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RWC Archives - November Griffins Report
Filppula turns it up a notch, sparking Griffins' potent offense...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
December 2, 2005
Valtteri Filppula
almost made the Detroit Red Wings out of camp, but his assignment to the American Hockey League has been time well spent.
The 21-year-old has settled in with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and after a slow start, piled up 17 points in 12 games during the month of November. His strong play has breathed new life into underachieving linemates
Darryl Bootland
and
Tomas Kopecky
.
Filppula, Kopecky and Bootland are the club's highest-scoring line, while the Griffins are averaging more than for goals per game.
The Griffins' record of 15-4-0-2 puts them atop the North Division, and ties them with the Houston Aeros for top spot in the Western Conference. They trail only the undefeated Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the overall league standings.
The following is a review of November:
OFFENSE
' This is the Griffins' bread-and-butter, with two top-flight scoring lines. There's the Filppula, Kopecky and Bootland unit (41 points in November) and the
Jiri Hudler
,
Eric Manlow
and
Kent McDonell
trio (27 points). Sniper
Donald MacLean
has come alive, with six goals and four assists in his past 10 games.
DEFENSE
' The team's patchwork defense has played better than the sum of its parts.
Kyle Quincey
continues to play far beyond his years.
Bryan Helmer
helped out with four goals in November.
Derek Meech
has played well, but has been passed by both Quincey and
Brett Lebda
on the depth chart and needs to be more consistent.
GOALTENDING
' The three-headed monster was in full affect in November. That means
Drew MacIntyre
,
Joey MacDonald
and
Jimmy Howard
all shared time, with each goalie recording three wins. MacIntyre has some of the better stats in the AHL; MacDonald has turned in some gutsy performances; and Howard has been hot and cold.
SPECIAL TEAMS
' The Griffins power play is firing along at 22.5 per cent, scoring 29 goals in 21 games. Manlow led the group in November the group with seven goals, while Helmer and Nick Martens had two apiece from the blue line. The penalty kill continues to struggle, however, as it is operating at just 81 per cent.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
' Filppula. The young Finn picked up where Hudler left off in October, turning in a string of dominant performances that earned him AHL player of the week honors. He makes his linemates better, the mark of a great player. Kopecky and Bootland have never been more productive since joining Grand Rapids.
ROOKIE WATCH
'
Ryan Oulahen
scored his first pro goal in November, playing well in a limited role despite not showing up on the scoresheet ...
Michael Hackert
has not shown much, and might benefit from a stint in the East Coast Hockey League ... Quincey and Martens have been the team's best blueliners ...
CURRENT INJURY
'
Eric Himelfarb
, broken hand, 4-6 weeks.
NOTABLE MOVEMENT
' Howard, recalled by Detroit (NHL) ... Lebda, recalled by Detroit (NHL) ... Quincey, recalled by Detroit (NHL) ...
Todd Jackson
, recalled from Toledo (ECHL) ... Clay Wilson, signed PTO from Muskegon (UHL) ... Quincey, returned from Detroit (NHL) ...
KEY STATS
' Hudler and Bootland are tied for the AHL lead with three game-winning goals each ... Hudler is second in AHL scoring with 31 points ... Manlow is 10th with 25... Kopecky is second in plus-minus, with a plus-14 ... Bootland is second with 125 penalty minutes ... MacIntyre is second with a 1.90 goal-against average ...
UP NEXT
' Grand Rapids has a busy month, with 16 games on tap. It starts with two on the road against division rivals Omaha and Peoria. There are a pair of games against Toronto and three games against Milwaukee. The month ends with five straight games at home, complete with a New Year's Eve tilt against Chicago.
Jason Kasiorek contributes monthly Grand Rapids Griffins reports. They appear on RedWingsCentral.com at the start of each month.
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