Griffins Game #5 * Home Game #3 * AHL Game #70

Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Home Series: 2-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 82-47-1-1-10 All-Time Home Series: 44-21-1-1-7 All-Time Road Series: 38-26-0-0-3

Moose at Griffins
Third of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 38-23-0-3 (.617) against them, including a 21-11-0-2 (.647) ledger at home...The Griffins are 17-14-0-3 (.544) overall against Manitoba since the 2021-22 season with a minus-seven scoring margin (93-86)...At home since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 9-7-0-2 (.556) against the Moose with a minus-one scoring margin (43-42)...Twelve of the last 18 meetings have been decided by just one goal...This is the 142nd meeting between the two teams, which is tied for the fourth-most encounters by any Grand Rapids opponent...The Moose return three of their top-five scorers from last season in Mason Shaw (17-20—37), Brad Lambert (7-28—35) and Elias Salomonsson (5-22—27). They also return their top goaltender from last campaign in Domenic DiVincentiis...Manitoba’s power play is tied for 22nd in the AHL at 15.4% and its penalty kill places 27th at 72.7%...The Griffins are tied for ninth in the power-play rankings at 25.0% and rank third in penalty kill at 91.7%...The Moose are tied for 23rd with 2.50 goals per game and 24th with 3.75 goals against...Former Griffin Drew MacIntyre (2004-06) is Manitoba’s goaltending coach. MacIntyre was a member of the Griffins’ 2005-06 squad that won the AHL’s regular-season championship, and he remains as Grand Rapids’ career playoff leader in GAA (1.62) and save percentage (.940). 

Last Time Out
Behind Michal Postava’s 35 saves and two-goal performances by John Leonard and Eduards Tralmaks, the Griffins flew to a 4-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose last Saturday at Van Andel Arena, capturing a 4-0 start to the season for the first time since 2004-05. It is just the third time in franchise history that the Griffins have improved to 4-0 to begin a campaign. Czech netminder Postava became the Griffins’ eighth rookie goalie to win his home debut, joining teammate Sebastian Cossa, Filip Larsson, Jared Coreau, Petr Mrazek, Tom McCollum, Jimmy Howard and Mathieu Chouinard. Dan Watson claimed his 350th win as a pro head coach and defenseman Jacob Truscott made his pro debut.  

This Date in Griffins History
1996: Griffins post their first-ever victory - and shutout - at Van Andel Arena, blanking intrastate rival Michigan by a 2-0 count. Pokey Reddick makes 20 saves in earning the shutout.

Just Getting Started 
The Griffins are 4-0 for just the third time in franchise history. It’s been 21 years since the 2004-05 team set a franchise record with a 5-0 start, and they also started 4-0 in 2000-01, their final campaign in the IHL. Grand Rapids is also 2-0 on the road for the first time since 2019 and began the campaign with a pair of road victories for the first time since 2007. The Griffins have yet to trail in a game this season, scoring the first goal in each of the four outings and possessing a lead after the second period in all four games. The special teams units have also been stellar to kick off the season, as the power play is 3-for-12 (25%, T9th) and the penalty kill is 11-for-12 (91.7%, 3rd). The Griffins have averaged four goals per game, which is tied for fifth in the AHL, and have allowed an average of 2.25 goals, which is tied for seventh.

Good Problem to Have 
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. 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. Even with two of them scratched for each contest, the veterans on the team have combined for 18 points (8-10—18) in 24 games, which accounts for 40% of the scoring for the team and 50% of the goals. Leonard ranks first among the veterans with four points (3-1—4) in three games, while Dries (1-2—3) and Shine (2-1—3) are tied for second. 

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 on Oct. 10 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, who has six points (4-2—6) in four games, is tied for seventh in the AHL in points and tied for second in goals. The 23-year-old 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 64 points (32-32—64) in 90 regular-season games, adding eight points (3-5—8) in nine postseason outings. 

Not Your Ordinary Rookie
Netminder Michal Postava, an undrafted free agent out of Czechia, is in his first season in North America after spending the last three campaigns in the Czech pro ranks. The 23-year-old is off to a 2-0 start with Grand Rapids with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He is tied for 14th in the AHL in GAA and seventh in save percentage. Postava became the 10th rookie netminder in franchise history to win his debut and then became the eighth rookie goalie to win his home debut, joining teammate Sebastian Cossa, Filip Larsson, Jared Coreau, Petr Mrazek, Tom McCollum, Jimmy Howard and Mathieu Chouinard. He 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 76-65-9 record with 12 shutouts and a 2.11 GAA in 146 contests. 

Shine On, Captain
On Oct. 9, 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, 31 at the time, 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 (486), seventh in goals (77), ninth in assists (110), eighth in points (187), sixth in penalty minutes (553), tied for eighth in short-handed goals (5), tied for fifth in game-winners (13), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and sixth in shots (803). 

Future is Bright 
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is in his fourth campaign with Grand Rapids. 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. Cossa is off to a 2-0 start this season with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids, Cossa has notched a 46-25-14 mark with three shutouts to go along with a 2.52 GAA in 86 outings. 

The Watson Supercomputer 
Dan Watson, the 12th head coach in franchise history, is in his third season at the helm and collected his 350th win as a head boss last Saturday against Manitoba. 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 78-52-12-6 regular-season mark (.588) and a 5-7 postseason ledger (.417). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 350-164-34-19 (.664) record during the regular season and a 56-41 (.577) mark over only seven playoff campaigns.  

Championship Pedigree
Newcomer John Leonard is tied for second on the team with four points (3-1—4) and is also tied for seventh in the AHL with three goals. 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%). The Amherst, Massachusetts, native was originally selected with the 182nd overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2018 and has amassed 175 points (86-89—175) in 252 career AHL outings since 2020-21. 

The Return
Riga, Latvia, native Eduards Tralmaks returned to North America for the first time since 2022-23 and scored the first goal of the season for the Griffins. Tralmaks has three goals in four games with Grand Rapids, which is tied for second on the roster and tied for seventh in the AHL. 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. 

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 2,209 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,149-818-27-86-129 regular-season record (.581), to go along with 19 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013). 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Sheldon Dries—Tied for second in shorthanded goals (1)
Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for fifth among defensemen in assists (3)
John Leonard—Tied for seventh in goals (3)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for ninth in assists (4)
Carter Mazur—Tied for second in goals (4), tied for seventh in points (6), tied for seventh in plus-minus (+5)
Michal Postava—Seventh in save percentage (.939), second among rookie goalies in save percentage (.939), tied for fourth among rookie goalies in GAA (2.01)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for seventh in goals (3)
William Wallinder—Tied for fifth among defensemen in assists (3) 

Milestones
Last Saturday, Dan Watson earned his 350th win as a professional head coach with a 4-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose. 
Tyler Angle—One goal from 50 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Three points from 250 in the AHL
Erik Gustafsson—One assist from 50 in the AHL, two points from 400 as a pro
Justin Holl—One point from 200 as a pro
William Lagesson—One game from 200 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
William Wallinder—Two points from 100 as a pro
Austin Watson—Three points from 300 as a pro 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins