End of the Road

This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Wed., Nov. 9 // 7 p.m. // Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:45 p.m.

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

All-Time Series: 68-34-6-10 Overall, 30-17-4-8 Away

NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy: The Griffins will wrap up their eight-game road trip in Cleveland. So far, Grand Rapids is 3-4-0-0 in its eight-game journey, which is the longest in franchise history during the first two months of a season, beating out a five-game trip in November of 2017.

GRIFFINS vs. Toronto Marlies // Fri., Nov. 11 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS vs. Toronto Marlies // Sat., Nov. 12 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on Friday, AHLTV and WXSP-TV on Saturday

Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 34-34-4-2 Overall, 19-15-2-1 Home

NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs

Noteworthy: Longtime Red Wing Danny DeKeyser signed with the Toronto Marlies on a professional tryout on Oct. 19, 2022. DeKeyser spent parts of 10 seasons with Detroit, totaling 146 points (33-113—146) and 266 penalty minutes in 547 games. He was also part of the Griffins’ run to the 2013 Calder Cup and suited up in six contests and recorded one assist in the postseason.

Last Week’s Results
Thu., Nov. 3 // GRIFFINS 3 at Iowa 6 // 4-4-0-0 (8 pts., 0.500, 4th Central)
Fri., Nov. 4 // GRIFFINS 5 at Iowa 4 (OT) // 5-4-0-0 (10 pts., 0.556, 4th Central)
Sat., Nov. 5 // GRIFFINS 1 at Rockford 4 // 5-5-0-0 (10 pts., 0.500, 4th Central)

Last Week’s Notes
Thursday at Iowa (3-6 L) - In an early-morning matchup, Ty Ronning’s hat trick lifted the Iowa Wild to a 6-3 win over the Griffins at Wells Fargo Arena. In his third game since returning from injury that kept him sidelined for four outings, Jonatan Berggren lit the lamp twice on the power play for Grand Rapids on the behalf of two helpers from Joel L’Esperance. Cross Hanas notched his fourth goal of the year off a Simon Edvinsson assist in the second period. Taro Hirose and Austin Czarnik each extended their point streaks to four with an assist in the contest. Recap | Highlights

Friday at Iowa (5-4 OTW) - In dramatic fashion, the Griffins defeated the Iowa Wild 5-4 in overtime on the behalf of Jonatan Berggren’s penalty-shot goal at Wells Fargo Arena. Pontus Andreasson recorded two assists in the Griffins’ victory and Taro Hirose extended his point streak to five with the game-tying tally in the final period while Givani Smith tallied his first goal of the season. Berggren led the way for Grand Rapids with three points (1-2—3). The Griffins notched a season-high 40 shots and it was just the second time this season Grand Rapids has outshot its opponent (40-26). Trenton Bliss made his season debut with Grand Rapids after appearing in three games and recording two points (1-1—2) with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL). Recap | Highlights

Saturday at Rockford (1-4 L) - A second-period barrage from the Rockford IceHogs handed the Griffins a 4-1 loss at the BMO Center. After being tied 1-1 after the first, the IceHogs used a three-goal middle frame to pull away from the Griffins. The lone goal for Grand Rapids came from rookie Cross Hanas, his fifth of the season. Hanas is now tied with Austin Czarnik for the most goals among Griffins’ skaters and is tied for second in the AHL among first-year players. Joel L’Esperance’s assist on Hanas’ goal extended his point streak to five games and placed him third on the team in points with nine (4-5—9). The Griffins remained without forwards Czarnik and Matt Luff due to recall to the Detroit Red Wings. Recap | Highlights

Power Struggle: The Griffins’ power play has gotten off to a fast start, scoring at least one goal on the man-advantage in seven of the 10 games thus far. After finishing 28th in the AHL last season with a 16.7% power-play rate, Grand Rapids now sits in fifth place with a conversion rate of 25.5%. The Griffins are tied for fifth with 47 power-play opportunities, while their 12 goals are tied for third. It has not been the same story on the other end of the ice, as the team ranks 24th on the penalty kill at 75.5%. Grand Rapids has endured seven penalties in five of its 10 games, including three straight. The Griffins have been shorthanded 53 times this season, which ranks second on the circuit. They have also given up three shorthanded goals, which is tied for first in the league.

Grab the Confetti: The Griffins franchise is closing in on its 2000th regular-season game that will come this Wednesday at Cleveland. The team will compete in its 1000th regular-season home contest on Wednesday, Nov. 16 versus the Rockford IceHogs. The Griffins are also eight road wins away from 500 as a franchise.

Road Trip!: So far, Grand Rapids is 3-4-0-0 in its eight-game road trip with a stop in Cleveland yet to come. The eight-game journey is the longest in franchise history during the first two months of a season, beating out a five-game trip in November of 2017. In that five-game road stand in 2017, the Griffins finished with a 2-2-0-1 mark.

Back and Forth We Go: After beginning the campaign with a 2-1-0-0 mark, the Griffins have gone on to trade wins and losses in the next seven contests. Grand Rapids has dropped every opening game of a two-game weekend series this season but has gone on to win the following night. The Griffins will host the Toronto Marlies for a two-game series this weekend on Friday and Saturday.

Getting Revved Up: After suffering an injury in the season opener on Oct. 14 that kept him sidelined for the next four games, Jonatan Berggren has returned to action and has seven points (4-3—7) in the previous five outings. The former second-round selection tied his AHL game-high of two goals on Nov. 3 at Iowa and followed that performance with three points (1-2—3) on Nov. 4 at Iowa, which included an overtime penalty-shot winner. A year ago, the Enkoping, Sweden, native broke the Griffins’ single-season rookie scoring record with 64 points (21-43—64) in 70 outings.

Jumping for Joel: Joel L’Esperance is in the midst of a team-high five-game point streak (2-4—6), which included a season-high two points on Nov. 3 at Iowa (0-2—2). The Brighton, Mich., native ranks third on the roster with nine points (4-5—9) in the first 10 games to begin his career in Grand Rapids and his three power-play goals are tied for sixth in the AHL. L’Esperance signed a two-year contract with the Griffins this past offseason.

Inching Closer to No. 200: On Sunday, Nov. 6, forward Austin Czarnik became the 195th Griffin to appear in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut. Czarnik totaled 12:45 of ice time and two shots in the 3-2 overtime win at the New York Rangers. Previously, Matt Luff became the 194th Griffin in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit on Oct. 27 at the Boston Bruins.

Young Guns: Rookies Simon Edvinsson and Cross Hanas have made their presences known to begin their AHL careers. Edvinsson, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, is tied for ninth among first-year players with eight points (1-7—8), while his seven helpers are tied for second. With five goals in 10 games, Hanas is tied for second among rookies in the AHL and tied for first on the roster.

Bobbing for Apples: Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. In fact, the former Michigan State Spartan has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. This season has been no different, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading eight helpers in 10 games, which is tied for 12th in the league and his six power-play assists are tied for fourth in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in seven of the 10 contests this season.

Getting Busy: The Griffins concluded their first three-in-three of the season last week with a 1-2-0-0 record. Since the 2017-18 season, Grand Rapids is 13-18-2-3 (0.431) when playing three games in three nights and been outscored 122-99. The Griffins will have one more three-in-three this campaign from March 10-12.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:
Austin Czarnik—Three power-play goals are tied for sixth
Simon Edvinsson—Eight points are tied for ninth among rookies, seven assists are tied for second among rookies
Cross Hanas—Five goals are tied for second among rookies
Taro Hirose—Eight assists are tied for 12th, six power-play assists are tied for fourth
Joel L’Esperance—Three power-play goals are tied for sixth

Milestones:
Joel L’Esperance tallied his 150th point as a pro with an assist on Nov. 5 at Rockford.
Austin Czarnik—One assist from 150 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Five assists from 150 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—Two games from 300 as a Griffin, in the AHL and as a pro
Givani Smith—One point from 50 in the AHL and as a Griffin
Tyler Spezia—Four goals from 50 as a pro
Eemil Viro—One game from 150 as a pro

Photo by Toronto Marlies