As the Grand Rapids Griffins begin the franchise’s 24th season of play on Saturday at rival Chicago, let’s take a quick look at all of the coaches and players on the opening night roster.

The Griffins’ roster features nine players who qualify as an AHL rookie and six players who are classified as veterans (260+ pro games played at NHL, AHL or top European league level).

Head coach Ben Simon
Returns for second season as head coach…Led Griffins to a 38-27-7-4 record (87 points, 0.572) and a fourth-place finish in the Central Division in 2018-19…Became the eighth head coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to the postseason during his first full season behind the bench…Served as an assistant coach with the Griffins from 2015-18 and helped the team win the 2017 Calder Cup…Appeared in 762 regular season pro games from 2000-11, including 81 in the NHL and 481 in the AHL.

Assistant coach Matt Macdonald
Returns for second season as an assistant coach…Worked with the defensemen and helped direct the penalty kill in 2018-19…Head coach of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones from 2014-18 and assisted the club from 2012-14…Played seven pro seasons as a defenseman from 2005-12 and appeared in 385 career games.

Assistant coach Todd Krygier
Entering his first season with the Griffins…Assistant coach at Western Michigan University from 2016-19…WMU posted a 21-15-1 record in 2018-19 and tied for fourth in the NCAA with a 3.47 goals per game average…Head coach of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks from 2013-16…Appeared in 543 NHL games and totaled 243 points (100-143—243) from 1989-98 between Hartford, Washington and Anaheim.

Assistant coach Mike Knuble
Returns for his seventh season as an assistant coach…Helped Grand Rapids win the 2017 Calder Cup…Appeared in 1,068 NHL games and tallied 548 points (278-270—548) from 1996-2013 between Detroit, New York Rangers, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington…1997-98 Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings.

#8 Troy Loggins | 5-11, 168
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 1 point (1-0—1) in 4 games with Grand Rapids…40 points (23-17—40) in 39 games with Northern Michigan University.
Career: Entering first full pro season…Signed to a three-year contract that will last through the 2020-21 season by Grand Rapids, 3/20/19…During his senior season at NMU in 2018-19, named the WCHA Player of the Year, the WCHA Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-WCHA First Team after scoring 40 points in 39 games…Became the first NMU Wildcat to be selected as the top skater in the WCHA since 1990-91…Two-time All-WCHA First Team selection after also earning the distinction in 2017-18…Appeared in four games with the Griffins and scored one goal during professional debut at the end of the 2018-19 season.

#10 Gregor MacLeod | 6-0, 182
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 84 points (35-49—84) in 60 games with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs…13 points (7-6—13) in 16 postseason games.
Career: Entering first pro season…Signed to a one-year contract by Grand Rapids, 3/26/19…Established major junior career highs in points (84), goals (35), assists (49), plus-minus rating (+36), PIM (43) and games played (60) in 2018-19…Finished third on the team in points, placing first was Joe Veleno.

#11 Filip Zadina | 6-0, 190
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall, in 2018 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 3 points (1-2—3) in 9 games with Detroit…35 points (16-19—35) in 59 games with Grand Rapids…3 points (2-1—3) in 5 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering second pro season…Became the 176th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut, 2/24/19 vs. SJS…Produced 35 points (16-19—35) in 59 games with the Griffins as a rookie in 2018-19 and tied for 19th on the franchise’s single-season rookie scoring list…Helped the Czech Republic advance to the quarterfinals at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship…In 2017-18, named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team and the All-Rookie Team and won the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league’s best professional prospect…Highest Detroit draft pick to ever play for the Griffins.

#12 David Pope | 6-3, 205
Drafted: 4th round, 109th overall, in 2013 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 3 points (2-1—3) in 28 games with Grand Rapids…4 points (3-1—4) in 7 games with ECHL Toledo…13 points (4-9—13) in 20 Kelly Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering second pro season…Spent majority of his rookie season with the Griffins and recorded an assist in his pro debut, 10/12/18 vs. HER…Ranked sixth on Toledo in playoff scoring and helped the Walleye advance to the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history…Named to the NCHC First All-Star Team as a senior at Nebraska-Omaha in 2017-18.

#14 Jarid Lukosevicius | 5-10, 193
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 29 points (19-10—29) in 40 games with University of Denver…0 points in 1 Calder Cup Playoff game with Grand Rapids.
Career: Entering first pro season…Signed to a two-year contract by Grand Rapids, 4/15/19…Led Denver with 19 goals and helped the Pioneers advance to the 2019 Frozen Four…Named the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017 after scoring all three of Denver’s goals in the Pioneers’ 3-2 national championship victory over Minnesota-Duluth, helping the program win its eighth national championship…Named a finalist for the NCHC Forward of the Year and a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award in 2018-19…Made his pro debut with the Griffins in Game 4 of the Central Division Semifinals, 4/24/19 vs. CHI.

#15 Turner Elson | 6-0, 190
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 39 points (18-21—39) in 72 games with Grand Rapids…4 points (2-2—4) in five Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering seventh pro season and third with Griffins…Joined the organization on 7/1/17 after signing a one-year contract with Detroit… Established career highs in goals (18), assists (21), points (39), PIM (80) and GP (72) in 2018-19…Scored three PPGs and three SHGs, one of two players on the team to light the lamp on both special teams units…Appeared in his 300th AHL game, 4/5/19 at SJ…Won the 2014 Kelly Cup with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces...Logged an assist during his NHL debut with Calgary, 4/9/16 vs. MIN.

#21 Ryan Kuffner | 6-1, 195
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 0 points in 10 games with Detroit…44 points (22-22—44) in 31 games with Princeton.
Career: Entering first full pro season…Signed to a two-year entry-level contract by Detroit, 3/12/19…Made his NHL debut with the Red Wings at the end of the 2018-19 season, skating in 10 games…Finished his Princeton University career as the school’s all-time leading goal scorer (75) while placing second in points (152)…As a senior in 2018-19, named an NCAA East First Team All-American, First Team All-ECAC, First Team All-Ivy League and a Hobey Baker Award nominee after finishing second in the nation in both points per game (1.42) and goals per game (0.71)…An NCAA East Second Team All-American in 2017-18, he is the first Tiger in program history to earn two All-America honors since the awards were created in 1947-48…Holds the Princeton single-season record for goals in season after netting 29 in 2017-18.

#23 Dominic Turgeon | 6-2, 205
Drafted: 3rd round, 63rd overall, in 2014 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 0 points in 4 games with Detroit…20 points (6-14—20) in 72 games with Grand Rapids…3 points (1-2—3) in 3 Calder Cup Playoff games…Missed two postseason games due to an AHL-issued suspension.
Career: Entering fourth pro season…Re-signed to a one-year contract by Detroit, 7/26/19…2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids…Skated in nine career NHL games with Detroit…Became the 167th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the Red Wings, 1/14/18 at CHI…Tied for the Griffins lead with a career-high 72 GP in 2018-19…Nearly doubled his point production from his rookie campaign in 2017-18 with 32 points…Captained Portland (WHL) in 2015-16 and led the team in points and goals…Helped Portland win the 2012-13 WHL Championship.

#25 Chris Terry | 5-10, 195
Drafted: 5th round, 132nd overall, in 2007 by Carolina
2018-19 Stats: 61 points (29-32—61) in 69 games with Grand Rapids…2 points (1-1—2) in 5 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering 11th pro season…Joined the organization after signing a two-year contract with Detroit, 7/1/18…Led the Griffins in points and goals in 2018-19…Suited up for the Central Division All-Star Team at the AHL All-Star Classic, his fourth AHL All-Star selection (2019, 2018, 2017, 2012) and third consecutive…Became the 96th player in AHL history to amass 500 or more points, 3/31/19 vs. MIL…Led his team in scoring for the third straight season (Laval in 2017-18 and St. John’s in 2016-17)…Won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer with a career-high 71 points in 2017-18…Tallied 38 points in 152 career NHL games between Carolina and Montreal.

#27 Michael Rasmussen | 6-6, 221
Drafted: 1st round, 9th overall, in 2017 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 18 points (8-10—18) in 62 games with Detroit…2 points (2-0—2) in 3 games with Grand Rapids during a conditioning stint.
Career: Entering second pro season…Made his NHL debut, 10/4/18 vs. CBJ…One of five Red Wings to make their debut on 10/4/18, the first time five players made their NHL debuts in the same game since Oct. 10, 1985…Became the sixth teenager in Detroit history to score a goal in three consecutive games, 11/13/18-11/17/18…Was Detroit’s first top-10 draft pick since 1991 (Martin Lapointe)…Represented Canada at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup and Canada Black at the 2015 World U17 Hockey Challenge…Helped Tri-City reach the 2018 WHL conference finals after ranking second in the league in points with 33 (16-17—33) in 14 games.

#37 Evgeny Svechnikov | 6-3, 208
Drafted: 1st round, 19th overall, in 2015 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: Missed the entire season due to an injury suffered in Detroit’s preseason.
Career: Entering third full pro season…2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids…Shows four points (2-2—4) in 16 career NHL games with Detroit…Became the 164th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit, 4/3/17 vs. OTT…Tallied his first NHL goal, 3/20/18 vs. PHI…Ranked fourth among AHL rookie skaters in points with 51 in 2016-17…51 points placed fifth among the top single-season rookie scorers in Griffins history.

#54 Givani Smith | 6-2, 220
Drafted: 2nd round, 46th overall, in 2016 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 13 points (6-7—13) in 64 games with Grand Rapids…2 points (0-2—2) in 4 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering second full pro season…Ranked second on the team and eighth among AHL rookies in PIM in 2018-19…Scored his first pro goal, 12/7/18 at RFD…Picked up an assist in his Calder Cup Playoff debut, 4/19/19 at CHI…Made his professional debut with the Griffins in 2016-17, appearing in three regular season games…Set OHL career highs with 44 points and 26 goals in 64 games with Guelph in 2016-17.

#55 Matthew Ford | 6-1, 205
Drafted: 8th round, 256th overall, in 2004 by Detroit.
2018-19 Stats: 24 points (11-13—24) in 61 games with Grand Rapids…Missed the final five games of the regular season and the Calder Cup Playoffs due to injury.
Career: Entering 12th pro season and fourth with Griffins…Joined the organization on 7/12/16 after signing a two-year contract with Grand Rapids….2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids…Recorded his 400th career AHL point, 3/9/19 at MIL…Finished with 11 goals in 2018-19 to mark the sixth consecutive season in which he’s reached a double-digit total…Appeared in 664 AHL games and totaled 403 points entering 2019-20…Has tallied 20 or more goals in an AHL season five times…Helped University of Wisconsin win the 2006 NCAA Championship.

#65 Dominik Shine | 5-11, 180
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 11 points (6-5—11) in 72 games with Grand Rapids…2 points (1-1—2) in 5 Calder Cup Playoff games…
Career: Entering third full pro season….Joined the organization after signing a one-year contract with Grand Rapids, 3/14/17…Tied for the Griffins team lead in GP in 2018-19…Skated in his 100th AHL game, 12/29/18 vs. CLE…Recorded 16 points (8-8—16) in 58 games during his rookie season with Grand Rapids in 2017-18…Led the WCHA in goals with 20 in 2016-17 and was named an All-WCHA Third Team selection…Served as an alternate captain during his junior and senior seasons at Northern Michigan.

#73 Matt Puempel | 6-1, 205
Drafted: 1st round, 24th overall, in 2011 by Ottawa
2018-19 Stats: 1 point (1-0—1) in 8 games with Detroit…50 points (24-26—50) in 62 games with Grand Rapids…4 points (2-2—4) in 5 Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering seventh pro season…Traded to Detroit by the New York Rangers in exchange for Ryan Sproul, 10/21/17…Signed to a two-year contract by Detroit, 9/9/18…Became the 177th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut, 3/23/19 at VGK…Scored his first goal as a Red Wing, 4/4/19 at PIT…Became the 40th player in Griffins history to score 100 points in a Griffins uniform, 3/8/19 vs. IA…Set AHL career highs in points (57) and assists (34) in 2017-18…Named to the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic, his first pro all-star appearance…Spent the entire 2016-17 season in the NHL, appearing in 40 games between Ottawa and the New York Rangers.

#90 Joe Veleno | 6-1, 191
Drafted: 1st round, 30th overall, in 2018 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 104 points (42-62—104) in 59 games with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs…17 points (8-9—17) in 16 postseason.
Career: Entering first pro season…Named a 2019 QMJHL First Team All-Star and was a finalist for the league’s MVP after finishing fourth in the league with 104 points in 59 games for Drummondville in 2018-19…Represented Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship…Helped the Saint John Sea Dogs win the QMJHL President Cup in 2017…Served as captain for Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and helped the team win gold…Suited up for Canada at the 2018 World Under-18 Championship and for Canada Black at the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

#2 Joe Hicketts | 5-8, 180
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 0 points in 11 games with Detroit…27 points (3-24—27) in 64 games with Grand Rapids…1 points (0-1—1) in five Calder Cup Playoff games.
Career: Entering fourth pro season…Re-signed to a two-year contract, 7/17/19…2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids…Bookended the 2018-19 campaign with NHL games, beginning the season with the Red Wings and skating in 8 games from Oct. 4-22 and then played in the team’s final 3 games of the regular season… Led Griffins defensemen in points (27) and assists (24) in 2018-19…Became the 168th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the Red Wings, 1/22/18 at NJD… Assistant captain for Canada at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Finland…Earned a gold medal for Canada at the 2015 World Junior Championship.

#5 Gustav Lindstrom | 6-2, 187
Drafted: 2nd round, 38th overall, in 2017 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 6 points (3-3—6) in 40 games with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League.
Career: Entering first pro season in North America…Helped Frolunda win the league championship in 2018-19…Ranked seventh among team defensemen in points and sixth in goals…Won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship…Represented Sweden at the 2017 IIHF Five Nations Tournament and led the team’s defensemen with seven points (1-6—7) in four games.

#7 Oliwer Kaski | 6-3, 187
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 51 points (19-32—51) in 59 games with the Lahti Pelicans in the SM-Liiga, Finland’s top professional league.
Career: Entering first pro season in North America…Signed to a one-year entry-level contract by Detroit, 5/28/19…In 2018-19: won the Lasse Oksanen Award as the league’s best player during the 2018-19 regular season after leading all defensemen in goals (19) and points (51); won the Pekka Rautakallio Award as the league’s best defenseman; produced the third-highest scoring season ever by a defenseman in the SM-Liiga…Won a gold medal with Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Championship…Appeared in 32 games with Western Michigan University from 2015-17.

#9 Vili Saarijarvi | 5-10, 180
Drafted: 3rd round, 73rd overall, in 2015 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 16 points (2-14—16) in 70 games with Grand Rapids…1 point (1-0—1) in 1 Calder Cup Playoff game.
Career: Entering third full pro season…Led the Griffins with a +19 rating, which also tied for 14th among league defensemen in 2018-19…Led Grand Rapids blueliners in GP and ranked third in points…One of two Griffins defensemen with multiple PPGs on the season…Appeared in games with both the Griffins and ECHL’s Toledo Walleye during his first professional campaign in 2017-18…Represented Finland at the 2017 and 2016 World Junior Championships, winning a gold medal in 2016.

#18 Brian Lashoff | 6-3, 221
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 1 points (0-1—1) in 4 games with Detroit…14 points (1-13—14) in 53 games with Grand Rapids…1 point (0-1—1) in 2 Calder Cup Playoff games…Missed the final three games of the postseason due to injury.
Career: Entering 10th full pro season, all in Red Wings organization…Signed to a two-year contract extension by Detroit, 3/13/19…Won the 2013 and 2017 Calder Cups with Grand Rapids, one of only three players in franchise history to be a part of both championships (Mitch Callahan, Nathan Paetsch)…453 career regular season games played rank first among active players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and tie for 12th all time in league history…Became the 126th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit and registered his first goal in the same game, 1/21/13 at CBJ…Appeared in 127 career NHL games with the Red Wings…Won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2010 World Junior Championship.

#29 Alec McCrea | 6-3, 202
Drafted: Undrafted
2018-19 Stats: 12 points (3-9—12) in 36 games with Cornell University.
Career: Entering first pro season…Signed to a one-year contract by Grand Rapids, 4/11/19…Alternate captain and helped Cornell advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season in 2018-19…Earned the team’s Mark Weiss Memorial Award, which is awarded to a senior with a career-long dedication and passion for the sport of hockey…Named the ECAC’s Best Defensive Defenseman and to the All-Ivy Second Team as a junior in 2017-18.

#52 Dylan McIlrath | 6-4, 235
Drafted: 1st round, 10th overall, in 2010 by the New York Rangers
2018-19 Stats: 0 points in seven games with Detroit…10 points (1-9—10) in 52 games with Grand Rapids…0 points in 4 Calder Cup Playoff games…Missed Game 5 of the Central Division Semifinals due to injury.
Career: Entering eighth pro season…Traded to Detroit by Florida in exchange for Thomas Vanek and a conditional third-round pick in 2017 NHL Draft, 3/1/17…Re-signed to a two-year contract by Detroit, 5/9/19…2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids… Made his debut with the Red Wings and became the 178th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL, 3/25/19 at SJ…Led the Griffins in PIM in back-to-back years, logging 119 PIM in 2017-18 and 98 PIM in 2018-19.

#53 Moritz Seider | 6-4, 207
Drafted: 1st round, 6th overall, in 2019 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 6 points (2-4—6) in 29 games with Adler Mannheim in the Deutsch Eishockey Liga (Germany).
Career: Entering first pro season in North America…Won the DEL’s Rookie of the Year award….Second-highest scoring season ever for an under-18 defenseman in the DEL…Captained Germany at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship Division I tournament and helped Germany advance to the top group for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship…Represented Germany at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

#30 Filip Larsson | 6-2, 188
Drafted: 6th round, 167th overall, in 2016 by Detroit
2018-19 Stats: 13-6-3 record, 1.95 GAA, 0.932 save percentage, 4 shutouts in 22 games with University of Denver.
Career: Entering first pro season…Backstopped Denver to the 2019 Frozen Four after posting back-to-back shutouts in the NCAA West Regional…Named to the 2019 NCHC All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the conference’s Goaltender of the Year award…0.932 save percentage and 1.95 GAA career marks both rank second all-time in Denver history…In 2017-18, named the USHL Goaltender of the Year and to the First All-Star Team after posting the highest save percentage in league history (0.941), the second-best GAA (1.65) and the fourth-most shutouts (7)…Won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

#31 Calvin Pickard | 6-1, 208
Drafted: 2nd round, 49th overall, in 2010 by Colorado
2018-19 Stats: 4-2-2 record, 4.01 GAA, 0.863 save percentage, 1 shutout in 11 games with Philadelphia Flyers…0-4-0 record, 3.60 GAA, 0.892 save percentage in six games with Arizona Coyotes…3-0-0 record, 3.47 GAA, 0.889 save percentage in four games with Tucson Roadrunners…Claimed off waivers by Philadelphia from Toronto on Oct. 2 and then again by Arizona from Philadelphia on Nov. 29.
Career: Entering eighth pro season…Signed to a two-year contract by Detroit, 7/1/19…2018 Calder Cup champion with Toronto…Won the Harry Holmes Memorial Award, awarded to the goaltending tandem with the lowest goals against average (2.24), alongside Garret Sparks with Toronto in 2017-18…Recorded 42 saves while appearing in his 100th NHL game, 2/5/19 at NSH…Made his NHL debut with Colorado on Oct. 16, 2014 at Ottawa…Represented Canada at the 2016 and 2017 IIHF World Championships, winning a gold and silver, respectively.

All photos by Sam Iannamico/Griffins