GRIFFINS HUNT FOR VICTORIES AT HOME AGAINST ICEHOGS, WOLVES

This Week’s Games
Wed., Oct. 29 Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Oct. 31 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Oct. 24 Lake Erie Monsters 5 at GRIFFINS 4 3-2-0-0, 6 pts. (4th, Midwest Division)

Out of Reach: The Griffins were unable to convert their road success into a home-ice victory last Friday, as their three-game winning streak was snapped with a 5-4 loss to the Lake Erie Monsters at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits but were never able to grab a lead. After its second loss to Lake Erie in as many home games, Grand Rapids is now 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road this season. Forward Chris Bruton, who scored just two goals in 41 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season, notched his first goal and point of the campaign, while Teemu Pulkkinen picked up his fourth goal in as many contests. In addition, defensemen Alexey Marchenko and Nathan Paetsch each had goals. Grand Rapids has surrendered at least four goals in six of its seven meetings with Lake Erie since the start of last season, with the only exception being the Griffins’ 3-2 win in Cleveland on Oct. 11. Before Friday, goaltender Petr Mrazek had not allowed more than four goals in 58 consecutive regular season contests, dating to a 5-2 loss at Rockford on Jan. 11, 2013.

Winning Wednesday: Wednesday’s game against the Rockford IceHogs marks the first Amway Winning Wednesday of the season. Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. Additionally, the first 300 fans to visit the Amway table in Section A will receive a gift. Fans can also enjoy a buy-one, get-one-free deal on a 16 oz. Pepsi all night long at any concession stand that sells fountain drinks. (Winning Wednesday and BOGO Pepsi offers exclude Dec. 31 game.)

Halloween Night Promotions: Dress up in your favorite costume and prepare to get spooky as the Griffins host an array of Halloween-themed activities on Friday night against the Chicago Wolves, including Trick-or-Treating on the concourse for kids, hair-raising in-game videos and ghoulish on-ice activities. Friday’s game gives fans the opportunity to enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Fans can also take advantage of College Night specials, where college students can purchase an upper bowl ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone) and stop by the McFadden’s concourse table to receive a free pass to the post-game party at McFadden’s. Every Friday night is also a Griffins D-Zone night, where fans can have $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served directly to their seats. D-ZONE tickets are only available by calling 616.774-4585 ext. 2 or at griffinshockey.com/dzone.

Costume Contest: Friday’s second intermission will feature an on-ice Halloween costume contest. Fans who come to the game in a costume can register at the social media lounge behind section 124 for their chance to be put to a crowd vote. The contest will feature six children (14 and under) and six adults, with the winner from each group receiving a prize pack. The prize pack for the kids group includes four tickets to Sesame Street Live at Van Andel Arena (Nov. 18-19), Griffins tickets and SkyZone passes. The prize pack for adults includes two tickets to WWE Smackdown at Van Andel Arena (Dec. 16), Griffins tickets and a Sony BluRay Player.

We Must Protect This (Haunted) House!: This Friday’s contest will mark the first time in the franchise’s 19 seasons that the Griffins play a home game on Halloween. They’ve been scary good as the visiting team on three previous All Hallows’ Eves, going 2-0-1-0 with a 3-2 overtime loss at Milwaukee in 2008, a 3-2 win in Cincinnati in 2003, and a 6-3 victory in Milwaukee in 2001.

Griffins Coach to be Honored: Tonight, Griffins assistant coach Mike Knuble will be inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2014. A 1997-98 Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings and veteran of 1,068 NHL games, the Kentwood, Mich., native logged 16 NHL seasons after being drafted by Detroit in the fourth round (76th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. The 42-year-old capped off three seasons in the Detroit organization by helping the team win its second straight Cup in 1998, before playing for the New York Rangers (1998-00), Boston Bruins (1999-04), Philadelphia Flyers (2005-09; 2012-13) and Washington Capitals (2009-12). Born in Toronto, Knuble led the East Kentwood High School Falcons to a Michigan state championship in 1990 and eventually played four seasons at the University of Michigan (1991-95). He even logged one game with the Griffins on Jan. 23, 2013, becoming just the second Greater Grand Rapids native to play for the team. Joining him among the inductees is the 2001 Grand Rapids Rampage Arena Football team, which won ArenaBowl XV before an overflow crowd at Van Andel Arena and a national television audience on ABC. The Rampage were owned by Dan DeVos, the Griffins’ president and CEO.

Pulkkinen Power: With his goal in Friday’s contest versus Lake Erie, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen extended his goal streak to four games, which marks both his longest point streak as a Griffin and the longest active goal streak in the AHL. In his last four games, Pulkkinen has tallied four goals, including three on the power play, and one assist. This season, he also scored game-winning goals in back-to-back games (10/11/14 at LE; 10/17/14 at CHA). Since 2010, a Griffin scoring game-winning goals in back-to-back contests has been accomplished by only five others: Andrej Nestrasil (5/13/14-5/14/14 vs. TEX, playoffs), Mitch Callahan (3/21/14-3/22/14 at IA), Cory Emmerton (12/14/14 vs. MIL;12/18/14 at IA), Joakim Andersson (1/17/13 at CHA;1/19/13 at RFD) and Chris Minard (1/28/11 vs. RFD;1/29/11 at PEO).

Slow Strike: The Griffins have scored first only once in their five games so far (10/17/14 at CHA), despite their 3-2-0-0 record.

Peppered: Through five games, the Griffins have outshot their opponents 170-112, ranking fourth overall in shots per game (34.00) and third in shots allowed per game (22.40). Teemu Pulkkinen owns a team-high 23 shots, while Kevin Porter follows in second with 19 of his own.

Gone Streakin’: Both defenseman Nathan Paetsch (1-3—4) and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (4-1—5) recorded a goal in last Friday’s home game versus Lake Erie, extending their active point streaks to four games. Pulkkinen’s four-game goal streak is his longest as a Griffin, but the award for longest goal streak in franchise history belongs to Donald MacLean, who had a goal in eight consecutive games from 2/25/06-3/14/06. Paetsch has had one other four-game point streak since joining the Griffins in 2012-13, when he picked up five assists in four games from 1/6/13-1/11/13. A point in Wednesday’s contest would give Paetsch his longest streak in three seasons as a Griffin.

Lucky Number Six: Sixth-year veteran goaltender Tom McCollum continues to produce for the Griffins, ranking eighth among AHL netminders with a 1.51 goals against average, in addition to a 2-0-0 record and a 0.927 save percentage. In his 119:29 minutes in net so far this season, he has blocked 38 of 41 shots. Last season, McCollum ranked fourth among AHL goaltenders with a 2.30 GAA, alongside a 24-12-4 record, two shutouts and a 0.922 save percentage. In his 2013-14 campaign, McCollum set career bests in games played (46), wins and save percentage. Only six other players have spent all or parts of at least six seasons in Grand Rapids: 10-Travis Richards; 7-Joey MacDonald; and 6-Cory Emmerton, Jakub Kindl, Jan Mursak and Michel Picard.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (4-1—5) leads the Griffins in scoring, while defensemen Nathan Paetsch (1-3—4) and Xavier Ouellet (1-3—4) tie for second. The Griffins’ Hobey Baker tandem, Andy Miele (1-2—3) and Kevin Porter (2-1—3), tie for fourth place. Miele is averaging a team-high 1.50 points per game, while both Pulkkinen and Paetsch are averaging one point per game. Mitch Callahan and Ouellet lead the team in plus/minus, each owning a plus-two rating.

The Midwest: The Milwaukee Admirals (6-0-0-0, 12 pts.) remain at the top of the Midwest Division after going undefeated in six games, the only team in the AHL that still has not lost a game. The Rockford IceHogs (4-2-0-1, 9 pts.), who will visit Van Andel Arena on Wednesday, sit in second and are currently on a two-game winning streak. In third are the Chicago Wolves (3-1-2-0, 8 pts.), the Griffins’ Friday opponent, while Grand Rapids (3-2-0-0, 6 pts.) ranks fourth. The Lake Erie Monsters (2-4-0-1, 5 pts.) are currently last in the division after winning only two games, both against the Griffins.

Weekend Off: While the Griffins play at home on Wednesday and Friday, they have no games whatsoever on Saturday or Sunday. In addition to two days’ worth of no games last weekend, the Griffins have only one other weekend with no Saturday or Sunday games this season (Jan. 3-4).

Very Special Teams: Grand Rapids has been one of the strongest teams in terms of power play and penalty killing so far, ranking third overall in power play (28.6%) and second in penalty killing (95.5%). After successfully killing off all five of Lake Erie’s power play attempts on Friday, the Griffins improved their home penalty killing record to a perfect 100% (8/8) and have only allowed one goal in 14 times shorthanded on the road.

Walleye World: After dropping their season-opening game on Oct. 11, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye picked up two wins last weekend during a two-game road set against the Brampton Beast. On Friday, the Walleye trumped the Beast, 6-3, at the Powerade Center, with Griffins-contracted forwards Tyler Barnes and Kyle Bonis each earning a goal and goaltender Jared Coreau turning away 18 of 21 shots to earn the victory in his season debut. Coreau had a 1-12-6 record in 20 games with the Walleye last season. On Saturday, Brampton got off to an early two-goal lead, but a three-goal second period by Toledo put the visiting team on top. Shane Berschbach earned the insurance tally in the 4-2 decision.

All the Weiss-er: The Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday assigned center Stephen Weiss to the Griffins for conditioning. Florida’s first choice (4th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Weiss appeared in 26 games with the Red Wings during the 2013-14 season and notched four points (2-2—4) and 12 penalty minutes. The 13-year pro did not play after Dec. 10 following hernia surgery and has appeared in only one game in with the Wings this season. Since 2001-02, the 31-year-old Weiss has amassed 398 points (147-251—398) in 681 NHL games between the Panthers and Wings. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Weiss is Florida’s all-time leader in games played (654) and assists (249). Weiss’ last AHL stint was during the 2004-05 season, when he split his campaign between the San Antonio Rampage and the Chicago Wolves. In 90 career AHL games, Weiss has recorded 63 points (28-35—63) and 64 PIM. Prior to turning pro, he tallied 223 points (89-134-223) in 172 games with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. Weiss is expected to make his Griffins debut on Wednesday when Grand Rapids hosts the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. He will tie for the second-highest NHL draft pick to ever play for the Griffins, matching Darrin Shannon (#4 by Pittsburgh in 1988) behind only Jason Spezza (#2 by Ottawa in 2001).

Jumping Walleye: The Red Wings on Tuesday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Griffins recalled left wing Shane Berschbach from Toledo and assigned center Alden Hirschfeld to the Walleye.

Scouting Report

Wed., Oct. 29 vs. Rockford IceHogs (4-2-0-1) – 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: 20-17-3-4 Overall, 14-6-1-1 Home. 2013-14 Series: 7-2-0-1 Overall, 5-0-0-0 Home. Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Ted Dent (4th season). Notes: Rookie right wing Ryan Hartman and centers Mark McNeill and Peter Regin are tied for first in scoring on the IceHogs with two goals and three assists each…Rockford is on a two-game winning streak after winning consecutive home games, while owning a 2-1-0-1 record on the road this season…Defenseman T.J. Brennan (1-0—1), who had a hat trick against the Griffins on Oct. 5, 2013 while playing for the Toronto Marlies, is now a member of the IceHogs. Last season, Brennan tallied 72 points (25-47—72) and tied for third in the AHL in scoring with current Griffins center Andy Miele.

Fri., Oct. 31 vs. Chicago Wolves (3-1-2-0) – 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: 61-45-2-4-2 Overall, 31-19-2-2-2 Home. 2013-14 Series: 5-5-0-0 Overall, 3-2-0-0 Home. Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: Goaltender Matt Climie is serving the primary role between the pipes this season after Jake Allen earned a full-time promotion to the St. Louis Blues. Climie owns a 3-0-1 record, a 1.46 goals against average, a 0.921 save percentage and one shutout…Rookie defenseman Jake Chelios (0-1—1), son of Red Wings Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, is a member of the Wolves this season…Center Colin Fraser and right wing Ty Rattie tie for first on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists apiece…Right wing Cody Beach owns 48 penalty minutes already this season, half of Chicago’s total of 96 PIM. In six games, Beach has received two game misconducts, one for charging (10/12/14 vs. CHA) and one for abuse of officials (10/18/14 vs. LE).

This Week’s Games
Wed., Oct. 29 Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Oct. 31 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Oct. 24 Lake Erie Monsters 5 at GRIFFINS 4 3-2-0-0, 6 pts. (4th, Midwest Division)

Out of Reach: The Griffins were unable to convert their road success into a home-ice victory last Friday, as their three-game winning streak was snapped with a 5-4 loss to the Lake Erie Monsters at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits but were never able to grab a lead. After its second loss to Lake Erie in as many home games, Grand Rapids is now 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road this season. Forward Chris Bruton, who scored just two goals in 41 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last season, notched his first goal and point of the campaign, while Teemu Pulkkinen picked up his fourth goal in as many contests. In addition, defensemen Alexey Marchenko and Nathan Paetsch each had goals. Grand Rapids has surrendered at least four goals in six of its seven meetings with Lake Erie since the start of last season, with the only exception being the Griffins’ 3-2 win in Cleveland on Oct. 11. Before Friday, goaltender Petr Mrazek had not allowed more than four goals in 58 consecutive regular season contests, dating to a 5-2 loss at Rockford on Jan. 11, 2013.

Winning Wednesday: Wednesday’s game against the Rockford IceHogs marks the first Amway Winning Wednesday of the season. Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. Additionally, the first 300 fans to visit the Amway table in Section A will receive a gift. Fans can also enjoy a buy-one, get-one-free deal on a 16 oz. Pepsi all night long at any concession stand that sells fountain drinks. (Winning Wednesday and BOGO Pepsi offers exclude Dec. 31 game.)

Halloween Night Promotions: Dress up in your favorite costume and prepare to get spooky as the Griffins host an array of Halloween-themed activities on Friday night against the Chicago Wolves, including Trick-or-Treating on the concourse for kids, hair-raising in-game videos and ghoulish on-ice activities. Friday’s game gives fans the opportunity to enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Fans can also take advantage of College Night specials, where college students can purchase an upper bowl ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone) and stop by the McFadden’s concourse table to receive a free pass to the post-game party at McFadden’s. Every Friday night is also a Griffins D-Zone night, where fans can have $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served directly to their seats. D-ZONE tickets are only available by calling 616.774-4585 ext. 2 or at griffinshockey.com/dzone.

Costume Contest: Friday’s second intermission will feature an on-ice Halloween costume contest. Fans who come to the game in a costume can register at the social media lounge behind section 124 for their chance to be put to a crowd vote. The contest will feature six children (14 and under) and six adults, with the winner from each group receiving a prize pack. The prize pack for the kids group includes four tickets to Sesame Street Live at Van Andel Arena (Nov. 18-19), Griffins tickets and SkyZone passes. The prize pack for adults includes two tickets to WWE Smackdown at Van Andel Arena (Dec. 16), Griffins tickets and a Sony BluRay Player.

We Must Protect This (Haunted) House!: This Friday’s contest will mark the first time in the franchise’s 19 seasons that the Griffins play a home game on Halloween. They’ve been scary good as the visiting team on three previous All Hallows’ Eves, going 2-0-1-0 with a 3-2 overtime loss at Milwaukee in 2008, a 3-2 win in Cincinnati in 2003, and a 6-3 victory in Milwaukee in 2001.

Griffins Coach to be Honored: Tonight, Griffins assistant coach Mike Knuble will be inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2014. A 1997-98 Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings and veteran of 1,068 NHL games, the Kentwood, Mich., native logged 16 NHL seasons after being drafted by Detroit in the fourth round (76th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. The 42-year-old capped off three seasons in the Detroit organization by helping the team win its second straight Cup in 1998, before playing for the New York Rangers (1998-00), Boston Bruins (1999-04), Philadelphia Flyers (2005-09; 2012-13) and Washington Capitals (2009-12). Born in Toronto, Knuble led the East Kentwood High School Falcons to a Michigan state championship in 1990 and eventually played four seasons at the University of Michigan (1991-95). He even logged one game with the Griffins on Jan. 23, 2013, becoming just the second Greater Grand Rapids native to play for the team. Joining him among the inductees is the 2001 Grand Rapids Rampage Arena Football team, which won ArenaBowl XV before an overflow crowd at Van Andel Arena and a national television audience on ABC. The Rampage were owned by Dan DeVos, the Griffins’ president and CEO.

Pulkkinen Power: With his goal in Friday’s contest versus Lake Erie, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen extended his goal streak to four games, which marks both his longest point streak as a Griffin and the longest active goal streak in the AHL. In his last four games, Pulkkinen has tallied four goals, including three on the power play, and one assist. This season, he also scored game-winning goals in back-to-back games (10/11/14 at LE; 10/17/14 at CHA). Since 2010, a Griffin scoring game-winning goals in back-to-back contests has been accomplished by only five others: Andrej Nestrasil (5/13/14-5/14/14 vs. TEX, playoffs), Mitch Callahan (3/21/14-3/22/14 at IA), Cory Emmerton (12/14/14 vs. MIL;12/18/14 at IA), Joakim Andersson (1/17/13 at CHA;1/19/13 at RFD) and Chris Minard (1/28/11 vs. RFD;1/29/11 at PEO).

Slow Strike: The Griffins have scored first only once in their five games so far (10/17/14 at CHA), despite their 3-2-0-0 record.

Peppered: Through five games, the Griffins have outshot their opponents 170-112, ranking fourth overall in shots per game (34.00) and third in shots allowed per game (22.40). Teemu Pulkkinen owns a team-high 23 shots, while Kevin Porter follows in second with 19 of his own.

Gone Streakin’: Both defenseman Nathan Paetsch (1-3—4) and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (4-1—5) recorded a goal in last Friday’s home game versus Lake Erie, extending their active point streaks to four games. Pulkkinen’s four-game goal streak is his longest as a Griffin, but the award for longest goal streak in franchise history belongs to Donald MacLean, who had a goal in eight consecutive games from 2/25/06-3/14/06. Paetsch has had one other four-game point streak since joining the Griffins in 2012-13, when he picked up five assists in four games from 1/6/13-1/11/13. A point in Wednesday’s contest would give Paetsch his longest streak in three seasons as a Griffin.

Lucky Number Six: Sixth-year veteran goaltender Tom McCollum continues to produce for the Griffins, ranking eighth among AHL netminders with a 1.51 goals against average, in addition to a 2-0-0 record and a 0.927 save percentage. In his 119:29 minutes in net so far this season, he has blocked 38 of 41 shots. Last season, McCollum ranked fourth among AHL goaltenders with a 2.30 GAA, alongside a 24-12-4 record, two shutouts and a 0.922 save percentage. In his 2013-14 campaign, McCollum set career bests in games played (46), wins and save percentage. Only six other players have spent all or parts of at least six seasons in Grand Rapids: 10-Travis Richards; 7-Joey MacDonald; and 6-Cory Emmerton, Jakub Kindl, Jan Mursak and Michel Picard.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (4-1—5) leads the Griffins in scoring, while defensemen Nathan Paetsch (1-3—4) and Xavier Ouellet (1-3—4) tie for second. The Griffins’ Hobey Baker tandem, Andy Miele (1-2—3) and Kevin Porter (2-1—3), tie for fourth place. Miele is averaging a team-high 1.50 points per game, while both Pulkkinen and Paetsch are averaging one point per game. Mitch Callahan and Ouellet lead the team in plus/minus, each owning a plus-two rating.

The Midwest: The Milwaukee Admirals (6-0-0-0, 12 pts.) remain at the top of the Midwest Division after going undefeated in six games, the only team in the AHL that still has not lost a game. The Rockford IceHogs (4-2-0-1, 9 pts.), who will visit Van Andel Arena on Wednesday, sit in second and are currently on a two-game winning streak. In third are the Chicago Wolves (3-1-2-0, 8 pts.), the Griffins’ Friday opponent, while Grand Rapids (3-2-0-0, 6 pts.) ranks fourth. The Lake Erie Monsters (2-4-0-1, 5 pts.) are currently last in the division after winning only two games, both against the Griffins.

Weekend Off: While the Griffins play at home on Wednesday and Friday, they have no games whatsoever on Saturday or Sunday. In addition to two days’ worth of no games last weekend, the Griffins have only one other weekend with no Saturday or Sunday games this season (Jan. 3-4).

Very Special Teams: Grand Rapids has been one of the strongest teams in terms of power play and penalty killing so far, ranking third overall in power play (28.6%) and second in penalty killing (95.5%). After successfully killing off all five of Lake Erie’s power play attempts on Friday, the Griffins improved their home penalty killing record to a perfect 100% (8/8) and have only allowed one goal in 14 times shorthanded on the road.

Walleye World: After dropping their season-opening game on Oct. 11, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye picked up two wins last weekend during a two-game road set against the Brampton Beast. On Friday, the Walleye trumped the Beast, 6-3, at the Powerade Center, with Griffins-contracted forwards Tyler Barnes and Kyle Bonis each earning a goal and goaltender Jared Coreau turning away 18 of 21 shots to earn the victory in his season debut. Coreau had a 1-12-6 record in 20 games with the Walleye last season. On Saturday, Brampton got off to an early two-goal lead, but a three-goal second period by Toledo put the visiting team on top. Shane Berschbach earned the insurance tally in the 4-2 decision.

All the Weiss-er: The Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday assigned center Stephen Weiss to the Griffins for conditioning. Florida’s first choice (4th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Weiss appeared in 26 games with the Red Wings during the 2013-14 season and notched four points (2-2—4) and 12 penalty minutes. The 13-year pro did not play after Dec. 10 following hernia surgery and has appeared in only one game in with the Wings this season. Since 2001-02, the 31-year-old Weiss has amassed 398 points (147-251—398) in 681 NHL games between the Panthers and Wings. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Weiss is Florida’s all-time leader in games played (654) and assists (249). Weiss’ last AHL stint was during the 2004-05 season, when he split his campaign between the San Antonio Rampage and the Chicago Wolves. In 90 career AHL games, Weiss has recorded 63 points (28-35—63) and 64 PIM. Prior to turning pro, he tallied 223 points (89-134-223) in 172 games with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. Weiss is expected to make his Griffins debut on Wednesday when Grand Rapids hosts the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. He will tie for the second-highest NHL draft pick to ever play for the Griffins, matching Darrin Shannon (#4 by Pittsburgh in 1988) behind only Jason Spezza (#2 by Ottawa in 2001).

Jumping Walleye: The Red Wings on Tuesday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Griffins recalled left wing Shane Berschbach from Toledo and assigned center Alden Hirschfeld to the Walleye.

Scouting Report

Wed., Oct. 29 vs. Rockford IceHogs (4-2-0-1) – 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: 20-17-3-4 Overall, 14-6-1-1 Home. 2013-14 Series: 7-2-0-1 Overall, 5-0-0-0 Home. Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Ted Dent (4th season). Notes: Rookie right wing Ryan Hartman and centers Mark McNeill and Peter Regin are tied for first in scoring on the IceHogs with two goals and three assists each…Rockford is on a two-game winning streak after winning consecutive home games, while owning a 2-1-0-1 record on the road this season…Defenseman T.J. Brennan (1-0—1), who had a hat trick against the Griffins on Oct. 5, 2013 while playing for the Toronto Marlies, is now a member of the IceHogs. Last season, Brennan tallied 72 points (25-47—72) and tied for third in the AHL in scoring with current Griffins center Andy Miele.

Fri., Oct. 31 vs. Chicago Wolves (3-1-2-0) – 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: 61-45-2-4-2 Overall, 31-19-2-2-2 Home. 2013-14 Series: 5-5-0-0 Overall, 3-2-0-0 Home. Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: Goaltender Matt Climie is serving the primary role between the pipes this season after Jake Allen earned a full-time promotion to the St. Louis Blues. Climie owns a 3-0-1 record, a 1.46 goals against average, a 0.921 save percentage and one shutout…Rookie defenseman Jake Chelios (0-1—1), son of Red Wings Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, is a member of the Wolves this season…Center Colin Fraser and right wing Ty Rattie tie for first on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists apiece…Right wing Cody Beach owns 48 penalty minutes already this season, half of Chicago’s total of 96 PIM. In six games, Beach has received two game misconducts, one for charging (10/12/14 vs. CHA) and one for abuse of officials (10/18/14 vs. LE).