GRIFFINS RETURN HOME FOR THREE-GAME WEEK AT VAN ANDEL ARENA

This Week’s Games
Wed., Jan. 21 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 23 Utica Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Jan. 24 Iowa Wild at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., Jan. 25 2015 AHL All-Star Skills Competition 8 p.m. Fox Sports Detroit on Jan. 26 @ 10 p.m. (delay) / AHLLive.com
Mon., Jan. 26 2015 AHL All-Star Game 7 p.m. Fox Sports Detroit / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Jan. 14 GRIFFINS 2 at Utica Comets 4 19-13-3-1, 42 pts. (T3rd, Midwest Division)
Fri., Jan. 16 GRIFFINS 1 at Hamilton Bulldogs 2 19-14-3-1, 42 pts. (T3rd)
Sat., Jan. 17 GRIFFINS 2 at Hamilton Bulldogs 5 19-15-3-1, 42 pts. (4th)

Winning Snafu: The Griffins went winless in all three games during their road trip last week, striking out on Wednesday, 4-2, to the Utica Comets and on Friday (2-1) and Saturday (5-2) to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Following a scoreless first period on Wednesday, the Comets jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two goals by Dustin Jeffrey in the second. Defenseman Alexey Marchenko potted his second goal of the campaign at 12:31 of the same frame to put the Griffins within reach, but Utica found its way to an eventual 4-2 win, despite Andy Miele making it another one-goal contest early in the third period. On Friday, another two-goal night by an opposing player, this time Hamilton’s Gabriel Dumont, spelled doom for Grand Rapids, as the team fell to the Bulldogs 2-1 at FirstOntario Centre. Dumont notched his first goal of the night at 13:40 of the first period, and the 1-0 lead carried all the way through the first 40 minutes of the game. At 5:17 of the third period, Mark Zengerle earned his fourth professional goal to tie the game, but Dumont struck again with the game-winning goal at 13:57. Grand Rapids was limited to just 21 shots in the game, setting a new season low. That 21-shot low would be matched on Saturday Hamilton overcame Grand Rapids 5-2. The Bulldogs went up by two goals in the first period, but Mitch Callahan scored late in the period and Landon Ferraro tied the contest at two goals apiece early in the second. It was all Hamilton from there, though, as the team scored three unanswered tallies, including a power play goal, to end the Griffins’ week away from home with zero points.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen, who is currently with Detroit, continues to lead the Griffins in scoring with 39 points (20-19—39) in 33 games and was on an eight-game point and goal streak at the time of his recall on Jan. 8. Pulkkinen ranks fourth overall in scoring in the league and ties for first in goals. Center Andy Miele sits in second on the team with 33 points (13-20—33) in 33 games, while left wing Mitch Callahan ranks third (12-16—28). Right wing Chris Bruton (78) leads the team in penalty minutes and defenseman Brennan Evans (52) ranks second. Defenseman Alexey Marchenko registers the highest plus/minus rating on the team (plus-13).

The Big W: Due to both Red Wings goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson currently suffering from injuries, Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum was recalled by Detroit on Jan. 11 to play back-up to Petr Mrazek, who has been with the Wings since Nov. 6. A sixth-year Griffin, McCollum earned his first NHL victory on Sunday over the Buffalo Sabres at Joe Louis Arena by a 6-4 margin. McCollum entered the game in a relief effort after Mrazek allowed three goals on seven shots in the first 13:37 of the game. Former Griffins Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, along with Drew Miller, each earned goals in the second period to begin the Wings’ come-from-behind rally, before captain Henrik Zetterberg capped off the night with a hat trick. McCollum stopped seven of the eight shots he faced in the victory, turning out a 1.30 goals against average and a 0.875 save percentage on the night. Prior to Sunday, the Cambria, N.Y., native had appeared in only one other NHL game on March 30, 2011, when he allowed three goals on eight shots in 14:37 worth of ice time (12.00 GAA).

The Midwest: The Rockford IceHogs (23-13-4-2, 52 pts.) still sit atop the Midwest Division, but are quickly being approached by the second-place Milwaukee Admirals (22-12-2-3, 49 pts.), who are on a seven-game winning streak and have three games in hand to Rockford. The Chicago Wolves (20-15-4-1, 45 pts.) rank third in the division after picking up three points in their last two games, while the Griffins (19-15-3-1, 42 pts.) rank fourth with two games in hand to the Wolves. The Lake Erie Monsters (16-16-3-3, 38 pts.) sit in fifth place.

Welcome Mat: The Utica Comets will make their first-ever visit to Van Andel Arena on Friday. Although it’s the team’s second overall season, the Comets and Griffins didn’t meet during the 2013-14 campaign despite both being in the Western Conference. The Griffins visited Utica Memorial Auditorium last Wednesday in the first of the teams' two meetings this season.

Scoring Influence: The Griffins currently rank fourth in the Midwest Division with a 19-15-3-1 record. Despite its divisional ranking, Grand Rapids is the only team in the Midwest to have any skaters rank among the league’s scoring leaders; right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (20-19—39) ranks fourth and center Andy Miele ties for 10th.

Halfway Home: Grand Rapids played in its 38th game of the season on Saturday, marking the halfway point of the team’s 76-game slate. The Griffins currently own a 19-15-3-1 record. Under the charge of head coach Jeff Blashill, the team owned a 22-12-2-2 record in its 2012-13 Calder Cup-winning season, and the Griffins posted a 25-10-1-2 record through 38 games last season.

Ferraro on Fire: Fifth-year Griffin Landon Ferraro has been ablaze lately in terms of scoring. The Trail, British Columbia, native has scored six goals and an assist in his last seven games, including game-winning goals in back-to-back games on Jan. 2 and Jan. 7. On Jan. 10 in a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves, Ferraro put away two goals and an assist to earn first-star honors. In 38 games this season, Ferraro has picked up 21 points (16-5—21), ranks second on the team in goals and ties for first in game-winning goals (4) along with Teemu Pulkkinen and Kevin Porter. With Ferraro’s goal in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Hamilton, his 16th of the season, he exceeded his goal total from last season (15). In 2012-13, his highest-scoring professional season, the fifth-year Griffin earned 47 points (23-24—47) in 72 games. At the midway point of 2012-13, Ferraro had 29 points (15-14—29) in 38 games, which is eight more points than his current season.

All-Stars: On Jan. 6, Griffins defenseman Xavier Ouellet and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen were both selected to play for the Western Conference AHL All-Star Team at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, which will be held Jan. 25-26 at Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, N.Y. Both Ouellet and Pulkkinen are currently on recall with Detroit. In addition, Griffins athletic trainer John Bernal and equipment manager Brad Thompson will take part in the All-Star Classic from behind the bench.

Don’t Be Blashful: With 107 wins (107-61-9-10) in his three seasons at Grand Rapids’ helm, Jeff Blashill is now two wins shy of tying Greg Ireland (109-65-8-10) for third place on the Griffins’ head coaching list, with No. 2 Danton Cole (116-72-16-3-1) lurking on the horizon. Curt Fraser (146-130-18-22) stands as the team’s all-time leader. Blashill earned his 100th regular season win in his 176th game on Dec. 12, a 5-2 triumph at Oklahoma City. Only Ireland (167 games) and Cole (172) reached the century mark sooner.

Nagle Debuts: In Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs at FirstOntario Centre, goaltender Jared Coreau was pulled in the third period after allowing his fifth goal to make way for Pat Nagle, who is with the Griffins on a professional tryout. He blocked all five shots he faced in his 17:26 of ice time. Nagle, 27, owns a 2.42 goals against average alongside a 0.910 save percentage and a 17-4-1 record in 22 games with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets this season. The Bloomfield, Mich., native has also appeared in one game with the Rochester Americans on Jan. 3, when he made 39 saves on 42 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Adirondack Flames. Before joining the professional ranks, Nagle spent four seasons at Ferris State University from 2007-11 and accumulated a 2.32 GAA and a 45-42-11 record.

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye (25-5-3-2, 55 pts.) extended their active point streak to eight games with a commanding 7-2 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays on Sunday. Kyle Bonis notched the game-winning goal along with an assist in the contest, Shane Berschbach earned two assists and Tyler Barnes put away two goals of his own. Toledo picked up five of six possible points over the course of the weekend, also earning a 4-3 win over the Stingrays on Friday and a 3-4 overtime loss at Greenville on Saturday, which puts the team within range of taking over first place in the North Division. The Fort Wayne Komets (27-8-1-2, 57 pts.) are on top of the division, but Toledo is just two points behind with three games in hand.

Frk Returns: The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday reassigned right wing Martin Frk from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye to the Griffins. Frk, 21, has scored one goal in eight contests with Grand Rapids this season. Detroit’s first choice (49th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Frk has spent a majority of this season with Toledo, where the forward ties for fifth on the team in scoring with 26 points (14-12—26) in 19 games. A native of Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, Frk earned 12 points (3-9—12) in 50 games with the Griffins and 13 points (5-8—13) in 15 games with the Walleye last season. Prior to turning pro, Frk spent three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, where he registered 163 points (73-90—163) in 152 games with the club. In the 2012-13 season, he produced 84 points (35-49—84) in 56 regular season games for the Mooseheads en route to capturing the QMJHL’s President Cup and the CHL Memorial Cup.

Scouting Report

Wed., Jan. 21 vs. Chicago Wolves (20-15-4-1) – 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. TV: The U Too 26.2 (Chicago) All-Time Series: 63-46-3-5-2 Overall, 32-20-2-3-2 Home. Season Series: 2-2-1-0 Overall, 1-1-1-0 Home. Sixth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: The Wolves rank third in the Midwest Division, seventh in the Western Conference and tie for 13th in the league…Grand Rapids has two games in hand to Chicago…Center Pat Cannone (7-20—27) has recently taken over the scoring lead for the Wolves from second-place Ty Rattie (16-10—26). Center Philip McRae (12-11—23) rounds out the top three scorers on the team…Right wing Cody Beach has accumulated the most penalty minutes with 154 in 31 games, 99 more minutes than the second-most penalized player (Yannick Veilleux, 55 PIM)…Both Jordan Binnington (T15th, 2.33 GAA) and Matt Climie (18th, 2.37 GAA) rank among the league’s top goaltenders…The Wolves have been successful in terms of special teams. Their power play ranks sixth (20.1%) and their penalty kill ranks (13th).

Fri, Jan. 23 vs. Utica Comets (24-9-5-0) – 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/Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second of two meetings overall, first and last at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach: Travis Green (2nd season). Notes: The Utica Comets defeated the Griffins 4-2 in their first-ever meeting last Wednesday at Utica Memorial Auditorium…The Comets rank first in the North Division, second in the Western Conference and tie for fourth overall…Center Cal O’Reilly ranks first on the team in scoring with 30 points (4-26—30) and Dustin Jeffrey (11-18—29) ranks second…Utica employs the services of Jacob Markstrom as their top goaltender this season, and he ranks second among league goalies with a 1.86 GAA, alongside a 12-3-1 record and a 0.935 save percentage…Utica is one of three teams in the league, along with Texas and Hamilton, that has not yet played in a shootout this season…Utica’s power play ranks 23rd (14.8%) and its penalty kill ranks third (87.1%)…The Comets limit their opponents to an average of 2.24 goals per game, tying for second with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Sat., Jan. 24 vs. Iowa Wild (15-23-1-1) – 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: 9-2-0-0 Overall, 4-2-0-0 Home. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Second of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Head Coach: John Torchetti (1st season). Notes: The Griffins trounced the Wild in their last meeting, 9-2, on Dec. 27 at Van Andel Arena...Iowa ranks fifth in the West Division, 15th in the Western Conference and 30th in the league…Iowa is currently on a two-game losing streak…Forward Michael Keranen (6-22—28) ranks first on the team in scoring, forward Tyler Graovac (13-14—27) ranks second and center Jordan Schroeder (10-15—25) ranks third. Graovac is Iowa’s most frequent shooter with 102 shots this season, while Schroeder’s 73 shots (3rd) have yielded a team-high 13.7 shooting percentage.

This Week’s Games
Wed., Jan. 21 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 23 Utica Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Jan. 24 Iowa Wild at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., Jan. 25 2015 AHL All-Star Skills Competition 8 p.m. Fox Sports Detroit on Jan. 26 @ 10 p.m. (delay) / AHLLive.com
Mon., Jan. 26 2015 AHL All-Star Game 7 p.m. Fox Sports Detroit / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Jan. 14 GRIFFINS 2 at Utica Comets 4 19-13-3-1, 42 pts. (T3rd, Midwest Division)
Fri., Jan. 16 GRIFFINS 1 at Hamilton Bulldogs 2 19-14-3-1, 42 pts. (T3rd)
Sat., Jan. 17 GRIFFINS 2 at Hamilton Bulldogs 5 19-15-3-1, 42 pts. (4th)

Winning Snafu: The Griffins went winless in all three games during their road trip last week, striking out on Wednesday, 4-2, to the Utica Comets and on Friday (2-1) and Saturday (5-2) to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Following a scoreless first period on Wednesday, the Comets jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two goals by Dustin Jeffrey in the second. Defenseman Alexey Marchenko potted his second goal of the campaign at 12:31 of the same frame to put the Griffins within reach, but Utica found its way to an eventual 4-2 win, despite Andy Miele making it another one-goal contest early in the third period. On Friday, another two-goal night by an opposing player, this time Hamilton’s Gabriel Dumont, spelled doom for Grand Rapids, as the team fell to the Bulldogs 2-1 at FirstOntario Centre. Dumont notched his first goal of the night at 13:40 of the first period, and the 1-0 lead carried all the way through the first 40 minutes of the game. At 5:17 of the third period, Mark Zengerle earned his fourth professional goal to tie the game, but Dumont struck again with the game-winning goal at 13:57. Grand Rapids was limited to just 21 shots in the game, setting a new season low. That 21-shot low would be matched on Saturday Hamilton overcame Grand Rapids 5-2. The Bulldogs went up by two goals in the first period, but Mitch Callahan scored late in the period and Landon Ferraro tied the contest at two goals apiece early in the second. It was all Hamilton from there, though, as the team scored three unanswered tallies, including a power play goal, to end the Griffins’ week away from home with zero points.

Griffins Leaders: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen, who is currently with Detroit, continues to lead the Griffins in scoring with 39 points (20-19—39) in 33 games and was on an eight-game point and goal streak at the time of his recall on Jan. 8. Pulkkinen ranks fourth overall in scoring in the league and ties for first in goals. Center Andy Miele sits in second on the team with 33 points (13-20—33) in 33 games, while left wing Mitch Callahan ranks third (12-16—28). Right wing Chris Bruton (78) leads the team in penalty minutes and defenseman Brennan Evans (52) ranks second. Defenseman Alexey Marchenko registers the highest plus/minus rating on the team (plus-13).

The Big W: Due to both Red Wings goaltenders Jimmy Howard and Jonas Gustavsson currently suffering from injuries, Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum was recalled by Detroit on Jan. 11 to play back-up to Petr Mrazek, who has been with the Wings since Nov. 6. A sixth-year Griffin, McCollum earned his first NHL victory on Sunday over the Buffalo Sabres at Joe Louis Arena by a 6-4 margin. McCollum entered the game in a relief effort after Mrazek allowed three goals on seven shots in the first 13:37 of the game. Former Griffins Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, along with Drew Miller, each earned goals in the second period to begin the Wings’ come-from-behind rally, before captain Henrik Zetterberg capped off the night with a hat trick. McCollum stopped seven of the eight shots he faced in the victory, turning out a 1.30 goals against average and a 0.875 save percentage on the night. Prior to Sunday, the Cambria, N.Y., native had appeared in only one other NHL game on March 30, 2011, when he allowed three goals on eight shots in 14:37 worth of ice time (12.00 GAA).

The Midwest: The Rockford IceHogs (23-13-4-2, 52 pts.) still sit atop the Midwest Division, but are quickly being approached by the second-place Milwaukee Admirals (22-12-2-3, 49 pts.), who are on a seven-game winning streak and have three games in hand to Rockford. The Chicago Wolves (20-15-4-1, 45 pts.) rank third in the division after picking up three points in their last two games, while the Griffins (19-15-3-1, 42 pts.) rank fourth with two games in hand to the Wolves. The Lake Erie Monsters (16-16-3-3, 38 pts.) sit in fifth place.

Welcome Mat: The Utica Comets will make their first-ever visit to Van Andel Arena on Friday. Although it’s the team’s second overall season, the Comets and Griffins didn’t meet during the 2013-14 campaign despite both being in the Western Conference. The Griffins visited Utica Memorial Auditorium last Wednesday in the first of the teams' two meetings this season.

Scoring Influence: The Griffins currently rank fourth in the Midwest Division with a 19-15-3-1 record. Despite its divisional ranking, Grand Rapids is the only team in the Midwest to have any skaters rank among the league’s scoring leaders; right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (20-19—39) ranks fourth and center Andy Miele ties for 10th.

Halfway Home: Grand Rapids played in its 38th game of the season on Saturday, marking the halfway point of the team’s 76-game slate. The Griffins currently own a 19-15-3-1 record. Under the charge of head coach Jeff Blashill, the team owned a 22-12-2-2 record in its 2012-13 Calder Cup-winning season, and the Griffins posted a 25-10-1-2 record through 38 games last season.

Ferraro on Fire: Fifth-year Griffin Landon Ferraro has been ablaze lately in terms of scoring. The Trail, British Columbia, native has scored six goals and an assist in his last seven games, including game-winning goals in back-to-back games on Jan. 2 and Jan. 7. On Jan. 10 in a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves, Ferraro put away two goals and an assist to earn first-star honors. In 38 games this season, Ferraro has picked up 21 points (16-5—21), ranks second on the team in goals and ties for first in game-winning goals (4) along with Teemu Pulkkinen and Kevin Porter. With Ferraro’s goal in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Hamilton, his 16th of the season, he exceeded his goal total from last season (15). In 2012-13, his highest-scoring professional season, the fifth-year Griffin earned 47 points (23-24—47) in 72 games. At the midway point of 2012-13, Ferraro had 29 points (15-14—29) in 38 games, which is eight more points than his current season.

All-Stars: On Jan. 6, Griffins defenseman Xavier Ouellet and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen were both selected to play for the Western Conference AHL All-Star Team at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, which will be held Jan. 25-26 at Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, N.Y. Both Ouellet and Pulkkinen are currently on recall with Detroit. In addition, Griffins athletic trainer John Bernal and equipment manager Brad Thompson will take part in the All-Star Classic from behind the bench.

Don’t Be Blashful: With 107 wins (107-61-9-10) in his three seasons at Grand Rapids’ helm, Jeff Blashill is now two wins shy of tying Greg Ireland (109-65-8-10) for third place on the Griffins’ head coaching list, with No. 2 Danton Cole (116-72-16-3-1) lurking on the horizon. Curt Fraser (146-130-18-22) stands as the team’s all-time leader. Blashill earned his 100th regular season win in his 176th game on Dec. 12, a 5-2 triumph at Oklahoma City. Only Ireland (167 games) and Cole (172) reached the century mark sooner.

Nagle Debuts: In Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Hamilton Bulldogs at FirstOntario Centre, goaltender Jared Coreau was pulled in the third period after allowing his fifth goal to make way for Pat Nagle, who is with the Griffins on a professional tryout. He blocked all five shots he faced in his 17:26 of ice time. Nagle, 27, owns a 2.42 goals against average alongside a 0.910 save percentage and a 17-4-1 record in 22 games with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets this season. The Bloomfield, Mich., native has also appeared in one game with the Rochester Americans on Jan. 3, when he made 39 saves on 42 shots in a 4-0 loss to the Adirondack Flames. Before joining the professional ranks, Nagle spent four seasons at Ferris State University from 2007-11 and accumulated a 2.32 GAA and a 45-42-11 record.

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye (25-5-3-2, 55 pts.) extended their active point streak to eight games with a commanding 7-2 victory over the South Carolina Stingrays on Sunday. Kyle Bonis notched the game-winning goal along with an assist in the contest, Shane Berschbach earned two assists and Tyler Barnes put away two goals of his own. Toledo picked up five of six possible points over the course of the weekend, also earning a 4-3 win over the Stingrays on Friday and a 3-4 overtime loss at Greenville on Saturday, which puts the team within range of taking over first place in the North Division. The Fort Wayne Komets (27-8-1-2, 57 pts.) are on top of the division, but Toledo is just two points behind with three games in hand.

Frk Returns: The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday reassigned right wing Martin Frk from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye to the Griffins. Frk, 21, has scored one goal in eight contests with Grand Rapids this season. Detroit’s first choice (49th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Frk has spent a majority of this season with Toledo, where the forward ties for fifth on the team in scoring with 26 points (14-12—26) in 19 games. A native of Pelhrimov, Czech Republic, Frk earned 12 points (3-9—12) in 50 games with the Griffins and 13 points (5-8—13) in 15 games with the Walleye last season. Prior to turning pro, Frk spent three seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, where he registered 163 points (73-90—163) in 152 games with the club. In the 2012-13 season, he produced 84 points (35-49—84) in 56 regular season games for the Mooseheads en route to capturing the QMJHL’s President Cup and the CHL Memorial Cup.

Scouting Report

Wed., Jan. 21 vs. Chicago Wolves (20-15-4-1) – 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. TV: The U Too 26.2 (Chicago) All-Time Series: 63-46-3-5-2 Overall, 32-20-2-3-2 Home. Season Series: 2-2-1-0 Overall, 1-1-1-0 Home. Sixth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (13th season). Notes: The Wolves rank third in the Midwest Division, seventh in the Western Conference and tie for 13th in the league…Grand Rapids has two games in hand to Chicago…Center Pat Cannone (7-20—27) has recently taken over the scoring lead for the Wolves from second-place Ty Rattie (16-10—26). Center Philip McRae (12-11—23) rounds out the top three scorers on the team…Right wing Cody Beach has accumulated the most penalty minutes with 154 in 31 games, 99 more minutes than the second-most penalized player (Yannick Veilleux, 55 PIM)…Both Jordan Binnington (T15th, 2.33 GAA) and Matt Climie (18th, 2.37 GAA) rank among the league’s top goaltenders…The Wolves have been successful in terms of special teams. Their power play ranks sixth (20.1%) and their penalty kill ranks (13th).

Fri, Jan. 23 vs. Utica Comets (24-9-5-0) – 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/Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second of two meetings overall, first and last at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach: Travis Green (2nd season). Notes: The Utica Comets defeated the Griffins 4-2 in their first-ever meeting last Wednesday at Utica Memorial Auditorium…The Comets rank first in the North Division, second in the Western Conference and tie for fourth overall…Center Cal O’Reilly ranks first on the team in scoring with 30 points (4-26—30) and Dustin Jeffrey (11-18—29) ranks second…Utica employs the services of Jacob Markstrom as their top goaltender this season, and he ranks second among league goalies with a 1.86 GAA, alongside a 12-3-1 record and a 0.935 save percentage…Utica is one of three teams in the league, along with Texas and Hamilton, that has not yet played in a shootout this season…Utica’s power play ranks 23rd (14.8%) and its penalty kill ranks third (87.1%)…The Comets limit their opponents to an average of 2.24 goals per game, tying for second with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Sat., Jan. 24 vs. Iowa Wild (15-23-1-1) – 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: 9-2-0-0 Overall, 4-2-0-0 Home. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Second of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Head Coach: John Torchetti (1st season). Notes: The Griffins trounced the Wild in their last meeting, 9-2, on Dec. 27 at Van Andel Arena...Iowa ranks fifth in the West Division, 15th in the Western Conference and 30th in the league…Iowa is currently on a two-game losing streak…Forward Michael Keranen (6-22—28) ranks first on the team in scoring, forward Tyler Graovac (13-14—27) ranks second and center Jordan Schroeder (10-15—25) ranks third. Graovac is Iowa’s most frequent shooter with 102 shots this season, while Schroeder’s 73 shots (3rd) have yielded a team-high 13.7 shooting percentage.