Griffins Game #39 * Home Game #22 * AHL Game #637

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Griffins vs. Reign
First of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena…The teams are meeting for just the third-time ever and last met on April 3, 2019 when the Griffins fell 3-1 at Ontario...The Reign are the only active franchise that Grand Rapids has played and never beaten...The Griffins are 11-13-1-3 all-time against current Pacific Division foes in the regular season, including 6-6-0-1 at home...Grand Rapids is 9-11-1-3 (0.458) against current California teams...The Reign come in to the contest with a 9-5-1-0 road record while holding a 7-1-1-1 ledger in their last 10 outings...The Griffins are 8-8-4-1 at home and 2-6-1-1 in their last 10 games...Ontario has the AHL’s best power play, as they convert on 27.7% of its opportunities. However, the penalty kill for the Reign ranks 30th in the league at 75%...Ontario’s T.J. Tynan ranks second in the league with 46 points (8-38—46) while his 38 assists pace the AHL...The Reign’s Martin Frk (T4th) also places in the top five for points with 39 (19-20—39)...Calvin Pickard and Ontario’s Garret Sparks won the Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award during the 2017-18 season when the pair combined for a 2.02 goals against average, en route to winning the 2018 Calder Cup with Toronto.

Last Time Out
A two-goal third period lifted the Toronto Marlies past the Griffins 4-3 on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids has now dropped its last six games (0-5-1-0) and are winless in seven of its last eight contests (1-5-1-1). Calvin Pickard recorded 28 saves in his first game back since Jan. 24 due to recall. The Griffins’ three tallies were the most in the last three games combined, as they were outscored 10-1 last week. Both Jon Martin and Brett McKenzie notched their second goals of the season while Ryan Murphy bagged his seventh. The Griffins suffered just their third loss in regulation when leading after the second period (12-3-2-0).

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
- Feb. 3, 2022—F Joe Veleno reassigned by Detroit; F Josh Dickinson released from PTO

Welcome Back, Frky
Former Griffins star Martin Frk will return to Grand Rapids for the first time as visitor after spending five seasons with the Griffins from 2013-17 and 2018-19. Frk helped the Griffins capture a Calder Cup in 2017, recording 15 points (5-10—15) in 16 outings during the playoff run and scoring the Cup-clinching goal in game six. The Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, native appeared in 227 games for Grand Rapids, amassing 132 points (68-64—132) and 191 penalty minutes. Frk is tied for fourth in Griffins franchise history with 25 power play goals and tied for seventh with 17 playoff assists. Frk is currently tied for fourth in the AHL with 39 points (19-20—39) in 30 games.

Old Friends Reunited
Former teammates with the Toronto Marlies, Calvin Pickard and Ontario’s Garret Sparks, will return to the same ice this weekend. The goaltending pair won the AHL’s 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.

No Champion Here
Martin Frk will be the 14th Calder Cup champion with the Griffins to return to Van Andel Arena as a visitor. Grand Rapids has taken care of business against former champions, as it holds an 11-2-0-0 record and a plus-15 scoring margin (36-21) against Griffins Calder Cup alumni in their first games back in West Michigan. Tomas Jurco (4-1 W vs. RFD, 12/8/17) and Andrej Nestrasil (2-1 W vs. CHA, 1/9/15) are the only two former players who have defeated the Griffins in their first appearance at Van Andel Arena since winning the Cup.

Busy Bodies
The Griffins 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.

Going with the Flow
It has been a busy season thus far for head coach Ben Simon and former 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 96 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.

This Date in Griffins History
2006: Kent McDonell records his first AHL hat trick and Darryl Bootland (pictured) tallies his franchise career-record 785th penalty minute in a 7-1 win over Syracuse. The Griffins tie a franchise record with five power play goals.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 2-10-1-2 (0.233) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and the 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 13-6-4-0 (0.652) 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 28 appearances this season with the Griffins. The 10-year-pro places seventh in the AHL with a 2.46 goals against average while his 0.925 save percentage ranks third. Pickard has seen action in 28 of the 38 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 543 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 27 games behind No. 4 Paul Larivee (Providence Reds 1952-62). Lashoff is still 112 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 22 helpers in the opening 37 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 11th 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 31 points (9-22—31) 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 29 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, 19 assists place eighth among rookies
Taro Hirose—22 assists are tied for 13th, 10 power play assists are tied for 11th
Ryan Murphy—Seven goals are tied for first among blueliners
Wyatt Newpower—39 penalty minutes are tied for eighth among rookies
Calvin Pickard—2.46 goals against average ranks seventh, 0.925 save percentage places third, 13 wins are tied for fifth
Dominik Shine—100 penalty minutes rank 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—Three points from 100 as a pro
Brett McKenzie—Two goals from 50 as a pro
Ryan Murphy—Three goals from 50 as a pro

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins