SCOUTING REPORT

Feb. 10, Feb. 11

• Goaltender Oskari Salminen is tied for ninth among firstyear AHL netminders with a 2.99 goals against average through 23 outings. Fellow rookie and teammate Arvid Holm is tied for sixth among first-year backstops with a 0.908 save percentage and tied for fifth with 10 wins.

• Despite going 2-4-0-2 overall against the Moose a season ago, the Griffins held a 2-1-0-1 record against Manitoba in West Michigan. In the last five years against the Moose at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids is 9-4-0-1 (0.679).

• Center Wyatt Bongiovanni, a Birmingham, Mich., native, is the lone Michigander on Manitoba’s roster. Bongiovanni spent one campaign with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the United States Hockey League

(2017-18) before spending four seasons at hockey powerhouse Quinnipiac University, winning the ECAC in 2020-21.

Rockford

Feb. 15

• Rockford’s offense is one of the best in the league, as its 131 goals scored are tied for ninth in the AHL through 40 games. The franchise also has two players in the top 10 for scoring with David Gust (2021—41) and Brett Seney (15-26—41) both tied for ninth.

• The Griffins are 1-3-0-0 against the IceHogs this season, which includes a 0-1-0-0 mark at home. Grand Rapids scored just one goal in each of the first three meetings, having been outscored 13-3. However, the Griffins exploded for four goals in the first 3:58 of play on Jan. 18 and rolled to a 5-2 victory at Rockford.

• Defenseman Alec Regula was selected with the 67th overall pick in the third round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Regula never played for Detroit or the Griffins and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Brendan Perlini on Oct. 28, 2019.

Cleveland

Feb. 17, Feb. 25

• Cleveland’s offense has been energized by its power play, which ranks fifth in the AHL at 23.4% (36 for 154) through 38 games. Emil Bemstrom is tied for sixth in the league with eight power-play goals. However, the script is flipped when talking about the Monsters’ penalty kill, as the unit places third-to-last on the circuit at 75.2%.

• Consistent goaltending has been an issue for Cleveland this season, as it ranks 31st in the AHL with 150 goals against in 38 games (3.95 GAA). Second-year pro Jet Greaves has a 3.66 goals against average in 18 outings while rookie netminder Pavel Cajan showed a 3.51 GAA in 14 appearances.

• Defenseman David Jiricek is in his rookie AHL season after being selected by Columbus with the sixth overall pick in last year’s NHL Entry Draft. Jiricek made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets on Oct. 28 at Boston.

Chicago

Feb. 24, March 1

• After winning the 2022 Calder Cup in dominant fashion, going 14-4 during its postseason run, Chicago has struggled in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign. The Wolves are in last place in the Central Division with 32 points through

37 games (0.432). Chicago also ranks 30th out of 32 teams in the AHL after 37 contests.

• Chicago’s roster is comprised of two former first-round draft picks in center Ryan Suzuki and left wing Brendan Perlini. Suzuki was selected with the 28th overall pick by Carolina in 2019 and Perlini was the 12th overall pick by Arizona in 2014. Perlini also skated with the Red Wings in 2019-20, totaling one goal and three helpers in 39 appearances.

• The Wolves are tied for sixth in the AHL with six shorthanded goals against. However, they have scored four shorthanders themselves to tie for 16th in the league.

Iowa

March 3, March 4

• Sammy Walker ranks first among AHL rookies with 32 points (15-17—32) in 32 appearances. Walker also has eight points (4-4—8) in six contests against the Griffins this year. The University of Minnesota product captained the Gophers from 2019-22 and totaled 112 points (48-64—112) in 144 appearances in the Big Ten.

• The Wild’s road power play is one of the best in the league, as it ranks sixth on the circuit with a conversion rate of 24.6% through 17 road games. In comparison, the home power play for Iowa is at 15.7% and stands in 26th place through 22 home contests.

• Rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was selected with the 20th overall pick by Minnesota in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, five picks after the Red Wings chose netminder Sebastian Cossa. Wallstedt ranks fourth among AHL rookies with a 2.60 GAA in 21 outings.

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