GRIFFINS BEGIN FIVE-GAME HOME STAND WITH NYE BATTLE AGAINST ROCKFORD

This Week’s Games
Tue., Dec. 30 GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves 8 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Wed., Dec. 31 Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS 6 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 2 Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Dec. 17 Iowa Wild 2 at GRIFFINS 9 15-11-3-0, 33 pts. (T3rd, Midwest Division)

Nine-High: Teemu Pulkkinen’s four-point performance on Saturday sparked an AHL season-high nine-goal explosion for the Griffins, who cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Iowa Wild before a sellout crowd of 10,834 at Van Andel Arena. The nine goals and seven-goal margin of victory each fell one shy of the franchise record for a home game, as the Griffins continued their recent offensive mastery within friendly confines. Combined with a 7-1 win over Toronto on Dec. 19, Grand Rapids tallied at least seven goals in consecutive home outings for the first time ever and set a record with 16 combined goals over back-to-back games at Van Andel Arena, surpassing the mark of 14 accomplished twice before. With two goals and an assist, Tomas Nosek was also among the six Griffins to enjoy a multi-point evening, as 16 of the team’s 18 skaters recorded at least one point. Tom McCollum was the beneficiary of his teammates’ generosity, making 32 saves after being reassigned by Detroit that morning. The Griffins built a two-goal lead through the first 20 minutes on the strength of three backdoor goals against Johan Gustafsson and the Wild defense, the first coming only 14 seconds into the contest. Andy Miele notched the opening goal before Tyler Graovac tied the score at one at the 3:20 mark. After that, the Griffins were good for eight unanswered goals from Landon Ferraro, Pulkkinen, Mitch Callahan, Nosek (two goals), Marek Tvrdon (first AHL goal), Nathan Paetsch and Colin Campbell. After allowing eight goals on 27 shots, Gustafsson was mercifully relieved to start the third period in favor of David DeSander, a West Michigan resident who was signed to a tryout earlier on Saturday when John Curry was recalled to Minnesota. The 31-year-old DeSander had not played professionally since logging 12 games in the defunct All American Hockey League during 2010-11, but he allowed only one goal on seven shots during his period of work, as Campbell beat him 5:53 into his stint. Iowa’s Jordan Schroeder finished off a scramble around the Griffins’ net by scoring on a sharp angle from the right side during a power play with 47 seconds left to account for the final margin, 9-2. Nick Jensen and Louis-Marc Aubry were the only two skaters held off the scoresheet for Grand Rapids.

Home Scoring Records: The Griffins set their record for home goals in a 10-5 win over Cincinnati on Oct. 24, 2001 and established their mark for largest margin of victory at home (8) in a 9-1 victory over Utah on Feb. 24, 2002. Grand Rapids had totaled 14 goals in consecutive home games most recently during the 2008-09 season (an 8-4 win over Rochester on Jan. 31 and a 6-3 victory against Chicago on Feb. 6).

NYE Celebration: On Wednesday, Dec. 31, the Griffins will battle the Rockford IceHogs at Van Andel Arena for the 18th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration. The showdown begins at 6 p.m. and, following the game, the Griffins will host West Michigan’s largest indoor fireworks show. Fans can also participate in a post-game open skate. The Griffins’ all-time NYE record is 7-9-1-0, and Grand Rapids looks to bounce back after dropping a 3-1 decision to the Toronto Marlies last year on the same date.

Griffins’ New Year’s Eves: In their last 17 New Year’s Eve games at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins own a 7-9-1-0 record and have won three of their last four. The team’s most recent win came against the Rockford IceHogs in 2012, who the Griffins will also take on this year. Five of the 17 NYE games have been sellouts, including last season’s game.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen continues to lead the Griffins in scoring with 34 points (16-18—34) in 29 games and is currently on a four-game point and goal streak, which ties for the longest active goal streak in the AHL. Pulkkinen ranks third in overall scoring in the league, and he has two games in hand to both Brian O’Neill (10-28—38) and Nick Shore (16-19—35) of the Manchester Monarchs. Center Andy Miele sits in second on the team with 26 points (10-16—26) in 26 games, while left wing Mitch Callahan ranks third (10-13—23). Right wing Chris Bruton (47) has led the Griffins in penalty minutes all season long, but right wing Anthony Mantha now sits in second with 43 PIM in 18 games after collecting 16 in Saturday’s game against Iowa, surpassing the now third-place defenseman Brennan Evans (37).

Guess Who’s Back: When the Milwaukee Admirals visit Van Andel Arena on Friday, Jan. 2, former Griffins defenseman and current Admiral Triston Grant (2012-14) will make his return to Grand Rapids for the first time since departing after the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. A 2013 Calder Cup Champion with the Griffins, Grant has tallied four points (1-3—4) in 29 games with Milwaukee this season. Prior to joining the Griffins, Grant spent two seasons with the Admirals from 2008-10. A look at his two full seasons with each team:

Nosey Moseys In: First-year Griffin Tomas Nosek has been producing a fair amount of points since his return from injury, picking up seven points (3-4—7) in his nine most recent games. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound center earned his first AHL goal in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Wolves on Dec. 22 and notched two goals and an assist in Saturday’s 9-2 victory versus the Iowa Wild. In all, the Pardubice, Czech Republic, native has earned nine points (3-6—9) in 13 games with Grand Rapids.

Best of the Best: After earning his sixth consecutive win to begin the season on Dec. 20 with a 4-3 shootout victory at Lake Erie, Jared Coreau tied the franchise record that was set by Petr Mrazek in 2012-13 and equaled by Tom McCollum last season. His streak came to an end in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena on Dec. 22. Comparing the franchise-record 6-0 starts of Coreau, McCollum and Mrazek:

The Midwest: The Midwest Division has an 11-point swing between first place and fifth place, the smallest difference for a division in the entire league. The Rockford IceHogs (19-10-3-1, 42 pts.) sit atop the division and have played the most games of any of the five teams (33). In second are the Chicago Wolves (17-12-3-0, 37 pts.), followed by the third-place Milwaukee Admirals (15-11-1-3, 34 pts.), who picked up a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Iowa Wild on Monday to move ahead of the fourth-place Griffins (15-11-3-0, 33 pts.). The Lake Erie Monsters (13-12-2-3, 31 pts.) are last in the division and have dropped their last three games. The Griffins (366) have significantly less penalty minutes than any other team in the division. The team with the next-fewest PIM is Lake Erie (425).

Marek’s Mark: Second-year left wing Marek Tvrdon (1-4—5) has had an immediate impact for the Griffins since making his season debut at Van Andel Arena on Dec. 19 vs. Toronto. A 6-foot-2, 217-pound native of Nitra, Slovakia, Tvrdon amassed 24 points (6-18—24) in 24 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye this season before his reassignment to Grand Rapids on Dec. 16. Since then, he has tallied points in three of four total games and his last two games were both multipoint performances. He notched two assists on Dec. 22 at Chicago and earned his first AHL goal plus an assist on Saturday in a 9-2 victory over the Iowa Wild at home, in which he earned third-star honors. Tvrdon played in just one game with Grand Rapids last season and went scoreless in that contest. Tvrdon was Detroit's 5th choice (115th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye (19-5-2-1, 41 pts.) dropped a 2-1 decision to the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday. Griffins-contracted forward Tyler Barnes recorded Toledo’s only goal in the contest, with Shane Berschbach earning the first assist. Kalamazoo struck in the first period, Toledo tied the game in the second period, and it wasn’t until late in the third (16:37) that the Wings secured their game-winning goal. Barnes leads the Walleye in scoring with 33 points (13-20—33) in 27 games in addition to a team-leading plus-17 rating. Toledo ranks second in the North Division behind the first-place Fort Wayne Komets (22-5-1-0, 45 pts.).

McCollum Joins, Backman Departs: The Detroit Red Wings on Saturday assigned goaltender Tom McCollum to the Griffins. In addition, the Red Wings have reassigned defenseman Mattias Backman from Grand Rapids to Linkopings HC (Sweden). McCollum, 25, has played in 17 games for Grand Rapids this season, procuring a 6-8-3 record, a 2.53 goals against average and a 0.906 save percentage. Detroit’s first choice (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, McCollum has appeared in 176 career games with the Griffins since 2009-10 and has compiled a 75-75-13 record and a 2.89 GAA. In his 2013-14 campaign, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound netminder ranked fourth among AHL goaltenders with a 2.30 GAA, and he set career bests in games played (46), wins (24) and save percentage (0.922). Backman, 22, notched four points (0-4—4) and four penalty minutes in 18 games with Grand Rapids this season. In 2013-14, Backman went scoreless in two regular season games with the Griffins before picking up six points (1-5—6) and two PIM in 10 playoff appearances. Prior to his North American debut, Backman accumulated 21 points (6-15—21), 16 PIM and a plus-25 rating in 54 regular season games with Linkopings and also tallied seven assists in 13 playoff appearances. In 2012, the 6-foot-3, 176-pound defenseman won a gold medal with Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Scouting Report

Tue., Dec. 30 at Chicago Wolves (17-12-3-0) – Allstate Arena – 8 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 61-47-2-5-2 Overall, 30-27-0-2-0 Road. Season Series: 0-2-1-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 Road. Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Allstate Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: Grand Rapids has three games in hand to Chicago, but the Wolves (37 pts.) lead the Griffins (33 pts.) by four points…While the Wolves defeated the Griffins, 5-3, in their last matchup on Dec. 22, Chicago has posted a 4-6-0-0 record in its last 10 outings…Right wing Ty Rattie (15-7-22) leads the Wolves in scoring through 32 games, with centers Philip McRae (10-10—20) and Pat Cannone (6-14—20) tying for second. Rattie also ranks third in the league in goals (15) and ties for second in shots (105) with Teemu Pulkkinen and St. John’s’ Carl Klingberg. Right wing Cody Beach (2-7—9) leads the league in penalty minutes with 134 in 25 games…Matt Climie (7-7-2, 2.50 GAA) and rookie Jordan Binnington (10-5-1, 2.28 GAA) have split the role of goaltender for the Wolves…Chicago owns a 12-2-1-0 record when scoring first, compared to Grand Rapids’ 8-5-2-0 record…The Wolves’ power play has found a lot of success, ranking fourth overall (20.0%), but their penalty kill ranks 16th (83.0%)…Chicago holds its opponents to an average of only 26.13 shots per game.

Wed., Dec. 31 vs. Rockford IceHogs (19-10-3-1) – Van Andel Arena – 6 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 5:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 21-19-3-4 Overall, 14-7-1-1 Home. Season Series: Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Ted Dent (4th season). Notes: Rockford ranks first in the Midwest Division and third in the Western Conference behind the Utica Comets (21-5-5-0, 47 pts.) and Oklahoma City Barons (20-7-2-2, 44 pts.)…While the IceHogs have led the division for a majority of the season, they own a 3-5-2-0 record in their last 10 outings…Grand Rapids has four games in hand to Rockford...Despite their lead in the standings, the IceHogs have no players that rank amongst the league’s top scorers. However, Garret Ross ties for second in the league in plus/minus with a plus-17 rating…Rockford goaltender Scott Darling ranks seventh among goaltending leaders with a 2.18 goals against average, alongside a 9-3-2 record and a 0.929 save percentage…Rookie Teuvo Teravainen (6-17—23) ranks fourth among league rookies in scoring…In terms of special teams, Rockford’s power play ranks 22nd (15.4%) and its penalty kill ties for fourth (86.3%)…Defenseman T.J. Brennan (7-19—26) ranks first on the team in scoring, followed by Teravainen in second and Ross (11-9—20) in third.

Fri., Jan. 2 vs. Milwaukee Admirals (15-11-1-3) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 67-50-7-5-7 Overall, 37-23-2-1-2 Home. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Dean Evason (3rd season). Notes: The Milwaukee Admirals rank third in the Midwest Division and tie for seventh in the Western Conference…The last time the Griffins and Admirals met on Dec. 7, the Griffins walked away with a 2-1 shootout win…In their last 10 outings, the Admirals own a 6-3-1-0 record…Milwaukee goaltender Magnus Hellberg ranks third among AHL goaltenders with a 1.81 goals against average, and he also owns a 7-3-2 record and a 0.930 save percentage…Brendan Leipsic (4-18—22) ranks fifth among league rookies in scoring…When striking first, Milwaukee holds a 10-2-1-2 record...Milwaukee registers an average of 27.07 shots for per game (28th) and 27.73 shots against per game (7th)…Rookie Brendan Leipsic sits atop the Admirals’ leaderboard with 22 points (4-18—22) in 30 games, and it’s a three-way tie between center Austin Watson (12-5—17), right wing Pontus Aberg (11-6—17) and right wing Viktor Arvidsson (9-8—17) for second place…Left wing Michael Liambas leads the team in penalty minutes with 78 in 19 games.

This Week’s Games
Tue., Dec. 30 GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves 8 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Wed., Dec. 31 Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS 6 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 2 Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Dec. 17 Iowa Wild 2 at GRIFFINS 9 15-11-3-0, 33 pts. (T3rd, Midwest Division)

Nine-High: Teemu Pulkkinen’s four-point performance on Saturday sparked an AHL season-high nine-goal explosion for the Griffins, who cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Iowa Wild before a sellout crowd of 10,834 at Van Andel Arena. The nine goals and seven-goal margin of victory each fell one shy of the franchise record for a home game, as the Griffins continued their recent offensive mastery within friendly confines. Combined with a 7-1 win over Toronto on Dec. 19, Grand Rapids tallied at least seven goals in consecutive home outings for the first time ever and set a record with 16 combined goals over back-to-back games at Van Andel Arena, surpassing the mark of 14 accomplished twice before. With two goals and an assist, Tomas Nosek was also among the six Griffins to enjoy a multi-point evening, as 16 of the team’s 18 skaters recorded at least one point. Tom McCollum was the beneficiary of his teammates’ generosity, making 32 saves after being reassigned by Detroit that morning. The Griffins built a two-goal lead through the first 20 minutes on the strength of three backdoor goals against Johan Gustafsson and the Wild defense, the first coming only 14 seconds into the contest. Andy Miele notched the opening goal before Tyler Graovac tied the score at one at the 3:20 mark. After that, the Griffins were good for eight unanswered goals from Landon Ferraro, Pulkkinen, Mitch Callahan, Nosek (two goals), Marek Tvrdon (first AHL goal), Nathan Paetsch and Colin Campbell. After allowing eight goals on 27 shots, Gustafsson was mercifully relieved to start the third period in favor of David DeSander, a West Michigan resident who was signed to a tryout earlier on Saturday when John Curry was recalled to Minnesota. The 31-year-old DeSander had not played professionally since logging 12 games in the defunct All American Hockey League during 2010-11, but he allowed only one goal on seven shots during his period of work, as Campbell beat him 5:53 into his stint. Iowa’s Jordan Schroeder finished off a scramble around the Griffins’ net by scoring on a sharp angle from the right side during a power play with 47 seconds left to account for the final margin, 9-2. Nick Jensen and Louis-Marc Aubry were the only two skaters held off the scoresheet for Grand Rapids.

Home Scoring Records: The Griffins set their record for home goals in a 10-5 win over Cincinnati on Oct. 24, 2001 and established their mark for largest margin of victory at home (8) in a 9-1 victory over Utah on Feb. 24, 2002. Grand Rapids had totaled 14 goals in consecutive home games most recently during the 2008-09 season (an 8-4 win over Rochester on Jan. 31 and a 6-3 victory against Chicago on Feb. 6).

NYE Celebration: On Wednesday, Dec. 31, the Griffins will battle the Rockford IceHogs at Van Andel Arena for the 18th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration. The showdown begins at 6 p.m. and, following the game, the Griffins will host West Michigan’s largest indoor fireworks show. Fans can also participate in a post-game open skate. The Griffins’ all-time NYE record is 7-9-1-0, and Grand Rapids looks to bounce back after dropping a 3-1 decision to the Toronto Marlies last year on the same date.

Griffins’ New Year’s Eves: In their last 17 New Year’s Eve games at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins own a 7-9-1-0 record and have won three of their last four. The team’s most recent win came against the Rockford IceHogs in 2012, who the Griffins will also take on this year. Five of the 17 NYE games have been sellouts, including last season’s game.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen continues to lead the Griffins in scoring with 34 points (16-18—34) in 29 games and is currently on a four-game point and goal streak, which ties for the longest active goal streak in the AHL. Pulkkinen ranks third in overall scoring in the league, and he has two games in hand to both Brian O’Neill (10-28—38) and Nick Shore (16-19—35) of the Manchester Monarchs. Center Andy Miele sits in second on the team with 26 points (10-16—26) in 26 games, while left wing Mitch Callahan ranks third (10-13—23). Right wing Chris Bruton (47) has led the Griffins in penalty minutes all season long, but right wing Anthony Mantha now sits in second with 43 PIM in 18 games after collecting 16 in Saturday’s game against Iowa, surpassing the now third-place defenseman Brennan Evans (37).

Guess Who’s Back: When the Milwaukee Admirals visit Van Andel Arena on Friday, Jan. 2, former Griffins defenseman and current Admiral Triston Grant (2012-14) will make his return to Grand Rapids for the first time since departing after the conclusion of the 2013-14 season. A 2013 Calder Cup Champion with the Griffins, Grant has tallied four points (1-3—4) in 29 games with Milwaukee this season. Prior to joining the Griffins, Grant spent two seasons with the Admirals from 2008-10. A look at his two full seasons with each team:

Nosey Moseys In: First-year Griffin Tomas Nosek has been producing a fair amount of points since his return from injury, picking up seven points (3-4—7) in his nine most recent games. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound center earned his first AHL goal in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Wolves on Dec. 22 and notched two goals and an assist in Saturday’s 9-2 victory versus the Iowa Wild. In all, the Pardubice, Czech Republic, native has earned nine points (3-6—9) in 13 games with Grand Rapids.

Best of the Best: After earning his sixth consecutive win to begin the season on Dec. 20 with a 4-3 shootout victory at Lake Erie, Jared Coreau tied the franchise record that was set by Petr Mrazek in 2012-13 and equaled by Tom McCollum last season. His streak came to an end in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena on Dec. 22. Comparing the franchise-record 6-0 starts of Coreau, McCollum and Mrazek:

The Midwest: The Midwest Division has an 11-point swing between first place and fifth place, the smallest difference for a division in the entire league. The Rockford IceHogs (19-10-3-1, 42 pts.) sit atop the division and have played the most games of any of the five teams (33). In second are the Chicago Wolves (17-12-3-0, 37 pts.), followed by the third-place Milwaukee Admirals (15-11-1-3, 34 pts.), who picked up a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Iowa Wild on Monday to move ahead of the fourth-place Griffins (15-11-3-0, 33 pts.). The Lake Erie Monsters (13-12-2-3, 31 pts.) are last in the division and have dropped their last three games. The Griffins (366) have significantly less penalty minutes than any other team in the division. The team with the next-fewest PIM is Lake Erie (425).

Marek’s Mark: Second-year left wing Marek Tvrdon (1-4—5) has had an immediate impact for the Griffins since making his season debut at Van Andel Arena on Dec. 19 vs. Toronto. A 6-foot-2, 217-pound native of Nitra, Slovakia, Tvrdon amassed 24 points (6-18—24) in 24 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye this season before his reassignment to Grand Rapids on Dec. 16. Since then, he has tallied points in three of four total games and his last two games were both multipoint performances. He notched two assists on Dec. 22 at Chicago and earned his first AHL goal plus an assist on Saturday in a 9-2 victory over the Iowa Wild at home, in which he earned third-star honors. Tvrdon played in just one game with Grand Rapids last season and went scoreless in that contest. Tvrdon was Detroit's 5th choice (115th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye (19-5-2-1, 41 pts.) dropped a 2-1 decision to the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday. Griffins-contracted forward Tyler Barnes recorded Toledo’s only goal in the contest, with Shane Berschbach earning the first assist. Kalamazoo struck in the first period, Toledo tied the game in the second period, and it wasn’t until late in the third (16:37) that the Wings secured their game-winning goal. Barnes leads the Walleye in scoring with 33 points (13-20—33) in 27 games in addition to a team-leading plus-17 rating. Toledo ranks second in the North Division behind the first-place Fort Wayne Komets (22-5-1-0, 45 pts.).

McCollum Joins, Backman Departs: The Detroit Red Wings on Saturday assigned goaltender Tom McCollum to the Griffins. In addition, the Red Wings have reassigned defenseman Mattias Backman from Grand Rapids to Linkopings HC (Sweden). McCollum, 25, has played in 17 games for Grand Rapids this season, procuring a 6-8-3 record, a 2.53 goals against average and a 0.906 save percentage. Detroit’s first choice (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, McCollum has appeared in 176 career games with the Griffins since 2009-10 and has compiled a 75-75-13 record and a 2.89 GAA. In his 2013-14 campaign, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound netminder ranked fourth among AHL goaltenders with a 2.30 GAA, and he set career bests in games played (46), wins (24) and save percentage (0.922). Backman, 22, notched four points (0-4—4) and four penalty minutes in 18 games with Grand Rapids this season. In 2013-14, Backman went scoreless in two regular season games with the Griffins before picking up six points (1-5—6) and two PIM in 10 playoff appearances. Prior to his North American debut, Backman accumulated 21 points (6-15—21), 16 PIM and a plus-25 rating in 54 regular season games with Linkopings and also tallied seven assists in 13 playoff appearances. In 2012, the 6-foot-3, 176-pound defenseman won a gold medal with Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship.

Scouting Report

Tue., Dec. 30 at Chicago Wolves (17-12-3-0) – Allstate Arena – 8 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 61-47-2-5-2 Overall, 30-27-0-2-0 Road. Season Series: 0-2-1-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 Road. Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Allstate Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: Grand Rapids has three games in hand to Chicago, but the Wolves (37 pts.) lead the Griffins (33 pts.) by four points…While the Wolves defeated the Griffins, 5-3, in their last matchup on Dec. 22, Chicago has posted a 4-6-0-0 record in its last 10 outings…Right wing Ty Rattie (15-7-22) leads the Wolves in scoring through 32 games, with centers Philip McRae (10-10—20) and Pat Cannone (6-14—20) tying for second. Rattie also ranks third in the league in goals (15) and ties for second in shots (105) with Teemu Pulkkinen and St. John’s’ Carl Klingberg. Right wing Cody Beach (2-7—9) leads the league in penalty minutes with 134 in 25 games…Matt Climie (7-7-2, 2.50 GAA) and rookie Jordan Binnington (10-5-1, 2.28 GAA) have split the role of goaltender for the Wolves…Chicago owns a 12-2-1-0 record when scoring first, compared to Grand Rapids’ 8-5-2-0 record…The Wolves’ power play has found a lot of success, ranking fourth overall (20.0%), but their penalty kill ranks 16th (83.0%)…Chicago holds its opponents to an average of only 26.13 shots per game.

Wed., Dec. 31 vs. Rockford IceHogs (19-10-3-1) – Van Andel Arena – 6 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 5:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 21-19-3-4 Overall, 14-7-1-1 Home. Season Series: Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Ted Dent (4th season). Notes: Rockford ranks first in the Midwest Division and third in the Western Conference behind the Utica Comets (21-5-5-0, 47 pts.) and Oklahoma City Barons (20-7-2-2, 44 pts.)…While the IceHogs have led the division for a majority of the season, they own a 3-5-2-0 record in their last 10 outings…Grand Rapids has four games in hand to Rockford...Despite their lead in the standings, the IceHogs have no players that rank amongst the league’s top scorers. However, Garret Ross ties for second in the league in plus/minus with a plus-17 rating…Rockford goaltender Scott Darling ranks seventh among goaltending leaders with a 2.18 goals against average, alongside a 9-3-2 record and a 0.929 save percentage…Rookie Teuvo Teravainen (6-17—23) ranks fourth among league rookies in scoring…In terms of special teams, Rockford’s power play ranks 22nd (15.4%) and its penalty kill ties for fourth (86.3%)…Defenseman T.J. Brennan (7-19—26) ranks first on the team in scoring, followed by Teravainen in second and Ross (11-9—20) in third.

Fri., Jan. 2 vs. Milwaukee Admirals (15-11-1-3) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 67-50-7-5-7 Overall, 37-23-2-1-2 Home. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Dean Evason (3rd season). Notes: The Milwaukee Admirals rank third in the Midwest Division and tie for seventh in the Western Conference…The last time the Griffins and Admirals met on Dec. 7, the Griffins walked away with a 2-1 shootout win…In their last 10 outings, the Admirals own a 6-3-1-0 record…Milwaukee goaltender Magnus Hellberg ranks third among AHL goaltenders with a 1.81 goals against average, and he also owns a 7-3-2 record and a 0.930 save percentage…Brendan Leipsic (4-18—22) ranks fifth among league rookies in scoring…When striking first, Milwaukee holds a 10-2-1-2 record...Milwaukee registers an average of 27.07 shots for per game (28th) and 27.73 shots against per game (7th)…Rookie Brendan Leipsic sits atop the Admirals’ leaderboard with 22 points (4-18—22) in 30 games, and it’s a three-way tie between center Austin Watson (12-5—17), right wing Pontus Aberg (11-6—17) and right wing Viktor Arvidsson (9-8—17) for second place…Left wing Michael Liambas leads the team in penalty minutes with 78 in 19 games.