Griffins Game #27 * Home Game #15 * AHL Game #478

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 62-34-5-10 All-Time Home Series: 35-17-1-2 All-Time Road Series: 27-17-48

Monsters at Griffins
Second of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids finished 7-3 against Cleveland a season ago. Against all other foes, the Monsters were 13-3-1-2 and the Griffins were 9-9-3-1...In the past five years, the Griffins are 24-10-2-3 against Cleveland and have outscored them 130-107...On home ice since 2016-17, Grand Rapids is 12-6-0-1 against the Monsters with a +11 scoring margin (61-50)...The Griffins have won four of the last five outings at Van Andel Arena against Cleveland...After finishing in second in the AHL a year ago with a 26.9% power play rating, Cleveland currently places 26th in the league with a conversion rate of 16.3%. The Monsters’ penalty kill ranks 24th with a kill percentage of 79.2%...Cleveland has dropped four contests in a row coming into tonight and are 2-5-3-0 in its last 10...The Monsters are 6-3-3-2 away from home this season...Defenseman Wyatt Newpower skated for Cleveland a season ago, logging 10 points (3-7—10) and 14 penalty minutes in 24 games...Griffins head coach Ben Simon is a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.

Last Time Out
The Griffins extended their season-high win streak to four-games after a controlling 3-1 victory over the Iowa Wild on Friday at Van Andel Arena. The win pushed the Griffins’ point streak to five games (4-0-1-0). Calvin Pickard recorded 35 saves while Taro Hirose stretched his scoring streak (3-2—5) to three games, as the former Michigan State Spartan notched his third goal over the last three contests. Defenseman Gordi Myer earned his first AHL point on an assist. Chase Pearson recorded his first goal since Oct. 30 while Josh Dickinson and Hirose joined the forward with tallies in the contest. The Griffins did not give up a penalty for the first time this season. Kyle Criscuolo saw his career-high 10-game point streak (7-11—18) from Nov. 20-Jan. 5 come to an end. 2017 Calder Cup champions Joe Hicketts (2016-21) and Dominic Turgeon (2016-21) played in their first game in Grand Rapids as a visitor.

Roster Shake Up
· Jan. 5, 2022—Griffins signed center Erik Bradford to a PTO from the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL); Right wing Riley Barber and defenseman Luke Witkowski recalled to Detroit’s taxi squad.
· Jan. 6, 2022—Griffins released left wing Max Humitz from his PTO

Breeding Contempt
Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee marked the fourth time in Griffins history that they have played four consecutive regular season games against the same opponent. The schedule was not drawn out this way, as Grand Rapids had games against Cleveland (Dec. 27) and Chicago (Jan. 2) postponed. The most recent occurrence of four straight games against the same franchise came from March 3-16, 2021 when the Griffins matched up against Rockford for two weeks in a row. The Manitoba Moose were the foe on two prior occasions, in November 2006 and November 1997.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 1-8-1-1 (0.182) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and second-place Manitoba Moose. However, Grand Rapids is 12-2-2-0 (0.813) against the rest of the AHL.

This Date in Griffins History:
2014: The Griffins use a season-high three power play goals to rally for a 4-2 victory over Rockford, becoming the first team in the Western Conference to break the 50-point plateau (24-9-1-2, 51 pts.).

World Traveler
On Dec. 12, defenseman Donovan Sebrango was selected to the 25-man roster for Team Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 19-year-old represented his home country at the tournament that was cut short after two games. This marked the third time in the past four years a player has left the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship, after Filip Zadina represented the Czech Republic in 2019 and Joe Veleno (Canada) and Moritz Seider (Germany) competed at the event in 2020. Sebrango scored a goal in his World Junior debut on Dec. 26, as Team Canada defeated Czechia 6-3. The defenseman totaled one goal and a plus-two rating in two outings with Canada. In his second game back with the Griffins, Sebrango registered his first goal in the AHL on Jan. 1 at Milwaukee.

Murphy’s Law
Reigning AHL defenseman of the year Ryan Murphy has started to find a rhythm offensively for the Griffins. The nine-year pro is tied for sixth on the roster and leads all Grand Rapids’ blueliners with 15 points (5-10—15) in 27 outings. Murphy has climbed up the defensemen leaderboard in the AHL, as his point total is tied for 14th while five goals are tied for fifth. The Aurora, Ontario, native signed a one-year contract with Detroit on July 28, 2021 and is the midst of his inaugural season with the Griffins.

Fast Starts
On Dec. 4, the Griffins set a season high for goals in a period when they exploded for five tallies in the opening frame against Rockford. After rattling off three first-period goals against Cleveland on Dec. 6, Grand Rapids has now outscored its opponents 15-4 over the opening 20 minutes of its last nine games. The Griffins are 11-4-1-0 (0.719) this season when scoring first and 10-2-0-0 (0.833) when leading after the opening frame. Almost half of Grand Rapids’ goals (34, 40.5%) have come during the first period.

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 21 points (9-12—21) in 19 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. Most recently, Riley Barber had a nine-game point streak from Feb. 5-March 11, 2021 that was the longest to ever start a Griffins season or career. 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.

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 17 helpers in the opening 26 games, which is a team high and tied for 10th in the league. Eight assists have come on the power play, which is tied for eighth 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. Hirose’s 24 points (7-17—24) this season pace the Griffins and are tied for 14th in the league. He was recalled by Detroit on Dec. 15 and made his NHL season debut on Dec. 18 against the Devils.

Return of Riley
On Dec. 18, Riley Barber became the Griffins’ 188th alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit against New Jersey. Although it was a slow start to this year, Barber rattled off a six-game point streak (4-5—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 and is currently in the midst of a five-game stretch (3-3—6) from Dec. 6-Jan. 1. His 19 points (8-11—19) this season are fourth on the roster while his five power play goals are tied for fourth 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.

Jonny on the Spot
Rookie Jonatan Berggren saw his season-high six-game point streak (3-4—7 from Oct. 30-Nov. 13) come to a close on Nov. 17 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 forward recorded his first two-goal night in the AHL on Nov. 20 at Texas. The former second-round draft choice notched his 50th pro assist on Nov. 12 against Manitoba and is tied for 11th among league rookies with seven goals while his 20 points (7-13—20) are tied for seventh among first-year players.

Timmy Turner
Veteran Turner Elson surpassed his goal count (4) from the 2020-21 season when he totaled his fifth goal of the campaign on Nov. 19. The Edmonton, Alberta, native began the campaign with a goal during the season opener but then was held scoreless in the next four outings. The nine-year pro has cranked it up as of late with a four-game goal streak (Dec. 6-22), which set a new career high and the team’s longest goal streak of the season. In addition, the left winger enjoyed a season-high five-game (4-2—6) point streak from Dec. 4-22. Elson’s 10 goals lead the roster while his 18 points (10-8—18) place fifth.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 532 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 Roger DeJordy (Hershey Bears 1962-70) for the No. 6 spot on Jan. 7 against Iowa and is now two games away from tying No. 5 Pete Backor (Pittsburgh Hornets 1945-54). Lashoff is still 123 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard is off to a fast start, as he has allowed two goals or less in 13 of his 23 appearances this season. The 10-year-pro currently ranks 11th in the AHL with a 2.34 goals against average while his 0.930 save percentage places third. The netminder made his sixth straight start on Nov. 28 and 10th consecutive appearance, both personal highs as a Griffin. In fact, Pickard has seen action in 22 of the 26 games this season, including 16 straight from Nov. 5-Dec. 22. Pickard made his 12th consecutive start on Dec. 22, which set a new career high for the goaltender and was only halfway to Joey MacDonald’s franchise record of 24, set during the 2004-05 season. 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.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Riley Barber—Five power play goals are tied for fourth
Jonatan Berggren—Seven goals are tied for 11th among league rookies, 20 points (7-13—20) are tied for seventh among first-year players
Taro Hirose—17 assists are tied for 10th, eight power play assists are tied for eighth
Ryan Murphy—Five goals are tied for fifth among blueliners, 15 points (5-10—15) are tied for 14th among defensemen
Wyatt Newpower—37 penalty minutes are third among rookies and tied for 11th among league defensemen
Calvin Pickard—2.40 goals against average ranks 12th, 0.928 save percentage places fifth, 1299 minutes and 666 saves both lead the league
Dominik Shine—58 penalty minutes ranks fifth
Luke Witkowski—47 penalty minutes are tied for third among league blueliners

Milestones
Riley Barber appeared in his 350th game as a pro on Dec. 31 against Milwaukee and Ryan Murphy skated in his 500th pro game on Jan. 1. Donovan Sebrango scored his first AHL goal on Jan. 1. Turner Elson scored his 50th goal as a Griffin on Jan. 5 versus Milwaukee. Other upcoming milestones include:
Turner Elson—One assist from 100 in the AHL, one point from 200 in the AHL
Brian Lashoff—One assist from 100 as a pro
Brett McKenzie—Three goals from 50 as a pro
Ryan Murphy—Five goals from 50 as a pro
Wyatt Newpower—One game from 50 as a pro
Dan Renouf—Two games from 300 in the AHL
Luke Witkowski—One point from 50 in the AHL

Photo by Cleveland Monsters