The #1 source for information on the Grand Rapids Griffins, primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings http://www.griffinscentral.com While the Griffins missed the their mark, finishing out of the playoffs and in last place in the conference, they made the grade in another area. As the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, the goal from the parent club was to keep developing players and sending them up the pipeline. It was towards that end that they succeeded. Several griffins saw time in Detroit to rave reviews, and the team stands on the brink of graduating three more players to the NHL. Justin Abdelkader, Jakub Kindl and Mattias Ritola have likely played their last games as AHL regulars and should fight for jobs on the 2010 Wings opening night roster. Another group are poised to take their spot on the depth chart and vie a call-up, most notably Jan Mursak, Tomas Tatar, Logan Pyett and Sergei Kolosov. With the club expected to add Brendan Smith, Brent Raedeke, Brian Lashoff, Willie Coetzee and Joakim Andersson for next season, the future is indeed bright. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/042310.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/042310.html Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:30:00 EST The curtain finally fell on the Griffins playoff chances, but it did not go easily. The team dug deep and turned in its best stretch of the season to keep itself in contention until the bitter end. Several players solidified their standing in the organization during the run including Justin Abdelkader, Mattias Ritola and Jakub Kindl who showed they were ready for NHL duty. Sergei Kolosov, Logan Pyett and Jan Mursak among others took the next step in their development. At the other end of the spectrum Brian Lashoff, Willie Coetzee and Landon Ferraro represent the future of the organization and got their feet wet at the pro level. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/041610.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/041610.html Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST The newlook Grand Rapids Griffins showed the Milwaukee Admirals that they were not going to be taken lightly. They ran up a five goal third period, and answered the bell physically to shut down a Milwaukee team that always seems to have their number. Jamie Tardif led the way with a pair of goal and an assist while Thomas McCollum won his first game since December. Grand Rapids also got goals from Owens, May, Mursak and Tatar and a terrific performance from utility forward John Vigilante. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/032610.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/032610.html Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:10:00 EST The new look Grand Rapids Griffins took advantage of an attitude influx to topple the Manitoba Moose 4-1. Newcomers Jordan Owens and Riley Armstrong set the pace early in the first with their energetic forechecking and hitting, and the rest of the team fed off that to power a suddenlny potent offense. Jeremy Williams led the way with two goals and assist, while Rissmiller and Pyett also tallied for the home team. Netminder Daniel Larsson surrendered one goal on 24 shots for his eighteenth win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030510.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030510.html Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:43:00 EST The Grand Rapids Griffins playoff hopes, long on life support, have now turned terminal. The struggling AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings finds themselves 13 points out of the latest playoff spot in the Division with only 18 games remaining. For a team that has only managed 7 wins in the last two months (27 games) that seems insurmountable. Now the team turns its sights to avoiding setting franchise marks for the worst season in its 14-year history. The previous holder of that distinction was the 2007-08 club, coached by Mike Stothers, which staggered to a 31-41-2-6 mark, a miniscule .438 win percentage and an out of the playoffs 70 points. This years Griffins will need 16 points in its last 18 games to tie that mark. As stated above that is not likely to happen unless this team starts playing to their potential - and soon. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030110.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030110.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:43:00 EST Center Jason Spezza leads the way with 33 points among the 31 former Griffins to see time in the NHL this season. Players that formerly suited up for Grand Rapids have played for over 185 different teams so far this season from KHL to the asian league. First year man Pavol Demitra is the only remaining Griffins from the first season still playing in the NHL, but several fan favorites have taken to Europe including Donald MacLean, and most recently Darryl Bootland and Francis Lemieux. Jiri Hudler leads the 19 man representation in the KHL, scoring 51 points for Moscow Dynamo. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022610.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022610.html Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:43:00 EST The Griffins fell to the San Antonio Rampage 3-2 in yet another poor effort by the home team. Grand Rapids again played with 16 players, two under the limit, with Evan McGrath and Andy Delmore healthy scratches for the straight contest. Young guns Jan Mursak (20) and Tomas Tatar (12) scored for Grand Rapids which has lost 15 of its last 18 at home. With seven home games remaining, the team has already tied the franchise record for most home defeats in a season and looks to be on a course to break it next weekend. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022410.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022410.html Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:43:00 EST The downtrodden Griffins found some rare resiliency tonight in coming back twice to beat the Texas Stars. Grand Rapids, down 2-0 at the end of the first scored three unanswered goals in the second to take the lead. Then when Texas tied it up in the third they scored two more to preserve the win. The Griffins got goals from Tatar (12), Janik (6), Williams (19), Rissmiller (14) and Abdelkader (3). Special teams were a key in the win as GR scored 2 powerplay goals and killed off all four Star's powerplays. Daniel Larsson picked up his 17th win of the season, making 30 stops. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022110.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022110.html Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:43:00 EST Grand Rapids just keeps finding new ways to lose, tonight blowing a 3 goal lead to fall 5-3 to the visiting Peoria Rivermen. The Griffins started out hot, running up a three goal lead on tallies from Emmerton, Tardif and Pyett. Then the wheels fell off in the second and the Rivermen scored five unanswered goals, including three in a minute and fifteen second span. Thomas McCollum made 24 saves in absorbing his 12th loss of the season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022010.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022010.html Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:47:00 EST The Hamilton Bulldogs rode a David Desharnais hat trick past a flat Griffins squad to take a 4-3 victory at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids, playing without blueliner's Sergei Kolosov and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen was guilty of defensive breakdowns to giftwrap the win for Hamilton. Jan Mursak (19), Frankie Pare (12) and Jeremy Williams (18) scored for the home team while Daniel larsson made 30 saves in the loss. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/021910.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/021910.html Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:24:00 EST The Griffins won an up and down game against the Toronto marlies in an up and down, fight filled battle of the cellar dwellers. Grand Rapids stormed out to a four goal lead in the first and looked to be a different team then we have seen the last six weeks at Van Andel Arena. The Marlies tried to intimidate GR physically and the Griffins answered the call and showed that was not going to get the job done. They were cruising to a shutout when a heinous turnover by Williams in front started a 3 goal rally leaving the outcome in doubt. Patrick Rissmiller (12) had two goals for Grand Rapids, which also got tallies from Vigilante (8), Ritola (11), Janik (5), and Emmerton (8). http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020510.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020510.html Sat, 6 Feb 2010 10:39:00 EST Everything that could go wrong for Grand Rapids has gone wrong lately, leaving the Red Wings' AHL affiliate looking for answers. A combination of bad goaltending, poor defense, a scoring slump, injuries, abysmal special teams and unhappy players have all conspired to leave the Griffins within one point of the AHL's basement. The organization feels that they are still within striking distance of the last playoff spot, and can still get it together to make a run on the postseason. They are running out of time, however, if that is true. The return of Justin Abdelkader has already paid some dividends, as his grit and leadership were apparent from his first shift over the weekend. The team also had some addition by subtraction with Michael Nylander and Frankie Lemieux, both unhappy with their roles, being moved out at the end of the month. Several other veterans (Williams and McGrath to name a few) should be looking over their shoulders as their poor play could lead to a new address before the clear day deadline. The goaltending carousel doesn't look quite as shaky with Daniel Larsson turning in a couple of strong performances at the end of the month. In addition, the continued emergence of young players like Logan Pyett, Frankie Pare, Tomas Tatar and Jan Mursak continue to raise hope. With 48 games in the ledger this season, the Griffins stand in last place in both the North division and Western Conference with a record of 21-26-0-1. The club is also 27th of 29 overall with a whopping 43 points, one point out of the basement. They have scored 143 goals in that span, the eighth best offense in the league, but have allowed 164; only three teams gave up more. January saw the team post a 3-10 record while being outscored 31-50 by their opponents, giving up just shy of 4 goals per game on average. Grand Rapids also enjoys the 4th best attendance in the AHL at 6,574 fans per game, averaged over 27 home games. The following is a review for January: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020110.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020110.html Thu, 4 Feb 2010 17:27:00 EST If it weren't for bad luck lately, this team would have no luck at all. Looking to break a 5 game losing streak, the Griffins played well enough to win, but a questionable penalty shot called late in the game proved to tough to come back from. Defenseman Logan Pyett scored his 7th of the campaign, shorthanded, while sniper Jan Mursak notched his 18th late in the third. Rookie Thomas McCollum made 29 stops in a losing effort. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/013010.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/013010.html Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:03:00 EST Hopes were high with West Michigan native son Justin Abdelkader in the Griffins lineup for the first time this season. Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Chicago Wolves played the role of spoiler, scoring three unanswered goals to send the Griffins to a 3-0 loss. Daniel Larsson made 22 saves, keeping the Wolves off the scoreboard for the first half of the game, on the way to absorbing his 15th loss of the season. The game marked the 5th straight loss for Grand Rapids who are now 7 points out of the last playoff spot in the division. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012910.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012910.html Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:03:00 EST The home team finally showed up for a full 60 minutes, and the result was their first home win since December 11th, breaking a 7 game losing streak. Frankie Pare scored the club's first shorty of the season, Tatar notched his 10th and Emmerton added an empty netter for the win. Daniel larsson was stellar in the net stopping 39 shots from the AHL's 2nd best team. The griffins finish up their three games in three nights weekend this afternoon against Rockford. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011610.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011610.html Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:19:00 EST Grand Rapids kicked off the second half in better shape that at any time in the last month, featuring a full complement of regular defenseman. In fact the only regular that was not available last night was Kris Newbury nursing a minor injury. The difference was apparent on the ice, but unfortunately not on the scoreboard as the Griffins fell 3-2 to Peoria. Evan McGrath and Doug Janik scored for Grand Rapids while netminder Daniel larsson made 25 saves in the loss. The Rivermen scored all three of their goals on powerplays in the second period. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011510.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011510.html Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:27:00 EST Forced to graduate several young players early, including Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm to fill spots in Detroit, the prevailing concern was the cupboard was bare. With people like Hakan Andersson and Jim Nill calling the shots, people shouldn't have worried. As it turns out, a lot of the young talent has taken a large step forward, putting themselves onto the radar of the big club. Jan Mursak has already scored twice as many goals as he had points last season and is the club leader with seventeen. Rookie Thomas Tatar and second year man Frankie Pare were not far behind, helping to carry the offense. On the blueline Logan Pyett has stepped up to be the teams best all around defenseman so far this season while Sergei Kolosov has emerged as a legitimate NHL candidate. The news is not all rosy as Jakub Kindl, Corey Emmerton and Daniel larsson among others have taken a step back, but there is still time for a rebound. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011410.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011410.html Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:27:00 EST The Griffins seemed to be making progress with an improved stretch of play in November, but December was not a kind month. Recalls and injuries induced a defensive freefall that saw the team battered several games in row. The team limped to a 5-10 record, but most disturbing was a five game losing streak which saw the team give up 25 goals including a pair of 7 goal games for the opposition. But even when things look their bleakest, there is a silver lining, in this case the development of a few of the prospects who stepped to the forefront. Jan Mursak and Frankie Pare stepped up to carry the Griffins offense, putting the parent Wings on notice that they were ready to be counted on. On the blueline, second year defenseman Logan Pyett has stepped up to become a prime time player, outshining uber-prospect Jakub Kindl. Grand Rapids stands fourth in the Northern Division with an 18-16-0-1 record. It's 37 points are good enough for 9th in the western conference and 18th in the AHL. The Griffins are the fourth highest scoring team in the league at 3.2 goals per game, but are the 4th worst team in goals against at 3.26 per game. The team is 3rd in the AHL in attendance after 19 home games, averaging 6,543 per game. The following is a review for December: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010110.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010110.html Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:27:00 EST The Griffins continued their losing ways, dropping a close decision to the bottom dwelling San Antonio Rampage. A slow start to the game for Grand Rapids led to a three to zero lead by the Rampage and another yanked starter for the Griffins. Jordan Pearce played well in relief of Larsson, shutting out the Rampage for just over 43 minutes, stopping all 13 shots he faced. Logan Pyett scored his fifth of the season, tying his rookie campaign points total from last season at 14. Jan Murask had the other Griffins goal, his team leading 16th, marking 4 games in a row that the talented forward has scored. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010610.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010610.html Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:04:00 EST Grand Rapids gave up 7 goals at home for the second consecutive game as the team's defensive woes are threatening to derail the season in a hurry. Jordan pearce making his first start of the season, gave up five goals on 21 shots absorbing the loss. Larsson gave up 2 goals on three shots in 6 minutes of relief midway through the game. Sniper Jan Mursak took over the team lead with his fifteenth goal of the season, while Trent Daavetila scored his first in his first appearance for Grand Rapids. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010310.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010310.html Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:57:00 EST Rookie netminder Thomas McCollum was re-assigned to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL today by the parent Detroit Detroit Red Wings. McCollum has been increasingly ineffective the last few weeks, and has been pulled from his last three appearances sporting an 11.19 GAA and a .694 save percentage. While he is recovering his confidence and his game against lesser competition, Jordan Pearce has been recalled to back-up starter Daniel Larsson. Pearce had a rocky start to the season, but is 5-2 with a 2.12 GAA and .937 save percentage in his last 7 games. http://www.griffinscentral.com/24.html Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:02:00 EST The Griffins continued their defensive struggles with a record six goals against in the second period to fall to the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs 7-3. Grand Rapids held a two one lead at the end of the first on goals by Emmerton and Delmore before allowing the Bulldogs six unanswered goals and changing netminders twice. Jan Mursak added the other Griffins tally in the third to complete the scoring for the home team. GR lost it's season worst fifth game in a row, playing without several regulars on recall to Detroit (NHL) or injured. Defensemen Janik (Detroit), Kindl (hand) and Kolosov (concussion) were all sorely missed. Starter Daniel larsson finished with 26 saves on 30 shots, while backup Thomas McCollum was blitzed for 3 goals on 8 shots in just 12 minutes work. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/123109.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/123109.html Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST The Grand Rapids Griffins are experiencing a large roster upheaval due to injuries and recalls. Winger Mattias Ritola joins blueliner Doug Janik in Detroit, filling in for slumping Ville Leino. The GR blueline will also be missing Jakub Kindl (hand) and Sergei Kolosov (Concussion) leaving them seriously undermanned. Forwards Kris Newbury and Jan Mursak will also be on the sidelines temporarily, nursing minor injuries. The Griffins signed D Ryan Stokes and D Tom Galvin to PTO contracts recently to fill the void on defense, while recalling LW Frankie Lemieux and signing RW Brian Rolhlfs to a PTO to fill the holes up front. http://www.griffinscentral.com/23.html Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:56:00 EST The suddenly struggling Grand Rapids Griffins turned in their second consecutive defensive nightmare coupled with an offensive outage and handed the surging Peoria Rivermen a late holiday gift. The game was highlighted by turnovers, giveaways and generally uninspired defensive play and it cost the Griffins a 5-1 loss. Jakub Kindl had the Griffins only goal, on the powerplay, making up a little for his horrendous play on the night. Daniel Larsson made 28 saves on 33 shots, but was hung out to dry several times. The Griffins have lost five of their last six games, including their last three, outscored 17-8 in that span. The lone bright spot was the penalty killing unit that killed off 7 of 8 Rivermen chances. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/122709.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/122709.html Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:56:00 EST The Red Wings are without the services of veteran blueliner Brian Rafalski for tonight's game bacause of the flu, so they recalled Jakub Kindl for tonights game. This is Kindl's second recall of the season, and he is expected in the lineup tonight versus Chicago. In other Griffins news, the team announced yesterday that winger Frankie Lemieux had been re-assigned to Las Vegas (ECHL) after filling in for a few games over the weekend. And lastly Detroit swapped forwards with Grand Rapids, returning center Kris Newbury and recalling Mattias Ritola to the parent club. Newbury made the most of his time in Detroit, scoring his first goal as a Wing last week in a win over Phoenix. Ritola and Kindl join Doug Janik on recall to Detroit. http://www.griffinscentral.com/22.html Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:56:00 EST The Grand Rapids Griffins have recalled winger Francis Lemieux from exile with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. Lemieux's recall was neccessitated by the rash of player moves earlier in the week leaving the Griffins with only 11 forwards. Frankie Sr, as he is known, has been red hot in the ECHL since his demotion, scoring 7 goals and 3 assists in 12 games and playing feisty, spririted, physical hockey. http://www.griffinscentral.com/21.html Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST The Grand Rapids Griffins had a busy 24 hours starting with the addition of NHL veteran center Michael Nylander. They also assigned rookie left wing Tomas Tatar to the Slovakian National Junior Team for the upcoming World Junior Championships. The event is being held in Saskatchewan from December 26th - January 5th, and Tatar is expected to put up big numbers after being one of the leading scorers last year. A pair of injuries to an already depleted Red Wings lineup necessitated the recalls of C Kris Newbury on Monday and D Doug Janik on Tuesday. Newbury made his Red Wings debut and scored a goal against Phoenix last night. And finally enigmatic winger Dick Axelsson has left the team unexpectedly to return to Sweden. He has not yet been given permission to resume playing with Farjestads (SEL) but is unlikely to return to Grand Rapids. In other news, Frankie Pare was named AHL player of the week after scoring six points in four games last week, including his first three goals of the season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/20.html Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:59:00 EST The grand Rapids Griffins will receive a boost this week with the addition of NHL veteran Michael Nylander, assigned by the Washington Capitals (NHL). Nylander is expected to remain with Grand Rapids for the balance of the season unless another NHL team is willing to take on his multi-million dollar contract. The addition of the NHL sniper should help in the absence of Tomas Tatar who will be leaving soon for the World Junior Championships and possibly the 2010 Olympics. http://www.griffinscentral.com/9.html Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:59:00 EST The Griffins put forth a better effort against the visiting Milwaukee Admirals, but it was not enough to overcome the ads stifling defense. Grand Rapids managed only 22 shots on goal, but probably had an equal number blocked before they reached the net. The Admirals offense was able to take advantage of several gifts to record the win. Super rookie Tomas Tatar scored the only goal for Grand Rapids while red hot Daniel larsson made 38 stops in the losing effort. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121209.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121209.html Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:01:00 EST Grand Rapids was soundly outplayed by the visiting Lake Erie Monsters, but managed to show up just long enough to win in the shootout. Thomas McCollum was huge in the net making 40 saves to keep his team alive and stopping 5 of 6 in the shootout. Frankie Pare, Jeremy Williams and Jan Mursak scored for the Griffins in regulation, with McGrath and Tatar adding shootout goals for the win. The Griffins remain undefeated when the game goes past regulation time, winning all three shootouts and one overtime contest. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121109.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121109.html Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:13:00 EST The Griffins had a lot of reasons to want a little revenge against the visiting San Antonio Rampage, 14 of them to be exact. The Griffins suffered a pair of losses to the Rampage earlier in the season and gave up 7 goals in each, since then the team has fallen on hard times, resulting in the firing of their coach, ex-griffins bench boss Greg Ireland. Frankie Pare broke a 21 game scoring drought scoring his first of the season on a penalty shot, and Daniel Larsson made 31 saves for his 10th win of the season. Kris Newbury, Jeremy Williams and Jan Mursak also scored for Grand Rapids in the win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120909.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120909.html Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:40:00 EST The Detroit Red WIngs have re-assigned defenseman Januk Kindl to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 22 yr old blueliner made his NHL over the weekend, playing in a pair of games for Detroit in which he compiled a -2 rating and one shot on goal. In another move, the Griffins assigned rookie defenseman Sebastien Piche to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. Piche was the odd man out in the Griffins rotation, losing out the seventh spot to Travis Ehrhardt. He was the leading scorer among blueliners in the QMJHL last season but was scoreless in 9 games this season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/10.html Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:40:00 EST Grand Rapids got two goals in the first and held on to take a 4-1 win over the Peoria Rivermen. Daniel Larsson won a hard fought goaltender's battle with Hannu Toivonen, stopping 24 shots for the win. Toivonen stopped 39 of 41, and then watched from the bench as the Griffins scored a pair of empty netters late in the game. Jan Mursak (7), Patrick Rissmiller (5), Mattias Ritola (6) and Tomas Tatar(6) scored for Grand Rapids. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120509.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120509.html Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:20:00 EST It was Deja vu for the Grand Rapids Griffins tonight, finding themselves losing a one goal game to the Rockford IceHogs. Jamie Tardif scored the lone goal for Grand Rapids tying the game at one apiece late in the first period. The Griffins appeared to tie the game in the third, but it was ruled no-goal as the official intended to blow the play dead. That was not the only controversial call on the night, but in the end the home team could not solve IceHogs netminder Alec Richards. Thomas McCollum suffered his fifth loss of the season, stopping 16 shots. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120409.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120409.html Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:20:00 EST The Detroit Red Wings have announced the recall of Jakub Kindl today. All-Star Brian Rafalski left practice early this morning with a stiff lower back, and if he is anuable to go on Thursday it could open a spot for Kindl to make his NHL debut. The 22 year old blueliner has tallied a goal and 11 assists on the season and a -2 defensive rating with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL). http://www.griffinscentral.com/8.html Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:59:00 EST After a rocky start to the season trying to blend in a roster that experienced a 50% turnover from last season, it looks like things have finally started to stabilize. A nine game winning streak helped to bring the team from the basement back up to within striking distance of the division lead. Along the way several of the Red Wings top prospects started to play up to expectations, most notably Cory Emmerton (9 points in 10 games), Jakub Kindl (7 points in 9 games) Mattias Ritola (4 goals), Logan Pyett (4 points, +7), Jan Mursak (6 points, +4) and Daniel Larsson (5-1, 2.14 GAA). Rookie winger Tomas Tatar was the surprise of the month. A second round choice in the 2009 draft, Tatar had an impressive camp and signed with the Wings so he could stay in North America. He was expected to get a look in the AHL before being sent to the OHL for a dominant year of seasoning. Someone apparently forgot to tell that to Tatar who got his feet wet for about nine games (1 goal 1 assist) and then exploded for nine points in his next five. The Griffins currently occupy the fifth spot in the North division, four points out of second place, despite having played the least number of games in the conference. Their 26 points are good enough for sixth in the western conference. The team's .650 winning percentage is the 6th best in the AHL where it currently sits in 12th place overall, a statistic muddied by the fact that most teams ahead of them have played three or four more games. Grand Rapids boasts the third best offense in the AHL at 3.35 goals per game, while occupying the 15th spot in goals against at 2.8 per game. They also have the third best attendance in the league at an average of 6,646 per game. The following is a review for November: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120109.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120109.html Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:59:00 EST Grand Rapids has made a habit out of falling behind early and then storming back for a win. This game started out according to the normal script, but when the Griffins reached back, they found they didn't have enough left to dig out of a 4-1 hole against the visiting Rockford IceHogs. Netminder Thomas McCollum 29 shots, but did not look as sharp as usual, something that could be said for a lot of the team tonight. Frankie Pare led the way offensively with 2 assists, while Evan McGrath, Mattias Ritola and Tomas Tatar scored for the home team. Tatar has scored in three straight games, and has notched seven points in the last four. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112709.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112709.html Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST The league leading Texas Stars came into tonight's game having only lost twice in regulation, giving up a stingy 32 goals in 19 games (1.68 per game). The Griffins explosive offense lit them up for four goals, and Daniel Larsson held the fort to give Grand Rapids a convincing 4-1 win. Patrick Rissmiller had a goal and an assist while rookie Tomas Tatar and veteran defenseman Doug Janik each added two assists. Jan Mursak, Kris Newbury and Jakub Kindl also added goals for Grand Rapids. Larsson, the second star of the game, made 24 saves including all 11 in the third period when Texas was trying to rally. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112009.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:59:00 EST The Detroit Red Wings have assigned goaltender Daniel Larsson to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Larsson backed up former Griffin Jimmy Howard in Detroit the last four games due to the absence of veteran Chris Osgood recovering from a bout of the flu. In other moves, rookie blueliner Sebastien Piche was re-assigned to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. Piche has been a frequent scratch and was moved to Toledo to get the talnted young defenseman some playing time. And finally captain Jamie Tardif returned to the lineup today after missing a day with an injury suffered in practice earlier in the week. Tardif said it was a flare up of the knee injury that sidelined him for a while last season, and he should not miss any playing time because of it. http://www.griffinscentral.com/6 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST The story of tonight's games looked to be written the same as the last nine right up until the ending chapter. Grand Rapids found itself down by a pair of goals and then fired up it's game, dominating play for large parts of the second half. Unfortunately Alexander Salak had something to say about the come from behind rally which did not happen. Logan Pyett scored the Griffins lone goal with 42 seconds left in the game to break the shutout, but that would be all they could muster despite putting 34 shots on the Rochester net. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111409.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111409.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:20:00 EST The Detroit Red Wings recalled goalie Daniel Larsson from the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday. Larsson will backup Jimmy Howard against the Anaheim Ducks, subbing for Chris Osgood who is out with the flu. To fill his spot, the Griffin have signed Sebastien Centomo from the Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL) to a Professional Tryout Contract to back up Thomas McCollum tonight against Rochester. http://www.griffinscentral.com/5 Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST The Grand Rapids Griffins fought back to tie the game twice before winning in in overtime to take their ninth straight victory. Veteran defenseman Doug Janik scored on a rocket of a shot 1:21 into the extra session for the win. Mattias Ritola and Patrick Rissmiller scored the other two Griffins goals. Rookie goalie Thomas McCollum was solid early, keeping the team in the game until his teammates fired it up later in the game. Center Kris Newbury had an assist to extend his streak to 7 games, one of the team record. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111309.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111309.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:40:00 EST The Griffins got a big boost heading into tonights game against the Milwaukee Admirals when the parent Detroit Red Wings returned starting goaltender Daniel Larsson. No word yet on whether he will return to Detroit on Saturday to back up Howard again, but at least he will be available on Friday. http://www.griffinscentral.com/1 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST Griffins ace netminder Daniel Larsson has been recalled by the parent Detroit Red Wings. Detroit starter Chris Osgood is on the shelf with the flu, so the second year stopper is expected to back up Jimmy Howard against Vancouver tonight. The Griffins also released goalie Sebastien Centomo from his PTO contract today. Centomo returns to the Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL) after backing up Larsson Wednesday afternoon against Lake Erie. Griffins backup Thomas McCollum is expected to return from a bruised hand on Friday. http://www.griffinscentral.com/2 Daniel Larsson stood on his head to keep his team in the game early and then turned in a masterful performance to give them a 2-1 shootout win. Kris Newbury scored the only goal of the shootout, but couple with Larsson's 5 stops, it was all that was needed. Jeremy Williams had the other goal for Grand Rapids who are now unbeaten in 8 including 7 straight at home.Grand Rapids has used the streak to climb to 4th place in the North Division, 1 point out of third place behind the Abbotsford heat, and 2 points behind the 2nd place Hamilton Bulldogs. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111109.html The Grand Rapids Griffins announced a trio of player moves recently. The first involves popular Griffin Frankie Lemieux who has had a difficult time establishing himself a place in the linup this season. The veteran winger has been re-assigned to the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. It was also announced that enforcer Paul Crosty was released from his Professional Tryout Contract and signed to an AHL Standard Players Contract with the Griffins. This is a reward for Crosty's willingness to stick up for his teammates and strong physical play. The third move was bringing in goaltender Sebastien Centomo from the Muskegon Lumberjacks for todays afternoon game. Centomo will back up Daniel Larsson in place of Thomas McCollum who is out with a bruised hand. The rookie netminder should be ready to play by Friday's game at home against Milwaukee. http://www.griffinscentral.com/3 The Grand Rapids Griffins moved their winning streak to 6 games, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to take a 5-4 win from the Chicago Wolves. Cory Emmerton was the surprise leader, scoring his first 2 goals of the season as part of a four goal rally in the middle of the game. Captain Jamie Tardif (5), Jeremy Williams (5), and Jan Mursak (4) also scored in the win. Daniel larsson won his fourth straight contest, besting former Red Wing Manny Legace, despite being outshot 32-23. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110609.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110609.html Grand Rapids started out the season facing some of the same problems as the parent Detroit Red Wings. A large turn over in personnel meant that coach Fraser already had his work cut out for him in getting this team play together. Add into that a lack of pre-season games, and injuries and recalls costing the team Ryan Oulahen, Justin Abdelkader, and latecomer Brad May. What you got was a 1 and 4 start to the season, including a pair of blow-outs at the hands of the San Antonio Rampage. Looking for a shot in the arm, Grand Rapids added AHL Vet Patrick Rissmiller for the season from the New York Rangers, and NHL veteran Michael Nylander for two weeks from the Washington Capitals. The result was immediate as the Griffins ripped off a 5 game winning streak behind a suddenly potent offense and two red hot goaltenders. Highlights of the streak included a hat trick for Captain Jamie Tardif and a shutout for starter Daniel Larsson. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110109.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110109.html Rookie Netminder Thomas McCollum kept up his hot hand in leading the Griffins to their fifth consecutive win. For the first two periods, McCollum kept his team in the game when they had no place being there, stopping 32 of 33 shots for the game including 16 of 17 in the second period when his team was outshot and outplayed badly. Grand Rapids got off to a slow start, eventually falling behind 1-0 in what started out as a sleeper of a game. After a second intermission pep talk, the Griffins offense and intensity came on line and Nylander, McGrath and Rissmiller scored three unanswered goals to rally for the win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/103009.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/103009.html Grand Rapids enjoyed a breakout game, powered by a sensational goaltending exhibition by starter Daniel Larsson. Captain Jamie tardif led the way offensively with a hat-trick and Kris Newbury added a goal and two assists. With the game well in hand, Abbotsford tried to extract their revenge in blood, but for the most part came out on the wrong end of those encounters. Jeremy Williams and John Vigilante had the other scores for GR. Larsson lost his shutout bid with just over five minutes on the clock when the Heat scored on a 6-on-3 advantage. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102509.html http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102509.html The Griffins continued to be the comeback kids as they climbed out from a 2-0 hole to take a 4-3 win over the Toronto Marlies. Frankie Pare won the game in the sixth round of the shootout, ripping a shot over Munro's shoulder. Jeremy Williams (3), Patrick Rissmiller (1), and John Vigilante scored for the Griffins in regulation, while Michael Nylander also tallied in the shootout. Rookie netminder Thomas McCollum, making his first home start, stopped 25 hots and came up huge in the shootout. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102409.html The Grand Rapids Griffins showed off a surprising resiliency in rallying from a 2-0 hole to win their home opener 5-3. Evan McGrath, Jeremy Williams, Mattias Ritola, Kris Newbury and Jan Mursak scored for the Griffins. Netminder Daniel Larsson recovered from a shaky start to make 25 saves for his first win of the season. NHL veteran Michael Nylander potted three assists in the first game of his two week conditioning stint. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102309.html After an up and down year last season, ending in a surprising second round playoff showing, the Griffins fulfilled their mission. They graduated several players straight into the Wings lineup on their way to the Stanley Cup finals for the second straight year. Jonathan Ericsson, Darren Helm, Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader all played large roles in the NHL postseason. Joined by Griffins starter Jimmy Howard, the quintet all began the 2009 roster in Detroit. Add to this the complete turnover in veterans, and Grand Rapids found itself in need of some serious restocking. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/100809.html The Detroit Red Wings have signed veteran offensive defenseman Andy Delmore to a one year contract. This marks the second go around for Delmore who signed a contract with Detroit in 2005, but was claimed on waivers by Columbus after being assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL). That season he won the AHL's Eddie Shore trophy as top defenseman, posting 72 points and being named an AHL all-star. He is again earmarked for Grand Rapids and should re-energize the Griffins powerplay. Jokingly referred to as A_ny _elmore (as in where's the D), Delmore is a top notch offensive rearguard who is suspect in his own zone. The 32 year old native of Ontario spent the last two seasons in Germany playing in Hamburg after compiling 283 NHL games for four teams since 1998. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/072809.html It was mission accomplished for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, at least in the eyes of the parent Detroit Red Wings. The Wings wanted a competitive farm team that would develop young players, pushing out NHL parts with a side of playoff seasoning. That is exactly what coach Fraser delivered, getting his underdog team to the second round, and pushing a number of prospects to the forefront as future NHL'ers. Ace blueliner Jonathan Ericsson and Darren Helm have already made the jump, with rookie phenom Justin Abdelkader, puck-wizard Ville Leino and backstop Jimmy Howard not far behind. The next batch is already on the way, with Brian Lashoff, Sergei Kolosov, Frankie Pare and Daniel Larsson turning some heads. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/051509.html The Griffins turned in their best performance of the series but still fell short, dropping a heartbreaking game 4 to the Manitoba Moose. Jakub Kindl scored his first of the playoffs, shorthanded to open the scoring, but the Moose took advantage of a series of Griffins penalties to score three unanswered goals. Jamie Tardif cut the lead to one late in the third, but the home team could not complete the rally to extend the series. Jimmy Howard gave up three goals on the first 10 shots he faced on the way to absorbing the loss. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/050609.html The Griffins never looked like they were able to get their game up to speed, leading to an uninspired loss and possibly a season on the brink. The passion and fire this team showed in the first round against Hamilton was not on display, and the red hot powerplay unit was a dismal 0 for 6. Francis Pare scored the teams only goal in the second on a nice two on one with Frankie Lemieux for his second of the series. Grand Rapids big guns, Justin Abdelkader, Ville Leino, and Darren Haydar were kept off the scoresheet for the third straight game. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/050309.html Grand Rapids finally put in a 60 minute effort on home ice, and the result was a dominant 4-1 win to take a 3-2 series lead. Darren Haydar led the way with two goals, while Jakub Kindl and Tom Galvin, Wednesday night's goats each added a goal and an assist. The third period featured several brawls as a frustrated Bulldogs team tried to send a message, unfortunately for them the Griffins were ready and gave better than they got. Former AHL All-star Jimmy Howard made 14 saves for the win, rebounding from a pair of shaky performances. The series now shifts to Hamilton for games 6 and 7. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/042409.html The Grand Rapids Griffins dominated the first 40 minutes of the game before suffering a humiliating collapse in the third period that culminated in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs scored 4 unanswered goals to tie the series at two, spoiling an incredible night for West Michigan native Justin Abdelkader who may have played his best game as a pro. Besides scoring a goal, Abdelkader was a dominant physical force and dictated the pace and style of play while on the ice. The Griffins also got goals from Aaron Gagnon and Jamie Tardif in the loss. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/042209.html The Griffins fell back to their old ways upon returning to the friendly confines of the Van Andel arena. A poor defensive outing and a shaky start by Jimmy Howard sunk the Griffins despite getting 4 goals from the offense in a 5-4 loss in Game three of their first round series against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Grand Rapids got goals from Darren McCarty, Ville Leino, Justin Abdelkader, and rookie Brian Lashoff in the loss. Abdelkader (1 goal), Haydar (3 assists) and Leino (1g + 1a) are tied for 1st in AHL playoff scoring with 6 points each. Jimmy Howard, who was strong in the first two games of the post-season gave up 5 goals on 26 shots, and couldn't seem to close the door in game three. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/042009.html The Griffins held pace with the first place Manitoba Moose for most of the season until the stretch of injuries and recalls proved to be too much to overcome. Offensive stars Mattias Ritola and Ville Leino joined grinders Ryan Oulahen, Jamie Tardif and Aaron Downey on the sidelines for most of the month with injuries. Defensive stalwart Tom Galvin and starter Jimmy Howard also missed a few weeks each while the team's top two defensemen, Jonathan Ericsson and Garrett Stafford remain in the NHL on call-ups. A couple of times recently the player shortage has left them unable to ice a full lineup, or forced them to dress extra defensemen and play them up front. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/040109.html Starter Jimmy Howard finally got the best of Griffins nemesis Justin Pogge, edging him 2-1 in an eight round shootout. After an incredible defensive battle, it looked like the home team would come out on the wrong side of things after Howard gave up goals to the first two Marlies Shooter's. But the 4th year pro shut the door and didn't allow another through the next six rounds to claim the victory. Darren McCarty scored his third of the year in regulation, while Leino, Haydar and Evan McGrath had shootout goals. The game was a costly one for the Griffins as defenseman Sergei Kolosov suffered a sprained wrist early, and slick playmaker Mattias Ritola injured a shoulder and will be out at least 4-6 weeks. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/032009.html Todd White is the surprise leading scorer among former Griffins in the NHL with 63 points, just ahead of Jason Spezza and Jiri Hudler. Detroit's Niklas Kronwall holds a slight margin over Kyle Quincey for highest scoring rearguard with 43 points. Center Todd Robinson is the highest scoring alumus, posting 103 points for Muskegon in the IHL. Alexandre Giroux is the top AHL pointgetter with 78 and is also the leading goalscorer at any level with 47. Joey MacDonald has 44 appearances with the New York Islanders but has temporarily lost the starting job due to injuries. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031909.html Former Griffin Drew MacIntyre narrowly edged Daniel Larsson in an old fashioned goalie duel. The game remained scoreless for 57 minutes and 56 seconds before erupting for three goals in less than two minutes. Admirals defenseman Cody Franson finally solved Larsson during a Darren McCarty penalty late in the game, and then added an empty netter in the last minute of play. Ville Leino broke the shutout with 15 seconds left in the game, converting a McCarty pass in front. Larsson was spectacular in the loss making 19 saves including several dangerous scoring chances. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031509.html The visiting Peoria Rivermen, still smarting from yesterday's 4-1 loss, extracted a small measure of revenge, beating the Griffins 3-1. The Griffins didn't have their best stuff, and were flat for most of the game, especially in the second period when they were out-shot 19-7. Jimmy Howard had a less than stellar outing in the loss, but his teammates did little to help him out. Rookie Frankie Pare had the home team's lone goal, his 21st of the campaign. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031409.html Grand Rapids has had a knack for welcoming back former teammates this season, and last night was no exception. Darren McCarty and Garrett Stafford led the way with a goal and an assist each as they torched Griffins alumnus Manny Legace for 4 goals on 35 shots. Justin Abdelkader and Aaron Gagnon also scored for Grand Rapids, while Jimmy Howard made 24 saves to record his 17th win of the campaign. Darren Haydar added an assist, keeping his scoring streak alive at ten games (6 goals + 12 assists = 18 points). http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031309.html The AHL released the 2009 Clear day lists this morning, highlighting the players eligible to play the last month of the season and the playoffs. Despite several strong rumors to the contrary, it appears that Griffins GM Bob McNamara was unable to beef up the blueline by adding another prospect from Dallas (NHL), or arrange a loan from a non-playoff bound team. It would also appear that the injury to Mark Parish at the NHL level has scuttled the forecasted return of Landon Wilson to the playoff roster, both huge blows to the Griffins. As expected, gritty winger Jamie Tardif's injury woes have cost him a spot on the list, and the team chose to keep Darren McCarty's name over Jan Mursak. Those two choices are strictly academic as the team will be able to add players up front when McCarty, Helm and Leino are recalled by Detroit (NHL). 2009 Clear Day Roster: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031209.html Wednesday, March 11th at three o'clock PM marks the AHL's annual clear day roster freeze. This is the day that American Hockey League team's must finalize their playoff rosters, submitting a list of 22 skaters eligible for the post season. Their are a few exceptions to that rule as teams are allowed to add players at the conclusion of their Junior seasons, and they can add players in an emergency situtation to replace injured players or NHL call-ups. The Griffins certainly have their share of the latter, adding to the complexity of the final decisions. Darren Helm, Jonathan Ericsson and Ville Leino have made strong cases to be on the parent Red Wings playoff roster, and head coach Mike Babcock has essentially said they will be recalled. The Griffins also face a few tough choices in deciding which of their injured players will be ready to go in time to be factors in the playoffs. Jimmy Howard and Tom Galvin are rumored to be back back fairly soon, but gritty wingers Frankie Lemieux (undetermined) and Jamie Tardif (3-4 weeks) will be cutting it close. There is also the prospect of GM Bob McNamara adding a few pieces before the deadline that will further shift the lineup. 2009 Preliminary Clear Day Roster: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/031109.html With a newly bolstered lineup featuring Darren McCarty, Darren Helm and Ville Leino among others, the Griffins thoroughly dominated the visiting rockford IceHogs in a 3-1 contest. Frankie Pare scored his 20th of the season joining Justin Abdelkader to tie a team record for rookie goal scorers in a season. Josh Langfeld and Chris Bala both scored 21 goals in the 2001-02 season as rookies, marking the only other time the team has had two first year players break the 20 goal mark. Ryan Oulahen scored his career best 18th goal, and the recently returned Leino also scored in the win. Daniel Larsson turned in a great game, but was denied a shutout in the last minute of play when Leino got cute instead of shooting the puck at the empty net, and turned the puck over, leading to an IceHogs goal. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030409.html The reality of being the farm team for an NHL club is that your best players can and will be recalled, usually when they are playing their best. The Griffins bid adieu to two of their top scorers in Ville Leino and Darren Helm for the month of February. The hit to the offense was compounded by the continuing injury saga of ace blueliner Jonathan Ericsson and at various times Mattias Ritola, Frankie Lemieux, Jimmy Howard and Tom Galvin. But the Griffins stepped up and fought through the adversity to post a 5-6-0-2 record. As the team enters the home stretch the last six weeks of the season, they are returning to health and despite the tempest, are only three points out of first place overall. Captain Darren Haydar has started to find his offensive stride as of late, firing 21 points in 13 games last month. He has been aided on the scoresheet by Justin Abdelkader who has come back from an NHL recall a changed player, chipping in 15 points of his own. Veteran blueliner Garrett Stafford has also picked up some steam with 13 points this month, while the additions of Darren McCarty, Leino and Helm from Detroit should provide a jolt of adrenaline. Rookie netminder Daniel Larsson has recovered from a small slump earlier in the month which should help mask the loss of Howard who injured a few games ago. The following is a review for January: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/030109.html Grand Rapids was able to ride a scoring surge from some unlikely sources to top the San Antonio Rampage. The Griffins got big offensive contributions from the fourth line of Mike Walsh (1 goal 1 assist), Aaron Gagnon (1 goal 1 assist) and Aaron Downey (2 assists). Jan Mursak (2), Logan Pyett (3) and Darren Haydar also scored for Grand Rapids. Jimmy Howard, returned from Detroit earlier in the day made the start stopping 32 of 36 shots for the win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022209.html The Griffins had every excuse to bow down to the visiting Manitoba Moose, but someone forgot to tell that to the players as they exploded for 5 goals to gain a measure of revenge against the 1st place team. Playing without Ville Leino, Darren Helm and Jimmy Howard on loan to Detroit, and Jonathan Ericsson and Mattias Ritola out with injuries, the home team road Daniel larsson, who was too sick to practice earlier in the day, to a surprise win. Captain Darren Haydar had four assists, while Cory Emmerton had a pair of goals. Evan McGrath and Justin Abdelkader also scored for Grand Rapids. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/022009.html The Griffins managed a split in four games last week, winning their first two in convincing fashion and then dropping a pair including a franchise record stomping by the Toronto Marlies. They opened the week on the road in Quad City with Jimmy Howard making a 44 save performance to top the Flames 3-2. Daniel Larsson had a weak outing at home on Friday, but thanks to some timely offense managed to beat the Chicago Wolves 6-3. Saturday the visiting Lake Erie Monsters beat a lackluster Griffins team 4-1, setting up Sunday's 10-5 road loss in Toronto. That game featured both netminders being pulled and then returning and set five new team records for futility. Grand Rapids was hanging on with a patchwork lineup with Darren Helm and Ville Leino enjoying extended stays in Detroit (NHL). Also missing from the lineup were Jonathan Ericsson (wrist), Mattias Ritola (lower body), Jamie Tardif (unspecified)and Sergei Kolosov (unspecified), prompting the Griffins to recall D Brett Peterson from Phoenix (ECHL) and sign LW Mike Walsh from Utah (ECHL). The lineup shift also allowed some other players to come to the forefront as Jan Mursak and Walsh both tallied their first goals of the season. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/021009.html Grand Rapids had every excuse to bow down to the Chicago Wolves, with several top players out of the lineup due to injury or NHL recall. Luckily no one told the rest of the team that, and they got some timely offense from some unlikely sources to double up on Chicago 6-3. Grand Rapids got goals from Jan Mursak (1st career goal), newcomer Mike Walsh (his first of the season), Aaron Gagnon (5), Garrett Stafford (7), Ryan Oulahen (14, tying his career high) and an empty netter for Evan McGrath. Justin Abdelkader and Darren Haydar both had three assists in the game. The Griffins also got some strong goaltending from Daniel Larsson who made 25 saves for the win. The victory moved the Griffins into a three way tie for first place, not just in their division, but in the whole league. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020609.html Grand Rapids had a pair of games against the last place Rochester Americans on the schedule last week, and managed 3 of 4 points out of them. They opened the weekend with a less then stellar effort and dropped a 2-3 shootout loss highlighted by Sergei Kolosov's first career goal. The second game started out the same before the switch came on and the team scored 5 third period goals to take an 8-4 win. Frankie Lemieux notched his second hat trick of the season in the rout, while Ryan Oulahen and Kolosov both had three goals in the two games. Evan McGrath (4 assists) and Darren Helm (1 goal, 3 assists) each added four points of their own over the weekend. Reigning AHL player of the week Jimmy Howard was very sharp in the shootout loss, while Daniel Larsson had a rare off night despite winning the 8-4 blowout. The team played without forwards Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader who had been summoned to Detroit (NHL). Veteran Aaron Downey had been recalled earlier in the week, but was returned Friday morning. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020309.html The Griffins won three straight overtime games in the latter part of the month, one a 1-0 shootout win backstopped by netminder Jimmy Howard. With the team's offense waning, the veteran netminder picked up the team and carried them to a 5-1-1-1 record. We have seen this before from Howard, who is notorious for incendiary hot and cold streaks, but the hope is that the competition between Jimmy and surging partner Daniel Larsson will make it a preview of things to come. Injuries to Jonathan Ericsson, Frankie Pare and Darren Helm among others and the recalls of Ville Leino, Aaron Downey, Justin Abdelkader and Helm to Detroit (NHL) have left the lineup in state of flux. Other players have had to step up to keep the team among the league leaders. Most notable has been the play of Ryan Oulahen, Mattias Ritola and defenseman Sergei Kolosov, who all stood out and raised their games in January. Grand Rapids turned in a respectable 9-3-1-1 record for the month to keep them near the top of the league. They currently sit second in their division and conference, three points behind the Manitoba Moose. They are also in third place overall, just 2 points behind Hershey for 2nd and boast the league's fourth best offense and number three defense. The following is a review for January: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/020109.html After playing down to the level of their competition the first two periods, the Griffins' potent offense switched on and buried the visiting Rochester Americans in a flurry of third period goals. Francis Lemieux led the way with his second hat trick of the season, but the home team also got strong offensive performances from Ryan Oulahen (2 goals), Sergei Kolosov (2 goals), Evan McGrath (4 assists), Frankie Pare (3 assists) and Darren Helm (1 goal, 2 assists). The Amerks battled back three times to tie the score, but couldn't keep up against the onslaught. Netminder Daniel Larsson had a rare off night between the pipes, but still held on to make 30 saves for his 16th win of the season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/013109.html Grand Rapids blew a 2-0 lead in the second to force overtime and a shootout which they lost to the last place Rochester Americans. This was the the team's fifth straight overtime game and third shootout in a row. The Griffins, who were playing without Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader, couldn't muster much offense in the latter stages of the game against red hot Amerk's goalie Mike Brodeur. They did manage to get goals from Sergei Kolosov (the first of his career, and Ryan Oulahen. Jimmy Howard was sharp in the loss, stopping 33 of 34 shots and 4 of 5 in the shootout. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/013009.html With the Griffins prolific offense suddenly off line, the team needed to find a new way to win to keep pace with the league leaders. Goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Daniel Larsson picked up the team and carried it to three victories despite only scoring four regulation goals. The team took out the Marlies 3-2 on Wednesday, than followed up with a pair of shootout victories over Quad City (2-1, and 1-0) over the weekend. Grand Rapids sits one point behind the Manitoba Moose for 1st place in both the North Division and Western Conference and two points behind league leader Hershey in the overall standings. Justin Abelkader led the way offensively with a pair of goals, but the team also got strong offensive performances from Darren Haydar (3 assists), Mattias Ritola (2 assists and a shootout goal) and Ville Leino (1 goal and a shootout goal). Also of note, Howard passed Joey MacDonald as the franchises career saves leader in the 1-0 win on Saturday. Captain Darren Haydar scored his 500th , 501st, and 502nd pro points last week. Jimmy Howard was named AHL Player of the week for his stellar play. Jakub Kindl and Daniel Larsson represented the team in the AHL all-star game last week turning in some credible performances on the big stage. Kindl finished the game with an assist, but really stoud out in the Skills Competition, helping to score three goals against Lake Erie's Tyler Weiman in the Bud Light Pass and Score contest. Larsson was the netminder of record for PlanetUSA earning the Win, and gave Cory Schneider a run for his money for best goalie. The first year Swede stopped 5 of 6 skaters in the breakaway relay, and made 8 saves in 10 tries against Providence's Johnny Boychuk and former Griffin Danny Syvret in the rapid fire event. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012709.html Jimmy Howard turned in a dominant performance in net, outdueling impressive opponent Matt Keetley for the win. Howard stopped a personal best 43 shots during the game, becoming the all time saves leader in franchise history on the way to his third shutout of the season. He saved some of his best work however for the shootout, stopping all five Quad City shooters to let Cry Emmerton's tally stand up for the win. The Griffins played without three of their top offensive players in D Jonathan Ericsson, C Darren Helm and C Frankie Pare. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012409.html Grand Rapids won a Friday night snoozefest with a rare dominant shootout performance. Netminder Daniel Larsson stopped all three shooters he faced, and the Griffins got nice goals from Ville Leino, Mattias Ritola and Evan McGrath to seal the victory. Quad City led 1-0 for most of the game before Leino tied things up in the third to force the extra sessions. Larsson made 34 saves for the win, notching his 15th of the campaign. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012309.html Grand Rapids got out to an early lead, let Toronto back in late and then won it in overtime to record their 26th victory of the season. Justin Abdelkader had a pair of powerplay goals including the overtime marker while Darren Haydar rang up his 500th and 501st pro points with a pair of assists. Frankie Pare scored the other GR goal, his 15th of the season, before leaving the game due to injury. Goaltender Jimmy Howard made 24 saves for the win, outdueling nemesis Justin Pogge. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012109.html The biggest story of the week was the Griffins losing the showdown for first place to the Manitoba Moose in convincing fashion. The final score ended up 6-4, but was never really that close as GR was down 4-0 halfway through the first. Grand Rapids earned points in all three of the other games this week, winning two (3-1 over Hamilton, and 3-2 in Rockford) and losing in OT against Rockford 2-1. They currently stand in second place in both the Western Conference and the North Division with 59 points, 1 point behind Manitoba. This total is also good enough for 3rd in the league trailing first place Hershey by 3 points. Also of note this week was that Grand Rapids, the AHL's number one penalty killing unit ended a string of 42 scoreless powerplays against, two shy of the club record. In other news, center Darren Helm missed all four games this week, apparently suffering from a charley horse. The two Frankie's line has slowed down, aside from Francis Pare, and had a tough week together. Pare and Darren Haydar were the team's leading scorers on the week with four points each, closely followed by Ville Leino and Cory Emmerton with three. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/012009.html Seven of the Griffin's top players in the first half of the season have played less than two seasons in the AHL, giving a glimpse of a bright future in the organization. With Grand Rapids tied for first place in the North Division and Western Conference and one point out of first overall, Coach Fraser has done a masterful job of putting this franchise back on the right path after a train wreck last season. AHL All-stars Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson have taken a step back but have been replaced by Jakub Kindl and Daniel Larsson, named to represent the club this season. These are the Griffins' first half grades: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011509.html Grand Rapids kept a share of first place in the conference this week, earning five of a possible six points on the table. The team rallied around All-Star goalie Daniel Larsson to hold off Rockford 6-5, held on despite a poor outing by Jimmy Howard to earn a point in an overtime loss against the Phantoms (4-3), and tightened up to help Larsson earn his 5th shutout of the season in the rematch against Philadelphia (4-0). Ville Leino was the leading scorer on the week with five points in three games just ahead of Mattias Ritola and Justin Abdelkader (4 each), and Garrett Stafford and Darren Haydar (3 each). This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011309.html Grand Rapids took advantage of a hot goaltender to gain a measure of revenge against the Philadelphia Phantoms who had beaten them in OT the previous night. Mattias Ritola (14) led the way offensively tallying a goal and an assist as well as recording 8 shots. Justin Abdelkader (12), Aaron Downey (2) and Ryan Oulahen also scored for the Griffins. The star of the show was Daniel Larsson who made some big saves early to set the tone for his team. The first year netminder made 27 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, one off the team record of six, also recording his 14th win in 19 decisions. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/011009.html True to form lately, starter Jimmy Howard followed up two straight strong performances with a stinker, as an apparent lack of focus was his undoing. The visiting Phantoms were able to score a couple of soft goals to stay in the game despite being badly out-chanced and won the game in overtime on a weak shot from the corner that wouldn't have cut paper. Francis Pare scored his 12th of the season while Garrett Stafford (5) and Mattias Ritola (13) added powerplay markers. Formers Griffins camp tryout Jeff Szwez scored two goals for the Phantoms and dropped the gloves in the first period with Aaron Downey. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010909.html The Griffins jumped out to early lead, scoring 5 goals in the first period, but had to settle for a shootout win after allowing the IceHogs to rally back. Recently named AHL all-stars Jakub Kindl and to a lesser extent Daniel Larsson both had tough nights for the home Griffins in a sloppy game. Grand Rapids got goals from five different players in regulation: Francis Pare (11), Justin Abdelkader (11), Aaron Gagnon (4), Logan Pyett (1st career goal), and Ville Leino (9). Leino also added two shoot-out goals including the game winner. Daniel Larsson was named third star of the game despite giving up 5 goals, stopping 36 shots behind a suddenly porous defense. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010709.html The Griffins picked 6 of 8 possible points last week, with victories against Peoria (3-1), Iowa (6-0), and Manchester (2-1) and the lone loss in Hartford. The two Frankie's line kept up the pace accounting for 12 points (5-7-12) in four games on the week. Frankie Pare led the way again with 5 points closely followed by Frankie Lemieux (4), Mattias Ritola, Evan McGrath and Darren Haydar with three each. Both netminders turned in big games, with Jimmy Howard having the better week by a slim margin. Jonathan Ericsson returned early from injury to score his first goal of the season, and winger Jamie Tardif led the club with 15 shots on goal. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010609.html It is not surprising that the Grand Rapids Griffins are in first place in their division and conference at the end of December. The surprise is in who has stepped forward this month to lead the team there. Two relative unknowns on AHL contracts and a forgotten prospect have combined to give the Griffins one of the hottest lines in the AHL. Francis Pare has gone from frequent scratch to potent offensive catalyst paired with speedy Francis Lemieux and Evan McGrath on a line that has produced 31 points in 11 games together. On the blueline, last years disappointing rookie, Jakub Kindl posted 11 points in 12 games and came up big in the absence of Jonathan Ericsson and Garrett Stafford. Depth defensemen Jason Jozsa and Sergei Kolosov also took big steps forward to become regulars. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/010109.html The two Frankie's line continues to blaze an offensive trail through the league, this time combining for three goals and seven points in a 6-0 rout of the visiting Iowa Chops. Goaltender Jimmy Howard recovered from a shaky outing last weekend to earn his second shutout of the campaign, stopping all 24 shots he faced. The shutout was Grand Rapids' fourth in the last six games coinciding with a 7-0-1-0 run that has rocketed the team into first place. The Griffins also got a goal from Ryan Oulahen (8) and powerplay markers from Ritola (11) and Ericsson (1). http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/123108.html Daniel Larsson has served notice that he is the real deal. The first year netminder tied a franchise record last week with his second shutout in a row, leaving him with four on the season, good enough for the AHL lead. His red hot December has propelled him into the ranks of the league leaders in wins, goals against average and save percentage. Larsson is also pushing starter Jimmy Howard for playing time and has been the more consistent and spectacular of the two so far, having only lost one game in regulation all season. He easily took the top spot this week despite strong performance from Evan McGrath, Darren Haydar, and Ville Leino among others. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/123008.html The Griffins were guilty of not playing for a full 60 minutes, and tonight it cost them as the Peoria Rivermen took advantage of a late game collapse to tie and then win the match in overtime. Evan McGrath scored a pair of goals and Ville Leino kept up his recent scoring surge, adding his eight of the year. Grand Rapids gave up an uncharacteristic two powerplay goals in three chances, and scored two of their own with the man advantage in seven tries. Jimmy Howard gave up 4 goals on 26 shots, and did not look sharp in the loss. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/122608.html Rookie Frankie Pare continues to make the most of his ice-time, but this past week the freshman phenom turned it up another notch. A force in all four games, Pare posted 3 goals and seven points in four games along with a team high +7 rating, also netting him the AHL player of the week honors. Other strong performances on the week included Jakub Kindl scoring 6 points in 4 games to move into fourth in AHL rearguard scoring, Francis Lemieux's hat trick, Ville Leino breaking his scoring drought with three goals, and dominant performances between the pipes by both Jimmy Howard and Daniel Larsson. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/122308.html Jimmy Howard turned in a solid performance to cover his team's lethargic effort, notching his first shutout of the season in the process. The shutout, his 11 career, moved him past former Griffin Marc Lamothe and into 2nd place behind Joey MacDonald who had 16. Streaking rookie phenom Frankie Pare provided a goal and an assist, giving him 4 points in his last two games. Jakub Kindl scored the game-winner late in the second , giving him 8 points in his last 10 games, and moving him into a tie for 6th place among AHL blueliners. The admirals were without the services of starting goalie Drew MacIntyre who home for the birth of his first child. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/122008.html The Grand Rapids offense clicked for five goals and a patchwork defense stepped up to lead the Griffins to a 5-1 rout of the visiting Syracuse Crunch. Five different players scored for the home team including Finnish phenom Ville Leino, his first goal since October 25th. But the real story was the outstanding play of the Griffins blueline, missing their top two rearguards - Jonathan Ericsson and Garrett Stafford - to injury. The Crunch were limited to just 21 shots on goal, and Jimmy Howard stopped all but one. Haydar (11), Helm (8), Pare (5), and Abdelkader (10) also scored in the win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121708.html Jamie Tardif earns the nod as player of the week for the second week in a row. The feisty winger notched a pair of goals over the weekend in a crucial series against the division leading Manitoba Moose. His first on Friday night capped off a late rally to tie the game at 5, setting up Darren Helm's game winner with under 5 minutes left to play. His other goal, scored Saturday, also tied the score, but the Moose would eventually blow the game open on their way to a 4-2 win. Other candidates were Abdelkader, Pyett and Helm who just missed the cut. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/121608.html NHL veteran Chris Chelios made his AHL debut for the Griffins this weekend, down from Detroit on a conditioning stint. Unfortunately the wily warrior's presence was not enough as Grand Rapids dropped both games this week, first losing a squeaker at home home in overtime behind Daniel Larsson's 38 save performance, and then suffering a 5-2 blowout at the hands of the visiting Hamilton bulldogs. Grinding winger Jamie Tardif takes the award as player of the week, topping strong performances from Cory Emmerton and Garrett Stafford. Tardif took advantage of regular icetime for the first real stretch this season to re-establish himself, providing scoring and energy. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120908.html The story of the night was supposed to be the AHL debut of three time Stanley Cup champion Chris Chelios, assigned by Detroit on a conditioning assignment. But by the end of it, Swedish netminder Daniel Larsson had stolen the headlines with a stunning 38 save performance, narrowly falling in OT to the Toronto Marlies. For large parts of the game, Larsson was the only reason his team was still in the game as they were outplayed and outshot in every period. Darren Helm notched his 6th of the year, and Jamie Tardif his 4th in the losing effort. Chris Chelios ended the game with his first AHL point, an assist, and also took a penalty in overtime leading to the Marlies winning goal. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120508.html Grand Rapids had a good week, picking up 7 of a possible 8 points with a 3-0-1 record. What makes this surprising however was who was doing the scoring. Scorer's Darren Haydar, Darren Helm, and Ville Leino were all surprisingly silent. But solid goaltending and the emergence of secondary scoring kept the team on track this week as Aaron Downey, Evan McGrath and Cory Emmerton all picked up the slack. Downey wins this week's top honors, narrowly pushing aside rookie netminder Daniel Larsson's stellar play. This weeks top three plus and minus performances: http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120208.html The second month of the season has featured some surprising stories as a group of secondary scorers have helped carry the offense. Slumps for Ville Leino, Justin Abdelkader, Mattias Ritola and Darren Haydar, and the loss of Landon Wilson left the team struggling for goals. Third year man Evan McGrath took advantage of the opportunity to raise his game and bring his linemates along with him. Aaron Downey, unsure of his future after his AHL demotion, woke up after being placed with McGrath and became an integral part of the clubs physical game, even chipping in some unexpected offense. Jakub Kindl rose from the ashes of a disappointing rookie season to vie for the title of best defenseman during the month, playing responsible in his own end and doing a great job running the Griffins powerplay. Highly touted rookie Cory Emmerton took a benching in stride and returned to play with a poise that belied his first year status. Towards the end of the month it looked like Ritola and Abdelkader were beginning to recover, but the team still needs to be concerned with the play of Haydar, Leino and all-stars Jonathan Ericsson and Jimmy Howard. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/120108.html Aaron Downey continued his resurgence with a goal and an assist in addition to providing energy and physical play to lead the Griffins over the basement dwelling Rochester Americans 3-1. Linemate Justin Abdelkader also broke an eight game scoring slump, scoring his 9th of the season, while Mattias Ritola scored the game winner his seventh of the campaign, tying his career high set last season in 72 games. Goalie Jimmy Howard had a great game in the nets, covering up for the sloppy game in front of him, stopping several breakaways and a penalty shot for the win. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112908.html The Griffins took advantage of a total team effort to ring up a hard fought win over the Chicago Wolves. The Griffins got goals at even strength (Tardif), shorthanded (Gagnon), and on the powerplay (Kindl) in the home ice triumph. Kindl added an assist to lead the team along with rookie Cory Emmerton who notched two assists. Daniel Larsson had a strong game between the pipes, stopping 22 of 24 shots for his sixth win of the season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112808.html Grand Rapids led twice but was unable to shut the door on the visiting Manchester Monarchs. A goal by Justin Azevedo, his second of the game, late in the second tied things up and despite a dominant third period, the Griffins could not solve Jonathan Bernier leading to overtime and a shootout. The Griffins got goals from Darren Haydar (9) and Aaron Gagnon's first of the season. Former Griffin Scott Parse set up Manchester's first goal, and scored in the shootout. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/1126082.html The Grand Rapids Griffins roster situation finally came to a head. The team had carried twenty-six players for much of the season, but could only dress twenty for any given game. That number shrank to 25 with the recall of veteran Landon Wilson to the Dallas Stars (NHL), and stands at 23 after a series of moves this morning. Defenseman PJ Atherton was the first to go, as the team re-assigned him to the Ontario Reign of the ECHL, where he will be reunited with his former coach from last season. The organization also pulled the trigger on a long rumored transaction with permanent press box resident Randall Gelech being recalled by Detroit (NHL) and re-assigned to the Rochester Americans (AHL). The parent Wings also recalled center Darren Helm, who is scheduled to play tonight against Montreal, and assigned fan favorite Darren McCarty to Grand Rapids. Helm is expected to return in a few days, but no word as to the length of McCarty's stay in the AHL. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112608.html The Griffins dropped three of four games this week, with one of those going to overtime and a shootout. Grand Rapids is feeling the loss of power forward Landon Wilson who was recalled by the parent Dallas Stars (NHL). Another culprit has been shaky goaltending, although first year man Daniel Larsson has shown signs of finding his game. Darren Helm is Griffinscentral's pick as player of the week as he notched a point per game during the four contests, and contributed at both ends of the ice. The speedy forward edged out strong performance from captain Darren Haydar, forward Evan McGrath, and blueliner Garrett Stafford. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112508.html Jiri Hudler leads the scoring brigade among 24 former Griffins who have seen time in the NHL this season with 16 points in 19 games with Detroit (NHL). Former captain Matt Ellis has been the most active, starting the season in Los Angeles (NHL) before moving to Buffalo (NHL) and then most recently being assigned back to the AHL with Portland. Eddie Shore winner Niklas Kronwall was the leading blueliner among alumni with 12 points on the season in the NHL, Joey MacDonald was the surprise starter with Islanders playing in 15 of the team's first 18 games. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112308.html Adam Berkhoel got the best of his former team last night, pulling off a 3-2 shootout win over the Griffins. He had a little help along the way from a couple of questionable penalty calls late, but Grand Rapids lacked the killer instinct to put Wilkes-Barre away when they had the chance. Darren Helm turned in a dominant performance scoring two goals and controlling play most of the time he was on the ice, and Daniel Larsson was solid in the loss, making 30 saves. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/112108.html Jakub Kindl led the way with a goal, the game winner, and an assist as the Grand Rapids Griffins rallied to take down the Hartford Wolfpack in their first ever meeting. Grand Rapids got help from from their special teams, with the AHL's second ranked penalty killing unit killing off all five Wolfpack powerplays, and adding 2 man advantage markers of their own with the leagues #2 unit. Darren Helm also added a goal and an assist, while Tom Galvin set a new career high with his second goal of the season. Goaltender Jimmy Howard, returning from an injury, made 20 saves for the win, his fourth of the year. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111408.html An airtight Griffins defense helped rookie netminder Daniel Larsson to his first AHL shutout a 1-0 victory over the Houston Aeros. Speedy Darren Helm scored the game lone goal, his second in the last three games after going scoreless his first six. The Griffins, playing in their 8th annual matinee game, sent the 7352 fans in attendance, mostly school children home happy with an exciting win. The home team dominated play most of the game, but were unable to get another good chance past Schaefer. Larsson was starting in place of Jimmy Howard who was injured in the last game and is out indefinitely with a calf injury (charley horse). http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/111108.html Jimmy Howard helped avert disaster tonight, keeping his team in the game despite being outplayed in first period. The fourth year goalie was particularly sharp during a 5-on-3 advantage for Lake Erie, stopping several great chances. The rest of his teammates built off his example and ramped up their intensity before ripping the game open with 5 unanswered goals for the win. Captain Darren Haydar (4), Landon Wilson (6), and Darren Helm (1) led the way with a goal and an assist each while Evan McGrath had a pair of helpers. Jamie Tardif (2) and Francis Pare (3) also added tallies in the victory. The Griffins penalty killers were perfect in the game marking 24 straight powerplays without giving up a goal. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110708.html West Michigan native Justin Abdelkader continued his dominance as a pro by garnering the AHL's rookie of the month honor in his first month of play. The former MSU standout leads all AHL rookies in scoring and goals, totals which also see him among the lead leaders for all players. Detroits second round choice in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Justin has followed up on a storied collegiate hockey career with a tremendous pro start. He joined the parent Detroit Red Wings at the end of the season, making his pro debut and practicing as a black ace through the eventual cup win. This season, he scored his first pro goal in his first game, against Lake Erie and than followed that up with 6 more in the next 6 games. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/110308.html A quick start out of the gate including three straight 6 goal games has gone a long way to making fans forget last season. First year players Justin Abdelkader and Ville Leino have led the way, meshing nicely with 2nd year men Mattias Ritola and Darren Helm, and veteran's Darren Haydar and Landon Wilson to propel the team to the AHL's second best offense at just over 4 goals per game. Grand Rapids is also the only team in the AHL without a regulation loss, putting up a 4-0-2-1 record in 7 games. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/1101082.html The AHL's second best offense, so far this season, ran out of gas as the Grand Rapids Griffins dropped a 2-1 decision to the Syracuse Crunch. A key culprit was an 0 for 6 powerplay that did not generate many shots, let alone quality chances in the contest. Ryan Oulahen had the lone goal for the Griffins who were unable to get a shot past Crunch netminder Steve Mason in the shootout. Jimmy Howard took the loss for the home team despite stopping 23 of 24 shots in the game. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102908.html Grand Rapids got off to another hot start in the first period before needing some late game heroics to pull off the win. Justin Abdelkader led the way, notching his first career pro hat trick, while Ville Leino added three helpers and captain Darren Haydar chipped in a goal and three assists. Ryan Oulahen (2) and rookie Francis Pare (2) also scored for GR in the win. First year netminder Daniel Larsson made 28 saves for the win, his second of the campaign. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102608.html The Grand Rapids Griffins made a statement in the first period to their fans that this was a new year. They backed it up on the ice, scoring 6 goals in an energetic, exciting game featuring a little bit of everything that was a marked contrast to last season. Mattias Ritola led the way with 2 goals and an assist, while sniper Ville Leino added two of his own. Garrett Stafford had a goal and an assist, and West Michigan native Justin Abdelkader scored his third of the season. After a four goal first period, the Griffins backed off and allowed Hamilton back in, leading to a knuckle-biting finish. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102508.html It was no surprise that the organization pulled the plug in a major way on last season's team, exorcising the head coach and more than half of the lineup over the off-season. It was time to start over, and with a budding base of young talent to build around the Wings set out to fill the roster. The team added a bumper crop of rookie North American Pro's, highlighted by super prospects Cory Emmerton, Justin Abdelkader, Jan Mursak and Daniel Larsson. Offensive blueliner Logan Pyett and the hulking Sergei Kolosov were also brought on board as well as Finish League MVP Ville Leino. Grand Rapids took a flyer on QMJHL MVP Francis Pare, inking him and defenseman PJ Atherton to AHL contracts. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/102308.html The defending Stanley Cup champs break camp with largely the same cast as the previous season, missing only the retired Dallas Drake and Dominic Hasek. Newcomer Marian Hossa has drawn most of the focus during the offseason, but Finish League Star Ville Leino is a dark horse to fly in under the radar and take a job. The other big story in camp is the depth at defense, with 10 legitimate NHL defenders fighting for 8 spots on the blueline in Detroit. This camp also features a large crop of talented rookie pros, led by Cory Emmerton, Justin Abdelkader and Jan Mursak who are expected to start the season in Grand Rapids (AHL). http://www.griffinscentral.com/hist/camp08.html With Training camp on the horizon, and much talk about all the new faces destined for Grand Rapids, hope springs eternal. A new coach and a nearly complete turnover of the roster buoy the enthusiasm. And while new bench boss Curt Fraser will certainly be a big difference in the success of this team, we can't help but wonder what it will look like on the ice. In an attempt to combine my own observations with other scouting reports to produce some way to handicap the next wave I stumbled upon the work of Gabriel Desjardins. Desjardins, a master statistician, has done a series of research in the field of player equivalencies between leagues and using that information to come up with reasonable expectations of their performance at the next level. Without going in to too much detail (you can visit his website for all the details) I decided to use his theories to see what they would show if applied to Griffin's rookies over the last few seasons. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/090408.html Five returning players highlight the Wings 2008 Prospects Tournament roster. Mattias Ritola , Jakub Kindl, Jan Mursak, Randy Cameron and Zack Torquato all played for the woeful 2007 team. Free Agent tryouts account for 8 of the 22 slots, with 13 going to wings draft picks and 1 to Grand Rapids contract player Francis Pare. Nine players on the roster, Abdlekader, Larsson, Ritola, Kindl, Emmerton, Pare, Pyett, Mursak and Kolosov are all expected to see time in the AHL this season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/hist/pros08.html The search is over. The Grand Rapids Griffins announced the hiring of Head Coach Curt Fraser today, capping off 5 weeks of speculation as to the identity of the new bench boss. Fraser, a former NHL player and coach, becomes the eighth Head Coach in Griffins history, taking over for the recently fired Mike Stothers. His task will be to display some of the magic he had in Orlando (IHL) and Milwaukee (IHL) where he racked up 281 wins in 6 seasons. Griffins GM Bob McNamara had this to say about Fraser, "He's a passionate guy, and he played that way. He's competitive and resilient, and his teams never quit. He conveys that passion to his players, but he has the ability to teach as well." Fraser will have his work cut out for him trying to improve on last season's abysmal record with a very young roster of rookie professionals. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/072308.html A difference in philosophies led to the departure of Griffins head coach Greg Ireland last summer. Despite a winning record and a proven track record of developing NHL-ready players, the parent Detroit Red Wings took over the responsibility of hiring the coaches and brought in their own man. The results? A team record setting season of frustration culminating in missing the playoffs. The Griffins did not show much life or passion under coach Stothers until late in the season, and the same players were making the same mistakes from beginning to end showing little improvement. His methodical, low-key approach did not seem suited to his charges that lacked motivation and heart until a visit by NHL'er Darren McCarty. To add insult to injury, the team also watched its former coach take a doormat San Antonio team to its best record ever and a postseason berth. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/061808.html After the dust settles on the worst season in franchise history, many questions will have to be answered as to the makeup of next seasons club. So many things went wrong, that there is no shortage of areas to be addressed. A lack of leadership was the primary issue for the majority of the season as this club never really came together or responded to adversity. Other weaknesses exposed during a season long slump included a lack of consistent offense, no game-breaking scorer, a porous defense, and inconsistent netminding, to name a few. Add in an inexperienced coach who was too passive at times, and a lack of preseason games for the team to bond, and it all snowballed into a record setting season of futility. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/050208.html After a dreadful start, the combination of injuries, recalls, and poor play left Grand Rapids on the outside looking in at the AHL post-season. Lost in the struggle was the development and rise of the next generation of players from the Red Wings farm system. Evan McGrath, Darren Helm, Jonathan Ericsson, and Kyle Quincey took the next step towards NHL employment with solid showings in the second half despite the turmoil. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/041408.html Evan McGrath sent the fans home happy with his 18th of season, an overtime game winner. Grand Rapids led the game 2-0 on goals by Darren Helm (16) and Frankie Lemieux (6), but the Moose came back late in the game providing some excitement and prompting the extra session. Jimmy Howard turned in a strong performance for his 21st win stopping 23 of 25 shots. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/041208.html On a rainy spring night the Griffins provided their own thunder storm, turning in a solid performance to dump the arch-rival Manitoba Moose 6-3. Darren Helm, a late return from the NHL, turned in a dominant performance scoring two goals and displaying some great skill on the forecheck. Surging Evan McGrath kept up his hot hand scoring his 17th of the season and adding two assists. Grand Rapids also got goals from Frankie Lemieux, Tyler Redenbach, and Randall Gelech in the rout. Adam Berkhoel had another strong start stopping 20 of 23 for the his 10th win of the season. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/041108.html Despite the shots on goal differential, Houston dominated the Griffins in handing them their fifth straight loss since falling out of playoff contention. Former Wings camp tryout Joel Ward led the way for Houston with a goal and two assists, while Mattias Ritola scored the only goal for Grand Rapids. Jimmy Howard didn't have much help, but wasn't particularly sharp, giving up 4 goals on 23 shots. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/040408.html With the way this season has gone for Grand Rapids, it was only fitting that minutes after playing their best game of the season, they were mathematically eliminated from post-season contention by a Syracuse victory over Toronto. The team was never able to catch a break, and every time they got one hole patched another would spring a leak; losing streaks, injuries, recalls, uninspired play, goaltending lapses... it was all there. So the Griffins miss the playoffs for the third time in franchise history, and are in danger of setting all time futility marks in wins and losses. http://www.griffinscentral.com/articles/040108.html