Griffins Game #22 * Road Game #11 * AHL Game #343

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Griffins at Thunderbirds
First of two meetings overall, first of one at the MassMutual Center…Grand Rapids has never competed against a team from Springfield...The Griffins are 51-44-7-3 all time against previous St. Louis Blues affiliates (Peoria 21-26-5-2; San Antonio 7-7-0-1; Chicago 23-11-2-0)...Grand Rapids is 4-6-0-0 on the road this season and enter the contest with one win in its last four games…Springfield is 3-6-0-3 on home ice this season and are 3-5-0-2 in its last 10 games overall, including one win in its last six games (1-4-0-1)..Springfield’s power play is tied for 21st on the circuit at 18.9% and its penalty kill is tied for 10th in the AHL at 82.5%...2017 Calder Cup champion with the Griffins, Martin Frk (2013-17; 18-19) is featured on the Thunderbirds roster and has 17 points (5-12—17) in 17 games...Holland, Mich., native and former Griffin Luke Witkowski (2021-22) has two assists in 20 games with Springfield.

Last Time Out
The Griffins’ offense exploded in a 6-2 victory over the Iowa Wild on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. Lukas Craggs, Alex Chiasson and Gordie Green all made their Griffins debut, as Craggs tallied an assist and Chiasson notched two apples in the win. Taro Hirose added three helpers to his team-leading assist total (16) while Joel L’Esperance and Steven Kampfer each chipped-in two goals. Pontus Andreasson continued his hot streak by scoring the second goal of the night. The rookie now has 14 points in his last 13 games (7-7–14) and is third on the team in total points (7-8–15). Goaltender Magnus Hellberg made his second start of his conditioning loan and totaled 40 saves.

Roster Shake Up
- Nov. 26—F Alex Chiasson signed to a PTO by Grand Rapids
- Nov. 29—F Trenton Bliss recalled by Grand Rapids
- Dec. 1—G Magnus Hellberg assigned by Detroit on a conditioning loan; F Austin Czarnik recalled by Detroit
- Dec. 2—D Donovan Sebrango and D Eemil Viro reassigned to Toledo by Detroit
- Dec. 6—F Lukas Craggs and F Gordie Green signed to PTOs by Grand Rapids; F Kirill Tyutyayev reassigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids

This Date in Griffins History
2012: The Griffins survive three penalties in the game’s final 3:26 to reclaim first place in the Midwest Division with a rough-and-tumble 4-2 victory over the Rockford IceHogs at Van Andel Arena.

O Captain! My Captain!
Captain Brian Lashoff is just two games away from 600 as a Griffin, as his 598 games played for the Griffins rank first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and fourth 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 Paul Larivee (Providence Reds, 1952-62) for the No. 4 spot on April 6, 2022 against Cleveland and is now 10 games behind No. 3 Howie Yanosik (Hershey Bears, 1957-67). Lashoff is still 57 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time regular-season games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

New Additions
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, Grand Rapids signed Toledo Walleye (ECHL) forwards Lukas Craggs and Gordie Green to professional tryouts. Craggs has 11 points (5-6—11) in 54 AHL career games with Milwaukee (2019-20), Chicago (2020-21) and Rochester (2021-22) while Green has notched two points (1-1—2) in 15 AHL appearances with Toronto. On Nov. 26, the Griffins signed NHL veteran Alex Chiasson (SHAY-sahn) to a professional tryout. The 32-year-old spent 10 seasons in the National Hockey League and recorded 224 points (114-110—224) and 353 penalty minutes. On Dec. 1, the Detroit Red Wings assigned goaltender Magnus Hellberg to the Griffins on a conditioning loan. On Dec. 2, Hellberg became the fifth Red Wings goalie to make his Griffins debut during a conditioning stint, joining Curtis Joseph (2003-04), Chris Osgood (2005-06), Manny Legace (2005-06) and Jonas Gustavsson (2012-13).

Problems at Home
The Griffins wrapped up their five-game home stand on Wednesday against the Iowa Wild, their second-longest home stretch this season. Grand Rapids went 2-3-0-0 during the stretch of games. The Griffins are 5-5-1-0 (0.500) this campaign at Van Andel Arena but have been outscored 41-35. In comparison, Grand Rapids is 4-6-0-0 (0.400) on foreign ice with a -14 scoring margin (44-30).

Pontus Pilot
After a slow start that saw him tally one point (0-1—1) in the first seven games, Pontus Andreasson has been among the driving forces of the Griffins’ offense of late. Andreasson enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-2—5) from Nov. 18-26 and has 14 points in the last 13 outings (7-7—14). The Munkedal, Sweden, native bagged his first goal in North America on Nov. 11 against Toronto to conclude a three-point contest (2-1—3). In 2021-22 in the Swedish Hockey League, Andreasson finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting when he totaled 38 points (18-20—38) in 52 games. The 24-year-old signed a one-year contract with Detroit this past offseason.

Bobbing for Apples
Taro Hirose collected his first pro hat trick on Nov. 18 at San Diego, which concluded his career-high four-point (3-1—4) night. 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 full AHL campaign in his career. This season has a similar pace, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading 16 helpers in 21 games and his 11 power-play assists are tied for second in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in 14 of the 21 contests this season (6-16—22).

Welcome Back
After missing the first 16 games of the season due to personal reasons, Chase Pearson has stormed back onto the scene with three assists and a plus-two rating in his first five outings of the campaign. Through 152 AHL games, the fourth-year pro has 67 points (25-42—67) and 41 penalty minutes. Pearson was selected with the 140th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and made his NHL debut on March 24, 2022 against the New York Islanders.

Take the Over
The Griffins averaged just 2.75 goals a game during the 2021-22 season while giving up 3.16. However, Grand Rapids is averaging 3.10 goals this season while conceding 4.05. Thirteen of its 21 games so far have had seven or more total goals scored, with eight of those contests having eight or more tallies. The Griffins rank third to last on the circuit with 85 goals against while their 65 goals for places 16th in the AHL.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Pontus Andreasson—15 points are tied for 10th among rookies, seven goals are tied for seventh among first-year players, four power-play goals are tied for second among rookies
Cross Hanas—Seven goals are tied for seventh among rookies
Taro Hirose—16 assists are tied for 10th, 11 power-play assists are tied for second
Joel L’Esperance—Six power-play goals are tied for fifth

Milestones
Taro Hirose notched his 150th pro point on Dec. 7 against Iowa when he tallied three helpers. Hirose recorded a goal in his 200th game as a pro while Jared McIsaac joined him in his 100th game as a Griffin and in the AHL on Dec. 3 against Texas.
Alex Chiasson—Two games from 700 as a pro
Taro Hirose—One assist from 100 as a Griffin and in the AHL
Brian Lashoff—Two games from 600 as a Griffin and in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins