4/18/93 Detroit, Mich.
WILMER SKOOG
Forward 6-2, 210 lbs. Born: 7/17/99 Stockholm, Sweden
JACOB TRUSCOTT
Defenseman 6-1, 198 lbs. Born: 4/12/02 Port Huron, Mich.
Roster as of Sept. 27, 2026. Subject to change. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41
By Randy Cleves
Exactly 15 weeks after the Toronto Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals on June 19, the American Hockey broke ground on its 91st season on Oct. 2, with half of the league’s 32 teams skating away on the thin ice of a new season. One hundred five days can seem like either an eternity or the blink of an eye, depending on one’s perspective, but the AHL and its teams certainly stayed busy during the 2026 offseason. New coaches and general managers were welcomed to cities across the league, which itself introduced new rules and even a new team. For those whose summertime attention was perhaps more wisely spent on Michigan’s flowing lakes and rivers than on future frozen ponds, here’s some news you may have missed from around the AHL. 42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Dan Cleary
Photo: Getty Images
SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME
CHANGES AT THE HELM After four-plus seasons as Griffins general manager – part of his role as an assistant GM with the Red Wings – Shawn Horcoff was named Detroit’s interim GM on Sept. 15, replacing Steve Yzerman. The architect of three straight playoff squads in GR and the AHL’s 2025-26 Central Division champions, Horcoff passed his Griffins torch to interim GM Dan Cleary, the longtime NHLer who had served as Detroit’s assistant director of player development since 2017. Over a 19-year playing career, Cleary won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008 and was also a member of Grand Rapids’ 2017 Calder Cup championship squad. He became the sixth GM in the Griffins’ 31 seasons. Other AHL teams under new (general) management include the Rochester Americans with former Griffin Stacy Roest (2002-03), who was director of player development for the Tampa Bay Lightning when Grand Rapids defeated their AHL affiliate Syracuse to win the 2017 Calder Cup; the Abbotsford Canucks with Richard Seeley, who had served as GM for the Ontario Reign over the last eight seasons; and the Utica Comets with Braden Birch, who won a pair of Stanley Cups during a 12-year run with Florida, most recently as the Panthers’ director of hockey operations.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW Just as NHL training camps were opening, the AHL Board of Governors approved a series of changes to AHL Rule 37 (Video Review) and AHL Rule 38 (Coach’s Challenge) that take effect this season: The video review process has been expanded to include reviews for possible offside infractions on plays resulting in goals. Offside reviews must be initiated by a coach’s challenge. A team’s first failed coach’s challenge will result in a bench minor penalty for delay of game. Subsequent failed challenges in the same game will result in double-minor penalties. Previously, failed challenges resulted only in the loss of a team’s timeout. Video review may now be used to award a goal for a puck entering the net on a continuous play unaffected by a referee blowing the whistle after losing sight of the puck. The AHL is entering the second year of a multi-year partnership with Spiideo. Spiideo’s automated capture system provides AHL officials with high-definition, multiangle views of the entire ice surface in all 32 arenas, as well as improved controls that help streamline the video review process. Reviews are conducted by AHL on-ice officials from the scorer’s table. Spiideo’s video resources are also available for use by the League’s Player Safety Committee during discipline reviews. TO THE HAMMERS, EVERYTHING’S A NAIL The AHL returns to Hamilton, Ontario, this season for the first time since the Bulldogs enjoyed a 19-year run (1996-2015) in “The Hammer.” Hence, the new name of the franchise that the parent New York Islanders
relocated from Bridgeport, Connecticut. Rooted in Hamilton’s history as a resilient steel town, the team’s logo features crossed hammers symbolizing the strength, grit and togetherness of the community, embodying both the city’s steel-working heritage and the spirit of the game. Subtle hockey puck details on the hammer knobs pay homage to the puck in the Islanders’ logo, while the orange-andblue color palette is also drawn from the NHL team’s classic colors. The Hammers are playing at the newly revitalized TD Coliseum, an 18,000-seat venue that recently completed a $300-million transformation. The team’s leadership includes GM Evan Gold, who previously served as GM of the Providence Bruins and assistant GM of the Boston Bruins, and head coach Jay McKee, who spent the past five years as head coach of the Brantford and Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.
Ryan Martin
LEADERS OF THE PACK The second-longest active relationship between an NHL team and an AHL city will continue through at least the 2028-29 campaign, as the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack extended their partnership. The Wolf Pack are entering their 30th AHL season and are led by GM Ryan Martin, who won a pair of Calder Cups during an eightyear run as Griffins GM that ended in 2021. The Rangers-Wolf Pack relationship produced the only professional hockey championship in Hartford’s history, the 2000 Calder Cup. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 43
COACHING CAROUSEL We’ll finish where we started. Soon after winning the 2026 Calder Cup to cap off a three-year run as head coach of the Toronto Marlies, former Griffins defenseman John Gruden moved across town after being named an assistant coach with the parent Maple Leafs. Previously an assistant with the New York Islanders (2018-22) and Boston (2022-23), Gruden played three seasons in Grand Rapids from 1999-2002 and earned all-star game selections in both the IHL (2000) and AHL (2002).
John Gruden
They say you can’t tell players without a scorecard, and the same holds true for AHL coaches after a chaotic summer. Here are the coaches who’ve landed new head or assistant roles in the AHL or found greener pastures in the NHL or elsewhere. NAME Jussi Ahokas Stu Bickel Nick Bootland Daniel Jacob Jay McKee Jay Leach Dave Manson Steve Ott Ryan Papaioannou Steve Sullivan Joel Ward Trent Whitfield Andrew Agozzino Kelly Buchberger Scott Ford Mike Haviland Denver Manderson Steve McCarthy Greg Moore Louis Robitaille Ryan Ward Ryan Craig Greg Cronin John Gruden Mark Letestu Manny Malhotra Matt McIlvane Ryan Mougenel Vinny Prospal Jordan Smith Zack Stortini Rocky Thompson Pascal Vincent Trent Vogelhuber Kim Weiss 44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
NEW POSITION Colorado (AHL) head coach Iowa head coach Cleveland head coach Laval head coach Hamilton head coach Hartford head coach San Diego head coach Springfield head coach Abbotsford head coach Toronto (AHL) head coach Henderson head coach Providence head coach Tucson asst. coach San Diego asst. coach Coachella Valley asst. coach Ontario asst. coach Toronto (AHL) asst. coach San Diego asst. coach Toronto (AHL) asst. coach Hershey asst. coach Providence asst. coach Vegas (NHL) head coach St. Louis (NHL) asst. coach Toronto (NHL) asst. coach Vegas (NHL) asst. coach Vancouver (NHL) head coach Boston (NHL) asst. coach Vancouver (NHL) asst. coach St. Louis (NHL) asst. coach Vancouver (NHL) asst. coach New Mexico (ECHL) head coach NY Islanders (NHL) asst. coach Seattle (NHL) asst. coach Columbus (NHL) asst. coach Las Vegas (PWHL) head coach
PREVIOUS POSITION Kitchener (OHL) head coach Coachella Valley asst. coach Hershey asst. coach Laval asst. coach Brantford (OHL) head coach Boston (NHL) asst. coach San Diego asst. coach Springfield interim head coach Wheeling (ECHL) head coach Toronto (NHL) asst. coach Vegas (NHL) asst. coach Providence asst. coach Tucson forward Edmonton 15U (JPHL) head coach Columbus (NHL) asst. coach Columbus (NHL) asst. coach Toronto (NHL) development coach Columbus (NHL) asst. coach USNTDP Juniors head coach Omsk (VHL) head coach Youngstown (USHL) head coach Henderson head coach Iowa head coach Toronto (AHL) head coach Colorado (AHL) head coach Abbotsford head coach San Diego head coach Providence head coach Rochester asst. coach Abbotsford asst. coach Tucson asst. coach Bridgeport head coach Laval head coach Cleveland head coach Colorado (AHL) asst. coach
Healthy kids, stronger Michigan, A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
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SUNNY SWEDE With his big shots and bright potential, Anton Johansson is the latest player to come out of the golden Swedento-Michigan pipeline. 46 46 Grand Grand Rapids Rapids GRIFFINS GRIFFINS
Story by Lorilee Craker Photos by Nicolas Carrillo
If you ever happen to find yourself in Leksand, Sweden, in the glories of “midsommer,” Anton Johansson has got your itinerary mapped out. “We would go hiking,” he said. “Or fishing.” “It’s really just a village,” the 22-year-old defenseman said, humbly, of the place he has called home the last few years of his life. There’s no need to be humble about Leksand, with its lush, green forests and glittering blue waters of Lake Siljan. It looks so much like something out of a Swedish folk tale that one wouldn’t be surprised to spot trolls and gnomes wandering around. The clay-red spire of a 13th century church rises over the town of fewer than 6,000 inhabitants, an age-old destination for “church boats,” long wooden vessels built for 60 people to row themselves across the water to attend services. “There is a lot of history there,” Johansson said, pointing out another thing to do in warm weather, when Leksand hosts one of Sweden’s biggest summer celebrations. Crowds can watch as choirs and fiddlers arrive by church boats at the priest’s jetty below the church.
Notable people from the village include opera singer Andres Dahlin and hockey players Filip Forsberg and Johan Hedberg. When the church boats are docked and the weather dips into the minus-5 Fahrenheit range, it’s all about what’s happening at the rink. Tegera Arena, which seats over 7,000 people, is home to Leksands Idrottsförening, or Leksands IF, a pro team currently in Sweden’s second division, HockeyAllsvenskan. Anton and his family, including hockey-playing brothers Simon and Victor, moved to Leksand in 2018 so their father Thomas could act as general manager for the team. Thomas played 21 pro seasons in Sweden and won two bronze medals with Team Sweden at the IIHF World Championship. Older brother Simon, a defenseman, plays pro in Switzerland and enters his 10th season in 2026-27, while younger brother Victor, also a defenseman, is embarking on his first full season as a pro in Sweden. One of Anton’s biggest thrills was making his professional debut with Leksands IF in the
After joining the Griffins late last season, Johansson tallied six points (2-4-6) in eight regularseason games.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 47
2021-22 season, which also meant that the GM lived in the same house as him. “It was weird at the beginning,” Johansson said. “He was Dad at home and boss at work.” But there were perks to this living arrangement as well. “It was great because he would share all these tips and tricks with me.” Even though the Swede loved playing in Leksand – ”I had such a good time there” – it wasn’t all an easy, carefree, highly enjoyable situation, or as they say locally, “att glida in på en räkmacka,” which literally translated means “to slide in on a shrimp sandwich.” (In Sweden, a luxury open-faced shrimp sandwich, räkmacka, is associated with wealth and indulgence. Sliding in on one implies your path is completely smooth and easy.) In a social media post, Johansson wrote about the disappointment that ended his time in Leksand: “6 great seasons in the blue and white jersey have been an honor, (but) they definitely did not turn out (to be) the ending I wanted unfortunately … You will always have a big piece of my heart!” In March 2026, just before Johansson
returned to Grand Rapids for his second end-of-season stint with the Griffins, Leksands IF was relegated from the premier Swedish Hockey League (SHL) after losing its relegation playoff series with a 2-1 overtime loss, ending Leksand’s seven-season run in Sweden’s top tier. Leksands was 10 seconds away from winning in regulation. It was a hard pill for him to swallow, but in a way it made for a smoother transition back to the Griffins, where he had spent some time at the end of the 2024-25 season. After all, as his parents encourage him when he is down about the peaks and valleys of professional sports, “it’s just hockey.” That viewpoint has given him perspective throughout his career, including when a huge highlight of his sports life thus far – competing for Team Sweden in the 2024 World Junior Championship – also became a case of dashed hopes, when Sweden came up short against the gold-winning American team. Remembering the loss, the 6-foot-4 player made a face and shook his head. It’s always painful to come so close to grabbing Johannson is the latest in a long line of players who have come through the Sweden-to-Michigan pipeline.
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According to his cousin, San Jose Sharks star Alexander Wennberg, Johannson “has all the potential to be a good defenseman.”
gold for one’s country, only to have to sit there and listen to another anthem playing during the medal ceremony. But a balanced outlook goes a long way in hockey and in life. When Leksands IF lost in the relegation round, it was time for a change of scenery. It was time to follow in the footsteps of his brother, Simon, who had played for the AHL’s Iowa Wild for two seasons, and his cousin, Alexander Wennberg, a star forward for the San Jose Sharks. It was time to follow his dreams to Michigan, a preferred destination for Scandinavian stars. Being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2022, and then signed by the team in 2025, has been Johansson’s “proudest moment” so far, a sentiment shared by lots of his countrymen, dating back to 1972 when defenseman Thommie Bergman became Detroit’s first Swedish player. However, the true “glansdagar,” or glory days, of Swedish influence took off under the legendary Hakan Andersson, one of the most successful scouts in hockey history. Originally a fishing guide, he was hired by
the Red Wings in 1990 and helped propel the organization to four Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008). He became famous for his serendipitous Swedish finds who went on to become NHL superstars, including Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmström, and Johan Franzen. Red Wings legend Nicklas Lidstrom continues to advance Swedish and European talent for the Red Wings through his role as vice president of hockey operations, a position he has held since January 2022. Living in Sweden, Lidstrom is the gatekeeper of the next generation of Swedish players through scouting, mentorship, and player development, working alongside former Griffin Niklas Kronwall in the tracking and nurturing of European prospects. Lidstrom noted Johansson’s progress, telling the Swedish website hockeysverige.se, “Anton has become more stable in his play. That comes with more experience and with the confidence from getting to play a bit more. I also think he’s very good with the puck, mobile, and good at getting his shots through.” Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 49
As Detroit’s AHL affiliate since 2002, the Griffins have long been the developmental home for future Red Wings. The golden pipeline between Sweden and Michigan has produced a rich, ongoing story, which Johansson became part of by signing with Detroit. Signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on March 13, 2025, “AJ,” as his teammates call him, made the jump to North American hockey in late March of that year, joining the Griffins for a few regular-season games. This past March, he was again reassigned to Grand Rapids from Leksands by Detroit. Joining the Griffins at the end of each of the last two seasons, Johansson made a splash, totaling 19 regular-season games (with an impressive 11 points: 2-9—11) and 11 playoff contests. This last season, his influence was more noticeable, as he picked up six points (2-4—6) in his eight games with the club. The imposing defenseman is eager to play in Grand Rapids, showing what he can do as a player known for his hard right-handed shot and his ability to intimidate his opponents on the ice. An avid fisherman, Johansson can’t wait to drop a line into the Grand River with his teammates.
50 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Though Swedes are known for their finesse, Johansson also hopes to bring “a little bit of grit.” In the SHL, fighting is not the norm. In fact, “if you drop your gloves you get suspended,” he said. For him, a player with panache and artistry means being “a guy who handles the puck with heart.” He’s had a superb role model in his big cousin, Wennberg, who enters his 13th season in the NHL as an alternate captain for San Jose, with 425 career points and a sterling reputation as a good guy. As a seasoned veteran who mentors the Sharks’ younger players, Wennberg also takes the time to guide his cousin, nine years his junior. Johansson’s relationship with Wennberg “means a lot to me,” said the young defenseman. “We talked a couple of times this summer. [Wennberg] says I should always be myself, and that I should see where every opportunity takes me.” “[Johansson] has all the potential to be a good defenseman,” said Wennberg. “Obviously, he’s a big guy with a good shot and is hard to play against. He must play his game and stick
Johansson’s dad Thomas was also his general manager when he played for Leksands IF in Sweden.
to it and be a little tough on the ice.” Griffins assistant coach Brian Lashoff agrees that Johansson has the toughness he needs to succeed on North American ice. “He has an edge to him and a competitiveness to him that serves him well,” Lashoff said. “The American League is a hard league, the style is a little more of a sandpaper style [compared to the Swedish mode]. We’ve seen [Johansson exhibit] that in important games for us.” Lashoff is full of praise for Johansson. “He can transport the puck to our forwards and play both sides of the ice,” he said. “He’s continuing to take the steps to become an elite defenseman.” Besides, the young Swede’s sunny personality is a bonus on the bench and in the locker room. “He’s great to have around the room,” said Lashoff. “He has a great, energetic personality that a lot of people will feed off of. He jokes around with the guys, and he’s very supportive and loud – in a good way – for his teammates.” As Johansson adjusts to the cultural changes,
rink size, and “sandpaper style” of his first full year in North America, he may get a little bit homesick for his fairy tale village, his mother’s meatballs and mashed potatoes, and Leksandsbröd, the traditional Swedish Crispbread made in town. He may also miss his animals back home, including a horse that he took care of a couple of times this summer. But Johansson is excited to come back to Grand Rapids, to leave it all on the ice every night, and to meet the high expectations of his coaches and fans. He already knows that the Grand River downtown is the place to cast a line with his fellow fishermen on the team, and where to get the best postgame grub. “I love 123 Tavern and Gin Gins,” he said. Leksand may be over 4,000 miles away, but Johansson carries it in his heart as he works hard to make his dreams of playing in the NHL come true. He believes in himself, and he’s not alone. Johansson, predicts his more famous cousin, Alexander Wennberg, “is going to do amazing.” Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 51
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 53
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CALLE JARNKROK?
Story by Randy Cleves Photos by Mark Newman
Andrej Nestrasil
Anthony Mantha
Cross Hanas
Jan Mursak
Josiah Didier
Martin Frk
Taro Hirose
Victor Brattstrom
Tom McCollum
In the universe of minor league hockey, players and coaches come and go. A few, like Griffins captain Dominik Shine and assistant coach Brian Lashoff, establish deep roots in their organization and community, spending a decade or more with the same team. They become North Stars (not the Minnesota kind), supergiants who establish a team’s culture, guide their teammates through adversity, and provide unflinching leadership. Most players thrive in Grand Rapids’ orbit for a handful of seasons, as
promising Detroit Red Wings prospects playing on their entry-level NHL contracts or accomplished veterans on American Hockey League deals who comprise the core of championship teams. Still others are like shooting stars, flashing through Van Andel Arena during a quick ascent to the NHL or a brief recall from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Whether they’re here for just one game or – like the legendary Travis Richards – for 655, every player shines his light, becoming a permanent fixture in the Griffins’ constellation. Once
a Griffin, always a Griffin, even for those who eventually continue their careers with, say, certain teams in Chicago or Colorado. Quite simply, Griffins fans have long memories and great appreciation for everyone who’s worn their team’s sweater. As of press time, excluding players within the Detroit/Grand Rapids organization, nearly 100 Grand Rapids alumni had signed new contracts or extensions with teams across the globe for the 2026-27 season. Check out where some of your favorites are set to play and coach this year.
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SPANNING THE GLOBE Alum Nick Andrews Tyler Angle Zach Aston-Reese Louis-Marc Aubry Riley Barber Jan Bednar Ryan Bednard Jonatan Berggren Matt Berry Jeremie Biakabutuka Trenton Bliss Madison Bowey Victor Brattstrom Matt Caito Dennis Cholowski Sebastian Cossa Patrick Curry Charlie Curti Alexis D’Aoust Charle-Edouard D’Astous Tory Dello Josh Dickinson Josiah Didier Alex Doucet Jan Drozg William Dufour Turner Elson Luke Esposito Gleason Fournier Martin Frk Tim Gettinger John Gruden Erik Gustafsson Cross Hanas Brandon Hawkins Blake Hillman Taro Hirose Justin Holl Axel Holmstrom Patrick Holway Calle Jarnkrok Nick Jensen Hunter Johannes Tomas Jurco Jackson Jutting Oliwer Kaski D.J. King
Griffins Season(s) 2025-26 2025-26 2023-24 2011-17 2020-22 2024-25 2022-23 2021-24 2021-22 2022-23 2021-25 2019-20 2021-23 2016-17 2016-21 2022-26 2020-22 2022-23 2021-22 2019-20 2019-21; 24-25 2021-22 2023-25 2023-26 2021-22 2025-26 2017-22 2017-18 2011-14 2013-17; 18-19 2023-25 1999-02 2025-26 2022-25 2025-26 2019-20; 21-22 2019-24 2025-26 2016-19 2020-21 2012-14 2013-17 2023-25 2012-14; 15-17 2025-26 2019-20 2021-22
2026-27 Contract Toledo Leksands Philadelphia Kolner Ingolstadt Assat Orlando St. Louis Gap Hershey Linz Wolfsburg AIK Jokerit NY Rangers Utah Jokerit Herlev Herforder Tampa Bay Milano Orebro Bjorkloven Assat EC-KAC Nurnberg Bolzano Mannheim Cardiff Shanghai Sheffield Toronto (Assistant Coach) Los Angeles Providence Toledo Bolzano Munchen Washington KooKoo Rouen Brynas Anaheim Bakersfield Kosice MoDo Malmo Utica
League/Country ECHL HockeyAllsvenskan/Sweden NHL DEL/Germany DEL/Germany Liiga/Finland ECHL NHL Ligue Magnus/France AHL ICEHL/Austria DEL/Germany HockeyAllsvenskan/Sweden Liiga/Finland NHL NHL Liiga/Finland Metal Ligaen/Denmark Germany3 NHL ICEHL/Italy SHL/Sweden SHL/Sweden Liiga/Finland ICEHL/Austria DEL/Germany ICEHL/Italy DEL/Germany EIHL/Wales KHL/China EIHL/England NHL NHL AHL ECHL ICEHL/Italy DEL/Germany NHL Liiga/Finland Ligue Magnus/France SHL/Sweden NHL AHL Tipsport Liga/Slovakia HockeyAllsvenskan/Sweden SHL/Sweden AHL Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 55
Alum Nikolai Knyzhov Filip Larsson Amadeus Lombardi Matt Luff Jarid Lukosevicius Gregor MacLeod Anthony Mantha Tom McCollum Alec McCrea Andy Miele Michael Milne Ian Mitchell Ryan Murphy Jan Mursak Alex Nedeljkovic Richard Nedomlel Andrej Nestrasil Tomas Nosek Nathan Paetsch Trevor Parkes Eddie Pasquale Chase Pearson Calvin Pickard Bruce Ramsay Dan Renouf Stacy Roest Robbie Russo Jakub Rychlovsky Riley Sawchuk Donovan Sebrango Gabriel Seger Radim Simek Gemel Smith Givani Smith Joe Snively Tyler Spezia Tylor Spink Ryan Sproul Wojciech Stachowiak Nolan Stevens Kevin Tansey Dustin Tokarski Eduards Tralmaks Antti Tuomisto Kirill Tyutyayev Joe Veleno Luke Witkowski Kyle Wood Denis Yan Mark Zengerle 56 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Griffins Season(s) 2024-25 2019-20 2022-26 2022-24 2018-21 2019-21 2014-17 2009-16; 17-18 2019-20 2014-16 2025-26 2025-26 2021-22 2006-07; 08-13 2022-23 2013-14; 15-16 2011-14 2014-17 2012-17 2011-14 2016-17 2018-23 2019-22 1996-99; AC 2015-18 2015-18; 21-22 2002-03 2015-18 2024-26 2022-24 2020-23 2024-26 2023-24 2021-22 2016-17; 18-21; 22-23 2024-25 2018-24 2016-17 2012-16; 17-18 2025-26 2023-24 2018-19 2025-26 2025-26 2023-26 2021-23 2019-21 2021-22 2019-20 2021-22 2014-16
2026-27 Contract St. Petersburg Orebro New Jersey NY Islanders Sonderjyske Kolner New Jersey Dunkerque Augsburger Fischtown Manitoba Bern Munchen EC-KAC San Jose Brno Trinec Pardubice Youngstown (Head Coach) Augsburger Pustertal Nottingham Minnesota Tulsa (Assoc. Head Coach) Mannheim Rochester (GM) Tucson Liberec Togliatti Florida Chicago Liberec Presov Shanghai Djurgardens Nurnberg Dresdner Villacher Orebro Sodertalje Madawaska Valley Carolina (Goalie Scout) Edmonton Vegas Kusnacht NY Rangers Brno Augsburg Severstal Krefeld
League/Country KHL/Russia SHL/Sweden NHL NHL Ligaen/Denmark DEL/Germany NHL France2 DEL/Germany DEL/Germany AHL NL/Switzerland DEL/Germany ICEHL/Austria NHL Czechia Czechia Tipsport Extraliga/Czechia USHL DEL/Germany ICEHL/Italy EIHL/England NHL ECHL DEL/Germany AHL AHL Extraliga/Czechia KHL/Russia NHL AHL Tipsport Extraliga/Czechia Tipsport Liga/Slovakia KHL/China SHL/Sweden DEL/Germany DEL2/Germany ICEHL/Austria SHL/Sweden HockeyAllsvenskan/Sweden NPHL/Canada NHL NHL NHL SL/Switzerland NHL Czechia DEL/Germany KHL/Russia DEL/Germany
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A New Chapter Life looks a lot different these days for Luke Glendening, but he’s as committed as ever to his next opportunity. Story by Kyle Kujawa Photos by Mark Newman
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EDITOR’S NOTE: As the Griffins and Red Wings celebrate their 25th season of affiliation, Griffiti is profiling several of the players who have made an indelible impact on both organizations. Luke Glendening has built his career on a relentless work ethic, mental toughness, and a commitment to performing the less-glamorous tasks a successful team needs. He prides himself on being among the NHL’s most proficient in the faceoff circle. He’s asked to block shots, kill penalties, and generally make life harder on his opponents. That’s been a constant throughout his 14 professional seasons. But life away from the rink has changed quite a bit – particularly in what awaits him when he looks to decompress after a hectic stretch of the NHL’s schedule. “I play a lot of dress-up – well, I don’t, but I’m changing dresses a lot,” said Glendening. “We do a lot of dance parties. There’s a lot of singing, a lot of performances. I’m having to relearn a lot of songs I used to know.” Such is the life of many parents with two
young daughters, as Glendening and his wife, Paige, have a 3-year-old and 1-year-old at home. “I can be hard on myself, but like any other job, you have to reset once you get home,” said Glendening. “They don’t really care what happened, and that can be an amazing thing. They’re just happy their dad’s home. That’s allowed me to have a new perspective, that’s for sure.” Despite the busier – and more theatricallyrigorous – home life, the Grand Rapids native knows he’s in the twilight of his career, but he has no plans of going willingly. “Some guys retire from the game, and they’re ready to be done,” Glendening said. “I told my family and my agent, ‘I don’t think that’s going to be me.’ I’m never going to want to be done. I’m going to have to not be able to find a job. “I’m 37, I’m not a top-end player,” he continued. “I never have been, and I’m very aware of that. I’ve been hopeful that I’d get one more shot, so I’m staying ready. I said I would never
Glendening could be the last man standing from Grand Rapids’ 2013 Calder Cup champions, as he began this season as the only player from that team on an NHL training camp roster.
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Photo: Getty Images
Glendening left Detroit on good terms, eventually departing for the Dallas Stars in part due to his good relationship with former Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill.
forgive myself if a team called in the middle of September and I hadn’t been training all summer. So I’ve been training, and I’m ready, just in case.” He didn’t need to wait long after his interview with Griffiti to find that opportunity. Still living and training in Tampa, Florida, he signed a professional tryout with the Lightning on Sept. 16 after one season away from the organization. While familiarity with his teammates and the team’s system could give him a leg up in finding a role, he never takes any opportunity for granted. “I never thought I was going to play one game [in the NHL], so if I’m done, it’s all been a huge blessing,” said Glendening. “But I still have a burning passion to compete, for sure.” One game may have been the goal, but the bar continues to climb over time. Glendening has played 934 NHL games, leaving him 66 shy of the 1,000-game milestone, a mark reached by only 425 players in the league’s 109-year history. “It would be really cool to get that oppor60 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
tunity,” said Glendening. “It’s something that wouldn’t just be for me. It’d be meaningful to share with the people who believed in me when I didn’t, and fo those who have given me a chance throughout the years. I’ve had so many people back me and encourage me.” In the 25-year history of the Red Wings and Griffins’ affiliation, only Valtteri Filppula (1,056) and Niklas Kronwall (953) have played more NHL games after playing for the Griffins. While others have traveled the same path as Glendening as an undrafted player who has enjoyed a long NHL career, few have faced the same steep odds at each level. Glendening played four years of high school hockey in East Grand Rapids, while most his age with pro aspirations would have been playing junior hockey. He wasn’t planning to play collegiately until the University of Michigan offered him a walk-on spot while scouting some of his teammates at a prep school in Connecticut he attended after high school. Eventually, Michigan let him know that he would not play much, so if he had other opportunities,
On Dec. 19, 2012, Luke Glendening became the first Grand Rapids native to ever play for the Griffins, part of his meteoric rise and unlikely path to becoming a stalwart NHL player. His hockey career began as an East Grand Rapids High School star, gained traction as a walk-on and eventual captain at the University of Michigan, then bloomed in the pro ranks as an undrafted member of Toledo Walleye. Glendening helped the Griffins win their first Calder Cup just six months after skating onto Van Andel Arena’s ice, made his NHL debut with the Red Wings another four months later, and
became a key member of Detroit’s last three playoff teams. Now heading into his 14th NHL season, Glendening played 554 games for Detroit – the most by any undrafted Red Wing since the NHL Draft began in 1963, and 40th among all players in franchise history – and is pushing 950 games in the league. His longevity has also placed him in elite company among Griffins who’ve played in the NHL.
Photo: Getty Images
LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD
NHL Games Played by Undrafted NHL Games Played by Players Who Made NHL Games Played After Winning Calder Cup With Griffins Griffins NHL Debut After Playing for Griffins 1 Marty McSorley 961 1 Luke Glendening 934 1 Jason Spezza 1,248 2 Curtis Joseph 943 2 Tomas Tatar 900 2 Valtteri Filppula 1,056 3 Gustav Nyquist 874 3 Luke Glendening 934 3 Chris Neil 1,026 4 Todd White 653 4 Niklas Kronwall 953 4 Riley Sheahan 635 5 Mark Eaton 650 5 Tyler Bertuzzi 560 5 Luke Glendening 934 6 Danny DeKeyser 536 6 Sean Avery 580 6 Tomas Tatar 927 7 Danny DeKeyser 547 7 Gustav Nyquist 914 7 Filip Hronek 533 8 Tomas Nosek 514 8 Tomas Nosek 497 8 Chris Kelly 845 9 Jason Williams 455 9 Petr Mrazek 436 9 Darren Helm 823 10 Zach Aston-Reese 416 10 Dylan Larkin 808 10 Tomas Jurco 221 Bold = Made NHL debut after playing for the Griffins • Red = Had long NHL career before joining the Griffins
Photo: Getty Images
Glendening was the only player to play for both the Griffins in their outdoor game at Comerica Park on Dec. 30, 2013 and for the Red Wings two days later at the NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2014.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 61
Glendening was the first Grand Rapids native to sign with the Griffins and scored a goal in the first shift of his first game with the team.
he should pursue one. No such opportunities came, but Glendening served as a two-year captain for the Wolverines and received the advice that has gone on to define his NHL career. “I ended up picking up an advisor, Alec Schall, when I was a sophomore or junior,” Glendening said. “That was the first time that someone told me they believed I could play beyond college. I wasn’t thinking about the NHL, I was just excited that someone thought enough of my game to tell me they thought I could continue on. “He told me, ‘If you’re willing to do things that other people aren’t, you could find a way to carve out a long career in the NHL.’ That was the soundest advice I’ve heard. It’s always been so fascinating to me that there are players who are so much better than me, and I’m in the same league as them. But I’ve found a way to do things that other people don’t want to do.” Always humble, and at times self-deprecating, Glendening doesn’t make the highlight reel often, but there’s always been a place in 62 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
the NHL for players who earn the trust of their coaches and develop a skillset that helps them slow down the best players in the world. Glendening found himself starting from the ground level again as a pro, signing with the Griffins but initially starting with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. “Since I only played high school hockey, I was just ecstatic to get to college,” he said. “I never thought I was going to play a game there, and then I get a chance to sign with my hometown team. Even though I got sent to Toledo, I still got to play to pro hockey. I wouldn’t say my confidence level was high, but it was an opportunity, and that was all I’d ever known.” Eventually, he earned the callup to Grand Rapids and played a pivotal role as the team won its first Calder Cup championship in 2013. He sensed the bond within the team right away and looks back on the run fondly. “I remember getting there around the time the team was having a white elephant event around Christmas,” Glendening said. “I could tell by the gifts they were giving each other – I
Photo: Getty Images
think someone brought in a live sheep – and I thought, ‘Man, these guys really know each other and are having fun here.’ I was just excited to be part of the group, but I remember the feeling that they really cared about each other.” That experience fostered the drive to win that Glendening has carried throughout his professional career. Now a veteran of five NHL teams between Detroit, Dallas, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Glendening has been as far as the Conference Finals and has made the playoffs in each of his last five seasons – marking eight total postseason appearances, in addition to three with the Red Wings. “What’s crazy is in each of the last four years, the team I’ve been on has lost to the eventual Stanley Cup winner,” said Glendening, noting that Dallas lost to Vegas in 2023, Tampa Bay was beaten in consecutive seasons by Florida in 2024 and 2025, and Philadelphia fell to Carolina this past June. “Every run has been unique and different.” Last season may have been the most improbable run, as Glendening was facing a
lot of professional uncertainty after the Flyers claimed him off waivers from the Devils around the trade deadline. Philadelphia was well out of the playoff picture and was considered a deadline-day seller, but they caught fire late in the year to qualify for the postseason and defeat in-state rival Pittsburgh before meeting the Hurricanes in the second round. “I said to my wife that the team’s superpower was that they just didn’t know any better,” Glendening said. “They were so young, they were just playing hockey and having fun. I’m sure they all felt pressure, but it didn’t show. It was a short stint for me, but it was a fun group to be a part of.” It also marked Glendening’s first time being involved in an in-season transaction, luckily close enough to his family in New Jersey that he was able to drive the hour and 15 minutes back and forth on days off until his family got settled. Though his daughters were too young to be in school, it still presented a litany of logistical challenges. “Last year was full chaos,” said Glendening. “Our youngest was born in March of 2025, Elite in the faceoff circle, Glendening has won 57.5% of his draws over the last six seasons, including a career-high 60.9% with Detroit in 2020-21.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 63
then I sign the tryout with New Jersey and end up staying here. My mom was a saint through all of this, coming to stay with them for a while and eventually helping them get out to New Jersey. She stayed with us until we got settled. Then Paige’s dad drove our dog [a Great Dane] up. So many people have helped us along the way. “Once I got picked up by Philly, they stayed in New Jersey until the playoffs,” he continued. “They would attend home games and would go back when we were on the road. Paige had a lot on her plate. Some people think it’s easy [with the kids being young], but there’s also another level to that as well.” Getting an unexpected taste at a healthy postseason run further kindled Glendening’s drive to win another championship, leading to his current tryout opportunity – this time closer to the family’s offseason home in Tampa. With the added perspective of becoming a father, and having thoroughly appreciated where his career has taken him so far, Glendening is content with any outcome. And, through his daughters, he’ll always have a reminder of
where he came from. “Our oldest is Riggsy and our youngest is Ada,” said Glendening. “There’s some West Michigan pull in that name, but now we laugh because we think, ‘What if we ever move back to the area and live in Ada?’ She’d be Ada from Ada.” Glendening says his off-ice routine hasn’t changed too much over his career, as a player who always valued training and nutrition. It’s the moments at home that drive him to continue chasing his dreams, knowing that his family will be there to share in it. “[Riggsy] is a diehard fan of wherever I’m playing,” said Glendening. “But it’s not really about me, it’s more about the mascot. She’s really dialed into the mascots. “I’m just keeping the pedal to the metal for as long as I can, and when it breaks, we’ll stop,” he said. “I used to be able to come home and take a nap every day after I worked out, when I was younger. Now, I come home and it’s daddy day care right away, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I love it.”
Score Big with Secure Shredding. Protect what matters. 64 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
RECORD BOOK AND LEADERS
Through the 2025-26 season
GAMES PLAYED All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Travis Richards Dominik Shine (3rd) 5 players tied Gabriel Seger GOALS
655 523 *82 70
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Michel Picard Dominik Shine (3rd) Donald MacLean (2005-06) John Leonard ASSISTS
158 96 *56 33
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Michel Picard Dominik Shine (7th) Jiri Hudler (2005-06) Erik Gustafsson POINTS
222 127 60 33
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Michel Picard Dominik Shine (4th) Michel Picard (1996-97) John Leonard PLUS/MINUS
380 223 101 54
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Travis Richards William Lagesson (13th) Ivan Ciernik (2000-01) William Lagesson PENALTY MINUTES
+131 +46 *+41 +33
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Darryl Bootland Dominik Shine (5th) Darryl Bootland (2005-06) Austin Watson
1,164 594 390 146
Darryl Bootland
Dominik Shine
Michal Postava
Michel Picard
Donald MacLean
GOALIE GAMES PLAYED
William Lagesson
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Tom McCollum Michal Postava (30th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Sebastian Cossa GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE
263 25 *66 39
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Michal Postava Michal Postava (1st) Michal Postava (2025-26) Michal Postava WINS
1.71 1.71 1.71 1.71
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season
Tom McCollum Michal Postava (19th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Mike Fountain (2000-01) Sebastian Cossa SHUTOUTS
123 17
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Joey MacDonald Michal Postava (T11th) 6 players tied Sebastian Cossa SAVES
20 4 6 5
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Tom McCollum Michal Postava (29th) Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Sebastian Cossa SAVE PERCENTAGE
6,640 593 1,785 964
All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2025-26
Michal Postava Michal Postava (1st) Michal Postava (2025-26) Michal Postava
.937 .937 .937 .937
2025-26
* = Led League
34 *34 26
Grand Grand Rapids Rapids GRIFFINS GRIFFINS 65 65
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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 67
GRIFFINS IN THE
ALL-STAR GAME
The AHL All-Star Classic was not held in either 2020-21 or 2021-22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2025-26 Sebastian Cossa, John Leonard, Dominik Shine, Dan Watson (head coach) 2024-25 Sebastian Cossa, Austin Watson, Dan Watson (head coach) 2023-24 Jonatan Berggren, Simon Edvinsson 2022-23 Brian Lashoff (captain) 2019-20 Matthew Ford (captain), Chris Terry 2018-19 Chris Terry 2017-18 Matt Lorito, Matt Puempel 2016-17 Matt Lorito, Robbie Russo, Todd Nelson (head coach)
2015-16 Jeff Hoggan (captain), Xavier Ouellet 2014-15 Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen 2013-14 Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (co-coach) 2012-13 Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist 2011-12 Gustav Nyquist 2010-11 Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith 2009-10 Patrick Rissmiller 2008-09 Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson 2007-08 Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard
2006-07 Derek Meech, Kip Miller (captain) 2005-06 Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean 2004-05 Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald 2003-04 Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards (captain), Nathan Robinson 2002-03 Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers 2001-02 Chris Bala, John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy, Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Gene Reilly (asst. coach)
2026 - Sebastian Cossa
2026 - Dominik Shine
2025 - Sebastian Cossa
2025 - Austin Watson
2024 - Jonatan Berggren
2023 - Brian Lashoff
2020 - Chris Terry
2020 - Matthew Ford
2019 - Chris Terry
2018 - Matt Puempel
2018 - Matt Lorito
2016 - Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet
68 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
2000-01 Mike Fountain, Joel Kwiatkowski, Travis Richards, Todd White, Bruce Cassidy (co-coach) 1999-00 John Gruden, Jani Hurme, Kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy 1998-99 Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov 1997-98 Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard 1996-97 Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick
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70 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 71
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72 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
CALLS BOARDING Called for any action which causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.
HIGH STICKING Making contact with an opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder hight.
MISCONDUCT 10-minute or disqualification penalty for excessive or additional misbehavior on the ice.
TRIPPING Called for using the stick, arm or leg to cause an opponent to trip or fall.
CHARGING Taking a run at an opposing player using more than three strides to build up speed.
HOLDING Clutching an opposing player’s body with the hands, arms or legs.
ROUGHING Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT Called for unsportsmanlike actions such as disputing an official’s decision, grabbing the face mask of a player, etc.
CROSS CHECKING A check or block delivered by a player with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice.
HOOKING The use of the stick or blade to impede the progress of an opponent.
SLASHING Striking an opposing player with the stick.
DELAYED PENALTY Referee extends his arm and points to the penalized player until the penalized team regains possession of the puck.
INTERFERENCE When a player impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.
SPEARING Called for using the stick like a spear.
ELBOWING Called when a player uses an elbow to impede an opponent.
KNEEING Called when a player uses a knee to impede an opponent.
WASH-OUT When used by the referee, it means goal disallowed. When used by linesmen, it means there is no icing or no offside.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 73
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ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS BAKERSFIELD CONDORS BELLEVILLE SENATORS CALGARY WRANGLERS CHARLOTTE CHECKERS CHICAGO WOLVES CLEVELAND MONSTERS COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS COLORADO EAGLES GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS HAMILTON HAMMERS HARTFORD WOLF PACK HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS HERSHEY BEARS IOWA WILD LAVAL ROCKET LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS MANITOBA MOOSE MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS ONTARIO REIGN PROVIDENCE BRUINS ROCHESTER AMERICANS ROCKFORD ICEHOGS SAN DIEGO GULLS SAN JOSE BARRACUDA SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS SYRACUSE CRUNCH TEXAS STARS TORONTO MARLIES TUCSON ROADRUNNERS UTICA COMETS WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS
2026-27 AHL TEAM MAP
2026-27 TEAM MAP
74 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Abbotsford Canucks • Bakersfield Condors • Belleville Senators • Calgary Wranglers • Charlotte Checkers • Chicago Wolves • Cleveland Monsters • Coachella Valley Firebirds • Colorado Eagles • Grand Rapids Griffins • Hamilton Hammers • Hartford Wolf Pack •
IT ALL STARTS HERE
Pavol Demitra • Griffins NHL Alum No. 1
Sheldon Dries • Griffins NHL Alum No. 223
GRIFFINS IN THE NHL Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 223 players to the National Hockey League, and 21 former players and coaches have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, a Griffins alumnus has had his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s chalice in six of the last seven years, 12 times in the last 19 years, and 14 times in the last 22 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 29 goalies and 194 skaters who have won an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.
76 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
1...........Pavol Demitra.............................3/17/97 STL at PHX 2...........Kevyn Adams............................10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH 3...........Tyler Moss................................10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT 4...........Michel Picard....................................1/6/98 STL at SJ 5...........Jeff Nelson...............................10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA 6...........Patrick Traverse........................10/10/98 OTT at COL 7...........Mark Greig....................................1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI 8............Radim Bicanek............................2/1/99 OTT at VAN 9............Robert Petrovicky..........................2/15/99 TB at NYI 10..........Andrei Vasilyev...........................3/5/99 PHX vs. DET 11..........Todd Hlushko................................4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ 12..........Patrick Lalime.............................10/2/99 OTT at PHI 13..........Glen Metropolit........................10/2/99 WSH at FLA 14..........Kevin Miller...............................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 15..........Karel Rachunek........................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 16..........Erich Goldmann.....................11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH 17..........Yves Sarault.................................11/20/99 OTT at NJ 18..........John Gruden............................11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI 19..........Mike Fountain..............................12/3/99 OTT at NJ 20..........Dave Van Drunen.....................12/13/99 OTT at TOR 21..........Petr Schastlivy...............................1/3/00 OTT vs. NJ 22..........John Emmons............................1/6/00 OTT vs. PHX 23..........Slava Butsayev...........................1/28/00 OTT at BUF 24..........Aris Brimanis..............................2/13/00 NYI at NYR 25..........Dieter Kochan..............................3/28/00 TB vs. DAL 26..........Jani Hurme....................................4/9/00 OTT vs. TB 27..........Shane Hnidy..............................10/5/00 OTT at BOS 28..........Donald MacLean....................10/14/00 TOR vs. OTT 29..........David Oliver................................11/4/00 OTT vs. CBJ 30..........Jamie Rivers.............................11/12/00 OTT at CAR 31..........Sean Gagnon...........................11/26/00 OTT at NYR 32..........Joel Bouchard..........................11/29/00 PHX at COL 33..........Mike Crowley............................12/8/00 ANA at MIN 34..........Ivan Ciernik.................................1/23/01 OTT at NYI 35..........Darren Rumble................................2/6/01 STL at COL 36..........Joel Kwiatkowski.......................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 37..........Todd White.................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 38..........Chris Neil.....................................10/3/01 OTT at TOR 39..........Toni Dahlman............................1/3/02 OTT vs. WSH 40..........Steve Martins..............................1/11/02 OTT at FLA 41..........Kip Miller........................................1/17/02 NYI at SJ 42..........Jody Hull..........................................2/4/02 OTT at TB 43..........Dmitry Afanasenkov........................2/6/02 TB at FLA 44..........Simon Lajeunesse...........................3/7/02 OTT at SJ 45..........Martin Prusek............................3/23/02 OTT vs. ATL 46..........Chris Bala.....................................3/27/02 OTT at NYI 47..........Neil Little.....................................3/28/02 PHI at CAR 48..........Josh Langfeld...............................3/30/02 OTT vs. TB 49..........Gaetan Royer................................4/1/02 TB vs. NYR 50..........Jason Spezza............................10/24/02 OTT at BOS 51..........Sean Avery.................................10/29/02 DET vs. SJ 52..........Jason Doig..................................12/3/02 WSH at PIT 53..........Jason Williams...........................12/5/02 DET at PHX 54..........Patrick Boileau........................12/19/02 DET vs. DAL 55..........Stacy Roest.................................2/20/03 DET vs. EDM 56..........Wade Brookbank...................10/9/03 NSH vs. ANA 57..........Julien Vauclair..........................10/25/03 OTT at MTL 58.........Jiri Hudler.............................10/29/03 DET vs. STL 59..........Curtis Joseph...........................10/30/03 DET at NSH 60..........Darryl Bootland........................11/8/03 DET vs. NSH 61..........Mark Mowers..........................11/19/03 DET vs. CBJ 62..........Nathan Robinson....................11/28/03 DET vs. NYI 63..........Blake Sloan..................................12/4/03 DAL at LA 64.........Niklas Kronwall....................12/10/03 DET at BUF 65..........Ryan Barnes............................12/15/03 DET vs. FLA 66.........Chris Kelly.................................2/5/04 OTT vs. TOR 67..........Marc Lamothe..........................2/23/04 DET at EDM 68..........Anders Myrvold.........................2/26/04 DET at CGY 69..........Mathieu Chouinard.....................2/29/04 LA at ANA 70..........Brett Lebda...................................10/5/05 DET vs. STL 71..........Mark Eaton....................................10/5/05 NSH vs. SJ 72..........Chris Osgood...............................10/29/05 DET at CHI 73..........Kyle Quincey...........................11/25/05 DET at ANA 74..........Jimmy Howard..........................11/28/05 DET at LA 75..........Valtteri Filppula.........................12/15/05 DET at FLA 76..........Rob Collins................................12/17/05 NYI vs. COL 77..........Manny Legace.............................1/5/06 DET vs. STL 78..........David Gove................................1/31/06 CAR at MTL
79..........Tomas Kopecky................................2/28/06 DET at SJ 80..........Alexandre Giroux.........................3/25/06 NYR at TB 81..........Joey MacDonald.........................10/19/06 DET at SJ 82..........Derek Meech................................12/7/06 DET vs. STL 83..........Matt Ellis....................................12/18/06 DET at CBJ 84..........Matt Hussey................................1/26/07 DET at STL 85..........Sheldon Brookbank.......................2/6/07 NSH at PIT 86..........Danny Syvret..........................2/27/07 EDM vs. PHX 87..........Mark Hartigan...........................11/29/07 DET vs. TB 88..........Drew MacIntyre..........................12/13/07 VAN at SJ 89..........Peter Vandermeer...................2/10/08 PHX vs. NSH 90..........Jonathan Ericsson.....................2/22/08 DET at CGY 91..........Garrett Stafford..........................2/23/08 DET at VAN 92..........Darren Helm...............................3/13/08 DET vs. DAL 93..........Mattias Ritola...........................3/15/08 DET vs. NSH 94..........Clay Wilson.................................3/25/08 CBJ at NSH 95..........Darren McCarty...........................3/28/08 DET vs. STL 96..........Krys Kolanos.................................11/4/08 MIN at SJ 97..........Landon Wilson.......................11/22/08 DAL vs. ANA 98..........Bryan Helmer.......................11/28/08 WSH vs. MTL 99..........Chris Chelios ............................12/13/08 DET at PHX 100........Aaron Downey.........................1/29/09 DET vs. DAL 101........Justin Abdelkader....................1/31/09 DET at WSH 102........Ville Leino..................................1/31/09 DET at WSH 103........Aaron Gagnon.......................10/16/09 DAL vs. BOS 104........Scott Parse.................................10/24/09 LA at PHX 105........Doug Janik................................11/3/09 DET vs. BOS 106.........Ryan Keller..................................11/25/09 OTT at NJ 107........Jakub Kindl..............................12/3/09 DET vs. EDM 108........Kris Newbury..........................12/14/09 DET vs. PHX 109.........Darren Haydar...........................2/10/10 COL vs. ATL 110........Andreas Lilja.................................3/1/10 DET at COL 111.........Jeremy Williams.......................10/24/10 NYR vs. NJ 112........Jan Mursak...............................12/27/10 DET at COL 113........Chris Mueller..........................12/28/10 NSH vs. DAL 114........Tomas Tatar..............................12/31/10 DET vs. NYI 115........Cory Emmerton.........................1/22/11 DET vs. CHI 116.........Patrick Rissmiller........................2/23/11 ATL at BUF 117 .......Tom McCollum ..........................3/30/11 DET vs. STL 118 ......Gustav Nyquist .................11/1/11 DET vs. MIN 119 ........Fabian Brunnstrom......................11/5/11 DET vs. ANA 120 .....Brendan Smith................11/17/11 DET at SJ 121......Mark Cullen..................11/29/11 FLA at CAR 122........Chris Conner...............................12/2/11 DET at BUF 123........Joakim Andersson...................12/27/11 DET vs. STL 124.......Ty Conklin ..........................3/21/12 DET at NYR 125......Riley Sheahan..................4/7/12 DET vs. CHI 126........Brian Lashoff...............................1/21/13 DET at CBJ 127........Mike Knuble................................1/26/13 PHI at FLA 128........Jamie Tardif..................................2/2/13 BOS at TOR 129........Petr Mrazek ............................2/7/13 DET at STL 130........ Jonas Gustavsson.....................2/19/13 DET at NSH 131........Carlo Colaiacovo..........................4/1/13 DET vs. COL 132........Danny DeKeyser.......................10/2/13 DET vs. BUF 133.......Luke Glendening............10/12/13 DET vs. PHI 134........Xavier Ouellet............................10/21/13 DET vs. SJ 135........Adam Almquist .......................11/4/13 DET at WPG 136........Chad Billins................................11/5/13 CGY at MIN 137........Patrick Eaves.............................12/14/13 DET vs. PIT 138........Tomas Jurco...............................12/15/13 DET vs. TB 139........Jordin Tootoo..........................12/19/13 DET vs. CGY 140........Alexey Marchenko......................1/4/14 DET at DAL 141........Teemu Pulkkinen ....................3/14/14 DET vs. EDM 142........Landon Ferraro..........................3/18/14 DET vs. TOR 143.....Calle Jarnkrok................ 3/21/14 NSH at CGY 144........Mitch Callahan............................3/25/14 DET at CBJ 145........Ryan Sproul.................................4/13/14 DET at STL 146........Andrej Nestrasil........................10/9/14 DET vs. BOS 147........Stephen Weiss........................11/24/14 DET vs. OTT 148.....Mattias Janmark............10/8/15 DAL vs. PIT 149.......Dylan Larkin......................10/9/15 DET vs. TOR 150.......Kevin Porter............................10/10/15 PIT at ARI 151........Andreas Athanasiou................11/8/15 DET vs. DAL 152.....Tomas Nosek..................12/26/15 DET at NSH 153........Eric Tangradi................................1/25/16 DET at NYI 154.......Anthony Mantha...............3/15/16 DET at PHI 155........Alan Quine....................................4/9/16 NYI vs. PHI 156........Martin Frk..............................10/18/16 CAR at EDM
157.....Tyler Bertuzzi................. 11/8/16 DET at PHI 158........Jared Coreau................................12/3/16 DET at PIT 159.......Nick Jensen..........................12/20/16 DET at TB 160........Drew Miller................................2/28/17 DET at VAN 161........Robbie Russo................................3/7/17 DET at TOR 162......Dan Renouf................... 3/27/17 DET at CAR 163......Ben Street......................3/28/17 DET at CAR 164........Evgeny Svechnikov......................4/3/17 DET vs. OTT 165........Matt Lorito..................................4/8/17 DET vs. MTL 166........Kyle Criscuolo...........................11/17/17 BUF at DET 167........Dominic Turgeon........................1/14/18 DET at CHI 168........Joe Hicketts...................................1/22/18 DET at NJ 169.....Dennis Cholowski...........10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 170........Libor Sulak.................................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 171.....Filip Hronek....................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ 172........Wade Megan...............................11/1/18 DET vs. NJ 173........Christoffer Ehn..........................11/6/18 DET vs. VAN 174........Eddie Pasquale.............................12/4/18 TB at DET 175.....Michael Rasmussen.........2/7/19 DET vs. VGK 176........Filip Zadina....................................2/24/19 DET vs. SJ 177........Matt Puempel...........................3/23/19 DET at VGK 178.....Dylan McIlrath...................3/25/19 DET at SJ 179........Jake Chelios..................................3/29/19 DET vs. NJ 180........Givani Smith...........................10/25/19 DET vs. BUF 181.....Calvin Pickard............... 11/29/19 DET at PHI 182........Madison Bowey......................12/14/19 DET at MTL 183........Taro Hirose...................................2/6/20 DET at BUF 184........Gustav Lindstrom........................2/6/20 DET at BUF 185.....Joe Veleno.......................4/27/21 DET at CBJ 186........Mathias Brome.............................5/7/21 DET at CBJ 187.....Moritz Seider.................10/14/21 DET vs. TB 188........Riley Barber...............................12/18/21 DET vs. NJ 189........Gemel Smith..................................2/2/22 DET vs. LA 190........Luke Witkowski.........................3/12/22 DET at CGY 191........Chase Pearson............................3/24/22 DET at NYI 192........Harri Sateri...................................4/7/22 ARI vs. VAN 193........Turner Elson................................4/26/22 DET at TOR 194.....Matt Luff......................10/27/22 DET at BOS 195........Austin Czarnik............................11/6/22 DET at NYR 196.....Jonatan Berggren.......11/10/22 DET vs. NYR 197........Magnus Hellberg....................12/14/22 DET at MIN 198.....Elmer Soderblom......... 12/14/22 DET at MIN 199........Jakub Vrana..............................2/21/23 DET at WSH 200.....Adam Erne....................... 3/2/23 DET vs. SEA 201........Alex Chiasson................................3/4/23 DET at NYI 202.....Simon Edvinsson........... 3/18/23 DET vs. COL 203.....Alex Nedeljkovic.............3/23/23 DET vs. STL 204.....Zach Aston-Reese.........12/11/23 DET at DAL 205........Michael Hutchinson...................12/23/23 DET at NJ 206.....Ville Husso.....................2/13/24 DET at EDM 207.....Albert Johansson........ 10/12/24 DET vs. NSH 208........Austin Watson.........................10/14/24 DET at NYR 209.....Marco Kasper...............10/19/24 DET at NSH 210........Sebastian Cossa.........................12/9/24 DET at BUF 211........William Lagesson....................12/21/24 DET at MTL 212.....Donovan Sebrango.......1/16/25 OTT vs. WSH 213.....Dominik Shine.................1/27/25 DET vs. LA 214.....Carter Mazur....................3/6/25 DET vs. UTA 215.....Emmitt Finnie...............10/9/25 DET vs. MTL 216.....Axel Sandin-Pellikka......10/9/25 DET vs. MTL 217.....Michael BrandseggNygard...........................10/9/25 DET vs. MTL 218.....Charle-Edouard D'Astous.10/25/25 TB vs. ANA 219 .....Nate Danielson...............11/9/25 DET vs. CHI 220.....Erik Gustafsson........... 11/26/25 DET vs. NSH 221.....John Leonard................12/16/25 DET vs. NYI 222..... Justin Holl........................3/8/26 STL at ANA 223.....Sheldon Dries...................3/12/26 DET at TB
Bold = Played in the NHL during the 2025-26 season Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids Photos by Getty Images
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 77
Don’t miss any of the action this season!
*WHEN CONFLICTS ARISE
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TECHNOLOGY
78 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
AU T O M AT I O N
IMAGING
KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE • KIDS PAGE
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING
For decades, the Griffins Youth Foundation has offered girls the chance to play hockey in its first through 12th grade coed divisions and its girls-only high school program. Many girls also play in local house and travel programs, some of them continuing on to skate at the collegiate level with ACHA teams across the state. Just this year, Jenison High School started a varsity hockey team for females – the first in West Michigan – that’s open to girls in Ottawa and Kent counties, with no cuts and all skill levels welcome. Last February, the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team defeated Canada to win gold at the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. They
outscored their opponents 33-2 and posted five shutouts during their undefeated run, capitalizing on a stacked roster that included Michigan natives Megan Keller and Kirsten Simms.
Keller and many other players from that team play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which is preparing for its fourth season with 12 franchises throughout the United States and Canada, with Detroit counted among four new teams for the 2026-27 campaign.
Unscramble the sets of letters below to form the names of each city or state whose PWHL team will take to the ice this season. Good luck! ERAVUVCON RODTTIE BSNOTO OAERMLNT WKNEROY (2 words) ESTTAEL AEVLGASS (2 words) OTTRONO AOATWT AOSENSJ (2 words) ANTOLHIM NESNAITOM ANSWERS 1. VANCOUVER 2. DETROIT 3. BOSTON
4. 5. 6.
MONTREAL NEW YORK SEATTLE
7. 8. 9.
LAS VEGAS TORONTO OTTAWA
10. SAN JOSE 11. HAMILTON 12. MINNESOTA
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 79
PARTING SHOT
GETTIN’ TOSSED
2013 Calder Cup champion Triston Grant throws out the first pitch before a throng of Griffins season ticket members at the West Michigan Whitecaps game on Aug. 27, 2026. Photo by Nicolas Carrillo 80 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS