Griffins Game #2 * Road Game #2 * AHL Game #18

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 46-32-7-5 All-Time Home Series: 24-14-2-4 All-Time Road Series: 22-18-5-1

Griffins at Stars
Second of eight meetings overall, second of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park...Last season, the Griffins were 3-3-2-0 against Texas, which included a 2-1-1-0 mark in the Lone Star State…In the last five seasons since the 2021-22, the Griffins are 14-14-4-1 (.500) against Texas with a minus-18 scoring margin (111-93)...Also since 2021-22, Grand Rapids is 8-6-3-0 (.559) against the Stars on the road but has been outscored 63-56...With the promotion of former head coach Neil Graham to the Dallas Stars, Texas has a new head boss in Toby Petersen. Petersen has never been a head coach in his career, as he served as an assistant in the AHL from 2014-20 (Springfield 2014-15; Cleveland 15-17; Rochester 17-20) before most recently working as a skills coach for the Colorado Avalanche from 2023-25...Matej Blumel, Texas’ leading scorer from last season who also tied for second in the AHL with 72 points, did not return to the Stars and signed one-year deal with Boston in the offseason...The Stars return four of their top five scorers from last season in Justin Hryckowian (22-38—60), Cameron Hughes (23-34—57), Kole Lind (23-29—52) and Kyle Capobianco (7-43—50)...A six-year captain of the Stars, Curtis McKenzie returns for his 10th campaign with Texas. With Texas, McKenzie has 372 points (153-219—372) in 496 regular-season games...Sheldon Dries made his pro debut with the Stars on Oct. 6, 2017 at Chicago and totaled 30 points (19-11—30) in 70 games during his rookie season with the club...Texas’ Cross Hanas was a second-round pick by the Red Wings in 2020 (55th overall) and played in three seasons with the Griffins from 2022-25, showing 50 points (26-24—50) in 146 games.

This Date in Griffins History
1996: Griffins host their first-ever game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids against the Orlando Solar Bears before a sold-out crowd of 10,834, but fall by a 3-1 score to the defending Eastern Conference playoff champions. Darin Smith scores the first Griffins goal in the new facility, converting in the second period against Allan Bester.

Last Time Out
Opening their 30th anniversary season, the Griffins were powered by Carter Mazur’s first professional hat trick in a 4-3 victory over the Texas Stars at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Friday. Alongside the hat trick, Eduards Tralmaks tallied the other goal for Grand Rapids during his team debut. Alex Kannok Leipert recorded his first two assists as a Griffin and Sebastian Cossa logged 32 saves, 12 of which coming in the final 20 minutes. Newcomer John Leonard also registered his 100th pro assist in his 250th AHL game. The win marked the first road opener victory for Grand Rapids since the 2019-20 campaign when they defeated Chicago, 8-5. In their last seven road openers, the Griffins improved to just 2-5-0-0. 

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 night and tallied his first pro hat trick, which included the game-winner with 3:04 remaining. The three goals also 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 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 87 regular-season games, adding eight points (3-5—8) in nine postseason outings. 

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 2,206 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,146-818-27-86-129 regular-season record (.580), to go along with 19 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).

Shine On, Captain
On Thursday, Dominik Shine was named the 19th captain in franchise history. He returns to Grand Rapids for his 10th season, 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 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 (484), tied for seventh in goals (75), tied for ninth in assists (109), ninth in points (184), 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 (799). 

2024-25 Season in Review
The Griffins skated in their 29th season a year ago and concluded with a 37-29-4-2 record, 80 points and a points percentage of .556. Grand Rapids finished in third place in the Central Division before being bested 3-0 by Texas in the best-of-five division semifinals. The team sent two players to the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic in Sebastian Cossa and Austin Watson, in addition to having head coach Dan Watson man the bench for the Central Division. Joe Snively led the team in points (21-26—47), Dominik Shine paced the roster in assists (32) and Sheldon Dries posted a team-high 25 goals. Nate Danielson, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, led the roster’s rookies in points (39), goals (12) and assists (27). Danielson’s assist rate tied for ninth among AHL rookies in 2024-25. Defensively, Antti Tuomisto led the team’s blueliners in points (27) and assists (24), while Brogan Rafferty ranked first in goals (6) and William Lagesson placed first in plus-minus rating (+13). In net, Cossa led the way with a 21-15-5 record with one shutout to go along with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in an AHL career-high 41 games. Cossa ranked among the league leaders in games played (T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), wins (T10th), GAA (11th) and save percentage (T13th).   

The Watson Supercomputer 
Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and enters 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 75-52-12-6 regular-season mark (.579) and a 5-7 postseason ledger (.417). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 347-164-34-19 (.662) record during the regular season and a 56-41 (.577) mark over only seven playoff campaigns. 

Championship Pedigree 
Newcomer John Leonard joins 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%). The Amherst, Massachusetts, native was originally selected with the 182nd overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2018 and has amassed 172 points (83-89—172) in 250 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. Throughout Postava’s three-year pro career, the 6-foot-1 netminder has shown a 74-65-9 record with 12 shutouts and a 2.11 GAA in 144 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 three seasons with Grand Rapids, Cossa has notched a 45-25-14 mark with three shutouts to go along with a 2.54 GAA in 85 outings. 

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). 

Debut for the Ages
On 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.  

Pure Michigan
Several Griffins will be competing in their home state this year, as the roster features five Michiganders in Sheldon Dries (Macomb), Carter Mazur (Jackson), Dominik Shine (Detroit), Jacob Truscott (Port Huron), and Austin Watson (Ann Arbor). 

The Return 
Riga, Latvia, native Eduards Tralmaks returns to North America for the first time since 2022-23, as he spent the last two campaigns in the Czech Extraliga with Rytiri Kladno. 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. 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. 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-10 rating in 183 career outings since 2021-22. 

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 seven 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. Gustafsson leads all veterans with 843 games played, while Watson (822) ranks second and Holl (657) places third.   

Pour Me A Draft 
The Griffins’ roster is stocked with high-end draft picks from previous years. The roster features two former first rounders in Sebastian Cossa (15th in 2021) and Austin Watson (18th in 2010). In addition, Grand Rapids is highlighted with four former second-round picks, including Justin Holl (54th in 2010), Ian Mitchell (57th in 2017), Antti Tuomisto (35th in 2019), and William Wallinder (32nd in 2020). The Griffins’ roster also includes two third-round picks in Ondrej Becher (80th in 2024) and Carter Mazur (70th in 2021), and 16 total draft picks. 

Milestones 
Last night in his Griffins debut, John Leonard potted his 100th pro assist during his 250th AHL game. 
Erik Gustafsson—Three assists from 50 in the AHL, four points from 400 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11
Austin Watson—Five points from 300 as a pro
Dan Watson—Three wins from 350 as a head coach

Photo by Texas Stars