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This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS vs. Rockford IceHogs // Wed., Nov. 16 // 11 a.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 10:45 a.m.

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 58-39-9-11 Overall, 36-12-5-5 Home

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Noteworthy: There are family ties between the Blackhawks and Red Wings organizations, as IceHogs goaltender Arvid Soderblom is the older brother of Detroit forward Elmer Soderblom. Arvid competed in his first North American season last year and finished the AHL campaign with a 21-15-2 record, a 2.79 goals against average and a 0.919 save percentage.

GRIFFINS at San Diego Gulls // Fri., Nov. 18 // 10 p.m. EST // Pechanga Arena
GRIFFINS at San Diego Gulls // Sat., Nov. 19 // 10 p.m. EST // Pechanga Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 9:45 p.m. each night

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Away. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Pechanga Arena

All-Time Series: 5-3-0-0 Overall, 2-1-0-0 Away

NHL Affiliation: Anaheim Ducks

Noteworthy: The Griffins and Gulls competed in a 13-goal game on Oct. 15, with Grand Rapids prevailing 8-5 at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins’ eight goals tied for the fifth-highest scoring home game in franchise history.

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Nov. 9 // GRIFFINS 2 at Cleveland 5 // 5-6-0-0 (10 pts., 0.455, 4th Central)
Fri., Nov. 11 // GRIFFINS 5 vs. Toronto 4 (OT) // 6-6-0-0 (12 pts., 0.500, 4th Central)
Sat., Nov. 12 // GRIFFINS 2 vs. Toronto 3 (OT) // 6-6-1-0 (13 pts., 0.500, T3rd Central)

Last Week’s Notes
Wednesday at Cleveland (2-5 L) - The Griffins lost their second consecutive game with a 5-2 defeat to the Cleveland Monsters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and ended their season-high eight-game road trip with a 3-5-0-0 mark. Steven Kampfer led the Griffins with his first tally of the season along with an assist on Donovan Sebrango’s opening goal. Taro Hirose notched his ninth assist of the year, moving him into a tie for seventh in the AHL. Victor Brattstrom recorded 17 saves and suffered his first loss of the campaign. The contest marked the Griffins’ 2000th regular-season game. Recap | Highlights

Friday vs. Toronto (5-4 OTW) - Cross Hanas’ overtime tally capped off a Griffins three-goal comeback and snapped the Toronto Marlies’ six-game winning streak with a 5-4 victory at Van Andel Arena. By scoring three goals in the final frame, the Griffins forced an additional five minutes for the second time this season. Pontus Andreasson recorded two of the three goals scored in the third and added the assist on Hanas’ game-winner. The two tallies from Andreasson were his first in North America while fellow Swede Albert Johansson (0-1–1) joined him on the scoresheet with his first point in the AHL. Two of the three losses Toronto has endured have come from the Griffins. Recap | Highlights

Saturday vs. Toronto (2-3 OTL) - In the last matchup this campaign between Toronto and the Griffins, the Marlies prevailed in an overtime thriller with a 3-2 win at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins finished the season series with a 2-1-1-0 record. After scoring the game-winner on Friday, Cross Hanas was the hero once again by notching the game-tying goal with 10 seconds to go in the final frame. However, Joey Anderson’s 5-on-3 tally at 3:28 in overtime played spoiler and lifted Toronto to a win. Hanas now has a team-leading seven goals and is second in total points for Grand Rapids (7-4–11). Victor Brattstrom recorded 32 saves, the second-most of the campaign for the Swede. Givani Smith led Grand Rapids with two points (1-1—2). Recap | Highlights

Criss Cross Applesauce: Rookie Cross Hanas had himself quite the weekend, compiling four points (2-2—4) in two games. Hanas played the role of hero on Nov. 11 against Toronto with an overtime winner to cap off his season-high three-point night (1-2—3). He returned the following day and tallied the game-tying goal with 10 seconds remaining to garner a point for the Griffins in a 3-2 overtime defeat. Hanas leads the team with seven goals, which also ranks second among rookies in the AHL, and his 11 points (7-4—11) are tied for sixth on the circuit among first-year players.

Fixed Maintenance: After a slow start that saw him tally one point (0-1—1) in the first seven games, Pontus Andreasson has gotten things going on the offensive side of the ice. Andreasson is enjoying a three-game point streak (2-3—5) and has seven points in the last five outings (2-5—7). The Munkedal, Sweden, native bagged his first goal in North America on Nov. 11 against Toronto to conclude a three-point contest (2-1—3). In 2021-22 in the Swedish Hockey League, Andreasson finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting when he totaled 38 points (18-20—38) in 52 games. The 24-year-old signed a one-year contract with Detroit this past offseason.

Take the Over: The Griffins averaged just 2.75 goals a game during the 2021-22 season while giving up 3.16. However, this campaign has been much different, as Grand Rapids is averaging 3.31 goals while conceding 4.08. Nine of their 13 games so far have had seven or more total goals scored, with five of those contests having eight or more tallies. The Griffins have not had a game that has seen fewer than five goals.

Hot Starts: It seems as though every franchise in the American Hockey League has had a promising start to the season. In fact, 25 of the 32 teams in the AHL are 0.500 or above entering the sixth week of play. In the Central Division, every team is above 0.500 except for the reigning Calder Cup champions, the Chicago Wolves (0.409). Every team in the Atlantic and eight of the 10 teams in the Pacific are above the 0.500 mark. The odd division out is the North, where four of the seven teams are below 0.500.

Grab the Confetti: The Griffins competed in their 2000th regular-season game (1049-736-27-71-119) last Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Cleveland. The team will compete in its 1000th regular-season home contest (557-330-15-37-60) this Wednesday, Nov. 16 versus the Rockford IceHogs. The Griffins are also eight road wins away from 500 as a franchise (492-406-12-34-59).

Back and Forth We Go: After beginning the campaign with a 2-1-0-0 mark, the Griffins went on to trade wins and losses in the next seven contests. In three straight two-game series from Oct. 14-Nov. 4, Grand Rapids dropped every opening game but went on to win the following night. However, the Griffins broke that trend this past weekend when they defeated the Marlies in game one of the two-game weekend series before dropping game two in overtime.

Jumping for Joel: Joel L’Esperance saw his team-high five-game point streak (2-4—6) come to an end on Nov. 9 at Cleveland. However, L’Esperance still has seven points (3-4—7) in his last eight appearances. The Brighton, Mich., native is tied for third on the roster with 10 points (5-5—10) in the first 13 games to begin his career in Grand Rapids and his three power-play goals are tied for ninth in the AHL. L’Esperance signed a two-year contract with the Griffins this past offseason.

Inching Closer to No. 200: Jonatan Berggren made his NHL debut with Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 10, becoming the 196th Griffins alumnus to compete in the NHL. On Sunday, Nov. 6, forward Austin Czarnik became the 195th Griffin to appear in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut. Previously, Matt Luff became the 194th Griffin in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Boston Bruins.

Young Guns: Rookies Simon Edvinsson and Cross Hanas have made their presences known to begin their AHL careers. Edvinsson, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, is tied for fourth among first-year players with seven assists. With seven goals in 13 games, Hanas is second among rookies in the AHL and tied for eighth among all skaters on the circuit.

Bobbing for Apples: Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. In fact, the former Michigan State Spartan has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. This season has been no different, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading 10 helpers in 13 games, which is tied for sixth in the league and his seven power-play assists are tied for first in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in nine of the 13 contests this season.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:
Austin Czarnik—Three power-play goals are tied for ninth
Simon Edvinsson—Seven assists are tied for fourth among rookies
Cross Hanas—Seven goals are second among rookies and tied for eighth among all skaters, 11 points (7-4—11) are tied for sixth among first-year players
Taro Hirose—Ten assists are tied sixth, seven power-play assists are tied for first
Joel L’Esperance—Three power-play goals are tied for ninth
Donovan Sebrango—Three goals are tied for fourth among defensemen

Milestones:
Givani Smith bagged his 50th point in the AHL and as a Griffin with a goal on Nov. 12 versus Toronto. Dominik Shine skated in his 300th game as a Griffin, in the AHL and as a pro on Nov. 11 against Toronto and Eemil Viro joined Shine with his 150th contest as a pro.
Austin Czarnik—One assist from 150 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Four points from 150 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins