This Week’s Games

GRIFFINS (2-0-0-0) vs. Manitoba Moose (1-1-0-0) // Fri., Oct. 17 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS vs. Manitoba Moose // Sat., Oct. 18 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena 

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and at 7 p.m. Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday, AHLTV on FloHockey and WXSP-TV on Saturday

Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 80-47-1-1-10 Overall, 42-21-1-1-7 Home

NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets

Noteworthy: Dominik Shine will play his first game at Van Andel Arena as captain for the Griffins. Shine is just the third player in team history to reach 10 seasons with the franchise, joining Brian Lashoff (14) and Travis Richards (10).   

Hot Start: With their two-game sweep over the Texas Stars last weekend, the Griffins have started 2-0 for the second time in the past three seasons and 2-0 on the road for the first time since 2019. Grand Rapids began the campaign with a pair of road victories for the first time since 2007, when it won the first three road outings and started 5-0 in foreign territory. The Griffins will look to improve to 3-0 overall for the first time since 2016-17, when they went on to win their second Calder Cup. 

He’s Back!: After suffering a season-ending injury during his NHL debut with Detroit on March 6, 2025, Carter Mazur returned to the ice last Friday and tallied his first pro hat trick, which included the game-winner with 3:04 remaining. The three goals marked the first hat trick in any kind of opener – season, road, or home – in franchise history. Mazur, the 70th overall pick by the Red Wings in 2021, showed 15 points (8-7—15) in 20 games with the Griffins last season before receiving his first call up to the NHL. In addition to his season-ending injury with Detroit last March, the Jackson, Michigan, native was also sidelined for 35 straight games with Grand Rapids from Oct. 19-Jan. 18 of last campaign due to an upper-body injury. With Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023, Mazur has 61 points (31-30—61) in 88 regular-season games, adding eight points (3-5—8) in nine postseason outings. 

Shine On, Captain: Last Thursday, Dominik Shine was named the 19th captain in franchise history. He is in his 10th season with Grand Rapids, becoming just the third player in team history to reach the milestone (Brian Lashoff 14, Travis Richards 10). During the 2024-25 AHL season, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (32), points (46), power-play goals (5), game-winners (4), shots (149), and multi-point outings (11) to go along with 14 goals and 76 penalty minutes in 61 regular-season games. He also signed his first NHL contract on Jan. 27, 2025, and later that evening made his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings. Shine, 32, became the oldest skater to make his NHL debut since Evgeny Medvedev did so at 33 on Oct. 8, 2015, and the oldest Red Wings player to make his debut since Vaclav Nedomansky did it at 33 on Nov. 18, 1977. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (485), seventh in goals (76), tied for ninth in assists (109), ninth in points (185), sixth in penalty minutes (553), tied for eighth in short-handed goals (5), tied for seventh in game-winners (12), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and sixth in shots (801).

The Watson Supercomputer: Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and is in his third season at the helm. Last season, Watson became the sixth head coach in franchise history to reach the postseason in both of his first two full years, joining Bruce Cassidy (2000-02), Danton Cole (2002-04), Greg Ireland (2005-07), Jeff Blashill (2012-14), and Todd Nelson (2015-17). Watson was also named the head coach of the Central Division at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic, becoming the first Griffin coach to achieve an all-star honor since Nelson in 2017 and the fourth head coach in franchise history to coach in an all-star game, joining Nelson, Blashill (2014), and Cassidy (2002 AHL, 2001 IHL). In 2024-25, Watson aided the Griffins to a third-place finish in the Central Division with a 37-29-4-2 record, and he has finished in the top three of the division in each of his first two campaigns. With Grand Rapids, Watson sports a 76-52-12-6 regular-season mark (.582) and a 5-7 postseason ledger (.417). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 348-164-34-19 (.663) record during the regular season and a 56-41 (.577) mark over only seven playoff campaigns. 

Debut for the Ages: Last Thursday with the Detroit Red Wings against the Montreal Canadiens, rookies Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Emmit Finnie and Axel Sandin-Pellikka all made their NHL debuts at the age of 20. That marked just the second time in Griffins history that three alumni all made their debuts on the same night. The last time it occurred was on Oct. 4, 2018, when defensemen Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek and Libor Sulak all made their NHL debuts with Detroit. Finnie, a seventh-round pick by Detroit in 2023, has competed in 13 games with Grand Rapids since the spring of 2024 with five points (1-4—5), adding three appearances in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Sandin-Pellikka was the 17th overall pick by Detroit in 2023 and showed one assist in two games with the Griffins in the spring of 2025 before skating in three Calder Cup Playoff outings last season. Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick by the Red Wings in 2024, suited up for two games with Grand Rapids at the end of the last season and then tied for the team lead with three points (2-1—3) in three 2025 Calder Cup Playoff appearances. 

Championship Pedigree: Newcomer John Leonard joined the Griffins with aspirations of becoming a Calder Cup champion, as he fell just short of that accomplishment last season with the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers reached the 2025 Calder Cup Finals before being bested 4-2 by the Abbotsford Canucks. Leonard led Charlotte during the postseason in points (8-6—14) and goals (8), while tying for eighth in points and third in goals among all AHL playoff performers. The 27-year-old was named to the 2024-25 AHL Second All-Star Team when he ranked among the league leaders in points (T10th), goals (T2nd), power-play goals (T9th), short-handed goals (T1st) and shots (2nd). Last campaign, he notched career-high totals in games played (72), goals (36), points (61), plus-minus rating (+21), power-play goals (10), short-handed goals (5), game-winners (8), shots (252), and shooting percentage (14.3%). Now with the Griffins, Leonard has logged two points (1-1—2) in two games, earning his 100th pro assist last Friday in his 250th AHL outing. The Amherst, Massachusetts, native was originally selected with the 182nd overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2018 and has amassed 173 points (84-89—173) in 251 career AHL outings since 2020-21.

Holy Goalies: The Griffins’ goalie room this year will feature a pair of young prospects in Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava. Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is a recent draft pick of the Red Wings while Postava, an undrafted free agent out of Czechia, comes to North America for the first time after spending the last three campaigns in the Czechia pro ranks. Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion last season with Kometa Brno and ranked among the league’s regular-season leaders in save percentage (5th), goals-against average (T11th), wins (4th) and shutouts (T7th) before placing first in the postseason with a .940 save percentage in 17 outings. Last Saturday, Postava became the 10th rookie netminder in franchise history to win his debut, as he collected a 27 saves in a 3-2 victory. Throughout Postava’s three-year pro career, the 6-foot-1 netminder has shown a 75-65-9 record with 12 shutouts and a 2.11 GAA in 145 contests. Last season, Cossa was named to his first AHL All-Star Classic and ranked among the AHL regular-season leaders in games played (41, T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), GAA (2.45, 11th), save percentage (.911, T13th), and wins (21, T10th). The 6-foot-7 goaltender also made his NHL debut with Detroit on Dec. 9 at Buffalo and came away with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and three stops in the shootout in a relief effort. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids, Cossa has notched a 45-25-14 mark with three shutouts to go along with a 2.53 GAA in 85 outings.

The Return: Riga, Latvia, native Eduards Tralmaks returned to North America for the first time since 2022-23 and scored the first goal for the Griffins in the 2024-25 season. He became just the second player from Latvia to compete for the Griffins, joining Aigars Cipruss. Cipruss played in just one game for Grand Rapids in 1996-97, collecting an assist, and also competed for Team Latvia in the 2002 and 2006 Olympics. He has spent the last two campaigns in the Czech Extraliga with Rytiri Kladno. Last season, Tralmaks ranked first in the Czech Extraliga with a career-high 51 points (23-28—51) in 48 games, adding career-high totals in goals (23), assists (28) and penalty minutes (66). Throughout two seasons in Czechia, the 28-year-old showed 83 points (44-39—83) and 100 penalty minutes in 100 games. He also competed for Team Latvia at the last two World Championships and posted seven points (3-4—7) in seven games during the 2025 tournament. As a free agent out of the University of Maine, Tralmaks signed with the Providence Bruins in 2021 and skated in three seasons with the franchise, compiling 41 points (22-19—41) in 87 contests. He also spent three games with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners from 2021-23 with seven points (4-3—7). During his time as a junior, Tralmaks became a USHL Clark Cup champion in 2016-17 with Chicago and was dubbed the Clark Cup MVP when he posted 12 points (10-2—12) in 14 postseason games. 

Still Making History in Year 30: During the offseason, the Griffins signed defenseman Alex Kannok Leipert to a one-year contract. Kannok Leipert, a native of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, became the first player from Thailand to suit up for the Griffins, doing so last Friday with two assists. He was also the first player from Thailand to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft when he was selected 161st overall by the Washington Capitals in 2018. Last season with the Bakersfield Condors, Kannok Leipert posted career-high numbers in games played (59), goals (4), assists (7), points (11) and penalty minutes (93). As a pro, the 6-foot 205-pound blueliner has 25 points (5-20—25), 233 penalty minutes and a plus-nine rating in 184 career outings since 2021-22.

Roster Breakdown: Eighteen players (forwards Ondrej Becher, Alex Doucet, Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Amadeus Lombardi, Carter Mazur, Jakub Rychlovsky, Dominik Shine, Eduards Tralmaks, and Austin Watson; defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, William Lagesson, Ian Mitchell, Antti Tuomisto, and William Wallinder; goaltenders Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava) on the roster are under contract with the Red Wings, while five players (forwards Tyler Angle, Carson Bantle and Gabriel Seger; and defenseman Alex Kannok Leipert and Jacob Truscott) are playing on a Griffins contract. Six players are Red Wings draft picks (Becher, Cossa, Lombardi, Mazur, Tuomisto, and Wallinder). 

Young Guns: The Griffins have only two players who are considered rookies this season in defenseman Jacob Truscott and goaltender Michal Postava. 

Oldies but Goodies: The Griffins’ roster features eight veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, William Lagesson and Ian Mitchell. A player receives veteran status if he has competed in at least 261 games in the NHL, AHL or European elite leagues. With eight veterans, the Griffins are two over the roster limit and are required to scratch two of them each game due to the AHL’s development rule. Gustafsson leads all veterans with 844 games played, while Watson (823) ranks second and Holl (658) places third.   

30th Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins are in the franchise’s 30th overall season of play, 25th as a member of the American Hockey League, and 24th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. The Griffins have competed in 2,207 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,147-818-27-86-129 regular-season record (.581), to go along with 19 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).

Milestones: Last Friday in his Griffins debut, John Leonard potted his 100th pro assist during his 250th AHL game. 
Tyler Angle—One goal from 50 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Five points from 250 in the AHL
Erik Gustafsson—Two assists from 50 in the AHL, three points from 400 as a pro
Justin Holl—One assist from 50 in the AHL, two points from 200 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11
William Wallinder—Four points from 100 as a pro
Austin Watson—Four points from 300 as a pro
Dan Watson—Two wins from 350 as a head coach

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins