Griffins Game #13 * Road Game #6 * AHL Game #202

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 32-18-3-4 All-Time Home Series: 18-6-1-3 All-Time Road Series: 14-12-2-1

Griffins at Stars
First of eight meetings overall, first of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park...This will be the first meeting between the two franchises since Texas defeated Grand Rapids 4-2 on Feb. 29, 2020, due to the teams not competing against each other in the 2020-21 season...The most recent win for the Griffins in Texas was a 3-2 victory back on March 23, 2019...In the past five seasons against the Stars, the Griffins are 6-7-1-1 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park...The last time the Griffins were above .500 at Texas was in the 2015-16 campaign when Grand Rapids finished with a 2-0-0-0 record...The home team has points in all of the past seven clashes…The Griffins’ power play ranks in the middle of the pack at 14th (19.5%) while the Stars place near the bottom at 27th (12.7%). However, the roles are reversed on the penalty kill as Grand Rapids (28th, 75.6%) ranks toward the bottom and Texas (13th, 82.5%) places in the upper half...Texas (17-18-3-0, 37 pts., 0.487, 5th) finished last season below .500 for the second straight year.

Last Time Out
The Griffins were upended 2-1 in overtime by the Chicago Wolves on Wednesday during the 20th annual School Day Game presented by the Army National Guard. Goaltender Calvin Pickard registered a season-high 46 saves in the contest, one shy of tying his career best set on April 11, 2015 against Adirondack. A series of firsts saw the Griffins earn their only tally of the game when Brett McKenzie bagged his first AHL goal during his Grand Rapids debut while Wyatt Newpower and Jon Martin each recorded their first assist as a Griffin. For Chicago, netminder Alex Lyon completed his outing with 26 saves. Jamieson Rees secured his first goal of the season and Andrew Poturalski sent the game-winner past Pickard in overtime.

Roster Shake Up
The Griffins on Tuesday signed left wing Max Humitz and center Brett McKenzie to professional tryouts. In addition, Grand Rapids released defenseman D.J. King from his PTO. Humitz returns to Grand Rapids after appearing in two games from Nov. 5-6, logging one assist. The second-year pro totaled five points (3-2—5) and two penalty minutes in eight games with the Griffins in 2020-21. McKenize has six AHL games to his name with Providence and Chicago. The fourth-year pro made his AHL debut with the Bruins on Feb. 17, 2019 and last played in the AHL on Oct. 11, 2019 with the Wolves. Through 10 games this season with Toledo in the ECHL, the center has 10 points (5-5—10), including a three-point (2-1—3) night on Nov. 3 at Indy. Also on Tuesday, the Red Wings reassigned goaltender Victor Brattstrom to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and reassigned netminder Kaden Fulcher to the Griffins. Fulcher has appeared in six games this season with the Walleye and has posted a 3-2-0 record with a 1.77 goals against average and a 0.924 save percentage. His goals against average ranks sixth in the ECHL while his save percentage places seventh.

Not Your Average Joe
Center Joe Veleno was recalled by Detroit on Nov. 15 for the second time this season. The Kirkland, Quebec, native skated in four games for the Red Wings from Oct. 30-Nov. 6, totaling two points (1-1—2), four penalty minutes and a plus-two rating. On Thursday, Veleno notched his second NHL goal of the season with a tally at Vegas. The former first-round draft choice has suited up for 12 games in the NHL and has amassed four points (3-1—4) and eight penalty minutes. The third-year pro has appeared in seven contests with Grand Rapids this season and registered three goals. The center logged a season-high two goals on Oct. 16 at Milwaukee in a 7-3 defeat.

Fit for a King
Former Rockford IceHogs coach Derek King was named interim head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 6, joining 11 other former Griffins players or coaches currently behind an NHL bench. He is one of four Griffins alumni serving as a head coach in the NHL.

This Date in Griffins History
2003: Mark Mowers, the Griffins’ leader in goals (8) and points (14) through 16 games, is recalled by the Red Wings. He remains with the parent club for the duration of the season.

Powerful Play
Following a 2019-20 campaign in which they finished sixth in the AHL’s power play rankings at 20.9%, the Griffins exceeded that mark in 2020-21 with a power play conversion rate of 21.5%, the fifth best on the circuit. This season began just like the past years but the power play has stalled as of late, cashing in on just one of its last 13 opportunities (0.08%). Grand Rapids last took advantage of the extra skater on Nov. 5 at Iowa. Through 12 games the power play is converting on 19.5% of its opportunities, which is 14th in the AHL.

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard is off to a fast start, as he has allowed two goals or less in seven of his nine appearances this season and has points in five straight games. Pickard recorded his first shutout of the season and fourth as a Griffin on Nov. 12 against Manitoba, moving him into a tie for 10th place in franchise history with Jani Hurme, Martin Prusek, and Eddie Pasquale. The 10-year pro currently ranks fourth in the AHL with a 1.84 goals against average while his 0.944 save percentage places second, behind only Utica’s Akira Schmid who has played in 219:18 less minutes. Sixteen goals allowed through his first nine games is Pickard’s best start since the 2017-18 season when he let in 15 tallies. Pickard played in just nine games in North America a season ago due to being assigned to Detroit’s taxi squad for much of the year. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native also spent some time with Vienna in the ICEHL last season, logging six games and a 1.96 goals against average.

High-Flying Hirose
After leading the Griffins in assists a year ago with 23, Taro Hirose has picked off right where he left off as he has bagged 11 helpers in the opening 12 games, which is a team high and tied for third in the league. Seven assists have come on the power play, which is good for third in the AHL. Hirose saw his six-game point streak (2-7—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 come to an end on Wednesday against Chicago. Hirose’s 13 points (2-11—13) this season pace the Griffins and are tied for ninth in the league.

Jonny On The Spot
Rookie Jonatan Berggren saw his six-game point streak (3-4—7) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 come to a close on Wednesday against Chicago. The Uppsala, Sweden, native bagged his first AHL goal and two-point (1-1—2) night on Oct. 30, which began a three-game goal scoring streak for the right winger. The former second-round draft choice notched his 50th pro assist on Nov. 12 against Manitoba and is tied for 17th among league rookies with three goals while his eight points (3-5—8) are tied for 15th among first-year players.

Return of Riley
Although it was a slow start to this year, Riley Barber rattled off a six-game point streak (4-5—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13. His 11 points (5-6—11) this season are second on the roster while his four power play goals are tied for first in the AHL. Barber led the Griffins in goals (20), points (34) and points per game (1.06) a season ago. His scoring pace equaled a 48-goal, 81-point clip in a regular 76-game AHL season. Barber also ranked second in the league for goals, just one shy of Cooper Marody (who played seven more games), and was named a Central Division AHL All-Star. Six game-winning goals tied a career best while his four-game goal streak from Feb. 26 through March 11 also matched a career high. The forward added seven multi-point outings out of 32, including a career-high four points (2-2—4) on May 7 against Chicago. Barber posted a nine-game point streak (8-5—13) from Feb. 5-March 11 that was the longest ever to start a player’s Griffins career as well as the longest from the start of a Griffins season.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 525 games played for the Griffins ranks first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and seventh in league history among one-team players. Of the players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Lashoff overtook Pete Kapusta (Providence Reds 1946-55) for the No. 7 spot on Oct. 27 against Chicago and is now six games behind No. 6 Roger DeJordy (Hershey Bears 1962-70). Lashoff is still 130 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Riley Barber—Four power play goals are tied for first
Jonatan Berggren—Three goals are tied for 17th among league rookies, eight points (3-5—8) are tied for 15th among first-year players
Taro Hirose—13 points (2-11—13) are tied for ninth, 11 assists are tied for third, seven power play assists are third
Ryan Murphy—Seven points (2-5—7) are tied for 17th among defensemen, two goals are tied for 14th among blueliners
Wyatt Newpower—30 penalty minutes are tied for fourth among defensemen and first among rookies
Calvin Pickard—1.84 goals against average ranks fourth, 0.944 save percentage is good for second
Luke Witkowski—30 penalty minutes are tied for fourth among league blueliners

Milestones
Defenseman Luke Witkowski appeared in his 400th game as a professional on Nov. 12 against Manitoba. Rookie Jonatan Berggren bagged an assist on the game-winning goal against the Moose on Nov. 12, which was his 50th helper as a pro. Other upcoming milestones include:
Riley Barber—Five points from 50 as a Griffin
Turner Elson—Six assists from 100 in the AHL
Brian Lashoff—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Jon Martin—One assist from 50 as a pro
Tyler Spezia—Two assists from 50 as a pro
Luke Witkowski—Three points from 50 in the AHL, one assist from 50 as a pro

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins