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RWC Archives - December Griffins Report
MMacLean cranks it up a notch to climb up AHL scoring chart...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
January 7, 2006
The Grand Rapids Griffins expected big things from
Donald MacLean
this season. After a slow start, the veteran forward is starting to deliver.
The 28-year-old native of Bedford, Nova Scotia, scored 13 goals in 16 games in December and is suddenly tied for second in American Hockey League scoring. He had a goal and no assists in his first eight games, but now has 20 goals and 10 assists for 30 points in 37 games on the year.
MacLean, signed as a free agent this summer, sat out most of September's training camp in Traverse City, Mich., with an undisclosed injury.
The Griffins feature the AHL's No. 1 offense, averaging just less than four goals per game.
Jiri Hudler
(first),
Eric Manlow
(eighth) and
Valtteri Filppula
(12th) are among the league's top-15 point-getters.
Grand Rapids are 25-11-1-2 for 53 points, third in the AHL.
The following is a review of December:
OFFENSE
' The offense was led by the trio of Hudler, Manlow and
Kent McDonell
(40 points in 16 games). MacLean, along with Nate DiCasmirro and captain
Matt Ellis
, put up 40 points of their own. The third line of Filppula,
Tomas Kopecky
and
Darryl Bootland
chipped in with 30 points.
Ryan Oulahen
played well in a fourth-line role.
DEFENSE
' Physical rookie
Kyle Quincey
kept up his high level of play, while second-year pro
Derek Meech
has taken a step in the wrong direction. Veteran
Bryan Helmer
has been an asset on the power play. Newcomer Clay Wilson played well enough during a tryout to earn AHL player-of -the-week honors and earn a regular contract.
GOALTENDING
' The Griffins saw four different stoppers earn wins in December, including
Manny Legace
.
Drew MacIntyre
had some rough outings and was shipped to the East Coast Hockey League.
Joey MacDonald
has struggled after back surgery, while
Jimmy Howard
was up and down despite managing four wins in six starts.
SPECIAL TEAMS
' Clicking along at 21.9 percent, the Griffins own the second-best power play in the league with 57 goals in 39 games. Manlow is the ace of the unit, with 10 power-play markers. Hudler has 20 assists with the man advantage. Led by Bootland, Manlow, Ellis and DiCasmirro, the penalty kill is 23rd in the AHL at 80.6 percent.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
' MacLean. The former AHL scoring champ has jelled with Ellis and DiCasmirro. MacLean is a sniper who is deadly in front of the net. This is the sixth time he has reached the 20-goal mark in the last seven seasons. The one time he missed the mark, he played just 17 games because of a serious neck injury.
ROOKIE WATCH
' Quincey leads all Griffins defensemen in scoring with 19 points, and has led the unit with poise that belies his years. Oulahen took another step forward in December, notching three goals and four assists to double his season output to date. He earns a regular shift and even gets some penalty-killing time.
CURRENT INJURIES
' Travis Richards, back, indefinite ...
NOTEABLE MOVEMENT
' Howard returned from Detroit (NHL) ... Defenseman Jon Insana released from PTO ... Center Brian Bonello recalled from Toledo (ECHL) ... Left wing
Michael Hackert
reassigned to Frankfurt (GER) ... Filppula recalled by Detroit (NHL) ... Right wing Ryan Keller assigned to Muskegon (UHL) ... MacDonald recalled by Detroit (NHL) ... Filppula, returned from Detroit (NHL) ... Wilson released from PTO and signed to standard player's contract ... MacDonald returned from Detroit (NHL) ... Defenseman Ryan Jorde signed to PTO from Danbury (UHL) ... Right Wing
Todd Jackson
returned from injured list and assigned to Toledo (ECHL) ...
KEY STATS
' Hudler is tied for the third in the AHL with four game-winning goals ... He is also second in the AHL with 20 power-play assists ... Manlow is fourth in scoring with the man advantage, tallying 10 goals ... Bootland is third in the league with 179 penalty minutes ... Hudler and MacLean are tied for second with 20 goals ...
UP NEXT
' Grand Rapids starts off the new year on the road for two weeks, with some tough games against Hamilton, Houston and San Antonio. Then, the team will enjoy a two-week home stand featuring Chicago, Milwaukee and Toronto. They finish the month with games against expansion teams: Omaha, Peoria and Iowa.
Jason Kasiorek contributes monthly Grand Rapids Griffins reports. They appear on RedWingsCentral.com at the start of each month.
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