WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH BEN SIMON

Personnel changes are such a common occurrence in the American Hockey League that a revolving door might provide a more appropriate mode of entry to a team’s locker room.

The Griffins have welcomed their share of new faces this season as the Red Wings organization continues to tweak the rosters in both Detroit and Grand Rapids to improve the standing of its NHL and AHL teams.

Additions to the Griffins’ lineup since the start of the season include players acquired by trade (Danny O’Regan, Jasper Weatherly, and Patrick McGrath) and free agency (Alex Chiasson) as well as players reassigned from Detroit (Magnus Hellberg, Alex Nedeljkovic, Elmer Soderblom and Jakub Vrana).

In all cases, there is an assimilation process. Guys don’t just appear out of thin air and skate onto the ice. While the steps can vary, every new player has to be brought up to speed regarding the systems and expectations that help define Griffins hockey.

“It’s an ever-evolving jigsaw puzzle,” said Griffins head coach Ben Simon. “Sometimes the pieces fit and other times you try to jam them in there and you realize they don’t fit. Sometimes the pieces just miraculously fit right into place.”

Indoctrinating a new player into the ways of the team inevitably takes time, but it’s easier when the player is already in the organization.

The process usually starts with a phone call from Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman or assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff, alerting the Griffins of the pending transaction, which gets the proverbial ball rolling.

Khalil Reed, team services manager for the

Red Wings, and Griffins executive assistant Kelly Pawlak work together to set the player up in a hotel. If it’s the player’s first time in Grand Rapids, he is given a simple map with the rink, hotel, and all the contact information he will need.

Griffins equipment manager Brad Thompson or his assistant, Charlie Kaser, will coordinate a time for the player to drop off his gear at the arena, and he will be given a schedule for the next day at which time he will learn some of the basic stuff he needs to know.

If it’s a free-agent signing or a player is coming into the organization via trade, the process is a little more complicated.

Red Wings executive assistant Lisa Wright will book his travel and Reed will make sure the new player is given instructions about where he needs to go when he arrives in Grand Rapids. If the player is new to the organization, one of the Griffins’ athletic trainers (Josh Chapman or Anthony Polazzo) will set up a physical to make sure he’s healthy and ready to go.

Once a player is cleared for play, he is allowed to go on the ice.

“We like them to skate a little bit before we overflow their brain with too many Xs and Os,” Simon said. “We want them to play by instinct to a certain extent before we integrate them into the structure and see how they blend into the team.”

From the time of his arrival, the goal is to make the new player feel a part of the team.

“We have veterans like Brian Lashoff who have seen people come and go – they’ve seen it all before – so they become instrumental in making sure that the new guy feels welcome right away,” he said. “Like the new kid in school, you want them to feel comfortable as quickly as possible so all they need to worry about is playing hockey.”

But it takes more than one person to make that happen.

“It’s all hands on deck from the day the player walks through our doors,” he said. “That’s the great thing about our staff. They will go out of their way to meet the new guy and find ways to build those relationships that are so important.”

Every situation, of course, is unique. Being traded from another team is a whole lot different from being sent down to minor leagues. Take the examples of Danny O’Regan, who was acquired for organizational depth in December, and Elmer Soderblom, who was sent to Grand Rapids in January to open roster space for the return of Tyler Bertuzzi.

“For Danny, it’s an opportunity to come to a new team,” Simon said of O’Regan, who recently played in his 400th pro game. “When someone wants you, you want to put your best foot forward.”

Soderblom, on the other hand, is playing in his first season in North America.

“He made the Wings out of training camp, so when he’s coming down, he probably has a lot going through his mind,” Simon said. “I’m sure they told him exactly what he needs to work on. There’s probably some disappointment, but like most guys, he needs to get it out of his mind.”

Becoming part of a new team is not always easy.

“It depends on the individual,” Simon said. “For whatever reason, some guys take longer than others to become assimilated to a new city, a new organization. They might have other concerns – their wife, their kids, their dog – as opposed to a single guy who might be living out of his suitcase.

“Even then, it’s not always easy because it means a change in your normal routine. You get that phone call and everything changes. Every player is at a different point in his career and has a different way of responding, but you’ve got to be mentally tough in this game to succeed.”

Simon said he has been impressed by the way that veterans like Chiasson, Nedeljkovic and Vrana accepted their roles in Grand Rapids. “They have all come in here with great attitudes,” he said. “Sometimes you can overthink things. Our job is to put them in the best position to have success, and their success will ultimately lead to the team enjoying success.”