GRIFFINS VS. MARLIES

Game 1 Sat., April 25 GRIFFINS at Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 2 Sun., April 26 GRIFFINS at Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 3 Wed., April 29 Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. (Home Game 1)
*Game 4 Sat., May 2 Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. (Home Game 2)
*Game 5 Sun., May 3 Marlies at GRIFFINS 5 p.m. (Home Game 3)

* If necessary. All times are Eastern and subject to change. All games on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM and AHLLive.com.

By One: The Griffins entered the final week of the regular season looking to clinch the Midwest Division title, as they had maintained sole possession of the division since Feb. 24. Having already clinched a playoff berth on April 2 while idle, the Griffins held just a one-point lead over the Rockford IceHogs with three games remaining on the schedule for both clubs. On April 16, the Griffins secured a high-scoring 6-4 game over the Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena and followed up that performance with a narrow 2-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers at Van Andel Arena the next night. The IceHogs refused to let go of the Griffins’ heels though, as Rockford earned victories over Charlotte (5-1, April 15) and Chicago (4-3, April 17) to leave the Midwest Division title up for grabs in the final game of the season. With the Griffins maintaining their one-point division lead and owning each tie-breaker scenario over Rockford, a single point would have clinched the Midwest Division title. In the Griffins’ final regular season game on April 18, a rematch with Charlotte saw Grand Rapids fall 7-2 to the Checkers. Fortunately, Rockford also lost to the Griffins’ eventual first-round opponent, the Toronto Marlies, thanks to a sturdy performance by goaltender Christopher Gibson. The IceHogs’ loss secured the division title for the Griffins for the second time in the past three years with Jeff Blashill at the helm and the seventh time overall in franchise history.

The Stage Is Set: The Griffins qualified for the postseason for the 13th time in their 19-year history with a 46-22-6-2 record, claiming the second seed in the Western Conference and tying for third overall in the AHL. Grand Rapids will face the seventh-seeded Toronto Marlies (40-27-9-0, 89 pts.) in the best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals, marking the third time that the teams have faced off against one another in the postseason. Grand Rapids won the season series 3-1, including both matches at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids’ 7-2 win over the Marlies on April 2 was the only loss the Marlies endured in their final nine games. The Griffins faced the Marlies in the playoffs most recently during the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs, when they defeated Toronto 4-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals en route to the team’s first-ever Calder Cup. In addition, Grand Rapids was the first team to ever knock the Marlies out of the playoffs, as the Griffins won the North Division Semifinal, 4-1, in 2006 during Toronto’s inaugural season. Founded in the 2005-06 season, the Marlies will make their seventh playoff appearance in their 10-year history.

Special Teams: In terms of special teams this season, Grand Rapids has the upper hand over Toronto statistically, as the Griffins ranked 15th overall in power play (17.0%) and secured their second-best penalty killing record in franchise history at 86.4% (6th), only ranked behind its 87.0% mark from 2003-04. Toronto ‘s special teams ranked 29th in power play (12.8%) and 28th in penalty killing (79.1%).

Looking Back: Over the rich 10-year regular season history of this rivalry, the Griffins possess a 31-26-3-2 record against the Marlies, including 18-11-1-1 at home and 13-15-2-1 on enemy ice.

Playoff Facts and Figures: Grand Rapids has won 13 of its 24 total playoff series and owns a combined 65-61 record during those games, going 30-34 on home ice and 35-27 on the road. The Griffins have lost their last three road playoff games, all during the 2014 Western Conference Semifinals versus Texas, and had won five series in a row until falling 4-2 to the eventual champions. Grand Rapids is 3-3 in best-of-five series and 10-8 in best-of-seven series. Overall, the Griffins’ all-time record in Game 1 of a series is 11-13. The Griffins own an all-time series record of 5-2 versus Canadian playoff foes (Toronto 2-0, Hamilton 1-0, Manitoba 1-2, Abbotsford 1-0). Captain Jeff Hoggan is the Griffins’ active playoff scoring leader with 17 points (9-8—17) in 34 games. Tomas Jurco, who will start the postseason with the parent Red Wings, is tied for seventh all-time in Griffins playoff scoring with 21 points (13-8—21) in 32 games, followed by Landon Ferraro in 12th all-time with 19 points (6-13—19) in 33 games.

Bench Bosses: Jeff Blashill led the Griffins to the playoffs for the third straight time and to the team’s second division title in his three seasons behind the bench. Born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., the 41-year-old Blashill helped Grand Rapids record a 46-22-6-2 record (100 pts.), exceeding results from both of his previous two campaigns as head coach. Previously, he led the Griffins to a 42-26-4-4 (92 pts.) record in 2012-13 and a 46-23-2-5 (99 pts.) record last season. Blashill’s perseverance was put to the test early on this season, as the Griffins ranked either fourth or fifth in the Midwest Division from Oct. 24-Dec. 19, including a five-game home losing streak to begin the season and a 3-6-1-0 record in their first 10 games. Blashill’s squad turned its fortunes around with a franchise record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) from Feb. 4-March 20, including a nine-game winning streak from Feb. 14– March 4, and eventually ran to a division title and to the second overall seed in the conference. In 2012-13, his first season as a head coach at the pro level, Blashill led the Griffins to the Calder Cup, marking the first championship in the franchise’s 17-year history. Dineen, 52, was named as Toronto’s head coach on July 15, 2014 after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach with the Marlies. Dineen has served as a head coach in the American Hockey League on one previous occasion, spending the 2008-09 season with the Iowa Chops, then the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. Under Dineen’s guidance, Iowa earned a record of 33-33-4-10. He has worked as both a head coach and an assistant coach in various levels of professional hockey since the 1999-00 season. Dineen began his coaching career during the 1999-00 season as a player/coach with the Utah Grizzlies. In 50 games with the Grizzlies, he registered 18 assists and 26 penalty minutes. He made his head coaching debut with the Macon Whoopee of the East Coast Hockey League during the 2001-02 season. The following season, he served as the head coach of the Richmond Renegades, guiding them to a 35-31-6 record. From 2003 through 2008, Dineen served as an assistant coach with four different AHL teams: the Springfield Falcons (2003-04), Utah Grizzlies (2004-05), San Antonio Rampage (2005-06) and Portland Pirates (2007-08). The Toronto, Ontario, native competed in 18 seasons of professional hockey as a defenseman between 1982 and 2000. In 528 career NHL games with the New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators, he registered 106 points (16 goals, 90 assists) and 695 penalty minutes. He was selected 42nd overall in the 1981 Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.

Pedal to the Medal: At the AHL All-Star break, the Western Conference landscape saw the Griffins rank eighth, the Texas Stars rank 10th and the Toronto Marlies rank 12th. The teams finished second, fifth and seventh, respectively. Both Grand Rapids and Toronto fell into their grooves as the season progressed:

Toronto

• Last 10 games: 8-2-0-0 (0.800)
• Last 20 games: 14-6-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 30 games: 21-9-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 40 games: 25-13-2-0 (0.650)
• Last 50 games: 30-15-5-0 (0.650)

Grand Rapids

• Last 10 games: 7-3-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 20 games: 13-5-1-1 (0.700)
• Last 30 games: 21-5-3-1 (0.767)
• Last 40 games: 27-9-3-1 (0.725)
• Last 50 games: 33-12-3-2 (0.710)

Borrowed Soldiers: Brendan Leipsic and T.J. Brennan, the Marlies’ second and third-highest scorers respectively, spent a majority of their seasons with other teams before being acquired through trades near the deadline. Along with veteran forward Olli Jokinen, Leipsic was traded to the Maple Leafs by the Nashville Predators in return for defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli. At the time of his trade on Feb. 15, Leipsic ranked second on the Milwaukee Admirals with seven goals and 28 assists, sitting behind only Viktor Arvidsson (15-22—37). Since then, he has potted 19 points (7-12—19) in 27 games with the Marlies. Brennan is no stranger to Toronto, having led the Marlies in regular season scoring during the 2013-14 season with 72 points (25-47—72) through an entire 76-game slate. Last season as a Marlie, Brennan led the league’s second highest-scoring defenseman by 13 points and tied for third overall in the AHL with then-Portland Pirate and current Grand Rapids Griffin Andy Miele (27-45—72). Brennan spent the beginning of the 2014-15 season as a member of the Rockford IceHogs until Feb. 26, when he was traded back to Toronto in exchange for Spencer Abbott. In 19 games since joining the Marlies, Brennan has picked up 17 points (3-14—17) in 19 games and is currently on a seven-game assist streak since April 7 (11 assists).

2014-15 Griffins vs. Marlies:

Griffins Records: 3-1-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-1-0-0 in Toronto
Heat Records: 1-3-0-0 Overall, 0-2-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-1-0-0 in Toronto

Dec. 2 – Griffins 2, Marlies 4 – Ricoh Coliseum
The first meeting of the season between the two clubs resulted in Toronto’s only victory of the four-game regular season series and snapped a nine-game winless streak for the Marlies, who entered the game with a 5-12-2-0 record. Despite Patrick Watling netting the first goal of the evening, the Griffins clawed back to a 2-1 lead courtesy of goals by Louis-Marc Aubry and Andy Miele. The Marlies capitalized on a second-period power play by Matt Frattin to even the contest heading into the second intermission. It was all Toronto from there, as Connor Brown notched the game-winner just 2:38 into the third, before Brendan Mikkelson deflected in the insurance tally.

Dec. 19 – Marlies 1, Griffins 7 – Van Andel Arena
The Griffins proved to be less-than-gracious hosts to the Marlies during their first visit of the season, trouncing Toronto by a 7-1 margin. Jared Coreau turned aside 22 shots to improve his record to 5-0 on the season, trumped only by Andy Miele’s prolific five-point, four-assist performance. Grand Rapids’ goals came from a multitude of scorers, including Miele, Teemu Pulkkinen (two goals), Landon Ferraro, Mitch Callahan and Anthony Mantha. Miele tallied three assists in the second period alone, which tied the Griffins’ record for assists in a single period, accomplished most recently by Tomas Tatar on Nov. 27, 2010 at Chicago. On top of the victory, defenseman Brennan Evans played in his 800th regular season game in the American Hockey League, becoming the 36th player in league history to reach that milestone.

Feb. 4 – Griffins 3, Marlies 1 – Ricoh Coliseum
A tightly-contested game panned out in favor of Grand Rapids thanks to the AHL’s top goal scorer Teemu Pulkkinen striking twice, including an empty-netter in the final minute of the game. Just 2:51 into the game, Matt Frattin scored Toronto’s lone goal, followed by Pulkkinen’s first goal at 15:37 of the same frame. The Marlies and Griffins then went through 29:07 worth of a scoring drought, before rookie Mark Zengerle potted the game-winning goal at 15:16 of the third period to put the contest out of reach and disappoint Ricoh Coliseum’s matinee crowd of 7,851.

April 4 – Marlies 2, Griffins 7 – Van Andel Arena
In the final regular season matchup between Grand Rapids and Toronto, the Griffins once again crushed the Marlies at Van Andel Arena, this time by a score of 7-2. Grand Rapids needed less than nine minutes to turn a tight game into a blowout, scoring four times within that span during the third period, with five Griffins recording two-point nights. While the home team enjoyed seven goals, no one skater scored multiple times. Griffins who scored goals in the contest were Tomas Nosek, Anthony Mantha, Nick Jensen, Marek Tvrdon, Jeff Hoggan, Mark Zengerle and Kevin Porter. With just 3:16 remaining in the game, a giant melee exploded on the ice along the benches, during which Chris Bruton flipped Sam Carrick into the photographer’s booth and a bout between Louis-Marc Aubry and Josh Leivo spilled into the Grand Rapids bench. Order was eventually restored, courtesy of 56 penalty minutes and game misconducts to the latter combatants. Including the 7-1 win in the Marlies’ prior visit on Dec. 19, the Griffins beat Toronto by a cumulative 14-3 count in their two meetings at Van Andel Arena this season.

Tale of the Tape: Here’s how the two rivals stacked up in key categories during the regular season:

Regular Season Series Notes: The Griffins’ scoring leader, Andy Miele, tallied twice as many points (2-8—10) than any other skater in the season series, followed by Mark Zengerle’s five points (2-3—5). Toronto’s Brendan Leipsic notched five assists against Grand Rapids this season, but three of them were tallied while he was still a Milwaukee Admiral. The Marlies’ regular season goal-scoring leader is Matt Frattin (26-22—48), who is currently on a nine-game point streak with 16 points since April 3. Frattin picked up two goals, an assist, two penalty minutes and a minus-two rating in four games against the Griffins this season. Nick Jensen’s plus-four rating was the highest of any skater in the series, and out of the 32 skaters that suited up for Toronto against Grand Rapids this season, only four of them registered a plus rating (Patrick Watling +1, Andrew MacWilliam +3, Petter Granberg +1 and Stuart Percy +1). Tom McCollum, who will earn the start in the first game of the series, only appeared between the pipes in one game versus the Marlies this season, on Dec. 2 in a 4-2 loss. McCollum gave up four goals in 55:54, yielding a 4.29 GAA and a 0.867 save percentage. Christopher Gibson has suited up in three games against the Griffins this season, posting a 1-2-0 record with a 3.71 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage. Gibson gave up a total of 11 goals to Grand Rapids. Courtesy of a brawl that broke out near the benches between the Griffins and Marlies on April 4 at Van Andel Arena, Louis-Marc Aubry owns the most penalty minutes between the two teams with 20, followed by Toronto’s Josh Leivo (17 PIM) and Chris Bruton (16 PIM).

Time to Shine: During his six seasons with Grand Rapids, goaltender Tom McCollum has played in just one AHL playoff game. That appearance came last season in the team’s final playoff game against the Texas Stars on May 18 after Petr Mrazek surrendered four goals in the first 22:03 of the game. Entering in relief, McCollum gave up two goals in his 34:17 of play (3.50 GAA), with Texas also nabbing an eventual empty netter. Now, McCollum will finally have his opportunity for primary playoff action. On the same front, Jared Coreau has yet to make his postseason debut.

The Faithful Few: Seven members of the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship roster are still members of the active roster: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Jeff Hoggan and Teemu Pulkkinen: defensemen Brennan Evans, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch; and goaltender Tom McCollum. While Mitch Callahan also was part of the championship run in 2013, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in February and will not play during the playoffs. Two members of that same championship team (Landon Ferraro and Tomas Jurco) are currently with the Detroit Red Wings but are eligible to play with the Griffins in the playoffs.

Lying in Wait: As the Detroit Red Wings continue their first-round 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, four members of their roster are eligible to play for the Griffins should the Wings be eliminated at any point. Right wing Landon Ferraro (27-15—42, 70 GP), defenseman Alexey Marchenko (3-17—20, 51 GP) and goaltender Petr Mrazek (2.06 GAA, 9-2-1 record, 13 GP) have all made appearances with Grand Rapids this season, while Tomas Jurco has spent his entire campaign with Detroit. Jurco owns 18 points (3-15—18) in 63 regular season games with the Wings this season and has also scored one goal in three playoff games against the Lightning.

Playoff Roster: The following 28 players are eligible to suit up for the Griffins in the postseason: goaltenders Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum and Jake Paterson; defensemen Scott Czarnowczan, Brennan Evans, Joe Hicketts, Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff, Xavier Ouellet, Nathan Paetsch and Ryan Sproul; and forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi, Chris Bruton, Mitch Callahan, Colin Campbell, Martin Frk, Alden Hirschfeld, Jeff Hoggan, Anthony Mantha, Andy Miele, Zach Nastasiuk, Tomas Nosek, Kevin Porter, Teemu Pulkkinen, Marek Tvrdon and Mark Zengerle. Additionally, if assigned by the Red Wings, forwards Landon Ferraro and Tomas Jurco; defenseman Alexey Marchenko; and goaltender Petr Mrazek will be eligible for Calder Cup Playoff action.

Experience Counts: Seventeen players on the Griffins roster have AHL postseason experience — Louis-Marc Aubry (0-1—1 in 14 GP), Andreas Athanasiou (0-1—1 in 6 GP), Mitch Callahan (7-9—16 in 32 GP), Colin Campbell (0-0—0 in 3 GP), Brennan Evans (2-7—9 in 48 GP), Martin Frk (0-0—0 in 4 GP), Jeff Hoggan (17-18—35 in 72 GP), Nick Jensen (0-1—1 in 10 GP), Brian Lashoff (1-5—6 in 26 GP), goaltender Tom McCollum (0-0 record, 3.50 GAA in 1 GP), Andy Miele (1-2—3 in 3 GP), Zach Nastasiuk (0-1—1 in 7 GP), Xavier Ouellet (0-0—0 in 8 GP), Nathan Paetsch (2-18—20 in 59 GP), Kevin Porter (0-7—7 in 12 GP), Teemu Pulkkinen (8-8—16 in 24 GP) and Ryan Sproul (2-3—5 in 10 GP). Four skaters have professional postseason experience at other levels; Chris Bruton (0-3—3 in 4 GP; ECHL), Scott Czarnowczan (0-2—2 in 10 GP; ECHL), Alden Hirschfeld (0-1—1 in 5 GP; ECHL) and Tomas Nosek (4-4—8 in 13 GP; Czech).

Familiar Faces: Both of Toronto’s assistant coaches, Derek King and Ben Simon, are former Griffins. King owned 154 points in 212 games with the Griffins through three seasons (2000-01, 2002-04) and Simon notched nine points (4-5—9) in 21 games with Grand Rapids during the 2006-07 season.

Thank You, Fans!: With a crowd of 9,804 for the Griffins’ home season finale, a total of 307,110 fans – 8,082 per game – attended Griffins home games this season. Thanks to them, Grand Rapids’ average attendance at Van Andel Arena increased for the fifth straight season and eighth time in the last nine seasons; eclipsed 8,000 for the first time since 2000-01 (8,022); and was the highest since 1999-2000 (8,819).

Season In Review

Midwest Division Title: The Griffins captured a Midwest Division title for the second time in three seasons under head coach Jeff Blashill following their final regular season game, courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs’ 3-1 loss to the Toronto Marlies on April 18. Grand Rapids finished the season with 100 points, just one ahead of Rockford, and captured the second seed in the Western Conference to ultimately set up its first-round playoff matchup against the Marlies. The division title is the team’s seventh in its 19-year history, most recently accomplished in the 2012-13 Calder Cup-winning season. A history of titles throughout Griffins franchise history:

Griffins Division Titles
2014-15 AHL Midwest
2012-13 AHL Midwest
2005-06 AHL North
2002-03 AHL Central
2001-02 AHL West
2000-01 IHL Eastern
1999-00 IHL Eastern

Hobey Baker Tandem: Last summer, the Detroit Red Wings signed a pair of former Hobey Baker award winners to one-year contracts in the form of Kevin Porter (July 1) and Andy Miele (July 2). The decision proved to be highly beneficial to the Griffins, as both forwards spent the duration of their seasons with the Wings’ AHL affiliate and led the team in numerous categories. Miele ranked second overall in the league and first on the team in scoring with 70 points (26-44—70) in 71 games, while also leading the Griffins in assists, power play assists (16) and shootout percentage (75.0%). In April, Miele was named to the 2014-15 AHL First All-Star Team along with teammate Teemu Pulkkinen. Porter ranked fourth in scoring for Grand Rapids with 39 points (16-23—39) and was one of only two skaters, along with captain Jeff Hoggan, to appear in all 76 games. Porter (University of Michigan) was honored as the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA men’s hockey player in 2008 and Miele (Miami University) captured the award in 2011.

First All-Stars: In April, center Andy Miele and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen were named to the American Hockey League’s First All-Star Team, marking the first time that two players from the Griffins were named to the First All-Star Team since Grand Rapids’ inaugural AHL season in 2001-02, when defenseman John Gruden and goaltender Martin Prusek earned the honors. Miele finished second in the AHL in scoring with 70 points (26-44—70) in 71 games and also ranked fifth in assists. Last season, as a member of the Portland Pirates, Miele was named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team after accumulating 72 points (27-45—72) in 70 games. He and Oklahoma City defenseman Brad Hunt were the only repeat honorees from the previous season’s all-star teams. Pulkkinen led the AHL in goals with 34 and tied for 10th overall in scoring with 61 points (23-38—61) in 46 games, despite being recalled for the duration of the regular season on March 7 by the Detroit Red Wings. A member of the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season, Pulkkinen has followed in the footsteps of current Red Wing Gustav Nyquist, who was named to the all-rookie squad in 2011-12 and then the First All-Star Team in 2012-13.

Coreau’s 180: Goaltender Jared Coreau enjoyed a turnaround season during 2014-15 by sloughing off last season’s forgettable results. This season, the rookie netminder played in 25 games and posted a 16-8-1 record, along with a 2.20 goals against average, a 0.927 save percentage and three shutouts. He was just 25:21 shy of qualifying for the AHL’s top goalies and would have ranked eighth. Earning his first start on Nov. 29 at Adirondack, Coreau ran a six-game winning streak to begin his season as a Griffin, tying a franchise record previously set by Petr Mrazek in 2012-13 and by Tom McCollum in 2013-14. Last season, Coreau registered a 4.03 GAA and a 1-12-6 record in 20 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and a 4.39 GAA and a 0-4-0 record in five games with the Griffins.

Best of the Bench: This season, Jeff Blashill became the first coach in franchise history to qualify for the playoffs in three consecutive seasons — Bruce Cassidy, Danton Cole and Greg Ireland each made back-to-back playoff appearances — and he also became the first coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to three 90-point seasons.

Pulkkinen Power: In what proved to be a powerhouse season for the Vantaa, Finland, native, Teemu Pulkkinen captured the Willie Marshall Award as the AHL’s leading goal scorer for the 2014-15 campaign. Despite joining the Wings for the remainder of the regular season on March 7, Pulkkinen earned the award with 34 goals in 46 games, trailed by a single goal by Albany’s Paul Thompson, who had 33 in 73 games. The third-year Griffin tied for 10th in overall scoring in the league by the end of the season and ranked second on the Griffins, all the while leading in many team categories including power play points (10) and game-winning goals (6). The 23-year-old strung together a multitude of other accomplishments, including taking part in the AHL All-Star Classic, tying the Griffins’ franchise record of eight consecutive games with a goal, and earning his first NHL goal on Jan. 20 versus Minnesota. On March 4 versus Oklahoma City, Pulkkinen notched his second hat trick of the season; his first career hat trick came on Jan. 29 at Iowa, when he became the second Griffin ever to record a hat trick via three power play goals.

Man of Honor: Captain Jeff Hoggan was named the 2014-15 winner of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey, as voted by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 30 cities. A native of Hope, B.C., Hoggan has continuously proven himself to be a leader both on and off the ice. In his third season with the Griffins and 13th as a professional despite being undrafted out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the 37-year-old Hoggan banked 31 points (14-17—31), 39 PIM and a plus-23 rating this season. Despite being the oldest skater and second-oldest player in the AHL – and being eight years older than any other Grand Rapids forward – Hoggan was one of only two players to appear in all 76 games for the Griffins this season, along with Kevin Porter. He has reached double-digits in goals for the eighth straight season and recently celebrated his 200th game as a Griffin and 800th as a pro. Hoggan earned his second Calder Cup in 2013 by captaining the Griffins to their first championship, playing in all 100 regular season and playoff games after having begun the season on a pro tryout. His captaincy is now the second-longest in the franchise’s 19 seasons. Renowned for his work ethic, competitiveness, preparation, and the culture he has helped create in the Griffins’ locker room, Hoggan has mentored more than a dozen players who have since graduated to the Detroit Red Wings and helped that franchise extend its playoff streak to 24 seasons. He is the second Griffin in four years to win the award, following Chris Minard’s selection in 2011-12.

Road Warriors: The Griffins’ 23 road wins this season (23-12-2-1) led the AHL and their +30 scoring margin on the road led the league. Grand Rapids ranked fourth in goals-for on the road (115) and second in goals-against (85). In addition, the Griffins didn’t allow a shorthanded goal on the road during the regular season.

Overtime Format: The 2014-15 AHL season introduced a new overtime format intended to reduce the amount of games ending in a shootout and throughout the season. The sudden-death overtime period was changed to seven minutes in length, preceded by a “dry scrape” of the entire ice surface. With both teams changing ends at the start of overtime, full playing strength began as 4-on-4 until the first whistle following three minutes of play (4:00 remaining), at which time full strength was reduced to 3-on-3 for the duration of the overtime period. Then, if the overtime finished in a tie, the game would head to a shootout. The Griffins saw a significant drop in the amount of times they went to a skills competition. In its previous 18 years of existence, the fewest time Grand Rapids had gone to a shootout in a single season was eight times in three separate campaigns (2000-01, 2009-10 and 2011-12). This year, the Griffins had four shootouts and posted a 2-2 record.

Nothing Like Last Minute: The Griffins tied a game in the final 75 seconds of regulation before winning in either overtime or the shootout on four separate occasions this season:

• Nov. 14 vs. Texas – 3-2 OTW
Mitch Callahan tied it at 18:46 of the 3rd and Teemu Pulkkinen won it at 6:59 of (and with one second left in) overtime

• Dec. 7 at Milwaukee – 2-1 SOW
Pulkkinen tied it at 19:10 of the 3rd before the Griffins prevailed 2-1 in the shootout

• Feb. 18 vs. Milwaukee – 4-3 OTW
Andy Miele tied it at 19:59 of the 3rd and won it at 2:09 of overtime

• April 11 at San Antonio – 2-1 OTW
Jeff Hoggan tied it at 19:11 of the 3rd and Miele won it at 3:44 of overtime

In addition, the Griffins’ foray into the AHL’s new overtime rules produced particularly thrilling results for Grand Rapids crowds, highlighted by two consecutive last-minute overtime victories over the Texas Stars at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 14 and 15. As previously mentioned, Pulkkinen won the Nov. 14 game at 6:59 of the overtime session, before Kevin Porter sealed the deal the following night with a breakaway goal with 40 seconds remaining.

30-Rock: While a handful of other Griffins stole a majority of the season’s spotlight, defenseman Nick Jensen and center Tomas Nosek tied for first overall in the league in the plus/minus category, registering a plus-30 rating along with Rockford’s Stephen Johns and Manchester’s Brian O’Neill. A few other Griffins had notable plus/minus rating on the team, including Nathan Paetsch (+24), Jeff Hoggan (+23) and Alexey Marchenko (+22).

The Future is Bright: Three rookies cracked the Griffins’ top single-season rookie scorers list. Undrafted rookie Mark Zengerle out of Wisconsin University picked up 37 points (15-22—37) to tie for ninth all-time and also owned a team-best 18.3% shooting percentage. Highly-touted Red Wings prospect Anthony Mantha potted 33 points (15-18—33) in 62 games, good enough to tie for 16th all-time, while Andreas Athanasiou notched 32 points (16-16—32) to tie for 18th. Just outside of the list was Marek Tvrdon, who had 29 points (10-19—29) in 51 games. The insurgence of Grand Rapids’ rookies is what helped to carry the team to its impressive regular season record in the absence of many of its top scorers.

Have You Seen This Skater?: High-scoring right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (34-27—61, 2nd) was recalled to Detroit on March 7 and, nearly a month later on April 6, he was joined by Landon Ferraro (27-15—42), who ranks third on the team in scoring. In combination with Mitch Callahan’s (16-22—38, T5th) season-ending ACL injury on Feb. 13, the Griffins spent a portion of their season without the services of three of their top five scorers. Hobey Baker duo Andy Miele (26-44—70, 1st) and Kevin Porter (16-23—39, 4th) were the only members of the top five still on the active roster at the conclusion of the regular season.

Class of 2013: With the arrival of Tyler Bertuzzi (Detroit’s third choice, 58th overall) on April 16 from the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, the Griffins now employ the services of Detroit’s top three picks from the 2013 NHL Draft. After recovering from an off-season injury, Anthony Mantha (Detroit’s 1st choice, 20th overall) made his debut with Grand Rapids on Nov. 14. Later in the season, Zach Nastasiuk (Detroit’s 2nd choice, 48th overall) made his return to the Griffins on April 6 after Owen Sound was knocked out of the playoffs. Nastasiuk made his Griffins debut at the end of the 2013-14 season, before appearing in five 2014 Calder Cup playoff games.

Lucky Number Seven: Seven Griffins ranked among the AHL's individual leaders during the regular season:

Nick Jensen +30 rating (T1st)
Tom McCollum 2.40 GAA (T15th)
Andy Miele 70 points (2nd), 44 assists (5th)
Tomas Nosek +30 rating (T1st)
Nathan Paetsch 38 points (T12th defensemen)
Teemu Pulkkinen 61 points (T10th), 34 goals (1st)
Mark Zengerle 18.3% shooting percentage (3rd rookies)

Take Me to Your Leaders: Following this year’s performances, many Griffins rank among the franchise’s all-time top 10 statistical leaders (regular season):

Landon Ferraro 75 goals (T5th), 159 points (8th)
Nick Jensen +42 rating (10th)
Nathan Paetsch +55 rating (6th)
Teemu Pulkkinen 65 goals (T10th)
Jared Coreau 2.46 goals against average (8th), 0.919 save percentage (T5th)
Tom McCollum 196 goalie games played (2nd), 11,051 minutes played (2nd), 88 wins (3rd), six shutouts (T6th), 4,835 saves (3rd)
Petr Mrazek 87 goalie games played (8th), 5,084 minutes played (5th), 2.21 GAA (5th), 54 wins (T5th), seven shutouts (5th), 2,158 saves (6th), 0.920 save percentage (4th)

One for the Books: Several Griffins enjoyed seasons that ranked statistically among the best in franchise history:

Jared Coreau 2.20 goals against average (T9th), 0.927 save percentage (3rd), 0.750 shootout percentage (T6th)
Landon Ferraro Three shorthanded goals (T5th), four unassisted goals (T4th)
Nick Jensen +30 rating (T8th)
Anthony Mantha Three unassisted goals (T9th)
Andy Miele Three overtime goals (T1st), 0.750 shootout percentage (5th), 0.179 shooting percentage (7th)
Tomas Nosek Three shorthanded goals (T5th), +30 rating (T8th), three unassisted goals (T9th)
Teemu Pulkkinen 34 goals (T4th), six game-winning goals (T6th), 0.180 shooting percentage (T5th)

Honor Roll: Seven Griffins received significant individual honors from the AHL this season:

Jared Coreau AHL Player of the Week (2/1/15)
Jeff Hoggan Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (sportsmanship, determination, dedication to hockey)
Tom McCollum Named Griffins’ IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year
Andy Miele AHL First All-Star Team
Petr Mrazek AHL Player of the Week (3/1/15)
Xavier Ouellet Selected for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic (DNP)
Teemu Pulkkinen AHL First All-Star Team/Willie Marshall Award (top goal scorer)/Participated in the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic

Game 1 Sat., April 25 GRIFFINS at Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 2 Sun., April 26 GRIFFINS at Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 3 Wed., April 29 Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. (Home Game 1)
*Game 4 Sat., May 2 Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. (Home Game 2)
*Game 5 Sun., May 3 Marlies at GRIFFINS 5 p.m. (Home Game 3)

* If necessary. All times are Eastern and subject to change. All games on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM and AHLLive.com.

By One: The Griffins entered the final week of the regular season looking to clinch the Midwest Division title, as they had maintained sole possession of the division since Feb. 24. Having already clinched a playoff berth on April 2 while idle, the Griffins held just a one-point lead over the Rockford IceHogs with three games remaining on the schedule for both clubs. On April 16, the Griffins secured a high-scoring 6-4 game over the Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena and followed up that performance with a narrow 2-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers at Van Andel Arena the next night. The IceHogs refused to let go of the Griffins’ heels though, as Rockford earned victories over Charlotte (5-1, April 15) and Chicago (4-3, April 17) to leave the Midwest Division title up for grabs in the final game of the season. With the Griffins maintaining their one-point division lead and owning each tie-breaker scenario over Rockford, a single point would have clinched the Midwest Division title. In the Griffins’ final regular season game on April 18, a rematch with Charlotte saw Grand Rapids fall 7-2 to the Checkers. Fortunately, Rockford also lost to the Griffins’ eventual first-round opponent, the Toronto Marlies, thanks to a sturdy performance by goaltender Christopher Gibson. The IceHogs’ loss secured the division title for the Griffins for the second time in the past three years with Jeff Blashill at the helm and the seventh time overall in franchise history.

The Stage Is Set: The Griffins qualified for the postseason for the 13th time in their 19-year history with a 46-22-6-2 record, claiming the second seed in the Western Conference and tying for third overall in the AHL. Grand Rapids will face the seventh-seeded Toronto Marlies (40-27-9-0, 89 pts.) in the best-of-five Western Conference Quarterfinals, marking the third time that the teams have faced off against one another in the postseason. Grand Rapids won the season series 3-1, including both matches at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids’ 7-2 win over the Marlies on April 2 was the only loss the Marlies endured in their final nine games. The Griffins faced the Marlies in the playoffs most recently during the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs, when they defeated Toronto 4-2 in the Western Conference Semifinals en route to the team’s first-ever Calder Cup. In addition, Grand Rapids was the first team to ever knock the Marlies out of the playoffs, as the Griffins won the North Division Semifinal, 4-1, in 2006 during Toronto’s inaugural season. Founded in the 2005-06 season, the Marlies will make their seventh playoff appearance in their 10-year history.

Special Teams: In terms of special teams this season, Grand Rapids has the upper hand over Toronto statistically, as the Griffins ranked 15th overall in power play (17.0%) and secured their second-best penalty killing record in franchise history at 86.4% (6th), only ranked behind its 87.0% mark from 2003-04. Toronto ‘s special teams ranked 29th in power play (12.8%) and 28th in penalty killing (79.1%).

Looking Back: Over the rich 10-year regular season history of this rivalry, the Griffins possess a 31-26-3-2 record against the Marlies, including 18-11-1-1 at home and 13-15-2-1 on enemy ice.

Playoff Facts and Figures: Grand Rapids has won 13 of its 24 total playoff series and owns a combined 65-61 record during those games, going 30-34 on home ice and 35-27 on the road. The Griffins have lost their last three road playoff games, all during the 2014 Western Conference Semifinals versus Texas, and had won five series in a row until falling 4-2 to the eventual champions. Grand Rapids is 3-3 in best-of-five series and 10-8 in best-of-seven series. Overall, the Griffins’ all-time record in Game 1 of a series is 11-13. The Griffins own an all-time series record of 5-2 versus Canadian playoff foes (Toronto 2-0, Hamilton 1-0, Manitoba 1-2, Abbotsford 1-0). Captain Jeff Hoggan is the Griffins’ active playoff scoring leader with 17 points (9-8—17) in 34 games. Tomas Jurco, who will start the postseason with the parent Red Wings, is tied for seventh all-time in Griffins playoff scoring with 21 points (13-8—21) in 32 games, followed by Landon Ferraro in 12th all-time with 19 points (6-13—19) in 33 games.

Bench Bosses: Jeff Blashill led the Griffins to the playoffs for the third straight time and to the team’s second division title in his three seasons behind the bench. Born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., the 41-year-old Blashill helped Grand Rapids record a 46-22-6-2 record (100 pts.), exceeding results from both of his previous two campaigns as head coach. Previously, he led the Griffins to a 42-26-4-4 (92 pts.) record in 2012-13 and a 46-23-2-5 (99 pts.) record last season. Blashill’s perseverance was put to the test early on this season, as the Griffins ranked either fourth or fifth in the Midwest Division from Oct. 24-Dec. 19, including a five-game home losing streak to begin the season and a 3-6-1-0 record in their first 10 games. Blashill’s squad turned its fortunes around with a franchise record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) from Feb. 4-March 20, including a nine-game winning streak from Feb. 14– March 4, and eventually ran to a division title and to the second overall seed in the conference. In 2012-13, his first season as a head coach at the pro level, Blashill led the Griffins to the Calder Cup, marking the first championship in the franchise’s 17-year history. Dineen, 52, was named as Toronto’s head coach on July 15, 2014 after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach with the Marlies. Dineen has served as a head coach in the American Hockey League on one previous occasion, spending the 2008-09 season with the Iowa Chops, then the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. Under Dineen’s guidance, Iowa earned a record of 33-33-4-10. He has worked as both a head coach and an assistant coach in various levels of professional hockey since the 1999-00 season. Dineen began his coaching career during the 1999-00 season as a player/coach with the Utah Grizzlies. In 50 games with the Grizzlies, he registered 18 assists and 26 penalty minutes. He made his head coaching debut with the Macon Whoopee of the East Coast Hockey League during the 2001-02 season. The following season, he served as the head coach of the Richmond Renegades, guiding them to a 35-31-6 record. From 2003 through 2008, Dineen served as an assistant coach with four different AHL teams: the Springfield Falcons (2003-04), Utah Grizzlies (2004-05), San Antonio Rampage (2005-06) and Portland Pirates (2007-08). The Toronto, Ontario, native competed in 18 seasons of professional hockey as a defenseman between 1982 and 2000. In 528 career NHL games with the New York Islanders, Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators, he registered 106 points (16 goals, 90 assists) and 695 penalty minutes. He was selected 42nd overall in the 1981 Entry Draft by the New York Islanders.

Pedal to the Medal: At the AHL All-Star break, the Western Conference landscape saw the Griffins rank eighth, the Texas Stars rank 10th and the Toronto Marlies rank 12th. The teams finished second, fifth and seventh, respectively. Both Grand Rapids and Toronto fell into their grooves as the season progressed:

Toronto

• Last 10 games: 8-2-0-0 (0.800)
• Last 20 games: 14-6-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 30 games: 21-9-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 40 games: 25-13-2-0 (0.650)
• Last 50 games: 30-15-5-0 (0.650)

Grand Rapids

• Last 10 games: 7-3-0-0 (0.700)
• Last 20 games: 13-5-1-1 (0.700)
• Last 30 games: 21-5-3-1 (0.767)
• Last 40 games: 27-9-3-1 (0.725)
• Last 50 games: 33-12-3-2 (0.710)

Borrowed Soldiers: Brendan Leipsic and T.J. Brennan, the Marlies’ second and third-highest scorers respectively, spent a majority of their seasons with other teams before being acquired through trades near the deadline. Along with veteran forward Olli Jokinen, Leipsic was traded to the Maple Leafs by the Nashville Predators in return for defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli. At the time of his trade on Feb. 15, Leipsic ranked second on the Milwaukee Admirals with seven goals and 28 assists, sitting behind only Viktor Arvidsson (15-22—37). Since then, he has potted 19 points (7-12—19) in 27 games with the Marlies. Brennan is no stranger to Toronto, having led the Marlies in regular season scoring during the 2013-14 season with 72 points (25-47—72) through an entire 76-game slate. Last season as a Marlie, Brennan led the league’s second highest-scoring defenseman by 13 points and tied for third overall in the AHL with then-Portland Pirate and current Grand Rapids Griffin Andy Miele (27-45—72). Brennan spent the beginning of the 2014-15 season as a member of the Rockford IceHogs until Feb. 26, when he was traded back to Toronto in exchange for Spencer Abbott. In 19 games since joining the Marlies, Brennan has picked up 17 points (3-14—17) in 19 games and is currently on a seven-game assist streak since April 7 (11 assists).

2014-15 Griffins vs. Marlies:

Griffins Records: 3-1-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-1-0-0 in Toronto
Heat Records: 1-3-0-0 Overall, 0-2-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-1-0-0 in Toronto

Dec. 2 – Griffins 2, Marlies 4 – Ricoh Coliseum
The first meeting of the season between the two clubs resulted in Toronto’s only victory of the four-game regular season series and snapped a nine-game winless streak for the Marlies, who entered the game with a 5-12-2-0 record. Despite Patrick Watling netting the first goal of the evening, the Griffins clawed back to a 2-1 lead courtesy of goals by Louis-Marc Aubry and Andy Miele. The Marlies capitalized on a second-period power play by Matt Frattin to even the contest heading into the second intermission. It was all Toronto from there, as Connor Brown notched the game-winner just 2:38 into the third, before Brendan Mikkelson deflected in the insurance tally.

Dec. 19 – Marlies 1, Griffins 7 – Van Andel Arena
The Griffins proved to be less-than-gracious hosts to the Marlies during their first visit of the season, trouncing Toronto by a 7-1 margin. Jared Coreau turned aside 22 shots to improve his record to 5-0 on the season, trumped only by Andy Miele’s prolific five-point, four-assist performance. Grand Rapids’ goals came from a multitude of scorers, including Miele, Teemu Pulkkinen (two goals), Landon Ferraro, Mitch Callahan and Anthony Mantha. Miele tallied three assists in the second period alone, which tied the Griffins’ record for assists in a single period, accomplished most recently by Tomas Tatar on Nov. 27, 2010 at Chicago. On top of the victory, defenseman Brennan Evans played in his 800th regular season game in the American Hockey League, becoming the 36th player in league history to reach that milestone.

Feb. 4 – Griffins 3, Marlies 1 – Ricoh Coliseum
A tightly-contested game panned out in favor of Grand Rapids thanks to the AHL’s top goal scorer Teemu Pulkkinen striking twice, including an empty-netter in the final minute of the game. Just 2:51 into the game, Matt Frattin scored Toronto’s lone goal, followed by Pulkkinen’s first goal at 15:37 of the same frame. The Marlies and Griffins then went through 29:07 worth of a scoring drought, before rookie Mark Zengerle potted the game-winning goal at 15:16 of the third period to put the contest out of reach and disappoint Ricoh Coliseum’s matinee crowd of 7,851.

April 4 – Marlies 2, Griffins 7 – Van Andel Arena
In the final regular season matchup between Grand Rapids and Toronto, the Griffins once again crushed the Marlies at Van Andel Arena, this time by a score of 7-2. Grand Rapids needed less than nine minutes to turn a tight game into a blowout, scoring four times within that span during the third period, with five Griffins recording two-point nights. While the home team enjoyed seven goals, no one skater scored multiple times. Griffins who scored goals in the contest were Tomas Nosek, Anthony Mantha, Nick Jensen, Marek Tvrdon, Jeff Hoggan, Mark Zengerle and Kevin Porter. With just 3:16 remaining in the game, a giant melee exploded on the ice along the benches, during which Chris Bruton flipped Sam Carrick into the photographer’s booth and a bout between Louis-Marc Aubry and Josh Leivo spilled into the Grand Rapids bench. Order was eventually restored, courtesy of 56 penalty minutes and game misconducts to the latter combatants. Including the 7-1 win in the Marlies’ prior visit on Dec. 19, the Griffins beat Toronto by a cumulative 14-3 count in their two meetings at Van Andel Arena this season.

Tale of the Tape: Here’s how the two rivals stacked up in key categories during the regular season:

Regular Season Series Notes: The Griffins’ scoring leader, Andy Miele, tallied twice as many points (2-8—10) than any other skater in the season series, followed by Mark Zengerle’s five points (2-3—5). Toronto’s Brendan Leipsic notched five assists against Grand Rapids this season, but three of them were tallied while he was still a Milwaukee Admiral. The Marlies’ regular season goal-scoring leader is Matt Frattin (26-22—48), who is currently on a nine-game point streak with 16 points since April 3. Frattin picked up two goals, an assist, two penalty minutes and a minus-two rating in four games against the Griffins this season. Nick Jensen’s plus-four rating was the highest of any skater in the series, and out of the 32 skaters that suited up for Toronto against Grand Rapids this season, only four of them registered a plus rating (Patrick Watling +1, Andrew MacWilliam +3, Petter Granberg +1 and Stuart Percy +1). Tom McCollum, who will earn the start in the first game of the series, only appeared between the pipes in one game versus the Marlies this season, on Dec. 2 in a 4-2 loss. McCollum gave up four goals in 55:54, yielding a 4.29 GAA and a 0.867 save percentage. Christopher Gibson has suited up in three games against the Griffins this season, posting a 1-2-0 record with a 3.71 GAA and a 0.890 save percentage. Gibson gave up a total of 11 goals to Grand Rapids. Courtesy of a brawl that broke out near the benches between the Griffins and Marlies on April 4 at Van Andel Arena, Louis-Marc Aubry owns the most penalty minutes between the two teams with 20, followed by Toronto’s Josh Leivo (17 PIM) and Chris Bruton (16 PIM).

Time to Shine: During his six seasons with Grand Rapids, goaltender Tom McCollum has played in just one AHL playoff game. That appearance came last season in the team’s final playoff game against the Texas Stars on May 18 after Petr Mrazek surrendered four goals in the first 22:03 of the game. Entering in relief, McCollum gave up two goals in his 34:17 of play (3.50 GAA), with Texas also nabbing an eventual empty netter. Now, McCollum will finally have his opportunity for primary playoff action. On the same front, Jared Coreau has yet to make his postseason debut.

The Faithful Few: Seven members of the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship roster are still members of the active roster: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Jeff Hoggan and Teemu Pulkkinen: defensemen Brennan Evans, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch; and goaltender Tom McCollum. While Mitch Callahan also was part of the championship run in 2013, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in February and will not play during the playoffs. Two members of that same championship team (Landon Ferraro and Tomas Jurco) are currently with the Detroit Red Wings but are eligible to play with the Griffins in the playoffs.

Lying in Wait: As the Detroit Red Wings continue their first-round 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, four members of their roster are eligible to play for the Griffins should the Wings be eliminated at any point. Right wing Landon Ferraro (27-15—42, 70 GP), defenseman Alexey Marchenko (3-17—20, 51 GP) and goaltender Petr Mrazek (2.06 GAA, 9-2-1 record, 13 GP) have all made appearances with Grand Rapids this season, while Tomas Jurco has spent his entire campaign with Detroit. Jurco owns 18 points (3-15—18) in 63 regular season games with the Wings this season and has also scored one goal in three playoff games against the Lightning.

Playoff Roster: The following 28 players are eligible to suit up for the Griffins in the postseason: goaltenders Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum and Jake Paterson; defensemen Scott Czarnowczan, Brennan Evans, Joe Hicketts, Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff, Xavier Ouellet, Nathan Paetsch and Ryan Sproul; and forwards Andreas Athanasiou, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi, Chris Bruton, Mitch Callahan, Colin Campbell, Martin Frk, Alden Hirschfeld, Jeff Hoggan, Anthony Mantha, Andy Miele, Zach Nastasiuk, Tomas Nosek, Kevin Porter, Teemu Pulkkinen, Marek Tvrdon and Mark Zengerle. Additionally, if assigned by the Red Wings, forwards Landon Ferraro and Tomas Jurco; defenseman Alexey Marchenko; and goaltender Petr Mrazek will be eligible for Calder Cup Playoff action.

Experience Counts: Seventeen players on the Griffins roster have AHL postseason experience — Louis-Marc Aubry (0-1—1 in 14 GP), Andreas Athanasiou (0-1—1 in 6 GP), Mitch Callahan (7-9—16 in 32 GP), Colin Campbell (0-0—0 in 3 GP), Brennan Evans (2-7—9 in 48 GP), Martin Frk (0-0—0 in 4 GP), Jeff Hoggan (17-18—35 in 72 GP), Nick Jensen (0-1—1 in 10 GP), Brian Lashoff (1-5—6 in 26 GP), goaltender Tom McCollum (0-0 record, 3.50 GAA in 1 GP), Andy Miele (1-2—3 in 3 GP), Zach Nastasiuk (0-1—1 in 7 GP), Xavier Ouellet (0-0—0 in 8 GP), Nathan Paetsch (2-18—20 in 59 GP), Kevin Porter (0-7—7 in 12 GP), Teemu Pulkkinen (8-8—16 in 24 GP) and Ryan Sproul (2-3—5 in 10 GP). Four skaters have professional postseason experience at other levels; Chris Bruton (0-3—3 in 4 GP; ECHL), Scott Czarnowczan (0-2—2 in 10 GP; ECHL), Alden Hirschfeld (0-1—1 in 5 GP; ECHL) and Tomas Nosek (4-4—8 in 13 GP; Czech).

Familiar Faces: Both of Toronto’s assistant coaches, Derek King and Ben Simon, are former Griffins. King owned 154 points in 212 games with the Griffins through three seasons (2000-01, 2002-04) and Simon notched nine points (4-5—9) in 21 games with Grand Rapids during the 2006-07 season.

Thank You, Fans!: With a crowd of 9,804 for the Griffins’ home season finale, a total of 307,110 fans – 8,082 per game – attended Griffins home games this season. Thanks to them, Grand Rapids’ average attendance at Van Andel Arena increased for the fifth straight season and eighth time in the last nine seasons; eclipsed 8,000 for the first time since 2000-01 (8,022); and was the highest since 1999-2000 (8,819).

Season In Review

Midwest Division Title: The Griffins captured a Midwest Division title for the second time in three seasons under head coach Jeff Blashill following their final regular season game, courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs’ 3-1 loss to the Toronto Marlies on April 18. Grand Rapids finished the season with 100 points, just one ahead of Rockford, and captured the second seed in the Western Conference to ultimately set up its first-round playoff matchup against the Marlies. The division title is the team’s seventh in its 19-year history, most recently accomplished in the 2012-13 Calder Cup-winning season. A history of titles throughout Griffins franchise history:

Griffins Division Titles
2014-15 AHL Midwest
2012-13 AHL Midwest
2005-06 AHL North
2002-03 AHL Central
2001-02 AHL West
2000-01 IHL Eastern
1999-00 IHL Eastern

Hobey Baker Tandem: Last summer, the Detroit Red Wings signed a pair of former Hobey Baker award winners to one-year contracts in the form of Kevin Porter (July 1) and Andy Miele (July 2). The decision proved to be highly beneficial to the Griffins, as both forwards spent the duration of their seasons with the Wings’ AHL affiliate and led the team in numerous categories. Miele ranked second overall in the league and first on the team in scoring with 70 points (26-44—70) in 71 games, while also leading the Griffins in assists, power play assists (16) and shootout percentage (75.0%). In April, Miele was named to the 2014-15 AHL First All-Star Team along with teammate Teemu Pulkkinen. Porter ranked fourth in scoring for Grand Rapids with 39 points (16-23—39) and was one of only two skaters, along with captain Jeff Hoggan, to appear in all 76 games. Porter (University of Michigan) was honored as the winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the top NCAA men’s hockey player in 2008 and Miele (Miami University) captured the award in 2011.

First All-Stars: In April, center Andy Miele and right wing Teemu Pulkkinen were named to the American Hockey League’s First All-Star Team, marking the first time that two players from the Griffins were named to the First All-Star Team since Grand Rapids’ inaugural AHL season in 2001-02, when defenseman John Gruden and goaltender Martin Prusek earned the honors. Miele finished second in the AHL in scoring with 70 points (26-44—70) in 71 games and also ranked fifth in assists. Last season, as a member of the Portland Pirates, Miele was named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team after accumulating 72 points (27-45—72) in 70 games. He and Oklahoma City defenseman Brad Hunt were the only repeat honorees from the previous season’s all-star teams. Pulkkinen led the AHL in goals with 34 and tied for 10th overall in scoring with 61 points (23-38—61) in 46 games, despite being recalled for the duration of the regular season on March 7 by the Detroit Red Wings. A member of the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season, Pulkkinen has followed in the footsteps of current Red Wing Gustav Nyquist, who was named to the all-rookie squad in 2011-12 and then the First All-Star Team in 2012-13.

Coreau’s 180: Goaltender Jared Coreau enjoyed a turnaround season during 2014-15 by sloughing off last season’s forgettable results. This season, the rookie netminder played in 25 games and posted a 16-8-1 record, along with a 2.20 goals against average, a 0.927 save percentage and three shutouts. He was just 25:21 shy of qualifying for the AHL’s top goalies and would have ranked eighth. Earning his first start on Nov. 29 at Adirondack, Coreau ran a six-game winning streak to begin his season as a Griffin, tying a franchise record previously set by Petr Mrazek in 2012-13 and by Tom McCollum in 2013-14. Last season, Coreau registered a 4.03 GAA and a 1-12-6 record in 20 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and a 4.39 GAA and a 0-4-0 record in five games with the Griffins.

Best of the Bench: This season, Jeff Blashill became the first coach in franchise history to qualify for the playoffs in three consecutive seasons — Bruce Cassidy, Danton Cole and Greg Ireland each made back-to-back playoff appearances — and he also became the first coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to three 90-point seasons.

Pulkkinen Power: In what proved to be a powerhouse season for the Vantaa, Finland, native, Teemu Pulkkinen captured the Willie Marshall Award as the AHL’s leading goal scorer for the 2014-15 campaign. Despite joining the Wings for the remainder of the regular season on March 7, Pulkkinen earned the award with 34 goals in 46 games, trailed by a single goal by Albany’s Paul Thompson, who had 33 in 73 games. The third-year Griffin tied for 10th in overall scoring in the league by the end of the season and ranked second on the Griffins, all the while leading in many team categories including power play points (10) and game-winning goals (6). The 23-year-old strung together a multitude of other accomplishments, including taking part in the AHL All-Star Classic, tying the Griffins’ franchise record of eight consecutive games with a goal, and earning his first NHL goal on Jan. 20 versus Minnesota. On March 4 versus Oklahoma City, Pulkkinen notched his second hat trick of the season; his first career hat trick came on Jan. 29 at Iowa, when he became the second Griffin ever to record a hat trick via three power play goals.

Man of Honor: Captain Jeff Hoggan was named the 2014-15 winner of the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey, as voted by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 30 cities. A native of Hope, B.C., Hoggan has continuously proven himself to be a leader both on and off the ice. In his third season with the Griffins and 13th as a professional despite being undrafted out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the 37-year-old Hoggan banked 31 points (14-17—31), 39 PIM and a plus-23 rating this season. Despite being the oldest skater and second-oldest player in the AHL – and being eight years older than any other Grand Rapids forward – Hoggan was one of only two players to appear in all 76 games for the Griffins this season, along with Kevin Porter. He has reached double-digits in goals for the eighth straight season and recently celebrated his 200th game as a Griffin and 800th as a pro. Hoggan earned his second Calder Cup in 2013 by captaining the Griffins to their first championship, playing in all 100 regular season and playoff games after having begun the season on a pro tryout. His captaincy is now the second-longest in the franchise’s 19 seasons. Renowned for his work ethic, competitiveness, preparation, and the culture he has helped create in the Griffins’ locker room, Hoggan has mentored more than a dozen players who have since graduated to the Detroit Red Wings and helped that franchise extend its playoff streak to 24 seasons. He is the second Griffin in four years to win the award, following Chris Minard’s selection in 2011-12.

Road Warriors: The Griffins’ 23 road wins this season (23-12-2-1) led the AHL and their +30 scoring margin on the road led the league. Grand Rapids ranked fourth in goals-for on the road (115) and second in goals-against (85). In addition, the Griffins didn’t allow a shorthanded goal on the road during the regular season.

Overtime Format: The 2014-15 AHL season introduced a new overtime format intended to reduce the amount of games ending in a shootout and throughout the season. The sudden-death overtime period was changed to seven minutes in length, preceded by a “dry scrape” of the entire ice surface. With both teams changing ends at the start of overtime, full playing strength began as 4-on-4 until the first whistle following three minutes of play (4:00 remaining), at which time full strength was reduced to 3-on-3 for the duration of the overtime period. Then, if the overtime finished in a tie, the game would head to a shootout. The Griffins saw a significant drop in the amount of times they went to a skills competition. In its previous 18 years of existence, the fewest time Grand Rapids had gone to a shootout in a single season was eight times in three separate campaigns (2000-01, 2009-10 and 2011-12). This year, the Griffins had four shootouts and posted a 2-2 record.

Nothing Like Last Minute: The Griffins tied a game in the final 75 seconds of regulation before winning in either overtime or the shootout on four separate occasions this season:

• Nov. 14 vs. Texas – 3-2 OTW
Mitch Callahan tied it at 18:46 of the 3rd and Teemu Pulkkinen won it at 6:59 of (and with one second left in) overtime

• Dec. 7 at Milwaukee – 2-1 SOW
Pulkkinen tied it at 19:10 of the 3rd before the Griffins prevailed 2-1 in the shootout

• Feb. 18 vs. Milwaukee – 4-3 OTW
Andy Miele tied it at 19:59 of the 3rd and won it at 2:09 of overtime

• April 11 at San Antonio – 2-1 OTW
Jeff Hoggan tied it at 19:11 of the 3rd and Miele won it at 3:44 of overtime

In addition, the Griffins’ foray into the AHL’s new overtime rules produced particularly thrilling results for Grand Rapids crowds, highlighted by two consecutive last-minute overtime victories over the Texas Stars at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 14 and 15. As previously mentioned, Pulkkinen won the Nov. 14 game at 6:59 of the overtime session, before Kevin Porter sealed the deal the following night with a breakaway goal with 40 seconds remaining.

30-Rock: While a handful of other Griffins stole a majority of the season’s spotlight, defenseman Nick Jensen and center Tomas Nosek tied for first overall in the league in the plus/minus category, registering a plus-30 rating along with Rockford’s Stephen Johns and Manchester’s Brian O’Neill. A few other Griffins had notable plus/minus rating on the team, including Nathan Paetsch (+24), Jeff Hoggan (+23) and Alexey Marchenko (+22).

The Future is Bright: Three rookies cracked the Griffins’ top single-season rookie scorers list. Undrafted rookie Mark Zengerle out of Wisconsin University picked up 37 points (15-22—37) to tie for ninth all-time and also owned a team-best 18.3% shooting percentage. Highly-touted Red Wings prospect Anthony Mantha potted 33 points (15-18—33) in 62 games, good enough to tie for 16th all-time, while Andreas Athanasiou notched 32 points (16-16—32) to tie for 18th. Just outside of the list was Marek Tvrdon, who had 29 points (10-19—29) in 51 games. The insurgence of Grand Rapids’ rookies is what helped to carry the team to its impressive regular season record in the absence of many of its top scorers.

Have You Seen This Skater?: High-scoring right wing Teemu Pulkkinen (34-27—61, 2nd) was recalled to Detroit on March 7 and, nearly a month later on April 6, he was joined by Landon Ferraro (27-15—42), who ranks third on the team in scoring. In combination with Mitch Callahan’s (16-22—38, T5th) season-ending ACL injury on Feb. 13, the Griffins spent a portion of their season without the services of three of their top five scorers. Hobey Baker duo Andy Miele (26-44—70, 1st) and Kevin Porter (16-23—39, 4th) were the only members of the top five still on the active roster at the conclusion of the regular season.

Class of 2013: With the arrival of Tyler Bertuzzi (Detroit’s third choice, 58th overall) on April 16 from the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, the Griffins now employ the services of Detroit’s top three picks from the 2013 NHL Draft. After recovering from an off-season injury, Anthony Mantha (Detroit’s 1st choice, 20th overall) made his debut with Grand Rapids on Nov. 14. Later in the season, Zach Nastasiuk (Detroit’s 2nd choice, 48th overall) made his return to the Griffins on April 6 after Owen Sound was knocked out of the playoffs. Nastasiuk made his Griffins debut at the end of the 2013-14 season, before appearing in five 2014 Calder Cup playoff games.

Lucky Number Seven: Seven Griffins ranked among the AHL's individual leaders during the regular season:

Nick Jensen +30 rating (T1st)
Tom McCollum 2.40 GAA (T15th)
Andy Miele 70 points (2nd), 44 assists (5th)
Tomas Nosek +30 rating (T1st)
Nathan Paetsch 38 points (T12th defensemen)
Teemu Pulkkinen 61 points (T10th), 34 goals (1st)
Mark Zengerle 18.3% shooting percentage (3rd rookies)

Take Me to Your Leaders: Following this year’s performances, many Griffins rank among the franchise’s all-time top 10 statistical leaders (regular season):

Landon Ferraro 75 goals (T5th), 159 points (8th)
Nick Jensen +42 rating (10th)
Nathan Paetsch +55 rating (6th)
Teemu Pulkkinen 65 goals (T10th)
Jared Coreau 2.46 goals against average (8th), 0.919 save percentage (T5th)
Tom McCollum 196 goalie games played (2nd), 11,051 minutes played (2nd), 88 wins (3rd), six shutouts (T6th), 4,835 saves (3rd)
Petr Mrazek 87 goalie games played (8th), 5,084 minutes played (5th), 2.21 GAA (5th), 54 wins (T5th), seven shutouts (5th), 2,158 saves (6th), 0.920 save percentage (4th)

One for the Books: Several Griffins enjoyed seasons that ranked statistically among the best in franchise history:

Jared Coreau 2.20 goals against average (T9th), 0.927 save percentage (3rd), 0.750 shootout percentage (T6th)
Landon Ferraro Three shorthanded goals (T5th), four unassisted goals (T4th)
Nick Jensen +30 rating (T8th)
Anthony Mantha Three unassisted goals (T9th)
Andy Miele Three overtime goals (T1st), 0.750 shootout percentage (5th), 0.179 shooting percentage (7th)
Tomas Nosek Three shorthanded goals (T5th), +30 rating (T8th), three unassisted goals (T9th)
Teemu Pulkkinen 34 goals (T4th), six game-winning goals (T6th), 0.180 shooting percentage (T5th)

Honor Roll: Seven Griffins received significant individual honors from the AHL this season:

Jared Coreau AHL Player of the Week (2/1/15)
Jeff Hoggan Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award (sportsmanship, determination, dedication to hockey)
Tom McCollum Named Griffins’ IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year
Andy Miele AHL First All-Star Team
Petr Mrazek AHL Player of the Week (3/1/15)
Xavier Ouellet Selected for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic (DNP)
Teemu Pulkkinen AHL First All-Star Team/Willie Marshall Award (top goal scorer)/Participated in the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic