Griffins Game #38 * Home Game #21 * AHL Game #382

Season Series: 0-0-1-0 Home Series: 0-0-1-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 32-31-4-2 All-Time Home Series: 19-14-2-1 All-Time Road Series: 13-17-2-1

Griffins vs. Marlies
Second of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena…The 2021-22 campaign will be the first time since the 2015-16 season that Toronto and Grand Rapids will play more than two games...The Griffins and Marlies had met for 11 consecutive seasons from 2005-16 before taking a three-year hiatus (2016-19)…Grand Rapids’ last win against the Marlies was back on Nov. 8, 2019...The Griffins are 1-5-1-0 against Toronto since the 2015-16 season and have been outscored 30-15...The Marlies are 10-7-1-0 on the road this year and hold a 7-2-1-0 record in the past 10 games...Grand Rapids is 8-7-4-1 at home this season and are 2-5-2-1 in its past 10 outings...Toronto ranks near the bottom of the AHL in power play percentage at 17.7% (22nd) while its penalty kill places 17th at 81.5%...Calvin Pickard appeared in 33 regular season games with the Marlies in 2017-18, posting a 21-9-2 record to go along with a 2.31 GAA, a 0.918 save percentage and one shutout…Pickard helped Toronto win the 2018 Calder Cup after playing in three postseason games and showing a 1-0-0 record, a 1.00 GAA and a 0.956 save mark…Ben Simon served as an assistant coach with the Marlies during the 2014-15 season (40-27-9-0 record).

Last Time Out
Four different Admirals scored as Milwaukee defeated the Griffins 5-0 at Panther Arena. The Griffins have been shut out two out of the last three contests and dropped the last three meetings against the Admirals this season. Milwaukee’s Connor Ingram continued his dominance in net, notching 42 saves in the shutout. He now has a combined 72 saves and zero goals against in the last two games against the Griffins. Grand Rapids’ winless streak climbed to five contests, which is the longest this season. In his first start since Dec. 11, goaltender Kaden Fulcher made 21 saves in his AHL season debut. Taro Hirose suited up for his 100th game as a Griffin.

Roster Movement
- Jan. 30, 2022—D Luke Witkowski and G Calvin Pickard reassigned by Detroit
- Jan. 31, 2022—G Kaden Fulcher reassigned to Toledo (ECHL) by Detroit

Going with the Flow
It has been a busy season thus far for head coach Ben Simon and general manager Pat Verbeek, as players on professional tryouts have been plentiful for the Griffins this year. Ten PTO skaters have seen action so far this season and have totaled 93 games played; both numbers surpass any full season since Simon joined the team as an assistant coach in 2015-16. On average, 12.6% of Grand Rapids’ lineup has been tryout players.

Busy Bodies
The Griffins have competed in 32 games over the first 99 days of the season between Oct. 15-Jan. 21. The calendar for Grand Rapids intensifies in the second half of the campaign, as the club is scheduled to play 43 contests over 96 days from Jan. 22-April 28. The Griffins are no stranger to a busy workload, as Grand Rapids appeared in 16 games in 30 days to conclude the 2020-21 season.

This Date in Griffins History
2010: Having not played in nearly a year due to a concussion, 2008 Stanley Cup champion Andreas Lilja is assigned to Grand Rapids by Detroit for conditioning.

Old Friends Reunited
Former teammates with the Toronto Marlies, Calvin Pickard and Ontario’s Garret Sparks will return to the same ice on Friday, Feb. 4. The goaltending pair won the Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award during the 2017-18 season, given to the goaltenders with the lowest combined goals against average. Pickard (2.31 GAA) and Sparks (1.79 GAA) combined for a goals against average of 2.02, en route to winning the 2018 Calder Cup with the Marlies.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 2-10-1-2 (0.233) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and second-place Manitoba Moose. The Griffins picked up their second win against either club on Jan. 14 against Manitoba, marking their first victory against Chicago or the Moose since Nov. 12. However, Grand Rapids is 13-5-4-0 (0.682) against the rest of the AHL.

Beijing Bound
A record 14 former Griffins will represent seven different countries at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The group features four Calder Cup champions and all three goaltenders from the 2018-19 team that went 38-27-7-4 (0.572). Valtteri Filppula was selected to represent Finland for the second time, as he claimed a bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Tomas Jurco (2012-14; 15-17) also received his second selection on to Team Slovakia, after playing for his home country in the 2014 Sochi Games while competing for the Griffins that season.

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard made his NHL season debut with Detroit on Jan. 26 in a relief role against Chicago, then made his first NHL start of the campaign on Jan. 28 at Pittsburgh. Against the Penguins, the netminder earned the game’s first star, logging 36 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory. Pickard he has allowed two goals or less in 14 of his 27 appearances this season with the Griffins. The 10-year-pro is currently tied for seventh in the AHL with a 2.40 goals against average while his 0.927 save percentage places third. Pickard has seen action in 27 of the 37 games this season, including 16 straight from Nov. 5-Dec. 22. The goaltender recorded his third assist of the season on Dec. 4 versus Rockford, which set a new AHL career high for assists in a season. Pickard recorded his first shutout of the year 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.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 542 games played for the Griffins ranks first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and fifth 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 Backor (Pittsburgh Hornets 1945-54) for the No. 5 spot on Jan. 14 against Manitoba and is now 28 games behind No. 4 Paul Larivee (Providence Reds 1952-62). Lashoff is still 113 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

Jonny Apple Seed
Rookie Jonatan Berggren completed a four-game point streak (0-5—5) from Dec. 22-Jan. 8, which tied Kyle Criscuolo for the longest assist streak on the team this season. The Uppsala, Sweden, native registered a career-high four assists on Jan. 18 at Cleveland, which set a new single-game high for any Griffin this season. Berggren’s four helpers were one shy of tying the Griffins’ rookie single-game record of five assists set by Chris Bala (1/10/02). Berggren’s 27 points (8-19—27) are tied for sixth among first-year players on the circuit and rank second on the Griffins’ roster.

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 21 helpers in the opening 36 games, which is a team high and tied for 13th in the league. Ten assists have come on the power play, which is tied for 10th in the AHL. Hirose logged his second three-point night (2-1—3) of the season on Jan. 1 against Milwaukee, which tied a career high for the forward. In that same game, he also tied a career-best two goals. The former Michigan State Spartan enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-3—6) from Jan. 1-8. Hirose’s 30 points (9-21—30) this season pace the Griffins. He was recalled by Detroit on Dec. 15 and made his NHL season debut on Dec. 18 against the Devils.

Cris-COOL-o
After being sidelined in the first four games due to an injury, center Kyle Criscuolo has made up for his lost time with 25 points (12-13—25) in 28 contests. The Harvard University graduate logged a two-game point streak (1-1—2) from Oct. 30-31 and surpassed that mark with a 10-game point streak (7-11—18) from Nov. 20-Jan. 5, which set a new career high for the forward. His point streak was the 17th-longest in Griffins history. Criscuolo’s 10-game streak also tied for the ninth-longest scoring run in Grand Rapids history and the longest since Matt Puempel’s 11-game tear from Oct. 23-Nov. 15, 2019. The sixth-year pro is third on the roster with 25 points while his 12 goals are tied for the team lead. Criscuolo made his NHL season debut with Detroit on Dec. 1 against Seattle, marking his first NHL game since March 5, 2018. Criscuolo then collected his first career NHL point on an assist against New Jersey on Dec. 18.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Jonatan Berggren—27 points (8-19—27) are tied for sixth among first-year players
Taro Hirose—21 assists are tied for 13th, 10 power play assists are tied for 10th
Ryan Murphy—Six goals are tied for fourth among blueliners
Wyatt Newpower—39 penalty minutes are tied for eighth among rookies
Calvin Pickard—2.40 goals against average is tied for seventh, 0.927 save percentage places third, 13 wins are tied for fifth
Dominik Shine—83 penalty minutes are tied for second

Milestones
Turner Elson skated in his 450th game as a pro on Jan. 28 at Chicago while Taro Hirose notched his 100th game as a Griffin on Jan. 29. Other upcoming milestones include:
Ben Simon—Two wins from 100 as Griffins head coach
Kyle Criscuolo—Five assists from 100 as a pro and 50 as a Griffin, six assists from 100 in the AHL
Jon Martin—Four points from 100 as a pro
Brett McKenzie—Three goals from 50 as a pro
Ryan Murphy—Four goals from 50 as a pro

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins