Wolf Hunting

This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS vs. Hartford Wolf Pack // Fri., Dec. 16 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7 p.m.

Watch: WXSP-TV at 7 p.m. and AHLTV

Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second of two meetings overall, first and only at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 1-2-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home

NHL Affiliation: New York Rangers

Noteworthy: This will be the first meeting between the two franchises in West Michigan since the Griffins defeated Hartford 3-2 on Nov. 14, 2008. Grand Rapids assistant coach Todd Krygier played for the Hartford Whalers (NHL) from 1989-91 and amassed 60 points (31-29—60) in 130 games.

Promotions: Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Night presented by Fox Motors. Calendar giveaway

GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves // Sat., Dec. 17 // 8 p.m. EST // Allstate Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST

Watch: AHLTV and My 50 Chicago

Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Allstate Arena

All-Time Series: 91-81-2-7-3 Overall, 47-44-0-2-1 Away

NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes

Noteworthy: Chicago blew through the Griffins a season ago on its way to winning the Calder Cup, compiling an 11-0-1-0 (0.958) ledger against its Central-Division foe. In the past two campaigns, Grand Rapids is just 4-17-1-0 (0.205) against the Wolves and has been outscored 90-44.

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Dec. 7 // GRIFFINS 6 vs. Iowa 2 // 9-11-1-0 (19 pts., 0452, 6th Central)
Fri., Dec. 9 // GRIFFINS 2 at Springfield 1 (OT) // 10-11-1-0 (21 pts., 0.477, 6th Central)
Sat., Dec. 10 // GRIFFINS 0 at Hartford 4 // 10-12-1-0 (21 pts., 0.457, 6th Central)

Last Week’s Notes
Wednesday vs. Iowa (6-2 W) - The Griffins’ offense exploded in a 6-2 victory over the Wild at Van Andel Arena. Lukas Craggs, Alex Chiasson and Gordie Green all made their Griffins debut, as Craggs tallied an assist and Chiasson notched two apples in the win. Taro Hirose added three helpers to his team-leading assist total while Joel L’Esperance and Steven Kampfer each chipped in two goals. Pontus Andreasson continued his hot streak by scoring the second goal of the night. The rookie now has 14 points in his last 13 games (7-7–14) and is third on the team in total points (7-8–15). Recap | Highlights

Friday at Springfield (2-1 OTW) - Late-game heroics from Alex Chiasson and Jared McIsaac lifted the Griffins over the Thunderbirds in a 2-1 overtime victory at the MassMutual Center. After Grand Rapids was held scoreless for the first 56:55 of play, Chiasson buried the game-tying goal by stuffing in the puck during a scrum in the crease. Just 56 seconds into the overtime period, McIsaac skated into the Springfield zone from center ice and rifled in a shot from the left circle behind Joel Hofer to secure the win. Magnus Hellberg shined once again between the pipes for Grand Rapids, recording 21 saves on the night. Elmer Soderblom made his Griffins/AHL debut on the contest. This was the first-ever meeting between the two franchises. Recap | Highlights

Saturday at Hartford (0-4 L) - The Griffins were shut out for the first time this season in a 4-0 loss against the Wolf Pack at the XL Center. Magnus Hellberg, in his fourth game with Grand Rapids, recorded 41 saves in the contest. During his conditioning loan with the Griffins, the former Wolf Pack netminder had a 2.50 goals against average and a 0.932 save percentage. The contest marked Brian Lashoff's 600th game as a Griffin and in the AHL. In his Grand Rapids career, Lashoff has recorded 31 goals and 95 assists for 126 total points. Hartford out-shot the Griffins 45-21 in the contest, including a 34-11 advantage over the final two periods. Recap | Highlights

O Captain! My Captain!: Captain Brian Lashoff competed in his 600th game as a Griffin and in the AHL on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Hartford. Lashoff’s 600 games played for the Griffins rank first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and fourth in league history among one-team players. Of the players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Lashoff overtook Paul Larivee (Providence Reds, 1952-62) for the No. 4 spot on April 6, 2022 against Cleveland and is now eight games behind No. 3 Howie Yanosik (Hershey Bears, 1957-67). Lashoff is still 55 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time regular-season games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

You Need to Be This Tall to Ride the Rollercoaster: On Friday, left wing Elmer Soderblom made his Griffins/AHL debut, becoming the tallest player to ever compete for Grand Rapids. At 6-foot-8, Soderblom edged out former 6-foot-6 players in Jared Coreau, Francois Leroux, Brad Norton, Michael Rasmussen, Dan Turple, Sebastian Cossa and teammate Simon Edvinsson. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native has two goals in 13 games with Detroit this season but does not have a point through two games with the Griffins. Soderblom was selected with the 159th pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and is his rookie season in North America.

Had to Get in Shape: Goaltender Magnus Hellberg saw his conditioning loan with the Griffins end on Sunday when he was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. In terms of games played, Hellberg’s conditioning loan tied for the longest among the six DRW goalies and their eight GRG stints, while his save percentage was among the best. The Uppsala, Sweden, native went 2-2-0 with the Griffins along with a 2.50 goals against average and a 0.932 save percentage.

Welcomed Offensive Production: Last Wednesday, veteran Alex Chiasson made his Griffins debut against the Iowa Wild, collecting two helpers. Chiasson followed that performance with another two points (1-1—2) on Friday at Springfield. Through two games, the 10th-year pro has four points (1-3—4) and a plus-three rating. Through parts of 10 seasons in the NHL, Chiasson has 224 points (114-110—224) and 353 penalty minutes in 631 games. The Griffins signed the Montreal, Quebec, native to a professional tryout on Nov. 26.

Just Keep it Close: The Griffins have had an up-and-down start to the season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 6-0-1-0 (0.929) in games decided by one goal. In comparison, the Griffins are just 4-12-0-0 (0.250) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

Pontus Pilot: After a slow start that saw him tally one point (0-1—1) in the first seven games, Pontus Andreasson has been among the driving forces of the Griffins’ offense of late. Andreasson enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-2—5) from Nov. 18-26 and has 14 points in the last 15 outings (7-7—14). 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.

Bobbing for Apples: Taro Hirose collected his first pro hat trick on Nov. 18 at San Diego, which concluded his career-high four-point (3-1—4) night. 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 full AHL campaign in his career. This season has a similar pace, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading 17 helpers in 23 games and his 11 power-play assists rank sixth in the AHL. Hirose tied his single-game AHL high with three assists on Dec. 7 against Iowa. Hirose has points in 15 of the 23 contests this season (6-17—23).

Take the Over: The Griffins averaged just 2.75 goals a game during the 2021-22 season while giving up 3.16. However, Grand Rapids is averaging 2.91 goals this season while conceding 3.91. Thirteen of its 23 games so far have had seven or more total goals scored, with eight of those contests having eight or more tallies. The Griffins are tied for third to last on the circuit with 90 goals against while their 67 goals for rank 22nd in the AHL.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:
Pontus Andreasson—Four power-play goals are tied for fourth among rookies
Simon Edvinsson—Eight assists rank sixth among rookie defensemen
Taro Hirose—17 assists are tied for 11th, 11 power-play assists rank sixth
Joel L’Esperance—Six power-play goals are tied for sixth

Milestones:
Captain Brian Lashoff skated in his 600th game as a Griffin and in the AHL on Dec. 10 at Hartford. Taro Hirose notched 100th assist as a Griffin and in the AHL on Dec. 9 at Springfield and he tallied his 150th pro point on Dec. 7 against Iowa when he tallied three helpers.
Alex Chiasson—One game from 700 as a pro
Steven Kampfer—Two points from 200 as a pro
Joel L’Esperance—Five goals from 100 as a pro
Tyler Spezia—One game from 150 as a Griffin and in the AHL

Photo by Hartford Wolf Pack