2023-24 Griffiti - Issue #4

RELIABLE ROOKIE MARCO KASPER

We’re big fans of the Griffins. We’re also big fans of their fans.

Huntington is proud to support the Grand Rapids Griffins, through all the wins and losses. No matter the outcome, it’s a joy to watch you from the stands, competing your hearts out. From all your fans at Huntington, go Griffins!

Vol. 27, No. 4

STARTING LINEUP

26........ IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Marco Kasper is following the advice of his Austrian defenseman dad in hopes of making his country proud.

32........ SIX DEGREES OF ZACH ASTON-REESE

The NHL veteran looks to make the right connections while helping the Griffins reach the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019.

42........ GOOD CAREER MOVE

After playing 14 seasons in the Red Wings organization, Brian Lashoff has transitioned to a spot behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Griffins.

48........ LOVE AND HAPPINESS

As a two-time Stanley Cup winner who retired after 16 seasons in the NHL, former Griffins center Darren Helm is perfectly content to stay home with his family.

54........ I’M A BELIEVER

Bill Walton, a former college basketball player who converted to volleyball 50 years ago, is convinced the Grand Rapids Rise will do the same to others. 2.........Chalk

Photo by Mark Newman

WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH DAN WATSON

They say it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

The Griffins have seemingly been on a mission since the holidays, stopping all signs of their early-season struggles and setting the team up for a strong close to the regular season and, hopefully, their first appearance in the playoffs since 2018-19.

Since Christmas, the Griffins have flipped the script, losing only two of 23 games (17-2-2-2) in regulation time after starting the season with a 9-13-3-1 record. The transformation has been even more apparent on the road. The Griffins won only two of their first 14 games away from Van Andel Arena. Following the holiday break, the team won eight of nine games, the only blemish being a shootout loss.

“We’ve been getting high-level play from everybody, no matter where they are in the lineup,” Watson said. “We’ve done some line juggling and gone to different defensive combinations, but everyone is just dialed in regarding how we need to play to win hockey games.

“And that’s the biggest thing – we’re playing unselfish hockey. It’s team hockey. It’s not about who scores the goals or gets the point. Yes, everyone loves to boost their individual stats, but there’s a bigger picture, and that’s about winning hockey games and setting ourselves up for playoffs.”

During a five-day stretch (Feb. 21-25), the Griffins defeated then-second place Texas 1-0 and 4-1 in back-to-back home games to leapfrog the Stars in the standings, then ended a 19-game winning streak — the second-longest in AHL history — by sending the division-leading

Milwaukee Admirals packing with a decisive 4-2 victory.

“Those games were important to see where we’re at,” Watson said. “Some teams focus on standings too much, so it’s more about seeing how far we’ve come. Let’s not worry about where the other teams are. If we take care of our own business, things will work out.”

The Griffins have been winning in impressive fashion, outscoring the opposition by the lopsided margin of 66-32 in the victories since Christmas. The team’s defensive play has improved significantly, allowing an average of 2.32 goals per game from Dec. 27-Feb. 25 after allowing 3.31 goals per game from Oct. 13-Dec. 20.

The team has shown the kind of resilience that should serve it well in the postseason. By mid-February, the Griffins had already posted six victories in games where they faced a third-period deficit. By contrast, there were 12 AHL teams with third-period comeback totals of either one or zero for the season.

If the comebacks are an indication of anything, it’s that this is a Griffins team that refuses to accept any outcome where it’s on the losing side of the ledger. In hockey, most teams find it difficult, if not impossible, to erase a two- or three-goal deficit late in the game. The Griffins look at it as a challenge.

“I love watching our team when we play with some urgency, some desperation in our game,” Watson said. “When we’re on our toes and being aggressive, I think we’re a hard team to play against.

“I think they love the challenge, and it’s not

just a challenge of ‘Can we come back again tonight?’ It’s the challenge of being underdogs, as in ‘Hey, we’re not supposed to be able to do this, but let’s do it again.’ It’s that attitude of ‘Let’s show everybody.’”

Not surprisingly, Watson would prefer not to have the Griffins falling behind so often.

“It’s not a situation we want to find ourselves in,” he said. “We would prefer to be in the lead and have the ability to protect that lead while playing with that same urgency and desperation.”

However, he recognizes that adversity has the potential to harden the team’s resolve to win when the chips are down.

“For some reason, in third periods when we’re behind, our guys seem to flourish in those situations,” he said. “We’re on top of the puck. Our forecheck is tenacious. We’re relentless. We’re physical. We come out guns-a-blazing with desperation and an urgency that is unstoppable.

“It’s a will-to-win mindset that can be so important come playoff time. You can beat teams just by having a bigger will.”

Watson was encouraged that his team’s change in fortune has relied on a combination of youth and experience – the timely contributions of Red Wings prospects with the support of solid

veteran leadership.

“It’s the whole team,” he said. “We’ve had different people step up and that’s a fun thing to watch, whether it’s veteran guys like Dominik Shine and Zach Aston-Reese, who work extremely hard day in or day out, or younger guys on our fourth line like [Amadeus] Lombardi, [Cross] Hanas, or [Elmer] Soderblom.

“We have put different guys in different roles and we have had multiple guys who have stepped up. They have all shown that grit you need to win, whether it’s getting back in the game, a tie game, or those important final minutes of a game when you’re holding a lead. We’ve put guys in all those situations and they have responded.”

Based on his team’s recent play, Watson is optimistic that the Griffins can have a strong finish.

“I like the way we’re headed,” he said. “I like the way our guys are continuing to develop as a team – the trust and respect that is being built in our locker room. You can see them blend and mold as a unit on the ice as well. It took a little longer than we’d hoped, but we’re there now.

“I think we’ve seen how good we can be and we’re still building to be even better.”

2023-24 GRIFFINS HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF

General Manager Shawn Horcoff

Head Coach Dan Watson

Assistant Coach Steph Julien

Assistant Coach Brian Lashoff

Goaltending Coach Roope Koistinen

Video Coach Erich Junge

Athletic Trainer Austin Frank

Assistant Athletic Trainer Katie Berglund

Physical Therapist Zack Harvey

Equipment Manager Brad Thompson

Asst. Equipment Manager Kyle Hornkohl

Sports Science Data Analyst Jack Rummells

Strength-Cond. Coordinator Marcus Kinney

SCOUTING REPORT

All statistics are through games of Feb. 26, 2024

IOWA

MARCH 15, MARCH 16

Defenseman Will Butcher was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Minnesota Wild and assigned to Iowa on Jan. 25. Butcher and Griffins captain Josiah Didier spent two seasons together at the University of Denver from 2013-15. During the 2013-14 campaign, Didier, a junior, and Butcher, a freshman, helped lead the Pioneers to their first-ever NCHC title.

While being shorthanded for the thirdfewest times in the league (160), the Wild rank last in the AHL with a penalty kill rate of 73.1% through 49 games. They have given up 43 power-play goals, the third-most in the AHL, while their 700 penalty minutes place seventh on the circuit. However, Iowa is tied for 12th in the league with five shorthanded goals.

MARCH 27

Four of the first five meetings between the Griffins and Monsters were decided past regulation, with two meetings ending in overtime and two going to a shootout. Grand Rapids has overcome a third-period deficit to tie the game in four of the five clashes. An overtime defeat on Feb. 16 marked the first time in Griffins history that the team lost on a penalty shot in overtime. The only other time the Griffins faced a penalty shot in the extra frame was against the Monsters on Nov. 7, 2010.

CHICAGO

APRIL 3

Veteran forward Rocco Grimaldi is tied for second in the AHL with 24 goals through 47 games and tied for fifth with 44 points. Grimaldi has competed in the AHL’s Central Division since the 2018-19 season, having had stints with Milwaukee (2018-19, 2021-22), Rockford (2022-23) and now Chicago (2023-24). From 2005-09, the 31-year-old suited up with the Little Caesars youth program in Detroit.

Chicago’s power play ranks 10th in the league at 20.2% through 47 games, while its penalty kill comes

ROCKFORD

APRIL 5, APRIL 12

Lukas Reichel, the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, was assigned to Rockford for the first time this season on Feb. 18. Reichel comes from a long line of hockey greats, as his father Martin Reichel was inducted into the German Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016-17, and his uncle Robert Reichel was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014-15. Lukas’ cousin, Kristian Reichel, is with the Winnipeg Jets organization and now plays for the Manitoba Moose.

MILWAUKEE

APRIL 21

The Admirals’ 19-game winning streak – the second-longest in AHL history – was snapped by Grand Rapids in a 4-2 decision at Van Andel Arena on Feb. 25. The Griffins’ franchise record of 15 straight wins was set during the 2015-16 season, a campaign in which they also had a separate 13-game winning streak. The longest win streak in AHL history was a 28-game run by the Norfolk Admirals in 2011-12.

Goaltending for Milwaukee has been a high point

Monsters netminder Jet

Greaves has been a problem for the Griffins since he entered the AHL in 2021-22. Greaves has an all-time record of 7-2-1 against Grand Rapids with a 2.36 goals against average. This season, Greaves has a 23-9-2 overall ledger with a 2.94 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. Greaves’ 23 wins in 34 games played rank first in the AHL.

in at 84.4% (5th). The Wolves scored a power-play goal in 12 straight games from Dec. 2-30, converting on 47.6% of their chances with the man-advantage (20for-42). Against the Griffins this season, the Wolves are 3-for-10 on the power play through three games. Matt Donovan is tied for second in the AHL with 16 power-play assists, while former Griffin Chris Terry is tied for ninth with eight power-play goals.

Rookie defenseman Ethan Del Mastro appeared in his first AHL All-Star Classic this season and is tied for third on the IceHogs’ roster with 26 points (6-20—26) in 48 games. Del Mastro also ranks fourth among rookie defensemen in points, fifth in assists, and fourth (tied) in goals. The 21-year-old has claimed three gold medals with Team Canada, most recently at the 2023 World Junior Championship.

for the team, as it ranks second in the AHL with 2.33 goals against per game through 46 outings. Both Yaroslav Askarov (2.04, 2nd) and Troy Grosenick (2.34, T9th) rank in the top 10 for goals against average. The duo also places in the top seven for save percentage (Askarov .923 5th, Grosenick .919 T7th). Askarov ranks second on the circuit with five shutouts and his 21 wins place third through 28 appearances.

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2023-24 SEASON

Dear Griffins Fans,

A new day is dawning for professional sports in Grand Rapids!

For the first time since 2018, the Griffins are embarking on an American Hockey League season under new leadership. The Detroit Red Wings in June named Dan Watson the 12th head coach in our franchise’s illustrious history, and he brings both a wealth of organizational experience and an impressive resume of success from his 14 seasons with our ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. Watson never missed the playoffs in six seasons as Toledo’s head coach, reaching the Kelly Cup Finals twice and leading the Walleye to three division titles, three 100-point seasons, and two regular season championships. The fastest coach in ECHL history to reach 100 wins and the winningest head coach in Walleye history, Watson was named the ECHL’s 2016-17 Coach of the Year. His accomplishments speak for themselves, but it’s his familiarity with Griffins players and Red Wings prospects that give him an edge. Watson coached 56 future or former Griffins as Toledo’s head coach, and we are excited to see what this season has in store for him and his all-new coaching staff, which includes 2022-23 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year Steph Julien, longtime Griffins defenseman Brian Lashoff, and goaltending coach Roope Koistinen.

Watson, though, is not the only new sheriff in town.

West Michigan’s first major-league women’s sports team, the Grand Rapids Rise (grrise.com), will take to the Van Andel Arena floor in January as members of Pro Volleyball Federation. A Rise roster packed with some of the finest volleyball players in the world – including a U.S. Olympian, collegiate national champions, All-Americans, and members of several countries’ national teams – will commence a 24game season under the guidance of head coach Cathy George. The winningest coach in the history of Michigan State volleyball, George led the Spartans for 17 seasons and totaled 35 years as a collegiate head coach, including 11 seasons at Western Michigan. Now she’s preparing to make an even bigger mark on the largest stage the sport of volleyball has ever enjoyed in the United States.

Whether it’s thanks to a Griffins team you’ve loyally supported for 28 seasons or a Rise squad that you will soon fall in love with, there will be no shortage of breathtaking moments and incredible athletes for you to cheer at Van Andel Arena over the next nine months. Enjoy the ride!

Sincerely,

Dan DeVos Chief Executive Officer Grand Rapids Griffins

SCOTT HOWSON

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Fans,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2023-24 American Hockey League season, as we continue a tradition of excellence that can be traced back to our league’s founding nearly nine decades ago.

Dear Fans,

The AHL is as proud as ever of its role in developing nearly all of the players, coaches, executives, trainers, broadcasters and officials who you see throughout the National Hockey League today. Generations of our great fans have cheered on future superstars, Stanley Cup champions and Hockey Hall of Famers as they have come through the AHL.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2023-24 American League season, as we continue a tradition of excellence that traced back to our league’s founding nearly nine decades ago.

This season is sure to be another memorable one, from the excitement of opening night to the pageantry of the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose to the thrills and emotion of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

The AHL is as proud as ever of its role in developing nearly players, coaches, executives, trainers, broadcasters and officials you see throughout the National Hockey League today. Generations of our great fans have cheered on future superstars, Stanley champions and Hockey Hall of Famers as they have come AHL.

On behalf of all of our teams, thank you for your continuing support of the AHL.

Sincerely,

Scott Howson President & CEO | American Hockey League

This season is sure to be another memorable one, from the excitement of opening night to the pageantry of the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose to the thrills and emotion of the Calder Playoffs.

On behalf of all of our teams, thank you for your continuing the AHL.

Sincerely,

A TRADITION OF

BY THE NUMBERS

87.2%

Percentage of all NHL players in 2022-23 who were graduates of the AHL

924

Former AHL players who skated in the NHL last season

THE BEGINNINGS

Embarking on its 88th season of play in 2023-24, the American Hockey League is continuing a tradition of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League joined with the International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL. Eight teams hit the ice that first season, representing Buffalo, Cleveland, New

Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse.

Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental in the forming of this new league, and his name would be given to its championship trophy. The first Calder Cup was won by the Syracuse Stars in 1937; the Hershey

Bears captured their league-best 12th championship last spring.

From those roots, the American Hockey League has grown into a 32-team, coast-to-coast league that provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockey while preparing thousands of players, coaches, officials, executives, trainers, broadcasters and more for careers in the NHL.

375

AHL players who also played in the NHL in 2022-23

238

Former 1st- and 2ndround NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL in 2022-23

L. TO R.: AHL GRADUATES MIKKO RANTANEN

IGOR SHESTERKIN

TAGE THOMPSON

JASON ROBERTSON

LINUS ULLMARK

THE PLAYERS

In today’s National Hockey League nearly 90 percent of the players are AHL alumni, including 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark , Norris Trophy recipient Erik Karlsson and Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron . The 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights were stocked with AHL graduates including captain Mark Stone, goaltender Adin Hill and three-time AHL All-Star and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault

During the 2022-23 season, a total of 924 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey League. There were 375 players who skated in both leagues last year alone, and 238 former first- and second-round NHL draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including Simon Nemec , David Jiricek , Jiri Kulich , Lukas Reichel, William Eklund , Jesper Wallstedt , Thomas Harley and Calder Cup champions Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre.

THE LEGENDS

For nearly nine decades, the American Hockey League has been home to some of the greatest players in the history of our sport. In fact, there are 130 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame who have been affiliated with the AHL during their careers All-time greats from Milt Schmidt and Gump Worsley to Roberto Luongo and Martin St. Louis came through the AHL ranks and now find themselves enshrined in Toronto, and the coveted Calder Cup is inscribed with the names of legendary AHL alumni like Johnny Bower, Larry Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile Francis, Patrick Roy, Doug Harvey and Billy Smith

THE COACHES

At the start of the 2023-24 season, the National Hockey League featured 22 head coaches who were former AHL bench bosses, including Bruce Cassidy of the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and newcomers Greg Cronin of the Anaheim Ducks, Ryan Huska of the Calgary Flames and Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals.

Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, Toronto’s Sheldon Keefe, Minnesota’s Dean Evason, Edmonton’s Jay Woodcroft and Detroit’s Derek Lalonde are also among the current NHL coaches who spent time in the American Hockey League before making the jump.

JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT

3-TIME AHL ALL-STAR

2023 STANLEY CUP CHAMPION

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.

AHL DIRECTORY EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION:

Bridgeport, Charlotte, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

NORTH DIVISION:

Belleville, Cleveland, Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica

BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS

NHL Affiliation:.......................... New York Islanders

Home Ice: Total Mortgage Arena (8,412)

General Manager: Chris Lamoriello

Head Coach: ......................................Rick Kowalsky

Entered AHL: ..............................................2001-02

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 10 of 20

2022-23 Record: ..................34-30-7-1, 76 pts./.528

Website: ........................... bridgeportislanders.com

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

NHL Affiliation:.............................. Florida Panthers

Home Ice: Bojangles’ Coliseum (8,500)

General Manager: Gregory Campbell

Head Coach: .................................. Geordie Kinnear

Entered AHL: ..............................................2010-11

Calder Cups: One (2019)

Seasons in Playoffs: ...................................... 7 of 11

2022-23 Record: ..................39-25-5-3, 86 pts./.597

Website: .............................. charlottecheckers.com

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

NHL Affiliation:........................... New York Rangers

Home Ice: XL Center (15,635)

General Manager: ............................... Ryan Martin

Interim Head Coach:............................. Steve Smith

Entered AHL: ..............................................1997-98

Calder Cups: One (2000)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 16 of 24

2022-23 Record: ..................35-26-4-7, 81 pts./.563

Website: .............................. hartfordwolfpack.com

HERSHEY BEARS

NHL Affiliation:....................... Washington Capitals

Home Ice: Giant Center (10,500)

GENERAL MANAGER:.......................... Bryan Helmer

Head Coach: .........................................Todd Nelson

Entered AHL: ..............................................1938-39

Calder Cups: 12 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2023)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 70 of 83

2022-23 Record: ..................44-19-5-4, 97 pts./.674

Website: hersheybears.com

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS

NHL Affiliation:.......................... Philadelphia Flyers

Home Ice: ...................................PPL Center (8,420)

General Manager: Chuck Fletcher

Head Coach: ......................................Ian Laperriere

Entered AHL: . 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms)

Calder Cups: .................................Two (1998, 2005)

Seasons in Playoffs: 13 of 25

2022-23 Record: ..................37-29-3-3, 80 pts./.556

Website: ............................... phantomshockey.com

PROVIDENCE BRUINS

NHL Affiliation:.................................. Boston Bruins

Home Ice:Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,273)

General Manager: ................................... Evan Gold

Head Coach: Ryan Mougenel

Entered AHL: ..............................................1992-93

Calder Cups: .......................................... One (1999)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 24 of 29

2022-23 Record: 44-18-8-2, 98 pts./.681

Website: ...............................providencebruins.com

SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS

NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues

Home Ice: ..................... MassMutual Center (6,793)

General Manager: ............................Kevin Maxwell

Interim Head Coach:........................ Daniel Tkaczuk

Entered AHL: 2016-17

Calder Cups: ................................................... None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 2 of 5

2022-23 Record: 38-26-3-5, 84 pts./.583

Website: springfieldthunderbirds.com

WILKES-BARRE/ SCRANTON PENGUINS

NHL Affiliation:........................Pittsburgh Penguins

Home Ice: ................................Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (7,500)

GENERAL MANAGER:............................. Erik Heasley

Head Coach: ...........................................J.D. Forrest

Entered AHL: 1999-00

Calder Cups: ................................................... None

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 18 of 22

2022-23 Record: ..................26-32-8-6, 66 pts./.458

Website: wbspenguins.com

2023-24

BELLEVILLE SENATORS

NHL Affiliation:..............................Ottawa Senators

Home Ice: CAA Arena (4,400)

General Manager: ............................ Ryan Bowness

Head Coach: ............................................ David Bell

Entered AHL: ..............................................2017-18

Calder Cups: None

Seasons In Playoffs:........................................ 1 of 4

2022-23 Record: ..................31-31-6-4, 72 pts./.500

Website: ..................................... bellevillesens.com

ROCHESTER AMERICANS

NHL Affiliation: Buffalo Sabres

Home Ice: ...................................... Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial (10,662)

General Manager: ......................... Jason Karmanos

Head Coach: Seth Appert

Entered AHL: ..............................................1956-57

Calder Cups: ......................... Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996)

Seasons in Playoffs: 48 of 65

2022-23 Record: ..................36-27-6-3, 81 pts./.563

Website: .............................................. amerks.com

CLEVELAND MONSTERS

NHL Affiliation:.................... Columbus Blue Jackets

Home Ice: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (18,277/9,447 lower bowl)

General Manager: .................................. Chris Clark

Head Coach: .................................Trent Vogelhuber

Entered AHL: 2007-08 (as Lake Erie Monsters)

Calder Cups: .......................................... One (2016)

Seasons in Playoffs: ...................................... 3 of 14

2022-23 Record: ..................33-32-5-2, 73 pts./.507

Website: clevelandmonsters.com

LAVAL ROCKET

NHL Affiliation:........................ Montreal Canadiens

Home Ice: Place Bell (10,043)

General Manager: ...............................Kent Hughes

Head Coach: ............................ Jean-Francois Houle

Entered AHL: ..............................................2017-18

Calder Cups: None

Seasons In Playoffs:........................................ 2 of 4

2022-23 Record: ..................33-29-7-3, 76 pts./.528

Website: ......................................... rocketlaval.com

THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP

SYRACUSE CRUNCH

NHL Affiliation: Tampa Bay Lightning

Home Ice: ........Upstate Medical University Arena at Onondaga County War Memorial (6,110)

General Manager: .................................Stacy Roest

Head Coach: Joel Bouchard

Entered AHL: ..............................................1994-95

Calder Cups: ................................................... None

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 17 of 27

2022-23 Record: 35-26-7-4, 81 pts./.563

Website: .................................. syracusecrunch.com

A total of 23 teams will qualify for the AHL’s 2024 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 Atlantic Division, the top five finishers each in the seven-team North and Central Divisions, and the top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division.

TORONTO MARLIES

NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs

Home Ice: ..................... Coca-Cola Coliseum (7,851)

General Manager: .................................Ryan Hardy

Head Coach: ........................................ John Gruden

Entered AHL: 2005-06

Calder Cups: .......................................... One (2018)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 12 of 16

2022-23 Record: 42-24-4-2, 90 pts./.625

Website: marlies.ca

UTICA COMETS

NHL Affiliation: New Jersey Devils

Home Ice: ................ Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,917)

General Manager: .......................... Dan MacKinnon

Head Coach: Kevin Dineen

Entered AHL: ..............................................2013-14

Calder Cups: ................................................... None

Seasons in Playoffs: 5 of 8

2022-23 Record: 35-27-6-4, 80 pts./.556

Website: ....................................... uticacomets.com

First Round matchups will be best-ofthree series. The two highest seeds in the Atlantic, the three highest seeds in each of the North and Central, and the first-place 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 best-ofseven Conference Finals and a best-ofseven Calder Cup Finals.

AHL DIRECTORY

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

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS

NHL Affiliation:.......................... Vancouver Canucks

Home Ice: ....................... Abbotsford Centre (7,073)

General Manager: Ryan Johnson

Head Coach: ....................................Jeremy Colliton

Entered AHL: ..............................................2021-22

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 2 of 2

2022-23 Record: ..................40-25-3-4, 87 pts./.604

Website: ........................... abbotsford.canucks.com

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

NHL Affiliation:..............................Edmonton Oilers

Home Ice: ................ Mechanics Bank Arena (8,751)

General Manager: Keith Gretzky

Head Coach: ........................................ Colin Chaulk

Entered AHL: ..............................................2015-16

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 3 of 6

2022-23 Record: ..................37-31-2-2, 78 pts./.542

Website: ............................ bakersfieldcondors.com

CALGARY WRANGLERS

NHL Affiliation:................................ Calgary Flames

Home Ice: Scotiabank Saddledome (19,289)

General Manager: ................................ Brad Pascall

Head Coach: ............................................. Trent Cull

Entered AHL: 2022-23

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 1 of 1

2022-23 Record: ................51-17-3-1, 106 pts./.736

Website: calgarywranglers.com

COACHELLA VALLEY FIREBIRDS

NHL Affiliation:.................................Seattle Kraken

Home Ice: Acrisure Arena (10,100)

Asst. General Manager: ........................Ricky Olczyk

Head Coach: ......................................... Dan Bylsma

Entered AHL: 2022-23

Calder Cups: None

COLORADO EAGLES

NHL Affiliation:......................... Colorado Avalanche

Home Ice: Budweiser Events Center (5,073)

General Manager: ......................... Kevin McDonald

Head Coach: .............................. Aaron Schneekloth

Entered AHL: 2018-19

ONTARIO REIGN

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 1 of 1

2022-23 Record: ................48-17-5-2, 103 pts./.715

Website: cvfirebirds.com

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 3 of 3

2022-23 Record: ..................40-22-7-3, 90 pts./.625

SAN DIEGO GULLS

Website: coloradoeagles.com

HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS

NHL Affiliation:......................Vegas Golden Knights

Home Ice: ................ The Dollar Loan Center (5,567)

General Manager: Tim Speltz

Head Coach: ........................................... Ryan Craig

Entered AHL: ..............................................2020-21

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: 1 of 2

2022-23 Record: ..................29-38-0-5, 63 pts./.438

Website: ..................... hendersonsilverknights.com

ONTARIO REIGN

NHL Affiliation:............................ Los Angeles Kings

Home Ice: ............................... Toyota Arena (9,491)

General Manager: Richard Seeley

Head Coach: ........................................Marco Sturm

Entered AHL: ..............................................2015-16

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: 5 of 6

2022-23 Record: ..................34-32-5-1, 74 pts./.514

Website: ...................................... ontarioreign.com

SAN DIEGO GULLS

NHL Affiliation:............................... Anaheim Ducks

Home Ice: ........Pechanga Arena San Diego (12,920)

General Manager: Rob DiMaio

Head Coach: ..................................... Matt McIlvane

Entered AHL: ..............................................2015-16

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: 4 of 6

2022-23 Record: ..................20-49-2-1, 43 pts./.299

Website: .................................... sandiegogulls.com

2023-24

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: ........................................ 4 of 6

2022-23 Record: 31-34-2-5, 69 pts./.479

Website: ........................................sjbarracuda.com

TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

NHL Affiliation: Arizona Coyotes

Home Ice: ............................... Tucson Arena (6,521)

General Manager: ............................ John Ferguson

Head Coach: Steve Potvin

Entered AHL: ..............................................2016-17

Calder Cups: ................................................... None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 2 of 5

2022-23 Record: 30-33-8-1, 69 pts./.479

Website: ............................ tucsonroadrunners.com

CHICAGO WOLVES

NHL Affiliation:............................................... None

Home Ice: Allstate Arena (16,692)

General Manager: ........................... Wendell Young

Head Coach: ....................................... Bob Nardella

Entered AHL: 2001-02

Calder Cups: Three (2002, 2008, 2022)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 14 of 20

2022-23 Record: ..................35-29-5-3, 78 pts./.542

Website: chicagowolves.com

IOWA WILD

NHL Affiliation:............................... Minnesota Wild

Home Ice: Wells Fargo Arena (8,356)

General Manager: .......................... Michael Murray

Head Coach: ....................................... Brett McLean

Entered AHL: 2013-14

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: ........................................ 2 of 8

2022-23 Record: ..................34-27-6-5, 79 pts./.549

Website: iowawild.com

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

NHL Affiliation: Detroit Red Wings

Home Ice: ........................Van Andel Arena (10,834)

General Manager: ............................Shawn Horcoff

Head Coach: Dan Watson

Entered AHL: ..............................................2001-02

Calder Cups: .................................Two (2013, 2017)

Seasons in Playoffs: .................................... 13 of 20

2022-23 Record: 28-36-4-4, 64 pts./.444

Website: .................................... griffinshockey.com

MANITOBA MOOSE

NHL Affiliation:..................................Winnipeg Jets

Home Ice: Canada Life Centre (7,808)

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: .................................... 12 of 16

2022-23 Record: 37-25-6-4, 84 pts./.583

Website: .....................................moosehockey.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: 17 of 20

2022-23 Record: ..................41-24-5-2, 89 pts./.618

Website: ...........................milwaukeeadmirals.com

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

NHL Affiliation:........................ Chicago Blackhawks

Home Ice: .............. BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895)

General Manager: Mark Bernard

Head Coach: ................................. Anders Sorensen

Entered AHL: ..............................................2007-08

Calder Cups: None

Seasons in Playoffs: 8 of 14

2022-23 Record: ..................35-28-5-4, 79 pts./.549

Website: .............................................. icehogs.com

TEXAS STARS

NHL Affiliation:......................................Dallas Stars

Home Ice: .......... H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (6,779)

General Manager: Scott White

Head Coach: ........................................ Neil Graham

Entered AHL: ..............................................2009-10

Calder Cups: One (2014)

Seasons in Playoffs: 9 of 12

2022-23 Record: ..................40-20-9-3, 92 pts./.639

Website: .......................................... texasstars.com

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 19

DETROIT RED WINGS

TDylan Larkin is leading the resurgence in Hockeytown. Now in their second season under head coach Derek Lalonde, the Red Wings boast a wealth of prospects and made several key offseason roster additions that have them poised for a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

TOP AFFILIATE: Grand Rapids Griffins • 22nd 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

EXECUTIVE VP/GENERAL MANAGER: Steve Yzerman

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS: Shawn Horcoff, Kris Draper

COACHING STAFF

HEAD COACH: Derek Lalonde

ASSISTANT COACHES: Bob Boughner, Alex Tanguay, Jay Varady

GOALTENDING COACH: Alex Westlund

VIDEO COORDINATOR: L J Scarpace

ASSISTANT VIDEO COORDINATOR: Jeff Weintraub

GRIFFINS WHO HAVE EARNED THEIR WINGS

Justin Abdelkader 2008-09

Adam Almquist 2013-14

Joakim Andersson 2011-12

Zach Aston-Reese 2023-24

Andreas Athanasiou 2015-16

Sean Avery 2002-03

Riley Barber 2021-22

Ryan Barnes 2003-04

Jonatan Berggren 2022-23

Tyler Bertuzzi 2016-17

Patrick Boileau 2002-03

Darryl Bootland 2003-04

Madison Bowey 2019-20

Mathias Brome 2020-21

Fabian Brunnstrom 2011-12

Mitch Callahan 2013-14

Jake Chelios 2018-19

Alex Chiasson 2022-23

Dennis Cholowski 2018-19

Ty Conklin 2011-12

Chris Conner 2011-12

Jared Coreau 2016-17

Kyle Criscuolo 2021-22

Austin Czarnik 2022-23

Danny DeKeyser 2013-14

Aaron Downey 2008-09

Patrick Eaves 2013-14

Simon Edvinsson 2022-23

Christoffer Ehn 2018-19

Matt Ellis 2006-07

Turner Elson 2021-22

Cory Emmerton 2010-11

Jonathan Ericsson 2007-08

Adam Erne 2022-23

Landon Ferraro 2013-14

Valtteri Filppula 2005-06

Martin Frk 2017-18

Luke Glendening 2013-14

Mark Hartigan 2007-08

Darren Helm 2007-08

Joe Hicketts 2017-18

Taro Hirose 2019-20

Jimmy Howard 2005-06

Filip Hronek 2018-19

Jiri Hudler 2003-04

Matt Hussey 2006-07

Michael Hutchinson 2023-24

Doug Janik 2009-10

Nick Jensen 2016-17

Tomas Jurco 2013-14

Jakub Kindl 2009-10

Tomas Kopecky 2005-06

Niklas Kronwall 2003-04

Marc Lamothe 2003-04

Josh Langfeld 2006-07

Dylan Larkin 2015-16

Brian Lashoff 2012-13

Brett Lebda 2005-06

Ville Leino 2008-09

Gustav Lindstrom 2019-20

Matt Lorito 2016-17

Matt Luff 2022-23

Joey MacDonald 2006-07

Donald MacLean 2005-06

Anthony Mantha 2015-16

Alexey Marchenko 2013-14

Darren McCarty 2007-08

Tom McCollum 2010-11

Dylan McIlrath 2018-19

Derek Meech 2006-07

Wade Megan 2018-19

Drew Miller 2016-17

Kevin Miller 2003-04

Mark Mowers 2003-04

Petr Mrazek 2012-13

Jan Mursak 2010-11

Anders Myrvold 2003-04

Alex Nedeljkovic 2022-23

Andrej Nestrasil 2014-15

Kris Newbury 2009-10

Tomas Nosek 2015-16

Gustav Nyquist 2011-12

Xavier Ouellet 2013-14

Chase Pearson 2021-22

Calvin Pickard 2019-20

Matt Puempel 2018-19

Teemu Pulkkinen 2013-14

Kyle Quincey 2005-06

Michael Rasmussen 2018-19

Dan Renouf 2016-17

Mattias Ritola 2007-08

Jamie Rivers 2003-04

Nathan Robinson 2003-04

Stacy Roest 2002-03

Robbie Russo 2016-17

Moritz Seider 2021-22

Riley Sheahan 2011-12

Brendan Smith 2011-12

Givani Smith 2019-20

Elmer Soderblom 2022-23

Ryan Sproul 2013-14

Garrett Stafford 2007-08

Ben Street 2016-17

Libor Sulak 2018-19

Evgeny Svechnikov 2016-17

Eric Tangradi 2015-16

Tomas Tatar 2010-11

Jordin Tootoo 2013-14

Dominic Turgeon 2017-18

Joe Veleno 2020-21

Jakub Vrana 2022-23

Jason Williams 2002-03

Luke Witkowski 2021-22

Filip Zadina 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), Magnus Hellberg (2022-23) and Ville Husso (2023-24).

Photo credit: Getty Images

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 2023-24

MARCH 15

12th Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/Purple Jersey Auction

MARCH 27

Winning Wednesday presented by Michigan First Credit Union

APRIL 3

Winning Wednesday presented by Michigan First Credit Union

MARCH 16

Star Wars Night presented by DTE/Character Appearances/8 p.m. Start

APRIL 5

Griffins’ Annual Team Equipment Sale

APRIL 12

HOPE Network Night presented by HOPE Network/ HOPE Network Jersey Auction

APRIL 21

Fan Appreciation Night presented by Huntington Bank/Mystery Bag Giveaway/5 p.m. Start

WEEK OF APRIL 21

2024 Calder Cup Playoffs begin, with $2 beers and $2 hot dogs during every home playoff game. All playoff games on 96.1 The Game.

PROMOTIONS

Be sure to make note of these promotions occurring regularly throughout the season! Take advantage of cheap beer and dogs, free tickets, military and student discounts and more!

$2 BEERS AND $2 HOT DOGS

Every Friday, enjoy $2 domestic drafts and $2 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., at select stands while supplies last.

MILITARY NIGHTS

Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level Faceoff or Crease tickets for $13 each, four Upper Level Center Ice tickets for $16 each, or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $20 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers.

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.

FRIENDS & FAMILY 4-PACKS

These packs are available for all Saturday games during the 2023-24 season and include four or more game tickets, and $20 or more in concession cash. Visit griffinshockey.com/tickets or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.

SUNDAY IS FUN DAY

For all Sunday games except for New Year’s Eve, enjoy $1 small Pepsi drinks and $1 small ice cream cups from 4-6 p.m.

WINNING WEDNESDAYS

Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, 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 item (excluding jerseys). One discount per person present.

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 $17 (regularly $23), an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $20 (regularly $26), or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $24 (regularly $29). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

POST-GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Select players will sign autographs from the Griffins’ bench after the game on April 21.

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 #2 March 27 and April 3.

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 40 people, with La-Z-Boy chairs and an array of unprecedented amenities. Call (616) 744-4585 ext. 4.

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 $13, an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $16, or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $20. Limit one ticket per ID if purchasing in-person. Visit griffinshockey.com/tickets to purchase College Night tickets and sign up for text alerts.

TECHNOLOGY AUTOMATION IMAGING

Marco Kasper is following the advice of his Austrian defenseman dad in hopes of making his country proud.

IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS

Story and photos by Mark Newman

There are no guarantees in life, but Marco Kasper becoming a hockey player might have seemed like a foregone conclusion.

His father, Peter, had a long career in professional hockey in Austria before becoming a successful lawyer and agent. A reliable defenseman, he established himself in his hometown of Klagenfurt before playing for the top teams in Innsbruck, Vienna and Salzburg.

At age 24, his father spent one season in North America, playing for the Florida Everblades in the ECHL. His career was most distinguished by representing Austria in several international tournaments, including the 2000, 2001 and 2003 World Championships and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Thanks to his father’s connections, it’s no surprise that Kasper was at the rink at a very young age.

“I think the first time I was on the ice was when my dad played in Salzburg,” he said. “I don’t remember, but I guess I was only two and a half when I first stepped on the ice – not skating, just standing there – at least that’s the story I know.”

Kasper tried playing other sports growing up, but hockey was clearly his chosen sport.

“I played soccer, too,” he said. “I also went downhill skiing a lot. I was pretty good, but I don’t think my parents wanted me to do it because the insurance is high, it’s not good for your knees, and all that stuff. I

Kasper was credited with the game-winning goal when the Griffins ended Milwaukee’s 19-game winning streak, the second-longest in AHL history.

also got into tennis with one of my best friends. His dad was a tennis instructor, so we were playing a lot of tennis. But, for me, it was mainly hockey and soccer.”

When his father finished playing, Kasper moved back with his parents to their hometown of Klagenfurt, the capital city of the southern Austrian province of Carinthia that is located on the eastern shore of Wörthersee, one of the warmest Alpine lakes where visitors enjoy swimming, boating, sunbathing and hiking.

Kasper’s focus, however, was on water of the frozen variety. His father was a familiar presence at the rink during his youth playing days. “He’s really important for me in my hockey career but also my personal life,” he said. “I’m really close to my parents and my family [Kasper has two younger sisters, ages 17 and 13] and, in the beginning, my dad was always helping out. Back at home, we were always talking a lot of hockey.”

His father didn’t talk too much about his time in Florida – “He said he got to play a lot of golf, but the bus trips were kind of rough,” Kasper recalled – but his dad was especially proud that he got the chance to represent Austria in the Olympics.

“He told me a little bit about it – like it’s a cool experience getting to play for your country,” Kasper said. “I know my dad played a lot of games for the national team and that’s something I want to do as well. Whenever I get the chance to represent the country, it’s

awesome. Being able to wear the crest of the country is special and to go out there with all the guys from my country is really fun.”

Kasper said he started getting really serious about what would become his chosen profession in his early teens, but not before he managed to demonstrate his acting chops with a role in the film, “Harri Pinter, Drecksau,” a romantic comedy about a ne’er-do-well ice hockey coach that was filmed in Klagenfurt.

“I think I was 12 or 13 and they were looking for players from the junior teams to play hockey players in the movie,” he said. “Me and a couple of friends decided to try out and I got the role. I had a couple of sentences to say, but they cut most of it. We were filming for a couple of weeks and it was a fun experience. The money was pretty good, too, at least for a kid.”

Hollywood, however, will have to wait. At age 15, Kasper got to play a couple of games in the second-tier Austrian league, then saw action in the World Juniors as a 16-year-old. “I saw how good all those guys were and I started thinking that if I worked really hard, I could get up to their level,” he said.

Kasper was thinking about coming to North America to play junior hockey in Canada when COVID-19 put that notion to rest. Instead, he chose to pack his bags for Sweden, which had decided to allow hockey to be played despite the pandemic.

“Both my mom and dad came with me the first couple of weeks,” said Kasper, who quickly learned enough Swedish to survive on his own. “I was only 16, so they helped move all my stuff and helped me settle in. I was going to be living alone, so my mom wrote a cookbook of things I could make myself. I’m okay at cooking. I ate a lot of pasta, but chicken or a steak sometimes, too.”

He was playing for Rögle BK in Ängelholm, a Swedish town that is a lot closer to Copenhagen, Denmark, than it is to Stockholm. The pace of the hockey was eye-opening. “My first few practices were like a different speed. I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ They were skating way more, so I had to adjust. The first few weeks were tough and then I got injured. It was a tough transition.”

Kasper saw action in 10 games with Rögle BK during 2020-21 when the team’s roster included Moritz Seider, who was on loan to the club for the balance of the season when the AHL and NHL delayed re-opening their respective leagues. “You could see how good he was going to be,” Kasper recalled. “He was so tough to play against in practice and it was awesome seeing him develop his game up close.”

Kasper returned to Rögle BK for the 2021-22 season and began to establish himself as one of the top young prospects in the game. As a 17-year-old playing

Kasper was drafted by the Red Wings with the eighth overall pick in 2022.

Kasper enjoyed a 10-game stretch right after Christmas where he tallied 11 points (4-7–11).

against men sometimes a decade or more older, Kasper notched seven goals and four assists in 46 games. One of his teammates was current Griffins defenseman William Wallinder, who had been drafted by Detroit two years earlier.

Following his second season in Sweden, Kasper said he had no clue which team might pick him in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

“I had a lot of interviews at the NHL Combine and had interviews in Sweden before the draft as well,” he said. “I had no idea at all which team might draft me, but when I heard my name called by Steve Yzerman, it was really special.”

The Red Wings selected Kasper with the eighth overall pick.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a great franchise with a lot of history, so it was really cool to go through the draft process and end up here. It was exciting, but I also know that the work is just starting and I will have to work hard, so hopefully I can be good enough when the time comes.”

Kasper says he continues to draw on the advice that his father has imparted over the years. While his father did his best to be encouraging, he also pushed Kasper more because he knew how good his son was capable of becoming.

“Whenever I played bad, he would be harder on me than my teammates,” he said. “It’s tough sometimes

when your dad is the coach, but in the end, it’s a good thing, because he only wants the best for me. He pushed me hard, but I think that’s good.”

Kasper admits that he did not exactly follow in his father’s footsteps. “He’s a righty and played defense; I’m a lefty and always played forward,” he said, noting that there was parental pressure to polish his two-way play at a time when others his age could only think about scoring.

“Growing up, it was a lot about how you should have fun at the game,” he said. “But we also talked a lot about the importance of hard work.” And if there was one specific thing that was drilled into his head, it was this: “Keep your feet moving. You’ve got to skate. That’s one of the most important things I can remember.”

Kasper doubled his point production during his third season in Sweden, tallying eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 52 games. He figured he was going to come to Grand Rapids after the end of the Swedish Hockey League season a year ago. Instead, the Red Wings surprised him by telling him to join the team in Detroit.

He made his NHL debut in Toronto on April 2, 2023, registering three hits and one shot during 14:59 of ice time in a 5-2 victory. It was a solid performance considering he played most of the game with one good leg.

“Of course, I was nervous,” he said. “I was just trying

Kasper had his first multi-goal game on Jan. 20 when he scored twice during a 4-3 Griffins win in Manitoba.

to tell myself it’s still hockey, only way faster. ‘Just go out there and have fun.’ That’s what I told myself. And it was a really cool experience.

“But I got injured in the first period. I slid into the boards and I broke my kneecap. I thought it was just a bruise but it was worse, unfortunately. Still, it was a good experience to see how it is up there so you want to work to get back there.”

Kasper knew things would not be easy. At age 19, he knew he would likely spend time in Grand Rapids before he got a chance again to play in Detroit. And he struggled early this season, recording only one goal in his first 19 games in a Griffins jersey.

“It’s an adjustment for European players coming here,” he said. “With the smaller ice here, everything is tighter. There are harder battles, so I was learning to go to the net quicker and not just pass on the outside.

“The coaches did a good job with video, showing me stuff in the beginning. I kept working hard in practice, competing in games by going to the net and doing the easy things right. I knew it would come.”

In mid-January, Kasper felt like he turned a corner during back-to-back weekend games in Manitoba. He scored the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory over the Moose, then added two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win the following night. For his efforts in helping the Griffins rally from a three-goal deficit each night, he was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of

Kasper is a physical, two-way center who is strong in the corners and isn’t afraid to go hard to the net.

the Week for the period ending Jan. 21.

“I feel the team is playing really good hockey, so I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my teammates,” he said. “We’ve been figuring out how to play as a team. Sometimes the puck goes in, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s important to keep working with your teammates and try to be the best every day.”

Kasper calls his mom and sisters almost every day, but his first call is always with his dad, who will offer feedback after watching the games remotely. “He’s still preaching to keep skating,” he said. “Whenever I play good, I usually move my feet a lot. He’s usually hard on me but when I’m playing good, he’ll say, ‘You had a good game.’”

Kasper is encouraged that he is making progress in polishing his play. “When I am playing good, I think I’m moving my feet, playing responsibly, being good defensively, winning my battles, and just making the right plays,” he said.

His confidence is building and he feels he is starting to settle into his role with the Griffins. “It’s a really good town and organization,” he said. “We work hard every day in practice and we’re playing good hockey. Right now I’m focused on where I am, focused on defense, and trying to win every game.

“I know if I’m good enough, I’m going to get another shot up there.” And that, more than likely, is a foregone conclusion.

The NHL veteran looks to make the right connections while helping the Griffins reach the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019.

SIX

DEGREES OF ZACH

ASTON-REESE

Story and photos by Mark Newman

It’s often said that the hockey world is small, that you can find connections anywhere; sort of the sport’s version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, which is based on the notion that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else if you look.

It’s a concept familiar to most New Yorkers, who know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody else. With 8.8 million people spread across the city’s five boroughs, the notion that no man is an island is evident every day.

Zach Aston-Reese grew up on Staten Island, the smallest of New York’s boroughs, and he frequently traveled past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with the huddled masses on the Staten Island Ferry with his father, William, who worked in financial services.

“My dad worked in the city while I went to high school in Jersey City,” Aston-Reese recalled. “So when I was in high school, I’d take the ferry with my dad in the morning. We’d take the subway up to the World Trade Center and then I would get on the PATH train to Exchange Place in Jersey City and walk to school from there.”

By his teens, Zach was already used to navigating the city on his own. His parents had instilled an independent streak in their kids and all three were smart enough to fend for themselves.

His mom, Carolyn, had started a custom embroidery business called Wicked Stitches with her friend, Nancy Nix, when Zach was still a pre-teen and already busy with a Staten Island Advance paper route that he started when he was in the fifth grade. He also was already consumed by the sport of hockey.

“I played in a house league on Staten Island, but sometimes I played in the city at Chelsea Piers,” he said. “When I started playing travel hockey, it was mainly on Staten Island.”

Zach became obsessed with hockey when his brother, William, who was four years older, started playing the sport.

“Everything he did, I wanted to do,” he said of his brother, who is now a teacher, as is their sister. “Whenever he practiced, I was always at the rink when I was little with a stick and a tennis ball, asking my parents for a dollar so I could get something from the candy machine.

“My brother was definitely someone I looked up to as a kid, and I always wanted to be like him and be better than him at whatever he did.”

William played hockey at Wagner College on Staten Island, but Zach had his sights set farther afield. At age 15, he started playing Junior B for the New Jersey Rockets. “We practiced out of the Devils’ practice rink at the Prudential Center and

Aston-Reese brings a wealth of experience to the Griffins’ lineup, having played 307 NHL games before this season.

I started doing off-ice workouts there all the time. I remember thinking at the time, ‘Wow, it would be so cool to be a pro.’”

That’s when Zach experienced his own Six Degrees moment.

“My second year there, I moved to Junior A and my coach in New Jersey was always looking to send guys to the USHL, OHL, or Team USA, so he had a lot of connections,” he said. “It’s hilarious because I went to Lincoln in the USHL because one of their players threw his helmet at somebody and got suspended. They needed a guy and I was that guy.”

The suspended player? Griffins veteran Dominik Shine.

“So I went, and I think I scored on my first or second shift, then had a couple of good games, and they just kept me. And there was no looking back from there. I think I was ready for it. I did hockey camps when I was younger, so I was totally good with being independent, being on my own, and all that good stuff.”

Aston-Reese spent two-and-a-half years in Lincoln before enrolling at Northeastern University. “I had committed to Brown, but my relationship there was with Jerry Keefe, who ended up going to Northeastern, where he is now the head coach,” he said.

He was smart enough to be recruited by Brown University, an Ivy League school, but he knew switching to Northeastern was the intelligent decision. “Brown doesn’t give out athletic scholarships so my grades didn’t get me any money, unfortunately,” he said. “I visited Northeastern in the summer with my mom and I couldn’t have fallen more in love with the campus.”

Northeastern is located in the center of Boston. You would be wrong to assume that moving to the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would be no big deal for a kid from Staten Island, since he was coming to Beantown from Lincoln, not New York City.

“Going from the country life in Nebraska to Boston was very hard,” he said. “Life in Lincoln was great, everything had slowed down for me. It was just a different lifestyle, like you could stop and smell the roses.”

He admits that he had second thoughts. “I remember I had a call with my dad, probably two weeks into being in Boston. I said, ‘This is so hard here.’ And he was like, ‘Put on your big boy pants – this is where you’re at.’ And then I had a good cry and never turned back.”

Aston-Reese blossomed in Boston. During his junior year, the Huskies won the Hockey

East Tournament championship. In his final year, 2016-17, he was named to the Hockey East First All-Star Team, a First Team All-American, and the Hockey East Player of the Year. He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award given annually to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.

“We had 11 players in our freshman class because the school was trying to make a big culture shift that year, so we had a tight, closeknit group of guys,” he said. “We lived in the dorms together, so it was like we were in our own little world. It was just a good experience.”

Pursuing a graphic design degree, AstonReese enrolled in summer semesters to fulfill all his college requirements while playing hockey. “My last year, I was able to get my art classes into one block so I could spend more time at the rink, and the extra workouts helped me get everything dialed in.

“We had a good strength coach, Dan Boothby, whose workouts weren’t easy. He pushed us very hard. You kinda dreaded his workouts where guys would be throwing up and stuff. There were a couple of times when my muscles wanted to stop working – I was on the verge of tears.”

As an undrafted player, he was free to sign wherever he wished. He ended up inking a contract with Pittsburgh because the Penguins organization had a good track record of developing players who were late-round draft picks or were undrafted out of college.

“They didn’t lie to me and say I was going to play in the NHL,” he said. “They said you’re going to learn how to play pro hockey the right way and that’s exactly what happened.”

He joined the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for the remainder of the 2016-17 season, then started the following year in the minors before making his NHL debut on Feb. 3, 2018 in New Jersey against the Devils.

“That was crazy – I almost wish it had been somewhere else,” he said. “My parents would have been able to go wherever, but there were so many other people there that it was a little hectic and unsettling. I almost would have rather had just my family there and everyone else watched on TV.”

Even so, parts of the game remain etched into his memory.

“I remember my first shift was the tail end of a power play, and I got the puck two feet away from the goalie. I just panicked and took a slapshot right into his glove. If I had just faked and gone to my backhand, I would have had an empty net.”

Aston-Reese signed with the Red Wings just before the start of this season.

Aston-Reese played a career-high 77 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.

Ten days later, he experienced redemption. He recorded his first two NHL goals in a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. Sidney Crosby, widely regarded as one of the greatest ice hockey players ever, assisted on both goals.

“I can’t say enough good things about Crosby, a world-class guy off the ice. Whether you’ve played 1,000 games or zero games, he’s very good at making you feel included, which goes a long way when a guy that good and well-known in hockey does something for a guy like myself.

“After the game, Crosby gave me his game stick and signed it, “First of many.” So I have that stick in my room with the stick that I scored the goals with, so that’s something cool that I’ll have forever.

“At the end of the COVID year, we went to Kiawah Island for a golf trip with the guys, and at the start of the next season, there was a piece of grass from the course we played, a pin and a group picture of all guys. It’s the little things that mean a lot.”

His first couple of years in Pittsburgh were tough, physically speaking. He aggravated a shoulder in practice, suffered a broken jaw in the playoffs, and then a broken hand the next season. He confesses he was starting to feel jinxed.

“I had some crazy injuries,” he said. “I had an oblique avulsion, which is where part of your oblique muscle detaches from your pelvis. I definitely threw myself a pity party at certain points.

“After a while, I realized I just had to put in more work. Instead of blaming everyone else, I had to figure out how to better myself –treatments, diet – to make sure it didn’t keep happening. I still indulge sometimes, but for the most part, I’m pretty dialed in. I still have the little bumps and bruises, but nothing that would sideline me like when I started.”

Aston-Reese finally was able to solidify his spot as a bottom-six forward by becoming a reliable player known for his defensive play and penalty kill abilities who was able to chip in the odd point at critical junctures.

His first playoff point, for example, was an assist on a goal by former Griffins forward Riley Sheahan in the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. “Sometimes it’s little plays that matter the most in the NHL,” he said. “Guys are more skilled and polished at the NHL level, that you make a mistake and those guys are going to make you pay.”

After a couple of years where he was up and down between the NHL and AHL, he stuck with the Penguins all of the 2019-20 and 2020-21

seasons. Having appeared in 52 games during the 2021-22 season, he was on pace to set a careerhigh for games played when he was shocked to learn that he was being dealt to Anaheim at the NHL trade deadline.

“I had just gotten home from a walk with my dog when a call came from the GM. My heart sank. ‘Hey, we’re going to trade you to Anaheim.’ I was shaking because it had never happened to me and Pittsburgh had been my home for the last five or six years.”

Even so, he was determined to make the most of the opportunity. “Anaheim didn’t have the greatest record, but they had a good group of guys and I had a great time. The atmosphere is different there, almost like [people] don’t care, but the California lifestyle is great.”

He started last season in Toronto’s training camp on a professional tryout, which was a new experience for him. “I had a good feeling that I’d be able to earn a spot there,” he said. “When I got there, the coach told me, ‘Every time you played us, you were a pain to play against, you play physical,’ so they kinda told me their expectations.”

Playing in a media center like Toronto, where the city has endured a 55-season championship drought, brings a certain amount of pressure, but Aston-Reese did his best to avoid the spotlight, keep his head down, and just play.

“Right away, guys like [Auston] Matthews, [Mitch] Marner, and [John] Tavares went out of their way to make me feel comfortable, so it wasn’t too hard of a transition. I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to be known as the loudmouth American.”

Aston-Reese ended up playing a career-high 77 games, contributing a career-high 10 goals even though he only saw about 10 minutes of ice time a night. He ignored the outside noise and kept his focus.

“I don’t have Twitter, so I don’t have to pay attention to the keyboard warriors who find their voice there. It’s something I learned in Pittsburgh. I knew if I had a bad game, I didn’t need to check my phone and see everyone telling me I had a bad game, too.

“In Toronto, there would be 15 people every day in the media scrums after practice. I kept my mouth shut and I tried to work hard, so they were nice to me. Luckily in the role I had, I did not have to deal with all that stuff.”

Playing on the Maple Leafs’ fourth line, Aston-Reese led the Toronto team in hits during the 2022-23 season. He would have liked to have stayed in Toronto another

season but the organization decided to go in a different direction.

At age 29, Aston-Reese was looking for an opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup contender, so he decided to go to the Carolina Hurricanes’ training camp on a professional tryout, as he had done in Toronto.

“I knew it would be risky,” he said. “There were a couple of other interested teams but Carolina’s been pretty dominant the last couple of years, so I was like, ‘I’m going to roll the dice. If I have a good camp and make the team, I have a better chance at the ultimate goal of any hockey player –to win the Stanley Cup.’

“I thought I had a good training camp, but, unfortunately, they had their roster already filled, and they don’t have an AHL team now, so it didn’t work out. But Detroit had a spot, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to wait around. I need work.’”

Now reunited in Grand Rapids with Shine, his old teammate and friend from Lincoln, AstonReese is making the most of the situation.

“I don’t think I’ll ever accept that this is where I’m going to be for the rest of my career, that it’s now my job to mentor the young guys, and this is where my story ends. Personally I won’t accept that, but I also want to be a good teammate.

“I know I’m an older guy with experience, so I have no problem being a guy who leads by example and shows the young guys how hard you have to work. I’ll try to pick them up when they’re going through something, whether it’s being a healthy scratch, not playing as much as they would like, or whatever.”

He admits that he struggled to find his place early in the season, when he had one goal in his first 14 games with the Griffins. “I don’t know if I was trying to do too much, or I was in a little bit of a mental pretzel. ‘Why am I not scoring goals right now?’ Maybe it was some voodoo. Maybe someone had a Griffins doll and they were just poking it.”

He is relieved that the team has finally found its footing and has been able to string together a number of wins. He knows the success of the team will help his goal of getting back up to the NHL. “I’m going to keep working to stay sharp,” he said. “If you think about other things too much, it’ll drive you crazy.

“Sometimes it’s just a numbers game and you’re the piece a team needs. For now, I’m doing my best to make the most of my situation here and be one of the pieces that helps this team win.”

Aston-Reese was a Hobey Baker Award finalist at Northeastern University.

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2023 - 24 GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS ROSTER

Forward

6-0, 204 lbs.

Born: 8/10/94

Staten Island, N.Y.

Forward

6-0, 198 lbs.

Born: 1/12/02

Sherbrooke, Que.

Forward

6-1, 180 lbs.

Born: 1/5/02

Highland Village, Texas

Forward

6-0, 190 lbs.

Born: 7/16/00

Enkoping, Sweden

6-3, 223 lbs.

Born: 4/8/93 Littleton, Colo.

Forward

5-10, 170 lbs.

Born: 6/30/96 Calgary, Alta.

Forward

6-6, 225

Born: 11/21/02 Hamilton, Ont.

6-6, 215 lbs.

Born: 2/5/03 Onsala, Sweden

6-3, 200 lbs

Born: 3/2/90 Barrie, Ont.

5-8, 170 lbs.

Born: 12/12/92

Washington Twp., Mich.

TIM

Forward

6-6, 218 lbs.

Born: 4/14/98 Cleveland, Ohio

6-0, 185 lbs.

Born: 1/4/01 Karlstad, Sweden

ZACH ASTON-REESE

JONATAN BERGGREN

SEBASTIAN COSSA Goaltender

AUSTIN CZARNIK

CROSS HANAS

TARO HIROSE

MICHAEL HUTCHINSON Goaltender

ALBERT JOHANSSON Defenseman

ALEX DOUCET

JOSIAH DIDIER Defenseman

SIMON EDVINSSON Defenseman

GETTINGER

47

33

27

77

26

from the biggest of the big, to the littlest of the little.

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MARCO KASPER

Forward

6-1, 183 lbs.

Born: 4/8/04

Innsbruck, Austria

MATT LUFF

Forward

6-3, 225 lbs.

Born: 5/5/97

Windsor, Ont.

6-1, 203 lbs.

Born: 5/28/95

West Dundee, Ill.

Forward

5-10, 175 lbs.

Born: 6/7/93

Detroit, Mich.

Forward

6-2, 210 lbs.

Born: 8/18/95

Brighton, Mich.

CARTER MAZUR

Forward

6-0, 175 lbs.

Born: 3/28/02

Jackson, Mich.

Forward

5-11, 181 lbs.

Born: 3/18/99

Prince Albert, Sask.

6-5, 205 lbs.

Born: 1/20/01

Pori, Finland

6-3, 190 lbs.

Born: 8/15/96 Farmington Hills, Mich.

6-1, 197 lbs.

Born: 3/27/00

Truro, N.S.

DOMINIK

Forward

5-11, 180 lbs.

Born: 4/18/93 Detroit, Mich.

6-1, 183 lbs.

Born: 4/3/02

Vantaa, Finland

Forward

5-11, 171 lbs.

Born: 6/5/03 Aurora, Ont.

6-4, 210 lbs.

Born: 12/9/97

Hugo, Minn.

Forward

6-8, 249 lbs.

Born: 7/5/01

Goteborg, Sweden

6-4, 190 lbs.

Born: 7/28/02

Solleftea, Sweden

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41

JARED McISAAC Defenseman

WYATT NEWPOWER Defenseman

BROGAN RAFFERTY Defenseman

RILEY SAWCHUK

SHINE

ELMER SODERBLOM

JOEL L’ESPERANCE

JOHN LETHEMON Goaltender

AMADEUS LOMBARDI

TYLER SPEZIA

ANTTI TUOMISTO Defenseman

EEMIL VIRO Defenseman

WILLIAM WALLINDER Defenseman

After playing 14 seasons in the Red Wings organization, Brian Lashoff has transitioned to a spot behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Griffins.

Photos

GOOD CAREER MOVE

Story by Mark Newman

by Nicolas Carrillo

If Brian Lashoff had followed his heart, he might still be playing.

His body, however, was telling him something different. As much as the longtime Grand Rapids defenseman and captain wanted to keep pulling on a Griffins jersey, he knew the time had come to commit his energies in a new direction.

“In my mind, I still love the game, still wanted to be around the game,” said Lashoff, whose 628 regular-season games in a Griffins uniform rank second only to Travis Richards (655). “I went through some pretty big injuries over the last couple years of my career. And I was dealing with some things at the end that weren’t allowing me to play at the level that I wanted and that I felt the team deserved out of me.”

Lashoff, who spent his entire 14-year professional hockey career with the Detroit Red Wings organization, tried his best to be honest with himself while evaluating his performance during what proved to be his final season. He knew the games had become more of a grind and it had become more difficult to excel at the sport he loved.

“I went into last year just kind of seeing how my body was going to hold up,” he said. “It continued to snowball down in a direction where I started to deal with more stuff more frequently, some past things even more frequently than I dealt with them the last year or two. By the time I got toward the end of the

Lashoff served as captain of the Griffins the past three seasons prior to becoming an assistant coach with the team.

season, I knew the direction I was heading.”

It didn’t help that the sport has continued to evolve in a way that favors speed and skill. “The pace has gotten faster,” he said. “It’s a different style of game now. In the past, a team’s bottom lines were filled with bigger, more physical types of players. That’s faded to the point where the game is a lot of pace built on speed. And I think it requires a different level of athlete to compete into your late 30s.”

Lashoff found himself having to work harder to compete.

“Near the end, I had a ‘new normal’ as far as what my body allowed me to do,” he said. “I needed to adjust to what I was able to do, which was different than what I could do in my 20s. And then there was a different pain level, too, on a day-to-day basis. I dealt with a lot of things toward the end that the trainers know about, for sure.”

Of course, Lashoff had been learning to adjust since he first came to Grand Rapids near the end of the 2008-09 season, following his junior years in the Ontario Hockey League.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, he still showed the offensive flashes that had distinguished his teenage years. Joining the Griffins, he quickly adjusted his style of play to become more of a stayat-home defenseman.

“I needed to adjust and, fortunately, I had some

good coaches,” Lashoff said, singling out former Griffins and Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill as one who had an impact early in his career. “Blash was one of those guys who helped me adjust my game to what would get me into the NHL or maybe be a more effective pro. As a young guy, I leaned into it and decided that’s what I would try to do. By accepting that role, it helped me, for sure.”

Lashoff would eventually appear in 136 NHL contests spread over seven seasons, including 201516 when he spent the entire campaign in Detroit and played 75 games in a Red Wings jersey. He is grateful that he was able to remain with the same organization for his entire pro career.

“It means everything to me,” he said. “I had opportunities to leave at different times, but it got to a point where I decided that what I was building here was more important than chasing another opportunity elsewhere. I’m glad I stuck here.”

Realizing that his playing days were likely coming to an end, the 33-year-old Lashoff reached out to family and friends for advice.

“Number one, I talked to my wife and my family,” he said. “My brother [Matt, four years older, who played for 15 different teams during his pro career] went through a similar situation, retiring, trying to figure out what he wanted to do when he was done.

“I also talked to guys I played with and talked to coaches who I played for. I thought about it a ton. I knew I wanted to stay in the game, but I also knew I

wanted to be in Grand Rapids or Detroit. I mean, it’s been a good situation for me for many years.”

Lashoff decided to transition to a different spot on the Griffins, becoming an assistant coach with fellow first-year AHL assistant Stephane Julien on the staff of new Griffins head coach Dan Watson.

“I knew I wanted to stick around but my body just couldn’t keep up with what I wanted to do,” he said. “I still love being at the rink, so working with the guys as a coach was an easy decision. Having been one of the veteran guys in the room, some things are similar, but I knew I had a lot to learn as a coach.”

Lashoff said the learning process began not long after the June 26 announcement of his hire.

“I learned a ton over the summer and I’ve been able to learn from two really good coaches in Steph and Watty,” he said. “It’s all new to me, so there’s an adjustment with figuring out exactly where my lane is and stuff like that. But I think it’s been a great adjustment, especially because it’s made easier by having those two guys around.”

Having served as captain of the Griffins from 2020-23, Lashoff already was in a position of respect with his former teammates.

“I think my role the past couple of years, being the captain and having that voice in the room, helped make the adjustment a little easier,” he said. “The situation is different, but it’s a credit to them that they accepted it and allowed me to get involved

Lashoff retired as a player last summer after 14 seasons in the Red Wings organization.

Lashoff is the sixth former Griffins player to join the team’s coaching staff, following Danton Cole, Mike Knuble, Todd Nelson, Bruce Ramsay, and Ben Simon.

and do the things I’ve been doing.

“I think it helps a ton having guys that know you as a person, that know you as a player, and that you went through battles with together. Of course, it’s different talking to players as a coach as opposed to as a teammate.

“As a captain, my job was to act as a bridge between the coaches and the guys, making sure their message is getting to the guys and we’re all on the same page. That relationship helped the transition, too.”

Like most, if not all, who have been in a similar position, Lashoff is drawing experience from past coaches.

“When you’re young, you’re not thinking about it as much, but as you get older in your career, you start to take a bit of everything that you’ve learned from your different coaches,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to have had really good coaches here and in Detroit. You start to see how they put together a practice and how a game plan is put together.

“That process has been enjoyable for me, especially being in Detroit for training camp, seeing how their staff works and how involved they are. I think that the process has been fun. Having been a player for so long and now being on the other side of it has made it enjoyable.”

Lashoff said he felt prepared for the new opportunity.

“It’s not until you get into it and you’re doing it every day that you have a true appreciation for the amount of work that goes into the job to be good at it, the amount of work that goes into helping guys get better on a daily basis,” he said.

He admits he had gotten a sneak peek into the coaching process during his later years.

“I was in the room a decent amount of time as a captain, when you’re having conversations with coaching staffs that are sometimes tough conversations about the team. So I’ve been in types of those conversations, but I think tactically, how to put together a practice and a game plan, that stuff has been super interesting.”

Lashoff said fitting into a new staff started during the Red Wings’ development camp and continued through the NHL Prospects Tournament and training camp. By the time the season started, he felt they were all on the same page.

“We’ve continued to learn as we go and learn about each other. I think we’ve meshed very well,” he said. “I’ve known Watty for a long time. When I was 20 and I went down to Toledo, he was the ‘D’ coach. Although I only had him as a coach for a short time, I heard amazing things about him and how he’s able to bring people together, to bring teams together to win.

“Being able to see things firsthand now and then adding Steph, who has a great resume, both playing

and coaching, they’re two smart guys that I get to learn from every day. I think we have a good time together as people, too, and that makes it fun to come to the rink.”

Although it’s coincidental, it doesn’t hurt that all three members of the Griffins’ coaching staff are former defensemen. “It makes it easy,” he chuckles.

Lashoff said he is now enjoying a different type of job satisfaction.

“My body’s thanking me, for sure, but there’s also the sense of gratification that comes from helping guys. As a player later in my career, I tried to help guys as much as I could. Even though I was dealing with my own stuff as far as injuries go, I still tried to be there for the young guys.

“You get a certain satisfaction from helping guys become better because they all want to play in the NHL, no different than I did when I was their age. They all want to get to the NHL. And they’re all here longer than they want to be.

“We’ve got a lot of good young players who all have aspirations of playing in the NHL. I think what’s important is that while they’re all good players, they’re also good people and they want to get better every day. I think that makes our job as coaches easier and it’s no different than when I was a player.

“When I was starting to get older and I was playing with guys like Fil Hronek and Mo Seider, they were the same way – they wanted to be good, they wanted to win, and I think it’s no different now. It says a lot of good things about Detroit, the organization in general, that we have so many good, young players pushing for bigger roles on our team and hopefully pushing for us to have more wins.

“You try to manage where they’re at in their careers. Patience is tough to teach a young guy because they all want it right away, but I think that’s a good thing. And if they go up, they will have to learn they will have to work even harder to stay there. Getting up is one thing; staying up is a totally different thing.”

Lashoff said the entire Griffins team has been in good spirits since Christmas, when the Griffins started a stretch where the team suffered a regulation loss only twice in a 23-game stretch.

“You can see the guys are gelling,” he said. “They’re understanding what we’re trying to put together and that makes it fun for everyone. As a player, I’ve been on that side when the team is coming together and it’s fun to come to the rink every day. So seeing it happen from this angle, it’s been interesting to watch how everybody has figured it out.”

Lashoff was an integral part of the Griffins’ two Calder Cup-winning seasons (2013, 2017), and while he’s not making any predictions, he is encouraged that the team is showing every sign of being on the road to making the playoffs for the first

time since the 2018-19 season.

“Anytime you go that far, especially in this league, you learn a ton about what it takes – how hard it is, not only during the playoffs, but how everything starts in October and it’s a long marathon,” he said. “There are going to be ups and downs. Having been part of championship teams, I think it helps prepare you. You’re not surprised by much, especially when you get late into the season.

“I think the team in ‘13 won a different way than we won in ‘17, and this team’s different than those teams and other teams that I’ve had here. But you can see when you get buy-in from everyone, from top to bottom on the team, that can push you a long way.

“And when you have the talent, the young talent that we have, you continue to develop the guys throughout the season so they can take on bigger roles. I mean, anything can happen. This is an important time of year. When you get into this time of the season, you want to be firing on all cylinders, especially when you want to be playing the playoffbrand style hockey you need to have success.

“Obviously, the intensity of the playoffs is different than a regular season, but if you can play that style at times during the year, you’ll be heading in the direction you want going into the playoffs, where you need to sustain that intensity for a long period to succeed.”

Lashoff feels the team is building momentum.

“We’ve gotten into situations in the last couple of months where maybe we didn’t play our best, but we still end up winning. You learn from those wins and I think it’s best to learn while you’re winning. We’ve been able to limit some of the mistakes that we were making earlier in the year and we’re giving ourselves a better chance of winning.

“We’ve got a good group of guys who are willing to work. That’s putting us on the right track.”

Lashoff was a key member of both Calder Cup championship teams in Grand Rapids.

Story by Mark Newman

As a two-time Stanley Cup winner who retired after 16 seasons in the NHL, former Griffins center Darren Helm is perfectly content to stay home with his family.

LOVE AND HAPPINESS

Darren Helm had less than an hour before he had to pick up his girls from school. The two-time Stanley Cup champion laughed when the first question was asked. Which was harder: the adjustment from the AHL to the NHL, or from the NHL to full-time dad?

“That’s a good one,” chuckled Helm, who retired from hockey after the 2022-23 season. “It’s definitely a different transition. I had a couple of years in the NHL where I spent time on the sidelines, helping out some, but now I’m fully into it.”

Helm, who played his last two NHL seasons with the Colorado Avalanche after spending his first 14 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, said his decision was made easier because it meant he could see more of his family.

Walking away from hockey and staying home has finally allowed him to have all the time in the world with his wife, Devon, and their three children: Reece, 12; Rylee, 9; and Zoe, 7.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I love being home with the kids and finally getting to go and watch some of their events and help out around the house.”

If playing in the NHL was worth millions of dollars, staying home with the kids has been priceless.

“It’s been the best,” he said. “They’ve been kind of asking when am I going to leave again or take off. ‘You’ve been home a lot. What’s going on?’ But it’s been fun. I’d like to think that they’ve enjoyed it as well.”

At age 37, Helm is content to have closed the book on a lengthy career that saw him play 823 NHL games after starting his professional journey in Grand Rapids, where he played parts of three seasons.

A native of St. Andrews, Manitoba, Helm joined the Griffins following three years of junior hockey with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League. He was drafted by the Red Wings in the fifth round (#132 overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

For a 20-year-old kid from western Canada, going to western Michigan put him in a place that was a long way from where he started, a challenge measured in more than physical distance. Psychologically, it was practically a whole new world.

“There’s a lot to remember,” he said. “As far as the transition goes, for me, I thought I had a little bit of trouble with it, being the first time living on my own, without my mom or dad, or the billet family that had taken care of me. Going from a kid to an adult was a little tricky.

“The game itself was a little bit harder, too. Suddenly, I was playing against men much older than me. But I really liked the team, the guys were all great, which made the transition a lot smoother, I think. The city itself, I love Grand Rapids – great city, good people.

“I look back at my time in Grand Rapids as a big success. It helped me grow as a person before I moved on to Detroit.”

Helm appeared in 67 games with the Griffins during his first pro season in 2007-08, tallying 16

goals and 15 assists for 31 points as the highestscoring rookie on a team that finished 10 games under the .500 mark, finishing with a record that put them 25th out of 29 teams in the AHL.

He was one of three 20-year-olds (Jakub Kindl and Mattias Ritola) on a young team that included other future Wings (Kyle Quincey, 22; Jonathan Ericsson, 23; Jimmy Howard, 23) and other prospects (Evan McGrath, 21; Ryan Oulahen, 22; Jamie Tardif, 22) as well as several veterans, including longtime Red Wings winger Darren McCarty, who played 13 games for the Griffins to fuel a return to Detroit at age 35 after two seasons with the Calgary Flames.

“Carl Corazzini and Mark Cullen were two veterans who put me under their wing a little bit and helped me out, got me around to places,” he recalled. “They were really nice guys to me and they treated my girlfriend, now my wife, really well, too.”

Although he still had much to learn, Helm already knew that it would take hard work to get to where he wanted to go. There is the indelible sight of a solitary figure running up and down the stairs inside a darkened Van Andel Arena long after a Griffins game had finished. It was none other than Helm.

Already the fastest guy on the team and certainly one of the quickest in the league, he felt he could get even faster.

“I knew I was never going to be the most skilled guy in the league, the guy who could get away with doing the bare minimum. I knew my path was trying to outwork the next guy across from me, and I learned that early during my junior days in Medicine Hat. I knew I had to work extra hard and I carried that into Grand Rapids.

“Every time I did that, I felt like I could make some strides and get ahead of a few other players. It was a good lesson for me and I continued to do that in Detroit. I think that was a big part of why I was able to play for as long as I did.

“The stairs thing started in Medicine Hat, too. We did it as a team a couple of times during my first or second year there and I loved it. I felt like it helped me with my speed and power. I noticed every time I did the stairs, I’d feel better the next night. If I ran the stairs a couple of times after a bad game, it would give me a little bit more confidence to have a bounce-back game the next time.

“It sucked sometimes, but I kept on pushing.”

Helm went scoreless in seven regular season games with the Wings as a rookie in 2007-08, but he stuck in Detroit for the team’s entire Stanley Cup run.

He figured that there was little chance that he would crack the playoff lineup, but Wings head coach Mike Babcock gave him the nod in Game 5 of a tied first-round series against Nashville and Helm made the most of the opportunity.

Citing Helm’s speed, grittiness, and strong defensive play, Babcock hoped Helm would give the team a shot of energy. Helm ending up centering the team’s fourth line the rest of the way to winning the

Stanley Cup. In 18 games, Helm chipped in two goals and two assists. His strong, overall play kept him in the lineup.

So Helm found it a little disheartening when he was back in Grand Rapids the next season after having been a fixture during the postseason. To say he was unhappy about the situation is an understatement, to say the least.

“I thought I’d proven myself,” he said. “It would be easy to say I thought it was probably the right decision, but I was pretty pissed off about it, for sure. I guess Kenny [Detroit GM Ken Holland] had other plans. I was the cocky 21-year-old coming in off a Cup win, so he knocked me down a couple of pegs and I think it humbled me as well. It probably kept me a little grounded, too.

“Looking back now, it was probably the right decision. I was able to go back to Grand Rapids, still a great place to play with a good group of guys. After I finished giving myself a pity party for a week, I was able to get myself back on track and get going again.”

The Red Wings, meanwhile, had made a coaching change in Grand Rapids, dismissing Mike Stothers after a single season and promptly hiring Curt Fraser, who had served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues after being the head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers during the club’s first four seasons as an NHL expansion team.

“Stothers was a tough coach,” Helm said. “I think he helped me grow mentally. Sometimes I didn’t love his message, but at the same time, it was probably the one I needed to hear. Fraser was a great coach. I liked him a lot.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t talked to either of them since. I remember getting called up both seasons and they were both extremely excited and happy for the guys who got called up, and that was great to see.

“They both had little different ways of pushing you, but at the end of the day, they wanted whatever was best for the players. They were always excited for guys to get called up and get a chance to play in the NHL.”

Helm appeared in 16 games with Detroit during the 2008-09 NHL season, recording his first and only point of the campaign by assisting on a Jiri Hudler goal against Colorado on Feb. 15, 2009 at Joe Louis Arena.

Once again, Helm became a key member of the Red Wings’ playoffs roster as Detroit attempted to defend its Stanley Cup title. Although his team fell short, dropping Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Helm improved his production, recording four goals and an assist in 23 postseason contests.

Helm is the only player in history to score his first six NHL goals in the playoffs, a fact he wears as a badge of honor as a player who always gave more than the proverbial 110 percent in the playoffs, when goals are typically harder to score.

“I love that stat, absolutely,” he said. “Hopefully no

one looks back and sees the fact that I probably had 30 games [ED. NOTE: it was 29] in the regular season before I was able to score. Maybe they were sending me down for the next season, giving me a chance to run that record up a little higher, I don’t know, but I enjoy the record. It’s cool.

“I’m sure it’s going to get broken one day. Just watching some of the talent coming into the league these days, it’s pretty impressive. But, for now, it’s a fun record to have.”

Helm scored 119 goals during his 16 NHL seasons, which were frequently interrupted by injuries. Various ailments reduced his availability for three consecutive seasons in the middle of his career, including a back injury that kept him out for all but one game in 2012-13.

Even so, he had his share of highlight goals during his career.

One of his more memorable goals was knocking in the overtime winner in Game 5 against Chicago in 2009’s conference finals, which sent Detroit back to the Stanley Cup Final. He also scored two shorthanded goals in the Red Wings’ New Year’s Eve game against Colorado in 2009, and he recorded his only hat trick in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on March 29, 2014.

“Those are things I don’t think about too often, but every once in a while, someone brings them up. Those are good moments in my career, things that give me goosebumps looking back. I was very lucky to have a few of those moments to talk about with family and friends.”

Helm played his first eight seasons in Detroit for head coach Mike Babcock; his last six were with Jeff Blashill, the former Griffins head coach who oversaw the beginning stages of the Red Wings’ lengthy rebuild after 25 consecutive seasons in the playoffs.

“I liked Babs,” Helm said. “I know guys have mixed feelings about him, but I never really got caught up in what people have called his games off the ice. He was pretty straightforward with me. ‘This is what we expect out of you. You do it, you play. If you don’t, there’s the stands, there’s the bench, yada, yada, yada.’

“He was always very clear with me. I had my fair share of meetings and video sessions, not the nicest ones, but I think he set me up for the long run. Blash is a great guy. Obviously, they had different situations. With Babs, we were winning; with Blash, we weren’t. But I liked Blash a lot. When he went to Tampa, I met up with him a couple of times, just to chat and catch up.”

By his final season (2020-21) in Detroit, Helm was the last remaining member of the 2008 Stanley Cup championship team. While he didn’t relish parting ways with the Red Wings, he saw a chance to capture a second Stanley Cup title with a young Avalanche team poised to take the next step.

“The last few years in Detroit were tough – we were kind of bottom of the barrel as far as teams

go,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily want to leave, but I wanted another chance to win. With Detroit being in a rebuild, I saw a few teams that had the opportunity to win and that brought me to Colorado.”

In Denver, Helm played for Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, who had been a rugged, not-afraidto-drop-his-gloves defenseman in his playing days, including 1998-99 when he led the Griffins in penalty minutes with 220 PIM in 74 games during his only season in Grand Rapids.

“I did hear he was a bit of a tough guy,” Helm said. “I’m not much of a YouTuber, so I didn’t go back and look, but he’s a great coach. You would never have thought he was a fighter. He’s just a nice guy. He’s honest and expects a lot from you, but at the same time, he gives you some chances. I loved every second playing for him.”

Helm battled a lower-body injury that kept him out for a month during the 2021-22 season but he managed to score one of the biggest goals of his career during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After sweeping the Nashville Predators in the opening round, Colorado was knotted 2-2 with the St. Louis Blues in Game 6, up 3-2 in the series. With the game seemingly headed to overtime, Helm scored the game-winner with 5.6 seconds left in regulation to send the Avalanche to the conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

Colorado swept Edmonton in the Western

Conference Finals, then bested two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to give Helm his second taste of hockey’s holy grail.

Like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in Detroit, Colorado had its share of stars (Nathan McKinnon, Cale Maker, and Mikko Rantanen), but it was the throng of role players for each that powered two very different championship teams.

“In both cases, they were teams that bought into what they wanted to do,” he said. “It was a lot of guys being happy with their roles and, seeing the results, willing to do the best in their spot.

“It takes high-end talent playing their best hockey as well as everybody else chipping in and being responsible, whether it was blocking shots, hitting, doing all the dirty work. There was just a belief in the room that I felt both teams had.”

Helm realized that his decision to go play for the Avalanche would be viewed by some fans as akin to making a pact with the devil, but he contends their anger was misplaced.

“I was like 10 years old when all that was going on,” he said. “I never really watched hockey. There was no hockey team in Winnipeg after the Jets had left, so I didn’t realize the rivalry those two teams had. But I still hear from some people about it, like, ‘I can’t believe you did that.’

“At the end of the day, I think people were happy

Helm celebrated Stanley Cup titles with Detroit and Colorado.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

for me. I haven’t talked to anyone who’s been a complete jerk about it. Even some of the guys from the Wings who lived through that rivalry texted me after we won, congratulating me. I think that says a lot about the sport in general and the guys I got to play with.”

Helm admits that it seemed “weird” walking into the Avalanche locker room after 14 seasons in Detroit.

“The guys there were great,” he said. “We had a few new faces on the team that year and they welcomed everybody. It was similar to my first years in Detroit, where we had a common goal. We wanted to do everything we could to win it.

“I wanted to win it again, which was why I had to leave Detroit, to get the feeling of winning again, and it ended up paying off. It was a great year.”

Helm had hoped to help Colorado repeat as Cup winners, but he was limited to 11 games last season, which hastened his decision to retire.

“I was very fortunate to have a very long, successful career, so when my body kept breaking down the way it’s been, I felt like it was time [to call it quits],” he said.

He has no regrets.

“There are times when I’m watching games, and you remember the good times, and the fun and the excitement of the game, just being around the guys –those are all great parts of the game that I love.

“At the same time, I’m not missing it a whole lot. I’m getting to spend a lot of time with my family. I’m

getting to do things that I couldn’t really do before. I’ve got the chance to finally pursue different hobbies that I’ve wanted to get to, so I haven’t secondguessed things.

“Sure, there have been times I wish I was still out there with the guys, but I’m pretty happy with my decision.”

And so now Helm is content to watch gymnastics, swimming, and tennis instead of hockey. Although his family is currently living in the Denver area, Helm isn’t sure where they will end up or what he will eventually do for a second career.

“We are still kicking things around, trying to figure out what we want to do,” he said. “We came out to Denver for this school year, but we were in Michigan for a long time and have a lot of great friends back there, so we’ll have to see where we end up. It’s a constant conversation between my wife and I.”

And although it increasingly looks like he will end up doing something outside of hockey, Helm doesn’t rule out doing something in the game eventually.

“I wouldn’t say hockey’s completely out of the question, but it’s pretty low on the score right now of things I want to do,” he said. “My dream was to play in the NHL. As a kid, I didn’t think I’d get to play in the NHL ever, but getting a chance to play for 16 years and win two Stanley Cups, I couldn’t be happier.”

Helm loves spending time with his family, shown here near the end of his playing days in Detroit.

Bill Walton, a former college basketball player who converted to volleyball 50 years ago, is convinced the Grand Rapids Rise will do the same to others.

I'M A BELIEVER

When Bill Walton was graduating from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School on the far south side of Chicago, he received a congratulations card from his grandmother.

Inside the card was a newspaper clipping of a news digest item. “It said, ‘Bill Walton, best high school basketball player in the country, signs to play at UCLA,’ Walton recalled. “It went on to describe him as the 6-11 center from San Diego. I say, ‘But grandma, I’m not 6-11.’ She goes, ‘I’m 4-9. You look 6-11 to me!’”

Story by Mark Newman

Bill Walton, meet Serendipity. Serendipity, meet Bill Walton.

Although several inches shorter than his more famous Basketball Hall of Fame counterpart, Bill Walton started on a similar sports trek as his namesake until fate sent his whole life bouncing in a completely different direction – one that he never imagined but one that was no less satisfying. It's a journey that would lead him, 50 years later, to become associate head coach of the Grand Rapids Rise professional women's volleyball team.

It's his experience as a master technician –he was head coach of the women's volleyball team at the University of Houston for 24 years – that allows Walton to speak with authority when he sings the praises of the new Pro Volleyball Federation.

"I've been coaching for over 40 years and those were some amazing rallies," Walton said after a recent Rise match against the Omaha Supernovas. "I've watched the Olympics, professional volleyball, and everything else, and those were some of the longest and finest rallies I have ever seen."

There's a belief that the new league wants to become the NFL or NBA of the volleyball world, and Walton contends it is entirely possible. "If you're a top-notch women's volleyball player, this is where you're going to play," he said. "With word of mouth and the high level of competition, hopefully, you'll see our crowds continue to grow."

That Walton has become an ambassador for the sport is no fluke. But it probably would have been a surprise to his younger self, who had stopped playing volleyball when it was "nine people on a side at church."

Walton was a junior college student playing in a summer basketball league at the Harvey YMCA in suburban Chicago when he was recruited to play point guard for George Williams College, a small school founded in 1884 by leaders of the YMCA movement.

It was at the start of his second semester at George Williams that a dorm suite-mate offered a suggestion that would change everything. "He said, 'Bill, you've got a pretty good jump. Why don't you come out and play on the volleyball team?' I thought, 'No way, those skills are beyond me.' But he goes, 'There are two other guys on the basketball team who play and we need middle blockers.' I said, 'Let me think about it. I'll talk to my coach.'"

Given his coach's blessing, Walton went to a tryout where he learned that the two guys were both captains of the basketball team. He made the team, becoming a two-sport collegiate athlete in the process.

The next year, the school welcomed a new volleyball coach. "Jim Coleman was my chemistry professor," Walton recalled. "I didn't know he knew anything about volleyball."

But the educator was already well-known among his volleyball peers.

Coleman had learned the sport from his father, who was on the staff of the Springfield, Ohio, YMCA. He started the volleyball program at the University of Kansas and turned it into one of the best in the country, finishing third at the 1957 Collegiate Championships and second a year later.

If Walton was going to learn everything about volleyball, he could not have found a better mentor.

Coleman participated in seven Olympic Games, eight Pan American Games, five World Cups, and six World Championships. He worked with every national men's team from 1965 until his sudden passing in 2001 at the age of 69 from acute pancreatitis.

In 1968, Coleman was the head coach of the U.S. Men's Olympic Volleyball Team that competed in Mexico City, and he served as an assistant coach for the Olympic team from 197172 and 1987-90. A true pioneer of the sport, he was also an innovator and analytical thinker who helped revolutionize the game.

Coleman was one of the first systematic volleyball statisticians, creating statistical systems still used worldwide today. He was a member of the sport's rules committee for 25 years and was an advocate for many rule changes, including the tie-break game, serving from behind the entire end line, and changing the match format.

He even created the net antennae that are still used in today's competition.

"We were the first college team to play with antennas on the net," Walton said. "He bought two bamboo fishing poles and taped the ends with alternating colors, then attached them

to the net and started collecting data for the rules committee.

"People think rally scoring started in the '90s, but we were trying rally scoring, running clocks, and stop clocks during tournaments in the '70s. He was always collecting data for [innovations] like that."

But Coleman was most influential in his endless contacts, whether it was making connections through clinics or appearances at numerous tournaments. "I didn't even know what a clinic was, but that's what Jim did for you. He knew everybody in volleyball and because he knew everybody, he could help get you experience playing against the top level guys all the time."

Walton became captain of the basketball team and was good enough at volleyball to become an All-American in addition to helping George Williams College win the NAIA National Championship in 1974. But he had no intention of becoming a coach.

For a time, he thought his future might be in theater. He had contemplated attending the School of Arts at Goodman Theatre in Chicago. "I had read for every production from my junior year on – musicals, the whole bit. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be an actor or a stage guy, but I loved doing productions. I thought, 'This is what I'm going to do.' I was a bit of an introvert in high school, and the stage allowed me to become an extrovert by becoming someone else.

"In the end, I chose regular school and sports, but I never once thought I would be a coach."

Through Coleman, Walton was doing his share of clinics. Leaning on his theater training, he learned how to work a room. "I don't think I'm a comedian, but I always try to be extra amusing," he said. "Some clinics are mandatory and they're not coming to see you, they're coming to put in their hours and get out.

"When it came to evaluations after these clinics, recommendations were often based on the presentation, not the information, so I always made sure to make a positive impression so people would want to come to my clinics."

Even so, Walton figured his fate rested in teaching, not coaching. "I was going to be a science/health/PE teacher, anywhere from K through 12, and I was going to get certified for every grade so I could have options," he said.

His first semester as a student-teacher was spent with seventh and eighth graders. Later, teaching high schoolers was not much better.

"Male teachers end up guarding the hall, doing bus duty in the morning, cafeteria duty at lunch, and detention after school, besides your classes.

I did not want to become the disciplinarian, the policeman at the school. That's not what I wanted to be."

He became convinced that he needed to change course.

"I decided I had to go back to graduate school," he said. "My goal was to become a professor just like Jim Coleman – not be a coach, just be a professor. I was enjoying a number of my classes because I like researching stuff and finding the answers to how and why things work. My major was kinesiology and exercise physiology and I thought all this was interesting."

After college, Walton kept playing volleyball. In fact, he managed to transform himself from a middle blocker to a setter as a way to maximize his athletic ability. He was training for the 1980 Olympics as a member of the U.S. National Team when he got a job offer from Elmhurst College in Illinois.

"I was going out west to see how I did compared to the other setters on the team when the offer came," he said. "I shouldn't have told them because they said if you're not fully committed, let us bring someone who we know we might have in the future. So now I had to decide between four years of 'maybe' and my goal of becoming a college professor."

He gave up his potential Olympics ticket for the opportunity to teach science classes at Elmhurst.

"During my orientation period, the athletic director came into my office and said, 'By the way, you have to coach a women's sports team.' I didn't know about Title IX and that all universities were required to have plans for women's teams to meet equity with the men's teams.

"He said, 'All of our women's teams are coached by somebody in the community who doesn't work at the university, so equity means we need to have full-time coaches here. We want you to coach basketball and softball. You played basketball in college and you played baseball growing up, right? Softball is almost the same thing. You'll figure it out.'"

Walton cobbled together a basketball team from a group of girls, only one of whom had played high school basketball, and he did his best to field a softball squad that could be competitive with other schools in the state.

"I went to the AD and I said, 'I'm looking at my resume and I hadn't considered coaching, but while there are lots of men and women who played high school and college basketball, there are not many who have played on the national team in volleyball.’

"I learned from people like Jim Coleman, Doug

Beal, Bill Neville, Carl McGowan, and Marv Dumphy, and that's like playing basketball for guys like John Wooden, Phil Jackson, and Gregg Popovich. I said, 'I think you probably should make me the volleyball coach.' And he agreed."

Walton had to continue coaching a second sport, but he was intent on building a winning volleyball program quickly. Looking back, Walton chuckles at his sheer chutzpah when he started coaching the sport.

"The previous coach had recruited a pretty good group, but they were probably wondering ‘who is this guy,’" he said. "I told them, 'If you learn to do what I teach, you will be national champs.' That was the dumbest thing anybody could ever say. I'd never coached a collegiate team and yet I was promising they'd be national champs if they did what I said."

Even so, his words proved to be prophetic. Under his leadership, the Elmhurst women's volleyball team won the state championship in 1981 and won conference championships from 1982 to 1985. More significantly, Elmhurst won national titles in 1983 and 1985. During his tenure at Elmhurst, his volleyball teams compiled a record of 211-55 for a winning percentage of .793.

Although he never intended to become a

coach, Walton found himself an ardent adherent to the 10,000-hour rule championed in bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, which suggests that achievement is talent plus preparation.

"For seven years after college, I was either playing on the national team or I was coaching clinics all summer long with a large number of people who became Division I coaches," he said. "We were all elite players and coaches who were working camps from June through mid-August, and it was like a laboratory of the ways to learn how to teach skills.

"I had a teaching background so I knew how to do pedagogy and how to create a practice plan and all that stuff. I was fortunate to have all these mentors who taught me how the game should be played, and I had Coleman who taught me the most important things, statistically speaking, if you want to win."

In 1985, Walton also became a tenured professor. "It meant I had a lifetime contract at the school," he said. "I thought, ‘I'll eventually become the head of the department.' Because I won the second national championship with sophomores, I thought we had more titles coming. The girls thought that, the whole school thought that."

Walton's 24 years at the University of Houston comprised the fourth-longest tenure of any coach in the school's sports history.

Walton soon had a summer schedule filled with clinics. "Once you're a national champion, everyone wants to know how you did it," he said. "And then I got a phone call from the University of Houston."

It took considerable cajoling and compromises before Walton agreed to take over the Cougars’ volleyball program. It was a decision he never regretted.

By the time he stepped down in 2009, Walton had spent 24 seasons at Houston, leading the Cougars to an overall mark of 458-319. He led the Cougars to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 20-win seasons, the 1994 Southwest Conference championship, and an appearance in the 1994 NCAA Elite Eight.

A two-time Southwest Conference Coach of the Year, Walton mentored 63 All-Conference players in addition to 27 All-Region selections. He coached 1994 AVCA All-America and Olympic Festival participant Lilly Denoon and placed at least one player on an All-Conference team in 21 consecutive seasons.

Over the years, Walton learned the secrets of attracting talent to Houston, often recruiting athletes from other sports whom he felt he could coach to become great volleyball players. "I'd go

to basketball games and track meets and look for the best athletes. If Texas got the best kid, then who was second or third? That's the only way we could compete."

Walton ultimately became a victim of his own success. Once he became the highest-paid coach in the conference, he knew his days were numbered, especially when his contract became an easy way to cut the budget.

More recently, Walton had been serving as the head coach for the Texas Tornados, a club volleyball team, in addition to doing clinics and appearances on the Volleyball MasterCoaches podcast and YouTube channel, where former Michigan State University head coach Cathy George was also a regular.

Walton has known George since she was a junior volleyball player in Chicago. They coached against each other after she began her Division I coaching career at UT-Arlington in 1989 and he was still at the University of Houston. "I don't know what the results of those matches were, but her teams were always very good."

When the Rise hired George to be the team's head coach, Walton was already offering opinions behind the scenes, acting as her confidant and consultant. "She would call me and ask questions

Walton was named associate head coach of the Grand Rapids Rise last summer.

about this or that player," he said. "I was just kind of giving my two cents’ worth. And then one day she asked if I would be willing to come here and be the associate head coach."

He was intrigued by the offer, seeing it as an opportunity to bring his career full circle.

"I only became a volleyball player because a roommate convinced me to try out. I wasn't going to be a high school teacher to become a coach. And I didn't go to Elmhurst to be the volleyball coach. I went there to become a tenured professor. I got started when the school asked me to coach because of Title IX.

"This was never an ambition, but now I'm a volleyball coach, and I say something stupid during the first day of practice. 'We're going to win the national championship.' If people ask for advice, I go, 'Don't say this.' But the tides of coincidence were always steering my rudder."

When he was offered the opportunity with the Rise, Walton said "it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Even so, he admits that he was skeptical about what kind of players PVF could sign, but George's recruiting abilities in the face of enormous odds convinced him of the league's viability, especially given that she was the first coach inked by a team.

"She had to call people and say ‘I want you to come play for me’ without there ever being a team here or a league or anything," he said. "There was no picture of what the league was going to look like. It required a leap of faith and she did an incredible job."

Walton said the challenge was even greater because teams were limited to two foreign players and most U.S. Olympians would want to stay in Europe to play against the competition they would face in the next Olympic Games.

"When she got Emiliya Dimitrova, I was really surprised," he said. "Emiliya was one of the top European players but she was able to convince her to come play here. Claire [Chaussee] and Symone [Abbott] were playing in Italy, and Shannon [Scully] was playing in France. You can go right down the list. All of them could have jobs someplace else but they chose to come here.

"Cathy did every other team a favor because she signed some really solid players. The quality of players who were coming here made it easier for other teams to attract other good players because they all started talking to each other."

Walton thinks the Rise players have the potential to do great things collectively during their inaugural season.

"Our girls really play hard for each other," he

BILL...MEET BILL

Bill Walton met his more famous namesake for the first time at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

The Rise's Walton was there as the television liaison between the broadcast team and the volleyball jury members from the various countries, while Basketball Hall of Famer Walton was present as a broadcast analyst for NBC Sports.

"We were in the gym and I was wearing these huge credentials that are the size of a notebook on my chest with my photo, my name, and a thumbprint. We were rehearsing and I spotted him in long basketball shorts and a tank top. It looked like he was coming in from a run.

"He's walking down the middle of the gym, all sweaty, and someone goes, 'Oh, there's the other Bill Walton,' which is what I've heard my whole life, and I decide to go introduce myself.

"We're right in the middle of The Omni and it's 16,000 seats and I have my credentials on but he doesn't have his. He thinks I'm coming for an autograph or something. So I go up to him and I say, 'I know you want to meet me.'

"He gets this puzzled look on his face and he responds, 'You mean YOU want to meet ME.' I say, 'No, no, I know YOU want to meet ME.' He goes, 'Why do I want to meet YOU?' I said, 'Because we've had the same name for the last 30-some years and I've been playing basketball while you've been playing basketball and people have called me Not-the-Real-BillWalton, so I want YOU to finally meet the REAL Bill Walton.

"He looks at my credentials and he goes, 'Oh, you're William G. I'm William T. Nice to meet you.' And we stood there and chatted for a few minutes."

Walton, who became just the 11th coach in NCAA history to pick up 600 career victories, had a combined record of 673-377 (.641) between Elmhust and Houston.

said. "We're a little smaller than some of the other teams. They have middle blockers and opposites who are bigger, but they're not more skilled or more athletic."

Walton, who continues to marvel at the quality and length of the rallies ("It's like a tennis match, at times," he says), is grateful that he has a place on the Grand Rapids bench.

"I tell the girls all the time, 'Thank you, I'm so honored to have this opportunity to work with you,’ because after working with college kids, it can sometimes take them a month, a year, or two years to figure it all out.

"Now when I say, 'Hey let's make this little change,’ it sometimes happens that very day. Ideas you have about what might be better for the team happen instantly rather than months or years down the road. So that's what's so fun. They're all so talented."

And volleyball, Walton can attest, is truly a team sport.

"In almost every other sport, you can give one person the ball and they can go the whole way by themselves. In the recent Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes either ran or threw the ball for 11 of the final 13 plays that won the game. That couldn't happen in volleyball because the other

team would never let the ball keep going to the same person.

"Everybody's got to be prepared because there's no chance to catch the ball, so they're ricocheting the ball to each other and they instantaneously have to be prepared for the next thing. It's an easy game to watch, but it's a hard game to play."

Walton thinks back to 1983, when he had to choose between coaching basketball or coaching volleyball.

"It was a sliding door moment for me," he contends. "If I had stuck with basketball, we could have gone to the Final Four and I'd have landed a Division I women's coaching job and gotten paid more a lot sooner.

"But I told the AD that the best sport for women to play and for you and me to watch is volleyball. They lowered the net, which allows women to be dynamically explosive and powerful in a way that is close to the same as the men's game. It's entertaining to see them hitting the heck out of the ball.

"Volleyball, I told him, will eventually be the pre-eminent women's sport in the world. And so here I am, now in 2023, in Grand Rapids, watching some of the finest female athletes in the world excel at the sport they love."

The Griffins proudly salute our 2023-24 Full Season Ticket Members. Thank you for your loyalty, passion, and continued support of Griffins hockey!

THANK YOU!

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RECORD BOOK AND LEADERS

Through games of Feb. 27, 2024

Donald MacLean

Dominik

GRIFFINS IN THE ALL-STAR GAME

2022-23 Brian Lashoff (captain)

2019-20 Matthew Ford, 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)

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

2020 - Chris Terry

2023 - Brian Lashoff

2019 - Chris Terry

2018 - Matt Lorito

2015 - Teemu Pulkkinen

2013 - Chad Billins

2020 - Matthew Ford

2018 - Matt Puempel

2016 - Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet

2014 - Alexey Marchenko

2013 - Gustav Nyquist

2013 - Petr Mrazek

Grow with the Pros!

BOARDING

Called for any action which causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.

CHARGING

Taking a run at an opposing player using more than three strides to build up speed.

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.

DELAYED PENALTY

Referee extends his arm and points to the penalized player until the penalized team regains possession of the puck.

HIGH STICKING

Making contact with an opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder hight.

PENALTY CALLS

HOLDING

Clutching an opposing player’s body with the hands, arms or legs.

HOOKING

The use of the stick or blade to impede the progress of an opponent.

INTERFERENCE

ELBOWING

Called when a player uses an elbow to impede an opponent.

When a player impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.

KNEEING

Called when a player uses a knee to impede an opponent.

MISCONDUCT

10-minute or disqualification penalty for excessive or additional misbehavior on the ice.

ROUGHING

Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.

SLASHING

Striking an opposing player with the stick.

SPEARING

Called for using the stick like a spear.

TRIPPING

Called for using the stick, arm or leg to cause an opponent to trip or fall.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

Called for unsportsmanlike actions such as disputing an official’s decision, grabbing the face mask of a player, etc.

WASH-OUT

When used by the referee, it means goal disallowed. When used by linesmen, it means there is no icing or no offside.

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

BELLEVILLE SENATORS

BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS

CALGARY WRANGLERS

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TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

UTICA COMETS

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

GRIFFINS IN THE NHL

IT ALL STARTS HERE

Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 206 players to the National Hockey League, and 19 former players or 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 each of the last four years, 10 times in the last 16 years, and 12 times in the last 19 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 28 goalies and 178 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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

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

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

113 Chris Mueller

114

116........Patrick

118

119

120

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

129

130

131

133

134.......Xavier

135.......Adam

136.......Chad

137

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

Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Feb. 26, 2024)

DET vs. PIT

138 Tomas Jurco 12/15/13 DET vs. TB

139 Jordin Tootoo

140 Alexey Marchenko

141 Teemu Pulkkinen

142 Landon Ferraro

143

144.......Mitch

Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids

All photos by Getty Images

BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL

High school hockey has a rich tradition in West Michigan. Three schools – Mona Shores (Justin Abdelkader), East Grand Rapids (Luke Glendening) and East Kentwood (Mike Knuble) – have produced a Griffins player, while Catholic Central and Mona Shores have won state championships in the recent past.

Nineteen area schools compete in ice hockey as part of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. HOW MANY OF THEIR NICKNAMES DO YOU KNOW?

ACROSS: 3. Bulldogs; 4. Knights; 7. Buccaneers; 8. Rams; 10. Wildcats;

14. Eagles; 15. Spartans; 16. Falcons; 17. Rockets

DOWN: 1. Bulldogs; 2. Fighting Scots; 5. Pioneers; 6. Birddogs; 8. Rangers; 9. Panthers; 10. Wildcats; 11. Cougars; 12. Eagles; 13. Sailors

Dominik Shine sports a Flying Toasters jersey as part of “What Could’ve Been Night” on Jan. 27, a nod to one of the more notorious entries in the Griffins’ name-the-team contest way back in 1995. Of course, it could’ve been worse. The team could’ve been named the Grand Rapids Pop-Tarts in honor of the famous toaster pastries that were invented in the city 60 years ago.

PARTING SHOT

Photo by Mark Newman