2016-17 SEASON ISSUE NO. 1
VETERAN Nathan Paetsch O F F I C I A L
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Vol. 21, No. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS STARTING LINEUP 24 FATHER FIGURE Defenseman Nathan Paetsch has two children, but his role on the ice offers its own share of mentoring opportunities. 30 THE LIST Ten things that Griffins goaltender Jared Coreau can’t live without. 32 THE SAGA OF SVECHNIKOV Highly touted Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svechnikov has come a long way in his hockey career. 42 HOCKEY RENAISSANCE Hockey has undergone a rebirth in Toledo as the Walleye organization has taken on an important role in the developmental pipeline for the Griffins and Detroit Red Wings.
50 DEPENDABLE WORKHORSE Undrafted and unsung, Colin Campbell is building a reputation as a hard-nosed player who isn’t afraid of doing the dirty work.
24
60 FLASH FORWARD The Detroit Red Wings showcased their future during the annual NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City. 63 ‘A’ IS FOR ADVANCEMENT Like dozens of coaches working in the AHL, former Griffins player-coach Derek King is helping prospects
climb the ladder of success.
32
ON THE BENCH 2............Chalk Talk 40.........Meet the Griffins 4............Scouting Report 59.........Griffins Records 6............Homey Hospitality 68.........Griffins All-Stars 9............Griffins Schedule 73.........Penalty Calls 12.........AHL Tradition 74.........Arena Map/Ticket Info 15.........AHL Team Directory 76.........It All Starts Here 19.........Detroit Red Wings 79.........Kids Page 21.........Promotional Calendar 80.........Parting Shot
50 COVER:
Defenseman Nathan Paetsch has been a fixture on the Griffins’ blue line since the team’s championship season in 2012-13. Photo by Sam Iannamico Griffiti magazine is published four times a year by the Grand Rapids Griffins, Van Andel Arena, 130 W. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI 49503. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All contents ©2016 Grand Rapids Griffins. For advertising information, contact Griffins Sales & Marketing, (616) 774-4585; fax (616) 336-5464. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials will not be returned.
60
1
Q&A WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH TODD NELSON In your first season, you inherited a team that had been largely established under your predecessor, Jeff Blashill. This year, the situation seems more fluid. Does that increase the challenge going into the season? Last year we had a situation where we had a lot of returning players but a new head coach. As a result, there was an adjustment period and we got off to a tough start. Once we found common ground, the team played some pretty good hockey. This season, we have a number of players who are now familiar with me, but there is going to be some turnover. That’s the nature of the American Hockey League. It’s a situation similar to what I had during my five years in Oklahoma City. Detroit, for example, is very deep at the forward position. We could have a situation where we could have 15-18 forwards competing for 12 spots. I started putting things down on paper and began to run out of room with all of the names. There will be a lot of juggling in the early going because of the new people, and we need to see what kind of chemistry they’ll have with our current guys. Some guys might get pushed to Toledo, but that’s an opportunity to give them playing time that might not be available in Grand Rapids. It makes no sense to keep someone with the Griffins for a couple of months and have them only see action in a few games. Practices are great, but you learn a lot from the games. If a player sits out too long, they lose confidence. When they finally get inserted into the lineup, they’re not as sharp as they should be. If we send someone to Toledo, it’s a chance for them to succeed. It’s an investment into their future as well as ours. With so many moving parts, how will you find consistency early in the season? Finding that consistency is very difficult in the beginning because you usually start with a roster 2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
bigger than you’ll carry the rest of the season, since everyone is healthy. The good thing is that our training camp has been highly competitive. We have so many good players who are jockeying for position that finding consistency won’t be easy. At the same time, we are blessed with a lot of depth and that’s so important at this level. There are nights where you get a phone call and you can lose two guys due to callup or injury, and all of a sudden you’re scrambling to find guys. Part of coaching in the AHL is providing motivation while coaxing other players to be patient as they await opportunities or more ice time. At the beginning of the season, you’re likely to have both experienced players who believe they belong in the NHL and younger players who are eager for ice time. How do you keep everyone happy? It’s difficult when you’re a player on the bubble of making the NHL and you get sent down. As a coaching staff, we try to manage those situations as best as possible. We have to get the player to overcome those feelings of being down and discouraged. We have to get their mindset right so they can play well in the AHL and have a chance to move up. It doesn’t do the player, the coaching staff or the organization any good if they aren’t staying positive. Meanwhile, the AHL is a reality check for younger players. Guys who come into the league from junior hockey, European leagues or college don’t always understand how good the AHL is. Everybody wants to make the jump to the NHL right away, but only a special group of players can do that. It’s fairly common to talk to younger players a couple of months into the season and they will say it was not as easy as they thought it would be. As a coaching staff, it’s our job to transition them into the pros as quickly as possible. Every situation is different. Sometimes it might be a veteran who feels he deserved a better fate but contracts dictated the move. Or it could be a younger player who is going through this for the first time and
realizes the challenge of competing against players who are now just as good as them. What did you see during the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City that you liked? In terms of veterans, how difficult is it going to be to find playing time for all of them? I felt our draft picks did a good job of getting better as the tournament progressed, and I liked the growth shown by the players who had been there in previous tournaments. Guys like Robbie Russo, Tyler Bertuzzi and Zach Nastasiuk took the next step and showed that as elder statesmen, they could be leaders. Two years prior, they were the young guys who didn’t know what to expect. In some ways, everybody has to be a leader. Just because you don’t have a letter on your jersey doesn’t mean that you can’t be a leader. You hate to be in a situation where you have too many veterans, but you manage it the best you can. It’s difficult for guys who have been in the league for years to sit. Everybody wants to play and while a lot of the older guys understand the challenge, they’re not happy when they have to sit out. And I don’t expect them to be happy. I want our guys to be hungry to play. So it’s difficult when you’re asked to take a step back and still keep a positive attitude, especially when you’ve done nothing
wrong and there’s no other reason than numbers. So we will take it day by day. Usually these things somehow work themselves out over the course of the season. As you know, getting out of the box at the start of the season can be a struggle. How important are those first few games? We cannot afford a slow start this year. We were fortunate to recover last year with a couple of record-breaking win streaks, but I don’t want to go down that road again. Our division is going to be extremely competitive, so we have to get off to a good start. We don’t have to be blazing, but it needs to be decent. Looking at the big picture, describe your feelings about this year’s team heading into the season. Knock on wood, I don’t want to get too excited, but I like what I see. Besides new blood, we have a group of players who really put in the work this summer and are ready to take the next step. They’re in fantastic shape and it’s showing on the ice. I don’t want to make any predictions because we’re going to need everybody to play at the top of their game to compete in our division. If we thought things were tight last season, things are going to be even tighter this year.
2016-17 GRIFFINS COACHING AND TRAINING STAFF
Head Coach
Todd Nelson
Video Coach
Bill LeRoy
Assistant Coach
Ben Simon
Athletic Trainer
John Bernal
Assistant Coach
Assistant Coach
Goaltending Coach
Bruce Ramsay
Mike Knuble
Brian Mahoney-Wilson
Equipment Manager
Assistant Equipment Manager
Strength-Conditioning Coordinator
Brad Thompson
Andrew Stegehuis
Marcus Kinney
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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GRIFFINS SCOUTING REPORT The Griffins will host a trio of Great Lakes rivals before welcoming visitors from Iowa and Texas as the team’s 21st season gets underway. The first portion of the home schedule will provide an early test of the Red Wings’ top affiliate, with four games against the defending Calder Cup champion Cleveland (formerly Lake Erie) Monsters.
CHICAGO (Oct. 14, Nov. 5)
• Griffins head coach Todd Nelson (2008) and assistant coach Ben Simon (2002) each won a Calder Cup as a member of the Wolves’ organization. • Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach and 17-year NHL veteran Craig Berube assumed Chicago’s coaching reins this summer from John Anderson, who had helmed the Wolves for 14 of the previous 19 seasons before parting ways with the team in June. • New Griffins goalie Eddie Pasquale made his AHL debut with Chicago in 2010-11, posting a 2.93 goals against average in 24 outings. The next season, as a member of the St. John’s IceCaps, he was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team.
4 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
ROCKFORD
• IceHogs assistant coach Derek King stands as one of the greatest players in Griffins history. King, who played in Grand Rapids from 1999-2001 and again from 2002-04, is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203). (See story on page 63.)
(Oct. 21, Nov. 11)
• As the saying goes, “Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered.” Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the Griffins have roasted Rockford to the tune of 15-2-1-1 over their 19 regular season and playoff meetings at Van Andel Arena. • The IceHogs have had a winning record during each of the team’s nine AHL seasons, with a total of 67 players dressing for both Rockford and the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, including 22 players who have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the Windy City.
CLEVELAND (Oct. 22, Nov. 9, Nov. 25, Nov. 30)
• Playing under the Lake Erie moniker, the Monsters won the 2016 Calder Cup with an incredible 15-2 run during the postseason. Their only two defeats came at the hands of the Griffins during the Central Division Finals, which Lake Erie won 4-2 on the strength of overtime wins in Games 1 and 6. • After leading the Monsters to a championship as their head coach, former Griffins defenseman Jared Bednar was named bench boss of the Colorado Avalanche in August. His replacement is three-time Stanley Cup champion John Madden. • New Griffins forward Matthew Ford spent most of his first three pro seasons (2008-11) with the Monsters, totaling 69 points (39-30—69) in 126 appearances.
IOWA (Nov. 4)
• Former Griffin Jeff Hoggan, whose unprecedented four-year run as the team’s captain began with the 2012-13 Calder Cup championship season, attended 2016 training camp with the Wild on a tryout. • Iowa is led by first-year head coach Derek Lalonde, who is intimately familiar with the Griffins and the Detroit Red Wings after serving the last two seasons as head coach of the organization’s ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. • Since incurring a 3-1 loss to the Wild on March 8, 2014 at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins have won seven consecutive home games against Iowa, including all four last season, to improve their all-time series record within friendly confines to 9-2.
TEXAS STARS PRIMARY MARK
TEXAS
(Nov. 16, Nov. 18)
• Beginning with the Stars in 2014, each of the last three teams to knock Grand Rapids out of the playoffs eventually reached the Calder Cup Finals. Texas and Lake Erie (2016) claimed championships while Utica (2015) finished as runner-up. • Grand Rapids owns a nine-game winning streak against Texas, after posting series records of 4-0 in each of the last two seasons. • Since 2010-11, the Stars have been the most disciplined team in the AHL. Texas has annually been among the least penalized teams in the league, being tagged with the fewest major penalties the past two seasons while recording the fewest total penalty minutes in 2013-14 and 2010-11. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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GRIFF’S DEN
HOMEY HOSPITALITY A Griff’s Den outing offers a more intimate entertainment option for small groups at Van Andel Arena.
Small group outings can be a challenge to plan. “What to do?” and “Where to go?” are commonly asked. The Griffins have the answer. Last season, the organization introduced Griff ’s Den, an opportunity for fans to entertain clients, celebrate a birthday or enjoy the company of family and friends in a fun environment that offers more comfort and amenities than you might find in a local restaurant or bowling alley. Perched just above the lower level sections inside the Griffins’ attack zone (north end of Van Andel Arena), each Griff ’s Den features room to entertain 10-12 people, with high top seating that allows for easy interaction among guests.
6 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
There are three Griff ’s Dens available for each home game date (West Den, North Den and East Den) and each includes: • 10 tickets for Griff ’s Den entry • 2 VIP parking passes • Complimentary large bowl of popcorn • Television with the arena feed • Scoreboard and video board welcome • An in-game visit from team mascots Griff or Finn • Wait service • Catering available at an additional cost
“Each Griff ’s Den is an economical way to entertain clients, family or friends,” said John Hoffa, the Griffins’ director of group sales. “It’s become a popular option for small offices looking to entertain clients in mid-week, as well as a convenient way for people to host family or friends on weekends.” Cost is $400-600 for each Griff ’s Den, which is competitively priced for small groups looking for a more intimate option to the Van Andel Arena’s suites.
For more information or to book your Griff’s Den, please contact the Griffins’ group sales department at:
616-774-4584, ext. 4.
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2016-17
SEASON schedule
S
M
T
OCTOBER
W
T
F
S
S
M
W
T
F
S
1
2
3
IA
CHI
8
CLE
10
RFD
MIL
15
TEX
17
TEX 7:00
19
24
CLE
CLE
1 2 9
3
4
5
7
8
13
CHI
CHI CLE
20
21
22
MIL
CHA
27
28
29
CLE
11
16
17
IA
8:00
19
20
RFD
23
24
25
26
27
CHA
30
31
S
M
4 CHI 5:00
5 12
T CLE
12
6
10
W
W
T
F
S
1
7:00
IA
RFD 8:00
1
2
3
IA
7:00
5
CHA
RFD
MIL
10
8
9
10
11
12
MIL
RFD
16
CHA
15
RFD
17
IA
19
CHI
CLE
26
SJ
STK
23
24
22
23
24
RFD
29
30
31
S
M
T
S
M
T
19
7 14
20
21
26
27
CLE
S
M
T
7:00 7:00
Noon
7:00
7:00
6:00
6:00
W
T
F
S
1
2
CHI
MIL
MB
9
IA
8:00
IA
8:00
5
SA
7:00
SA
7:00
STK
MIL
MIL
MIL
7:00
MB
11AM
22
7:00
W
16 23
8:00
2 5:00
3 10
8:00
IA
7:00
7:00
7:00
APRIL
T
F
MB
8:00
8:00
11
CHA 7:00
S
6
7
CLE
13
CHA
MIL
7:00
W
7:00
8:00
MB
2:00
FEBRUARY
RFD
CLE
JANUARY
T
CLE
CLE
7:00
M
29
27
7:00
S
22
20
7:00
7:00
S
14
26
8:00
7:00
F
13
19
7:00
7:00 7:00
T
CHI
25
13
6:00
14
7:00
8
7:00
1:00
12
7:15
7:00
13
7
CHI
7:00
MIL
6
7:00
8:00
DECEMBER
CHA
5
7:00
6
NOVEMBER
T
7:00 7:00
Post-Game Open Skate Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Session Friends & Family 4-Pack Home Game Pepsi Reading Goals Redemption Date
@GRIFFINSHOCKEY
7:00 6:00
6 13 20
MIL 4:00
27
Home
Away
SA
8:00
14
7:00 8:00 7:00 7:00
7:00 8:00 7:00 7:00
MARCH T
F
S
1
2
SA
8:30
TEX
TEX
9
10
9:00
16
CHI
CHI
23
RFD
RFD
30
CHA
8:30
15
21
22
28
MIL 7:00
7:00 7:00
8:00
SJ
8:00 8:00
7:00
Games broadcast live on
All times Eastern. Dates, opponents and times subject to change.
CHA - Charlotte CHI - Chicago CLE - Cleveland IA - Iowa MB - Manitoba MIL - Milwaukee
RFD - Rockford SA - San Antonio SJ - San Jose STK - Stockton TEX - Texas
PRIMARY AFFILIATE OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS
TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR MORE INFO, Grand Rapids GRIFFINS VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM OR CALL 1.800.2.HOCKEY.
9
Griffins Chief Executive Officer
Dear Griffins Fans, The first 20 years of Griffins Hockey are now in the books, the curtain having been brought down by a remarkable 2015-16 season that featured endless reasons to cheer. With the return of original Griffin Todd Nelson to Grand Rapids as head coach, the Griffins twice obliterated our previous franchise record for consecutive victories, rattling off 15 wins in a row from mid-November to late December before nearly matching that feat later on with a 13-game run. Along the way, we posted another record with 14 straight wins at Van Andel Arena, a streak that began on Veterans Day and didn’t end until nearly 10 weeks later. The playoffs started with a three-game sweep of Central Division champion Milwaukee and concluded with a hard-fought loss to eventual Calder Cup champ Lake Erie, finishing off yet another memorable campaign. As the promise of a new season dawns, Nelson and his staff return to build on last year’s success, with a roster that will feature more than the usual number of fresh faces alongside the likes of longtime defenseman Nathan Paetsch, goaltender Jared Coreau, playoff phenom Tyler Bertuzzi and a host of other future Detroit Red Wings. While the entertainment value offered on the ice is second-to-none, we hope you will enjoy several arena enhancements designed to elevate your game-night experience. In addition to the arena’s free wifi service introduced late last season, be sure to take advantage of our newly launched beacon technology, which works with the Griffins app to deliver timely, personalized messages and special offers to fans at Van Andel Arena. You now have quick and easy access to game day news, discounts, promotions and exclusive experiences, including seat upgrades, Zamboni rides and the High-Five Alley. One final thing to enlighten you about is the installation of the arena’s new innovative and energyefficient Ephesus LED digital lighting system from Eaton. Our players’ performance on the ice and your experience in the stands will both benefit from better balanced and brighter lighting that provides for increased visibility, truer colors and prevention of glare. And just wait until you see the fun we’ll have with these lights during pre-game shows, timeouts and intermissions; there’s a reason they were also installed for Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz., and the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville. On behalf of the entire Griffins organization, I thank you for your continued loyal support and look forward to sharing the 2016-17 AHL season with you. Sincerely,
Dan DeVos Chief Executive Officer Grand Rapids Griffins
10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
DAVID A. ANDREWS RESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DAPAVID A. ANDREWS MERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
DAVID A. ANDREWS
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, American Hockey League Hockey League AAmerican MERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE American Hockey League One Monarch Place – Springfield, 01144 One Monarch Place –Place Springfield, MAMA 01144 One Monarch – Springfield, MA 01144 Phone: (413) 781-2030 theahl.com Phone: (413) 781-2030 Phone: (413) 781-2030theahl.com Fax: (413) 733-4767
Dear Fans, Dear Fans, Dear Dear Fans,
American Hockey League
One Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144 Phone: (413) 781-2030 theahl.com my great pleasure to welcome to the 2016-17 American Hockey League season. ItItItItisis my great pleasure towelcome welcome you to the historic 2015-16 American Hockey League is 2014-15 season, is my great pleasure to you toyou the historic 2015-16 American Hockey League season, one that79th is sure to be one of the most memorable campaigns ever. The AHL was founded inbe 1936, and for the past eight decades have established a season, one that sure to one of the memorable campaigns our year ofis play. We are proud tomost be entering what is surewe toever. be another exciting tradition of excellence continues today in and 30 cities across America. season, continuing ourthat tradition of excellence bringing anNorth entertaining, physical and We are celebrating our 80th anniversary season literally from coast to coast: From the shores of the We are celebrating anniversary season from6 coast to fans coast:inFrom theacross highly skilled levelour of 80th professional hockey to literally more than million arenas Atlantic to our five new members in California, all 30 teams will hit the ice to continue a tradition of Dear Fans, We areof coming one ofhallmark the new greatest AHL seasons highlighted byhit welcoming North America. shores the Atlantic tothe our five in California, all 30 teams will the ice five excellence that hasoff been of members the American Hockeyever, League since 1936. great fan bases to theyou league, asbeen well2015-16 as our returnofto Winnipeg. fell all to continue a tradition of that has the hallmark the American Hockey It is California my great pleasure to excellence welcome to the historic American Hockey LeagueRecords season, one The AHL remains ofthe itsonce role inagain developing more 88 percent of in today’s National Hockey League year long, from Roy the winningest coach history, Michael that issince sure to beproud one Sommer of mostbecoming memorable campaigns ever. The 2014-15 season will feature 30than teams who will beleague competing fortothe AHL’s League 1936. players, as well asCup the majority of the NHL’s training staffs, broadcasters Leighton setting thevast career mark forand shutouts, to managers, more than 7.1 million fans attending historic Calder championship, 30coaches, National Hockey League clubs who willand be We areIncelebrating our350 80th anniversary season literally from coast coast: From the officials. total, nearly AHL players were recalled to the NHL lasttoseason alone,the andshores more of than games -thetheir largest turnout in in our 80-year history. Thecities. campaign ended in most developing top prospects and futureallstars in our Last season alone, more than The AHL remains proud of its role developing more 88 percent of today’s Atlantic tofirstour five new members in California, 30 teamsthan willtheir hit the iceintothe continue a tradition 250 former and second-round NHL draft picks developed skills AHL. And throughofthe memorable fashion as the Calder Cup to Cleveland for the firstHockey time in 52 240 firstand second-round NHL draft picks competed in American Hockey League, National Hockey League players, as well asreturned thecheering vast majority ofthe thesince NHL’s coaches, excellence that has been the hallmark ofenjoyed the American Hockey League 1936. years, our loyal and passionate fans have for more than 100 future Hall ofyears Famers, with more than 19,000 fans the for the championship and 347 players took the icepacking in more boththan the “Q” AHLCalder and the NHL. and have witnessed the triumphs of 100 champions whoclincher. would go on to have their managers, training staffs, broadcasters and officials. InCup total, nearly 350 AHL players The AHL remains of its role more than 88 percent of today’s National Hockey League names engraved onproud the Stanley Cupinasdeveloping well. were recalled to the NHL last season alone, and more than 250 former first- and secondas well as the vast of majority of the NHL’s coaches,more managers, training staffs, broadcasters and The AHL remains proud its role inskills developing than 88 percent of in today’s National Weplayers, take great pride in our tradition of developing the best hockey talent the world, with round NHL draft picks developed their in the And through years, loyal total, 350 AHL players were recalled to theand NHL last season alone, andour more than Toofficials. our newInfans in nearly Bakersfield, Ontario, San Diego, San AHL. Jose Stockton; tothe our returning fans in Hockey League players, as well as a vast majority of the NHL’s coaches, managers, training over 88 percent of today’s NHL players, coaches and officials having honed their skills in and passionate fans have more thanAmerica 100 Hall 250 former firstsecond-round NHL picks developed theirfuture skills inHockey the Andtoof through thejoin Manitoba; to all of and you whoenjoyed cheer forcheering AHL draft teamsfor across North -- We are AHL. excited have you staffs, on-ice officials, other executives. Inthan total, 377 AHL players were the American Hockey League. Through the years, our loyal and passionate fans have our excitement loyal and passionate fans haveand enjoyed cheering for more 100 future Hockey Hall of Famers, usyears, from the ofbroadcasters, opening weekend, to the 2016 AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, andwho through the Famers, and have witnessed the triumphs of more than 100 Calder Cup champions recalled to the NHL last season and more than 250 firstand and and have witnessed the triumphs ofalone, more than 100 Calder Cup champions who would gosecond-round on to have their enjoyed cheering more than 100 future Hockey Hall offormer Famers, and have witnessed the thrills emotion offor the Calder Cup Playoffs. would go on to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup as well. names engraved on the Stanley Cup as well. NHL draftof picks developed skills the AHL. And theon years, our great fans triumphs more than 100 their Calder Cupinchampions whothrough would go to have their names On behalf of allthe of our teams, players staff, thank you members again for your continuing support of the AHL. have enjoyed cheering forCup more than 100 future of the Hockey Hall of Fame, engraved on Stanley as and well. To our new fans ininBakersfield, Ontario, San Diego, San Jose and Stockton; To our fans Bakersfield, San Diego, San Jose and Stockton; to our returning I wish younew the utmost enjoymentOntario, of all the excitement that our 2015-16 season hasto inour store. fans in and have witnessed the triumphs of more than 100 Calder Cup champions who would Manitoba; to all of you who cheer for AHL teams across North America -We are excited to have you join returning fans in Manitoba; to all of you who cheer for AHL teams across North America go onfrom to have their names engraved on the Cup as to continue to deliver professional towell. the great fans ofand Glens Falls,the us the excitement opening weekend, to theStanley 2016 hockey AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, through Sincerely, --We’re We arepleased excited to haveofyou join us from the excitement of opening weekend, to the thrills and of the Calder Cup Playoffs. N.Y., and weemotion welcome Allentown, Pa., to the league as the Adirondack Flames and Lehigh 2016 AHL All-Star Classic in Syracuse, and through the thrills and emotion of the Calder To our Phantoms new fans inhitTucson all of you cheer AHL entries teams from coast coast, Valley the iceand thistoseason. Thewho AHL’s two for newest will join thetorest of CupOn Playoffs. behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you again for your continuing support of the AHL. we excited to have you join us for another terrific year. On behalf of all of our teams, theI are league in looking to dethrone the defending Calder Cup champion Texas Stars in the wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our 2015-16 season has in store. players and thank again for your continuing support of the AHL. chase for thestaff, AHL’s 2015you title. On behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you again for your continuing Sincerely, David A. Andrews support of the AHL. I wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our Sincerely, On behalf&of all Executive of our teams, President Chief Officer players and staff, thank you again for your continuing 2015-16 season in Istore. American Hockey League support of thehas AHL. wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our
2014-15 season has in store.
DavidA.A.Andrews Andrews David Sincerely, President& & Chief Chief Executive Officer President Executive Officer American Hockey League American Hockey League David A. Andrews President & Chief Executive Officer American Hockey League
/TheAHL
theahl.com
@TheAHL
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
11
THEA BEGINNINGS TRADITION
OF EXCELLENCE
A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE since 1936
Marking its 81st season of play in 2016-17, the American Hockey League is continuing a since 1936 tradition of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League THE BEGINNINGS merged with the International Hockey to form what is today known as the THELeague BEGINNINGS AHL. Eight teams hit the ice Marking that firstitsseason, playing Haven, 81st season of playininBuffalo, 2016-17, Cleveland, the AmericanNew Hockey League is tradition of81st excellence that inthe 1936 whenHockey the Canadian-American Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse. Marking its season of play inbegan 2016-17, American League is continuing Ho
merged with the International League to form what Hockey is today k a tradition of excellence that began inHockey 1936 when the Canadian-American
AHL. Eight teams the ice thatat first season, in Buffalo, Cleveland, League merged withhit the International Hockey League towas form instrumental what is today known Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president the time,playing in as the AHL. Eight teams hit theProvidence, ice that first season, playing inand Buffalo, Cleveland, New Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Springfield Syracuse. the forming of the new league,Haven, andPhiladelphia, his namePittsburgh, would be givenSpringfield to its championship trophy. Providence, and Syracuse. The first Calder Cup was wonFrank by the Syracuse Stars in 1937;League’s the 80th championship was Calder, the National Hockey president at the time, was ins Frank Calder, National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental captured by Cleveland’s Lake Erie Monsters lastleague, spring. the forming ofthe the new and his name would be given to its champion in the forming of the new league, and his name would be given to its championship
The firstThe Calder thebySyracuse Stars in 1937; thethe 80th trophy. first Cup Calderwas Cupwon was by won the Syracuse Stars in 1937; 80thchamp captured by Cleveland’s Lake Erie Monsters last spring. championship was captured by Cleveland’s Lake Eriea Monsters last spring. From those roots, the American Hockey League has grown into 30-team league that
provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockey while preparing thousands From roots, American League hasa grown 30-team From those those roots, the the American HockeyHockey League has grown into 30-team into leagueathat of players, coaches, officials,provides executives, trainers, broadcasters and for careers in provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockeymore whilehockey preparing thousands fans with exciting, high-level professional while preparin players, coaches, officials, executives, trainers, trainers, broadcasters and more for and careers the NHL. ofofplayers, coaches, officials, executives, broadcasters more f in the NHL. the NHL.
THE PLAYERS
THETHE PLAYERS PLAYERS
more than 88 percent of the players are AHL alumni, oday’s Hockey League more than In National today’s National Hockey League more than8888percent percent of of the the players are AHL alumni, ent Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals. TheWashington Capitals. The luding 2016 are Vezina recipient Braden the players AHL Trophy alumni, including 2016 VezinaHoltby Trophy of recipient Braden Holtby ofstocked the Washington Capitals. Thewere 2016 stocked Stanley Cup gh Penguins were with AHL graduates as well, 16 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins with AHL graduates as well, champion Penguins wereYear stocked with AHL graduates them 2015Pittsburgh AHL Rookie ofstandouts the Matt Murray and standouts Conor Sheary, eong Year Matt Murray and Conor Sheary, as well, among them 2015 AHL Rookie thehelped Year Matt Murray and yan Rust and Tom Kuhnhackl, whoofall the Penguins to the championship who all helped Penguins the standouts Conorthe Sheary, Bryan Rustto and Tomchampionship Kuhnhackl, who all er being called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during the season. helped the Penguins to the championship arre/Scranton during the season.after being called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during the season.
selections John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks (San Diego Gulls)
the Philadelphia Flyers (Lehigh Valley Phantoms).
and Shayne Gostisbehere of thefirstPhiladelphia Flyers (Lehigh Valley addition, more than 250 former and second-round draft picks developed their Phantoms). ls in the AHL last season, including William Nylander, Mikko Rantanen, Jakub rst- Anthony and second-round draft picks developed their ana, Milano Shea Theodore. In addition,Mantha, more thanSonny 250 former first- and and second-round draft
ing William Nylander, Mikko picks developed their skills in the AHL lastRantanen, season, includingJakub William Nylander, Mikko Rantanen, Jakub Vrana, Anthony Mantha, Sonny Milano and Shea Theodore.
Photo: Pittsburgh Penguins
ring the 2015-16 season, a total of 880 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey of 880 AHL alumni played in skated the Hockey ague. There were 377 players in both During the 2015-16 season, awho total of 880National AHL alumnileagues played inlast year alone, including theAll-Rookie National Hockey League. There 377alone, players who in 16 NHL Team selections John Gibson of skated the Anaheim Ducks (San Diego o skated in both leagues lastwere year including both leagues Gostisbehere lastof year alone, including 2016 NHL All-Rookie Team lls) John and Shayne of the Philadelphia (Lehigh Valley Phantoms). ns Gibson the Anaheim Ducks (SanFlyers Diego
Matt Murra 2016 Stanley Cup c 2015 AHL Rookie o MattMurray Murray Matt 2015 AHL Goaltender 2016 Stanley Cup champion
20162015 Stanley Cup champion AHL Rookie of the Year 2015 AHL Rookie of theYearYear 2015 AHL Goaltender of the COACHES2015 AHL Goaltender of the Year
Milano and Shea Theodore.
THE THE COACHES
the start of the 2016-17 season, the National Hockey League featured 23 head coaches who were forme At the start of the 2016-17 season, the National Hockey League featured 23 head coaches who were former AHL bench sses, including 20162016 Calder Cup Jared Bednar the Colorado Jack winner AdamsBarry Award w bosses, including Calder Cupchampion champion Jared Bednar of the of Colorado Avalanche,Avalanche, Jack Adams Award otz of Trotz the Washington Capitals and Cupwinner winner Mike Sullivan, who was promoted from Wilkes-Barre of the Washington Capitals andStanley Stanley Cup Mike Sullivan, who was promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cember. Vancouver’s WillieLeague Desjardins, Detroit’s Blashill, Tampa Bay’sJon Jon Cooper Minnesota’s December. Vancouver’s Willie Desjardins, Detroit’s Jeff Blashill, Tampa Bay’s Cooper andand Minnesota’s Bruce Bruc the inNational Hockey featured 23Jeff head coaches who were former AHL bench also Boudreau recent Calder winners, and Stanley champions Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Dan Bylsm are alsoCup recent Calder Cup winners, and Cup Stanley Cup champions Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, Dan Bylsma champion Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche, Jack Adams Award winner Barry Mike Babcock also time in the AHLmaking before making the jump. bcockand also spent time inspent the AHL before the jump.
THE COACHES
d Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan, who was promoted from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in rdins, Detroit’s Jeff Blashill, Bay’s Jon Cooper and Boudreau “[TheTampa AHL] is necessary for development. It’s a Minnesota’s great league and Bruce a lot of great players are down there. I for wouldn’t be here It’s if itJulien, for those years of great “[TheJoel AHL] isQuenneville, necessary development. aweren’t great league andBylsma a lot of and Stanley Cup champions Claude Dan and Mike improvement and learning, so I’m grateful for it.” L before making the jump. players are down there. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for those years of —improvement Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals and learning, so I’m grateful for it.” 2016 Vezina Holtby, Trophy winner -- Braden Washington Capitals 2010 Cup champion 2016Calder Vezina Trophy winner
2010 Calder champion he AHL] is necessary for development. It’s aCup great league and a lot of great ayers are down there. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for those years of Photo: JustSports Photography provement and learning, so I’m grateful for it.” JustSports Photography
12 Holtby, Grand Rapids GRIFFINSCapitals Braden Washington 16 Vezina Trophy winner
THEbegan LEGENDS has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 THE LEGENDS THE LEGENDS ion ofForthe AHL Hall of Fame. The 11th class of inductees, the past eight decades, the American Hockey League has been home to some of the ruceFor Cline, Ralph Keller, Labbe and Landon. the past eight decades, theJ.F. American Hockey League has been home tohonored some greatest players in the history of ourLeague sport. In Bruce fact, 100 members of the past eight decades, the American Hockey has beenmore homethan to some of the ofthe theHockey greatest players inour theGage, history our sport. Inwith fact, more than 100 honored ower, Fred Jody Mitch Lamoureux, Willie Hall of Fame have been affiliated AHL during their atest players inGlover, the history of sport. Inof fact, more than 100the honored members of careers. All-time members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have been affiliated with the AHL during their greats George Armstrong, Toe Blake, Gump Worsley, Terry Sawchuk, Glenn HallBruce oflike Fame have been affiliated with the AHL during their careers. All-time eHockey Shore, Boudreau, Zellio Toppazzini, and others All-time greats like George Toe Blake, Gump Worsley, Terry Eddie Shore Hall, Brad Park, Ken Dryden, and Brett Hull came through the AHL ranks and now ats likecareers. George Armstrong, Toe Blake,Armstrong, Gump Worsley, Terry Sawchuk, Glenn he American Hockey League Hall of Fame. Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Brad Park, Ken Dryden, and Brett Hull came through Honored Member, l, Bradfind Park, Ken Dryden, and Brett Hull cameand through the AHLCalder ranks and themselves enshrined in Toronto, the coveted Cup now isthe inscribed with the Hockey Hall of Fame
AHL ranks now themselves enshrined inCalder Toronto, and the coveted Calder d themselves enshrined in find Toronto, the coveted Cup is inscribed with theGerry names ofand legendary AHL and alumni like Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Cheevers, Honored Member, AHL Hall of Fame is inscribed theHorton, names ofAl legendary AHL alumni like Patrick Roy, Larryand Billy Smith. mes of Cup legendary AHLwith alumni like Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Gerry Andy Bathgate, Tim Arbour, Emile Francis, DougCheevers, Harvey, Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile dy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile Francis, Doug Harvey, and Billy Smith. Francis, Doug Harvey, and Billy Smith. The American Hockey League has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 began American Hockey League has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 began honoring them withLeague the formation of the AHL Hall of as Fame. The 11th class of inductees, The has created itsFame. own legends well,ofand in 2006 noring themAmerican with theHockey formation of the AHL Hall of The 11th class inductees, recognized in them 2016, included Bruce Cline, Ralph Keller, and began honoring with the formation the AHL Hall of Fame. The Labbe 11th class of Bruce Landon. ognized in 2016, included Bruce Cline, Ralph of Keller, J.F. Labbe and J.F. Bruce Landon. They join the likesBower, ofinJohnny Bower, Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Lamoureux, More fans attended AHL games in 2015-16 than in anyWillie other season in the inductees, 2016, included Bruce Cline, Ralph Keller, J.F. Mitch Labbe and y join the likes ofrecognized Johnny Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Mitch Lamoureux, Willie Marshall, Frank Mathers, Eddie Shore, Bruce Boudreau, Zellio and others rshall,Bruce Frank Mathers, Eddie Shore, Bruce Boudreau, Zellio Toppazzini, andToppazzini, others Landon. They join80-year the likes of Johnny Bower, Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Mitch Eddie league’s history, topping 7.1 million total and over 6,000 average perSho Eddie EddieShore Shore as distinguished of the American Hockey of Fame. distinguished members the American Hockey League HallShore, of League Fame. Lamoureux, Willieofmembers Marshall, Frank Mathers, Eddie BruceHall Boudreau, Honored Hoc Honored Hall Fame HonoredMember, Member,Hockey Hockey Hallof ofMember, Fame gameand between the regular season and playoffs The Hershey Bears Zellio Toppazzini, others as distinguished members of the American Hockeycombined. Honored Member, AH Honored Fame HonoredMember, Member,AHL AHL Hall of Fame the league for the 10th year in a row, averaging 9,790 fans per home game, League Hallled of Fame. Photo: AHLArchives Archives Photo: AHL
THE FANS
while the Utica Comets sold every oneFANS of its games at the Utica Memorial THEout FANS THE THE FANS Auditorium. The season ended with 19,665 fans packing Quicken Loans Arena fans attended AHL games in 2015-16 in any season in in Cleveland for More the Monsters’ Calder Cup clinching win --other largest crowd More attended AHL games inthan 2015-16 than inthe any other in sea Morefans fans attended AHL games in 2015-16 than in season anythe other league’s 80-year history, topping 7.1 million total7.1 and over 6,000 average per the league’s 80-yearhistory, history, topping million total and overover 6,000 league’s 80-year topping 7.1 million total and 6,000 a ever for a pro hockey game in Ohio. game between the regular season and playoffs combined. The Hershey Bears
average per game between the regular season playoffscombined. combined. The game between the regular season andand playoffs The Her led the leagueHershey for the Bears 10th year in aleague row, averaging 9,790 per home game, led the for the 10th year fans in a row, averaging 9,790
led the league for the 10th year in a row, averaging 9,790 fans per h
while the Utica Comets soldgame, out every its games atsold the Utica Memorial Fans are also continuing to fans follow their and the league inofout record numbers perthe home whileone theof Utica Comets every one ofthe its Utica while Uticateams Comets sold outpacking every one itsLoans games at Auditorium. The season ended with 19,665 fans Quicken Arena games atInternet the Utica Memorial Auditorium. The season ended with 19,665 digitally. Last season, the AHL Network -featuring TheAHL.com Auditorium. The season ended with 19,665 fans packing Quicken L in Cleveland for the Monsters’ Calder Cup clinching win -the largest crowd fans packing Quicken Arena in Calder Cleveland for clinching the Monsters’ in Cleveland for the Monsters’ Cup winCalder -- the lar ever for a proof hockey game in --Ohio. and the official Web sites all 30 clubs --Loans continued toforserve fansgame worldwide, Cup clinching win the largest crowd ever a pro hockey in Ohio. ever forfollow a pro hockey game in Ohio. while more than Fans 2.5 are million fans the AHL and its teams on social media also continuing to follow their teams and the league in record numbers Fans are also continuing to follow their teams and the league in record platforms like Facebook, Twitter Instagram. digitally. Last season, the InternettoNetwork -- featuring TheAHL.com Fans areand alsoAHL continuing follow their teams and the league in recor numbers digitally. Last season, the AHL Internet Network — featuring
Photo: Lindsay A. Mogle
the official Web sites all 30 clubs -- continued to serve fans worldwide, digitally. Last season, the AHL Internet -- featuring Over 7.1 million fans and attended AHL games inofand 2015-16, the TheAHL.com the official sites 30Network clubs continued to Th while more than 2.5 million fans follow theWeb AHL andof itsallteams on — social media and the official Web sites of all 30 clubs -continued serve most in the league’s 80-year history. fans worldwide, while more than 2.5 million fans follow theto AHL and fans platforms likeserve Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. while more thanmedia 2.5 million fans theTwitter AHL and its teams on so its teams on social platforms likefollow Facebook, and Instagram. Over 7.1 million fans attended AHL in 2015-16, the platforms likegames Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
880 88.8
most in the league’s 80-year history. Over7.1 7.1million million fans attended games in 2015-16, the Over fans attended AHL AHL games in 2015-16, the mostininthe the league’s 80-year history. most league’s 80-year history.
377 377 880
88.8 880880 88.8
256256 23 23 377 377 256 256 23
2
AHL players who Former 1st- and 2ndAHL alumni who Percentage of all NHL AHLplayers players who AHL Formerround 1stand 2ndAHL alumni who ormer AHL players Former also played NHL draft picks played for the 2016 layers in 2015-16 who who skated in the AHL players who Former 1stand 2ndAHL alu Percentage of all NHL Former AHL players also played NHL picks played for the who skated inof all the in the NHL AHL alumni who2016 Former 1stAHLround players who AHLLeague players Percentage NHL who draft skated in theand AHL2nd-Stanley Cup champion were graduates NationalFormer Hockey also played played for the 2016 round NHL draft picks also played who skated in the players in 2015-16 round NHL draft picks played fo players in 2015-16 who who skated in the in 2015-16 in 2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins the AHL League last season in the NHL who skated in the AHL Stanley Cup champion onalofwho Hockey Stanley Cup champion who skatedwho in theskated AHL in in the NHL in the NHL HockeyHockey League were graduates the AHL Stanley Cu were graduates National National Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins in 2015-16in 2015-16 in 2015-16 Pittsburgh League season of the AHL inlast 2015-16 last season in 2015-16 in 2015-16 Pittsburgh of the AHL last season “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I wish every player could play in the AHL before they get the chance to play in the NHL. You learn from guys who are older, approach the game as professionals, and prepare that way. It was great for me.”
-- P.K.in Nashville Predators trade it could for the world. ISubban, wish every player could play in the AHL before uldn’t trade it for the world. I wish“I wouldn’t everyforplayer play theOlympic AHL before gold medalist “I wouldn’t trade itthey thethe world. I wish could play infrom guys who are older, get chance to every play2014 inplayer the NHL. You learn they get the chance to play in the NHL.before Yougame learn from guys2013 who are older, Norris winner the AHL they getprofessionals, the chance to play inTrophy the NHL. approach the as and prepare that way. It was great for me.” 2010 AHLthe Team You learn guys that who are older, approach as oach the game as professionals, and from prepare way. It was great All-Rookie for me.” --game P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
-
Photo: Getty Images professionals,-and prepare that way. It was great for me.”2014 Olympic gold medalist P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators 2013 Norris Trophy winner -— P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators 2014 Olympic gold medalist 2010 AHL All-Rookie Team 2014 Olympic gold medalist 2013 Norris Trophy winner 2013 Norris Trophy winner Photo: Getty Images 2010 AHL All-Rookie Team 2010 AHL All-Rookie Team
Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
13
2016-17 AHL DIRECTORY EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION: Bridgeport, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
ALBANY DEVILS
NORTH DIVISION: Albany, Binghamton, Rochester, St. John’s, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica
NHL AFFILIATION: New Jersey Devils HOME ICE: Times Union Center (6,691) GENERAL MANAGER: Tom Fitzgerald HEAD COACH: Rick Kowalsky ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 (as Lowell Devils) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 10 2015-16 RECORD: 46-20-8-2, 102 pts./0.671 WEBSITE: thealbanydevils.com
BINGHAMTON SENATORS
NHL AFFILIATION: Ottawa Senators HOME ICE: Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena (4,696) GENERAL MANAGER: Randy Lee HEAD COACH: Kurt Kleinendorst ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: One (2011) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 14 2015-16 RECORD: 31-38-6-1, 69 pts./0.454 WEBSITE: binghamtonsenators.com
BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS
NHL AFFILIATION: New York Islanders HOME ICE: Webster Bank Arena (8,412) GENERAL MANAGER: Garth Snow HEAD COACH: Brent Thompson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 15 2015-16 RECORD: 40-29-4-3, 87 pts./0.572 WEBSITE: soundtigers.com
HARTFORD WOLF PACK
NHL AFFILIATION: New York Rangers HOME ICE: XL Center (15,635) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Schoenfeld HEAD COACH: Ken Gernander ENTERED AHL: 1997-98 CALDER CUPS: One (2000) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 19 2015-16 RECORD: 41-32-3-0, 85 pts./0.559 WEBSITE: hartfordwolfpack.com
HERSHEY BEARS
NHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals HOME ICE: Giant Center (10,500) GENERAL MANAGER: Bryan Helmer HEAD COACH: Troy Mann ENTERED AHL: 1938-39 CALDER CUPS: 11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 66 of 78 2015-16 RECORD: 43-21-5-7, 98 pts./0.645 WEBSITE: hersheybears.com
LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS
NHL AFFILIATION: Philadelphia Flyers HOME ICE: PPL Center (8,420) GENERAL MANAGER: Ron Hextall HEAD COACH: Scott Gordon ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) CALDER CUPS: Two (1998, 2005) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 20 2015-16 RECORD: 34-35-4-3, 75 pts./0.493 WEBSITE: phantomshockey.com
PROVIDENCE BRUINS
NHL AFFILIATION: Boston Bruins HOME ICE: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,075) GENERAL MANAGER: John Ferguson HEAD COACH: Kevin Dean ENTERED AHL: 1992-93 CALDER CUPS: One (1999) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 19 of 24 2015-16 RECORD: 41-22-9-4, 95 pts./0.625 WEBSITE: providencebruins.com
ROCHESTER AMERICANS
NHL AFFILIATION: Buffalo Sabres HOME ICE: Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (10,662) GENERAL MANAGER: Tim Murray HEAD COACH: Dan Lambert ENTERED AHL: 1956-57 CALDER CUPS: Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 44 of 60 2015-16 RECORD: 34-38-3-1, 72 pts./0.474 WEBSITE: amerks.com
ST. JOHN’S IC
PRIMARY MA
ST. JOHN’S ICECAPS
NHL AFFILIATION: Montreal Canadiens HOME ICE: Mile One Centre (6,287) GENERAL MANAGER: Marc Bergevin HEAD COACH: Sylvain Lefebrve ENTERED AHL: 2011-12 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 5 2015-16 RECORD: 32-33-8-3, 75 pts./0.493 WEBSITE: stjohnsicecaps.com
PANTONE 2758 C
PANTONE 187 C
PANTONE 877 C
PANTONE COOL GRAY 11C
WHITE
SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS
NHL AFFILIATION: Florida Panthers HOME ICE: MassMutual Center (6,784) GENERAL MANAGER: Eric Joyce HEAD COACH: Geordie Kinnear ENTERED AHL: 2016-17 WEBSITE: springfieldthunderbirds.com
SYRACUSE CRUNCH
NHL AFFILIATION: Tampa Bay Lightning HOME ICE: War Memorial Arena (6,010) GENERAL MANAGER: Julien BriseBois HEAD COACH: Benoit Groulx ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 22 2015-16 RECORD: 32-29-11-4, 79 pts./0.520 WEBSITE: syracusecrunch.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
15
2016-17 AHL DIRECTORY TORONTO MARLIES
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
UTICA COMETS
CHICAGO WOLVES
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS
CLEVELAND MONSTERS
NHL AFFILIATION: Carolina Hurricanes HOME ICE: Bojangles’ Coliseum (8,300) GENERAL MANAGER: Derek Wilkinson HEAD COACH: Ulf Samuelsson ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 6 2015-16 RECORD: 36-32-3-5, 80 pts./0.526 WEBSITE: gocheckers.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Toronto Maple Leafs HOME ICE: Ricoh Coliseum (7,851) GENERAL MANAGER: Kyle Dubas HEAD COACH: Sheldon Keefe ENTERED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 11 2015-16 RECORD: 54-16-5-1, 114 pts./0.750 WEBSITE: marlies.ca
NHL AFFILIATION: St. Louis Blues HOME ICE: Allstate Arena (16,692) GENERAL MANAGER: Wendell Young HEAD COACH: Craig Berube ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2002, 2008) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 15 2015-16 RECORD: 33-35-5-3, 74 pts./0.487 WEBSITE: chicagowolves.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Vancouver Canucks HOME ICE: Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,860) GENERAL MANAGER: Pat Conacher HEAD COACH: Travis Green ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 3 2015-16 RECORD: 38-26-8-4, 88 pts./0.579 WEBSITE: uticacomets.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Columbus Blue Jackets HOME ICE: Quicken Loans Arena (19,665/10,025 lower bowl) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Zito HEAD COACH: John Madden ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 (as Lake Erie Monsters) CALDER CUPS: One (2016) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 9 2015-16 RECORD: 43-22-6-5, 97 pts./0.638 WEBSITE: clevelandmonsters.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Pittsburgh Penguins HOME ICE: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) GENERAL MANAGER: Jason Botterill HEAD COACH: Clark Donatelli ENTERED AHL: 1999-00 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 17 2015-16 RECORD: 43-27-4-2, 92 pts./0.605 WEBSITE: wbspenguins.com
WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION: Grand Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Iowa, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford
BAKERSFIELD CONDORS
GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
NHL AFFILIATION: Detroit Red Wings HOME ICE: Van Andel Arena (10,834) GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Martin PACIFIC DIVISION: HEAD COACH: Todd Nelson Bakersfield, Ontario, ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 San Antonio, San Diego, BAKERSFIELD CONDORS CALDER CUPS: One (2013) San Jose, Stockton, PRIMARY MARK Texas, Tucson SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 15 2015-16 RECORD: 44-30-1-1, 90 pts./0.592 WEBSITE: griffinshockey.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Edmonton Oilers HOME ICE: Rabobank Arena (8,751) GENERAL MANAGER: Keith Gretzky HEAD COACH: Gerry Fleming ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 1 2015-16 RECORD: 31-28-7-2, 71 pts./0.522 WEBSITE: bakersfieldcondors.com
IOWA WILD
PANTONE 281 C
PANTONE 172 C
PANTONE 429 C
WHITE
NHL AFFILIATION: Minnesota Wild HOME ICE: Wells Fargo Arena (8,356) GENERAL MANAGER: Brent Flahr HEAD COACH: Derek Lalonde ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 3 2015-16 RECORD: 24-41-5-6, 59 pts./0.388 WEBSITE: iowawild.com 2015-16
THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP
16 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
2016-17 AHL DIRECTORY
SAN DIEGO GU
MANITOBA MOOSE
PRIMARY MARK
PRIMARY MARK
MANITOBA MOOSE
SAN DIEGO GULLS
NHL AFFILIATION: Winnipeg Jets HOME ICE: MTS Centre (8,812) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Heisinger HEAD COACH: Pascal Vincent ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 (played through 2010-11; re-entered 2015-16) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 11 2015-16 RECORD: 26-41-4-5, 61 pts./0.401 WEBSITE: moosehockey.com
PANTONE 282 C
PANTONE 2945 C
PANTONE COOL GRAY 11
NHL AFFILIATION: Anaheim Ducks HOME ICE: Valley View Casino Center (12,920) GENERAL MANAGER: Bob Ferguson HEAD COACH: Dallas Eakins ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 1 MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS 2015-16 RECORD: 39-23-4-2, 84 pts./0.618 PRIMARY MARK WEBSITE: sandiegogulls.com
PANTONE 429 C
2015-16
WHITE
SAN JOSE BARR PANTONE 1655 C
PANTONE MEDIUM BLUE C
PANTONE 5455 C
PROCESS BLACK
WHITE
PRIMARY MAR
SAN JOSE BARRACUDA
MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS
NHL AFFILIATION: Nashville Predators HOME ICE: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (9,591) GENERAL MANAGER: Paul Fenton HEAD COACH: Dean Evason ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2004) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 13 of 15 2015-16 RECORD: 48-23-3-2,101 pts./0.664 WEBSITE: milwaukeeadmirals.com
PANTONE 282 C
PANTONE 292 C
PANTONE COOL GRAY 4 C
WHITE
NHL AFFILIATION: San Jose Sharks HOME ICE: SAP Center at San Jose (6,123, curtained) GENERAL MANAGER: Joe Will HEAD COACH: Roy Sommer ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None ONTARIO REIGN SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 1 PRIMARY MARK 2015-16 RECORD: 31-26-8-3, 73 pts./0.537 WEBSITE: sjbarracuda.com
ONTARIO REIGN
NHL AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Kings HOME ICE: Citizens Business Bank Arena (9,491) GENERAL MANAGER: Rob Blake HEAD COACH: Mike Stothers ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 1 2015-16 RECORD: 44-19-4-1, 93 pts./0.684 WEBSITE: ontarioreign.com
PANTONE 429 C
PANTONE 3155 C
PANTONE 429 C
PANTONE 152 C
STOCKTON
PROCESS BLACK
WHITE
PRIMARY MA
2015-16
STOCKTON HEAT
PROCESS BLACK
WHITE
ROCKFORD ICEHOGS
NHL AFFILIATION: Chicago Blackhawks HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895) GENERAL MANAGER: Mark Bernard HEAD COACH: Ted Dent ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 5 of 9 2015-16 RECORD: 40-22-10-4, 94 pts./0.618 WEBSITE: icehogs.com
NHL AFFILIATION: Calgary Flames HOME ICE: Stockton Arena (9,737) GENERAL MANAGER: Brad Pascall HEAD COACH: Ryan Huska ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 1 2015-16 RECORD: 32-32-2-2, 68 pts./0.500 WEBSITE: stocktonheat.com
TEXAS STA
PRIMARY MAR
2015-16
PANTONE 186 C
PANTONE 110 C
PANTONE 3425 C
METALLIC SILVER 877
PANTONE 425 C
PANTONE 142 C
PROCESS BLACK
TEXAS STARS
NHL AFFILIATION: Dallas Stars HOME ICE: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park (6,863) GENERAL MANAGER: Scott White HEAD COACH: Derek Laxdal ENTERED AHL: 2009-10 CALDER CUPS: One (2014) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 7 2015-16 RECORD: 40-25-8-3, 91 pts./0.599 WEBSITE: texasstars.com
PANTONE 877 C
PROCESS BLACK
WHITE
SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE
TUCSON ROADRUNNERS
Eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The division semifinals will be best-of-five series, with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team facing the third-place team. The division finals, conference finals and Calder Cup Finals will be best-of-seven series.
NHL AFFILIATION: Colorado Avalanche HOME ICE: AT&T Center (6,374, lower bowl) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Billington HEAD COACH: Eric Veilleux ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 14 2015-16 RECORD: 33-35-8-0, 74 pts./0.487 WEBSITE: sarampage.com
The top four teams in each division, ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available), will qualify for the postseason.
NHL AFFILIATION: Arizona Coyotes HOME ICE: Tucson Convention Center Arena (6,700) GENERAL MANAGER: Doug Soetaert HEAD COACH: Mark Lamb ENTERED AHL: 2016-17 WEBSITE: tucsonroadrunners.com
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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WHITE
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DETROIT
RED WINGS
Photo: Getty Images
Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, Joakim Andersson and Gustav Nyquist were among 25 former Griffins who played at least one game for the Red Wings during the 2015-16 campaign. After guiding Detroit to its 25th consecutive playoff berth in his first season as head coach, Jeff Blashill returns to the Red Wings’ bench alongside a staff that includes former Grand Rapids assistant coaches Pat Ferschweiler, Jeff Salajko and Dave Noel-Bernier.
GRIFFINS WHO HAVE EARNED THEIR WINGS
*
Justin Abdelkader, 2008-09 Adam Almquist, 2013-14 Joakim Andersson, 2011-12 Andreas Athanasiou, 2015-16 Sean Avery, 2002-03 Ryan Barnes, 2003-04 Patrick Boileau, 2002-03 Darryl Bootland, 2003-04 Fabian Brunnstrom, 2011-12 Mitch Callahan, 2013-14 Ty Conklin, 2011-12 Chris Conner, 2011-12 Danny DeKeyser, 2013-14 Aaron Downey, 2008-09 Patrick Eaves, 2013-14
Matt Ellis, 2006-07 Cory Emmerton, 2010-11 Jonathan Ericsson, 2007-08 Landon Ferraro, 2013-14 Valtteri Filppula, 2005-06 Luke Glendening, 2013-14 Mark Hartigan, 2007-08 Darren Helm, 2007-08 Jimmy Howard, 2005-06 Jiri Hudler, 2003-04 Matt Hussey, 2006-07 Doug Janik, 2009-10 Tomas Jurco, 2013-14 Jakub Kindl, 2009-10 Tomas Kopecky, 2005-06
Niklas Kronwall, 2003-04 Marc Lamothe, 2003-04 Josh Langfeld, 2006-07 Dylan Larkin, 2015-16 Brian Lashoff, 2012-13 Brett Lebda, 2005-06 Ville Leino, 2008-09 Joey MacDonald, 2006-07 Donald MacLean, 2005-06 Anthony Mantha, 2015-16 Alexey Marchenko, 2013-14 Darren McCarty, 2007-08 Tom McCollum, 2010-11 Derek Meech, 2006-07 Kevin Miller, 2003-04
TOP AFFILIATE
Grand Rapids Griffins 15th Season
ARENA
Mark Mowers, 2003-04 Petr Mrazek, 2012-13 Jan Mursak, 2010-11 Anders Myrvold, 2003-04 Andrej Nestrasil, 2014-15 Kris Newbury, 2009-10 Tomas Nosek, 2015-16 Gustav Nyquist, 2011-12 Xavier Ouellet, 2013-14 Teemu Pulkkinen, 2013-14 Kyle Quincey, 2005-06 Mattias Ritola, 2007-08 Jamie Rivers, 2003-04 Nathan Robinson, 2003-04 Stacy Roest, 2002-03
Riley Sheahan, 2011-12 Brendan Smith, 2011-12 Ryan Sproul, 2013-14 Garrett Stafford, 2007-08 Eric Tangradi, 2015-16 Tomas Tatar, 2010-11 Jordin Tootoo, 2013-14 Jason Williams, 2002-03
* not including conditioning stints for Curtis Joseph (2003-04), Chris Osgood (2005-06), Manny Legace (2005-06), Chris Chelios (2008-09), Andreas Lilja (2009-10), Jonas Gustavsson (201213), Carlo Colaiacovo (2012-13) and Stephen Weiss (2014-15).
MANAGEMENT
Executive VP/General Manager: Ken Holland Assistant General Manager: Ryan Martin
COACHING STAFF
Joe Louis Arena • Seating Capacity: 20,066
Head Coach: Jeff Blashill
CONTACT
Assistant Coaches: John Torchetti, Doug Houda, Pat Ferschweiler, Chris Chelios
(313) 394-7000 • detroitredwings.com
STANLEY CUPS
1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008
Goaltending Coach: Jeff Salajko Video Coach: Dave Noel-Bernier Strength & Conditioning Coach: Mike Kadar Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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— THERE’S MORE TO A BENCH... THAN JUST ANOTHER PLACE TO SIT. Sitting on the players bench is a lot like sitting on The Rapid. You’re there for only a short time...and then you hop off and show the world what you’re made of. Public transportation can empower people and help build strong communities.
Tell us why you ride The Rapid
MORETOTHERIDE.ORG
2016-17 GRIFFINS PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE OCT. 14 Opening Night presented by Huntington Bank/Magnet Schedule Giveaway
DEC. 9 ‘80s Fauxback Night/Jersey Auction
OCT. 25 10th Annual Tip-A-Griffin at Uccello’s Restaurants, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation
JAN. 21-22 15th Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation
DEC. 31 20th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Farm Bureau Insurance/Post-Game Fireworks/6 p.m. start
NOV. 5 Team Poster Giveaway presented by Eikenhout Inc. NOV. 11 Second Annual Red Kettle Game presented by The Salvation Army/Red Kettle Jersey Auction
JAN. 7 Superhero Night/Goalie Helmet Bank Giveaway presented by Comerica Bank JAN. 21 Alpine Hat Giveaway presented by Adventure Credit Union/ Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #1
JAN. 28 Social Media Night/ Beer Stein Giveaway presented by Centennial Securities FEB. 4 Tyler Bertuzzi Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union FEB. 6 12th Annual Griffins & Sled Wings Sled Hockey Game, benefiting the Grand Rapids Sled Wings and the Griffins Youth Foundation
NOV. 18 2017 Calendar Giveaway presented by Fox Motors NOV. 25 17th Annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by J&H Family Stores, benefiting Hug-A-Bears of Kent County DEC. 2 Presented by DTE Energy
FEB. 8 Presented by Spectrum Health Heart Center Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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FEB. 15 16th Annual Matinee Game presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield/11 a.m. start
MARCH 29 Fifth Annual Brain Injury Awareness Game presented by Brain Injury Association of Michigan
FEB. 17 Sixth Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/Purple Jersey Auction
APRIL 8 Mascot Night/Nathan Paetsch Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Michigan Office Solutions
FEB. 18 Toy Night/ Plush Griff Giveaway presented by Flagstar Bank FEB. 21 Sixth Annual Corks, Pucks & Brews at the Goei Center, benefiting Easter Seals Michigan
FEB. 25 Star Wars Night presented by DTE Energy
APRIL 12 Third Annual Bring Your Dog Game presented by Nestlé Purina
MARCH 17 St. Patty’s Day Celebration MARCH 24 ‘90s Night/Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #2
APRIL 14 Season Finale presented by Huntington Bank/Friday Night Jersey Auction
FEB. 24 Presented by Eikenhout Inc.
SEASON-LONG PROMOTIONS $2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs: Every Friday, enjoy $2 domestic drafts and $2 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Get in the D-ZONE: Presented by Family Fitness, every Friday night is a Griffins D-Zone night. Avoid the concession lines and get your $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served to you in your seats. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/dzone today to purchase a package of four or more D-Zone tickets for any Friday night game. Military Nights: Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level tickets for $14 each or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $18 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers. College Nights: Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, college students can show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone). Limit one ticket per ID. Free Ride Friday on The Rapid: Ride the Rapid to and from any Friday game and enjoy a complimentary fare by showing your ticket to that night’s game. Visit ridetherapid.org for schedule information, routes and maps. Hockey Night in Grand Rapids: For select Wednesday games (Nov. 16, Dec. 7, Jan. 25, Feb. 8 and March 29), show your Griffins ticket at participating Arena District restaurants and bars to enjoy Hockey Night specials. Visit
griffinshockey.com/hockeynight for participating establishments and more information. Winning Wednesdays: Presented by Farm Bureau Insurance, every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans who exchange their Winning Wednesday ticket at The Zone on a non-game day will receive 20% off the purchase of one item (excluding jerseys). One discount per person present. Post-Game Parties at Peppino’s: After every Wednesday game, join Griffins players and staff for the official post-game party at Peppino’s Sports Grille downtown. Library Nights: For every Wednesday game, fans can present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone anytime during the store’s regular business hours to purchase either an Upper Level ticket for $14 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $18 (regularly $20 advance and $23 day of game). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability. Friends & Family 4-Packs: Available for all Saturday games (excluding New Year’s
Eve), each pack incudes four tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Continuing this season, fans may use their concession cash to purchase healthy choice menu options at the stand located outside of section 125, including low-fat yogurt, apples, oranges, granola bars and smoothies. Pepsi Reading Goals: Children with Griff’s Reading Goals bookmarks who have completed the required three hours of reading can redeem their bookmark for two free Upper Level tickets to any of the following games: Bookmark #1 – Nov. 25 and 30; Dec. 7 and 21; Bookmark #2 – Jan. 25; Feb. 8; March 29; April 12. Post-Game Open Skates: Oct. 14, Nov. 25, Dec. 31, Feb. 4, Feb. 25 and April 8. Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Sessions: Oct. 22, Dec. 9, Jan. 7, Jan. 28 and Feb. 18. MOS Corner Office: Presented by Michigan Office Solutions, this section, located on the terrace level above section 118, provides the best seats in the house for groups of up to 30 people, with La-Z-Boy chairs and an array of unprecedented amenities. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 4. J. Gardella’s Burger and Beer Special: Available on select tickets, take your used Griffins ticket to J. Gardella’s Tavern to enjoy a burger and beer for $7. Refer to the back of select tickets for details.
ALL PROMOTIONS AND DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM. 22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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FATHER FIGURE Story and photos by Mark Newman
Defenseman Nathan Paetsch has two children, but his role on the ice offers its own share of mentoring opportunities. 24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
When Nathan Paetsch came to Grand Rapids in the fall of 2012, he wasn’t sure what kind of team he was joining. As it turned out, what he was joining was more like a family. In retrospect, he admits that he had no idea what was ahead. “I was playing in Europe the year before and I wanted to come back to North America, but the thing in hockey is you never know,” Paetsch said. “I signed a one-year deal with Grand Rapids and I didn’t know what to expect.” The situation seemed pretty dire after the Griffins won only two of their first eight games. “The season looked a little grim to start,” Paetsch recalled. “However, it seemed as the year progressed, we got better and better. The team jelled and everything came together. “But I definitely didn’t expect to win a Calder Cup my first year back.” At the age of 29, Paetsch was hoping to get another shot at the National Hockey League. He had seen action in 159 NHL games during seven years in the Buffalo Sabres’ organization, then played another 10 NHL games during two years in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ system. After playing a year in Germany, he saw Grand Rapids as possibly his last chance to return to the big time. “My aspirations were to get back to the NHL because I felt like I was still young enough,” he said. “For whatever reason, it didn’t work out. Fortunately I’ve been able to build a pretty good career with the Griffins, so it’s worked out for the best.” Paetsch was part of a group of veterans – including captain Jeff Hoggan, Brennan Evans and Triston Grant – who showed a team of under-25 prospects the way to success, eventually outlasting a heavily favored Syracuse team in the Calder Cup finals to claim the organization’s first championship. “Obviously we had some real stars emerge that year,” he said, singling out Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar as two among many. “We had a lot of guys step up and play huge roles for us. Glenny (Luke Glendening), for example, came out of nowhere.” A hometown hero from East Grand Rapids, Glendening had begun the season in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. “We don’t win the Calder Cup without Glenny,” Paetsch insisted.
Among defensemen, Paetsch was the fastest in franchise history to reach 100 points as a Griffin.
“You talk about how good Syracuse was that year – their first line included Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. They would have torn us apart if we didn’t have Glenny shutting them down.” But it was the veteran leadership that firstyear Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill often credited for keeping the team laser-focused. “It was the perfect mix of veterans,” Paetsch agreed. “We had guys who had been around, guys who had played hockey at every level. Those guys became like my brothers.” Paetsch will forever treasure that storybook season, not only because it gave him the opportunity to be a part of a Calder Cup championship team but also because it showed him that he could enjoy a career after the NHL. While Paetsch and his wife Jaclyn still spend their summers back in Rochester, N.Y., they Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
25
Paetsch brings 167 games of NHL experience to the Griffins’ blue line.
now own a home in Grand Rapids, where they are happily raising their two children: son Kellen, who will be 6 in December, and daughter Mira, who is 3. “My wife and my family fell in love with the city and everything snowballed from there,” he said. “Every national ranking puts Grand Rapids as one of the Top 10 places to raise a family, and with a kid now in school we couldn’t ask for a better place. We’re very fortunate to be here.” Paetsch loves the downtown area, his kids love the beaches, and he especially appreciates being a part of a first-class operation. “It doesn’t feel like a hockey organization. It’s a family,” he said. “I feel like I’m a part of a family and it means everything to me. Winning for the Griffins, cheering for the Red Wings means everything. I feel like I’m part of something that’s a lot bigger than myself.” The success enjoyed by the Griffins during his first four years in Grand Rapids has been the icing on the cake. Prior to joining the Red Wings organization, Paetsch had played in three playoff games during his previous seven seasons. In four seasons with the Griffins, Paetsch 26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
has played in a club-record 59 playoff contests, a mark he shares with Travis Richards and Hoggan, his former teammate. “It’s been incredible,” Paetsch said of the stretch. “The playoffs are what we hockey players play for. There’s the pressure, the excitement, everything is just amped up. We’ve been blessed to have teams with a lot of young talent. You have to draft so well in order for your minor league team to be good year after year, and Detroit has obviously done a good job.” All that young talent means that Paetsch has become more of a mentor as he has worked with one defensive prospect after another. “The joke is that I’m the stepping stone to the NHL because all of my ‘D’ partners end up in the NHL. First there was Smitty (Brendan Smith), then Lash (Brian Lashoff), X (Xavier Ouellet) and (Alexey) Marchenko.” “For me to play with all those guys and then sit at home and watch them play for the Red Wings, it’s the best,” he continued. “As an older guy, I take great pride in being able to help these guys along. It’s like watching a little brother. It feels like part of me is out on the ice
H ERE TO
STAY
We’ve been here for 60 years. We’re family-owned and while you are here, our home is your home. Come experience it for yourself and help us celebrate our 60th anniversary. Choose from great lodging packages featuring some of the fi nest accommodations in the Midwest. Whether skiing the downhill trails, snowshoeing Legacy Art Park, enjoying a delectable meal or relaxing in Crystal Spa, there’s something for everyone. Join us for our 60th Anniversary Celebration! Book your winter getaway today at crystalmountain.com/packages.
8 6 6 . 9 7 6 .1 9 5 2 C R YS TA L M O U N TA I N .C O M Grand Rapids 27 PhotoGRIFFINS from archives.
with them. I love it, and it’s been a real joy.” With each prospect having his own strengths and weaknesses, it’s fallen to Paetsch to make sure that he keeps everything under control. “My game changes more depending upon who I am playing with and what role they want me to do,” he said. “As an AHL veteran, I’ve got to be flexible because in the end, it’s all about the young guys and helping them get to Detroit. “I just try to be who I am, even though there’s a different approach for every guy. Every ‘D’ partner is a different challenge. How do I make us the best pairing possible? It’s a challenge that I really enjoy. “Young guys will ask a lot of questions and I think that’s great. This is my 14th season, so I’ve been through a lot of things in hockey and life in general, so I hope they pick my brain as much as possible. As a veteran, you’re a shoulder to lean on, a voice to calm them down. You’ve got to let them know things won’t always be the same.” With Hoggan’s departure, one might surmise that Paetsch will have to assume a larger leadership role this season, but he doesn’t think so. “Nothing’s going to change,” he said. “We’ve always done it by committee. We’ve been fortunate that the organization has always brought in a good group of vets and this year is going to be no different. We’re lucky to play in an organization that cares about the product that they put on the ice in Grand Rapids. They care about the character of their players and it really shows. They realize it’s important for the younger guys to have those mentors. “I want to win another championship, but I also understand that organizational success is a goal, and I’m responsible for doing whatever I can to help the younger guys make their game better. It’s part of my job and it’s a role I gladly accept.” That role of mentor – father figure, if you will – is one that Paetsch has grown to cherish in recent years. While he harbors hopes of eventually becoming a full-time coach, he feels he still has plenty of playing years ahead. “It’s my dream to play 10 years for the Griffins,” Paetsch said. “That’s a personal goal, of course, and time will tell whether it can happen. But to be a 10-year Griffin would be a huge honor. For me, it would be the ultimate.” 28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Paetsch played in all 24 games during the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship run.
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the
List JARED COREAU
The Perth, Ontario, native enters the 2016-17 season as the Griffins’ No. 1 goaltender. Here are the 10 things he can’t live without.
1
Chipotle It’s a well-balanced meal. Sometimes it’s a bowl with steak and chicken. Sometimes double steak or double chicken. Add guacamole, cheese, lettuce, sometimes a little sour cream, medium or mild salsa, usually black beans and brown rice. After a long day’s work, I usually reward myself with some Chipotle. Once a week for sure, sometimes twice.
2
3
My dog Harley He’s a golden retriever, nine years old, going on 10. No matter what kind of day I’ve had, I can come home and he’s happy and excited to see me. He’s like the brother I never had.
Sunday morning breakfast It’s prepared by my dad, Jeff. He makes either pancakes or Belgian waffles, with bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, Cool Whip for
30 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
the waffles, along with coffee and tea. It’s usually with cousins or aunts and uncles, and it’s a big spread. Between 10 and 11 o’clock – not too early and not too late.
4
My vast shoe collection Besides protecting the bottom of your feet, shoes serve a real style purpose. A lot of guys will dress well, but their shoe game isn’t very good. I finish off my style with a good shoe. I have about 30 pairs, everything from running shoes to hiking boots to flip flops.
5
My Ford F-150 I’ve made the trip between Toledo and Grand Rapids somewhere upwards of 34 times and I couldn’t have moved my gear, my bedding and the clothes I needed without my truck. I don’t know how guys do it with a little tiny car. Plus it’s got 4-wheel drive if there’s a bad winter storm.
6
My electric scooter It’s a battery-powered EcoReco. If the weather is good, it gets me to the rink from my apartment in about five minutes. It helps keep the mileage down on my truck and it’s saving the environment.
7
My coffee For me, it’s the elixir of life. There’s something about coffee that brings out the camaraderie between the guys. You can enjoy a pot with a veteran like Nathan Paetsch or a young guy like Joe Hicketts and you can get to know them. I think it puts everybody in a better mood.
8
My music library I have about 10,000 songs in my library. My dad was a DJ, so that’s probably why I love all sorts of music. I listen to everything, from Drake and The Weeknd to country music. No matter the mood, there are certain genres of music that can enhance those moments.
10
My helmets I need my face and teeth looking pretty. If I want to do modeling some day, I can’t have a broken nose or missing teeth. And my helmets look really cool because Ray Bishop does an amazing job with the design. I like the fact that I don’t get hit in the face with pucks.
9
My social media accounts It keeps me in the loop and is a way to display a good brand of myself. I keep Facebook to my friends and family, while Twitter is my No. 1 news source. I have Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat accounts.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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Story and photos by Mark Newman
Highly touted Red Wings prospect Evgeny Svech 32 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Evgeny Svechnikov is on a journey.
At the age of 19, he has traveled farther than most to pursue his dream, and yet he still has miles to go before he reaches his ultimate destination – the National Hockey League. The saga of Svechnikov starts in Neftegorsk, Russia, an oil-producing settlement on the northern end of the island of Sakhalin where his family lived until 1995, the year a devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake killed nearly 2,000 of the town’s 3,500 inhabitants, including all but one of his grandparents. His parents moved 480 miles south to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a city that had been called Toyohara until Japan lost control of that portion of the once-disputed island in the final days of World War II. It was in this Soviet outpost that Evgeny was born on Oct. 31, 1996. His family soon moved again, heading some 3,783 miles west to Barnaul, or roughly the distance from Detroit to Anchorage.
nikov has come a long way in his hockey career. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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Located on the West Siberian Plain, not far from the borders of Mongolia and China, Barnaul is where young Evgeny’s dream really started. His parents, Elena and Igor Svechnikov, bought him a pair of figure skates when he was about 5 years old. “I just loved those skates,” he recalled. “It was a long time ago, but I remember crying because I was running around the apartment in skates and my mom kept yelling at me to take them off.” Although his father never played hockey, his godfather had. Soon, little Evgeny was on the ice learning the game that would eventually become his passion. “I was really bad in the beginning,” he said. “The coaches told me that I would never be a hockey player, but I was going just for fun. At some point I started to get better and better. By 7 or 8, I was one of the best at my age.” He found the perfect foil in his brother Andrei, who is three-and-a-half years his junior. “We would play with (hockey) sticks in our small apartment,” Svechnikov recalled. “We’d fight sometimes, of course, but we loved each other – we’re brothers. We’d do anything for each other.” It wasn’t long before the play of the Svechnikov brothers in Barnaul began to attract the attention of adults beyond the local rink. The boys’ talents were soon coveted by hockey clubs far and wide. They caught the eye of Evgeny Larionov, a brother of Igor Larionov, the Hockey Hall of Famer and former Detroit Red Wings center. Larionov, a friend of Svechnikov’s coach at the time, saw great promise in the then-11-yearold and his younger brother. He persuaded the family to pack up their belongings and move to Moscow to further develop the boys’ skills. “We drove from Barnaul to Moscow,” Svechnikov said, remembering the 2,200-mile trip west. “It was three days, my whole family in a car.” Moscow was an eye-opening experience. “It’s crazy busy,” he said. “It’s huge, the capital of Russia, but it’s different for everybody. We lived 30 minutes outside Moscow. Even though it’s a real nice city, I didn’t really like it as a kid. You can stay in traffic sometimes five or six hours.” The time there proved invaluable. “If we didn’t move to Moscow, I don’t know where I would be right now,” he said. “It was a big step for my mom and dad. From every city, they moved from job to job and it was really hard on them. They sacrificed so much for us.” 34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Called Geno or “E” by his teammates, Svechnikov is looking forward to making a strong impression during his first full pro season.
His mom worked two jobs, serving as a receptionist at the rink during the day and cleaning floors at night. His dad, who had delivered cakes for a living in Barnaul, was now driving a hearse that picked up Moscow’s newly deceased. “We had nothing in our family,” Svechnikov said. “My parents worked very hard so they had money to feed us. It was real tough on them.” The boys, meanwhile, continued to improve, leading to another move. This time it was to Kazan, a city 500 miles east of Moscow that is called “The Istanbul of the Volga,” a place where European and Asian religiosity blend in a bevy of belfries and minarets. In Kazan, Evgeny was able to play in Russia’s top developmental hockey league for a couple of seasons. He was quickly making a name for himself. He played for the Russian U16 team in the 2012 Youth Olympic Games then continued to excel in other international tournaments. He even played three games for Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL at age 16. “I was a kid, so of course I was nervous,” he recalled. “It was crazy for me to play pro so young.”
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Breton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League had chosen him in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2013 CHL Import Draft. It was a precursor to his biggest move yet. “I signed a contract to play in the KHL, but I spent most of the year on the bench and I knew I needed to play to progress,” he said. “Once I got drafted by Cape Breton, I decided I would go to Canada because my next season was going to be my (NHL) draft year.” Svechnikov came to Canada without knowing any English. He knew how to say “hello,” but nothing more. “At first, it was hard,” he said. “But I had a teacher the first week and I learned a lot in the dressing room and at my billet’s house.” It also helped that Svechnikov had a buddy on the team. Maxim Lazarev, with whom he had played in Kazan, had come to Cape Breton a year earlier. “It helped to have another Russian guy to talk to,” he said. While he was adapting to life in North America, Svechnikov was adjusting to the smaller ice surface and learning how to make plays in tighter quarters. He scored 32 goals in
Svechnikov recorded an assist in his first game in a Griffins jersey during the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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each of his two seasons in the QMJHL. “I learned a lot about small details from my coach, Marc-Andre Dumont,” he said. “He was a very good coach. I love him. He taught me a lot about being a good person, too.” Svechnikov had already been given a few lessons in character back in Russia, where the remnants of the Red Army team still cast a long shadow. “In Russia, they teach you about hockey, for sure, but there is more emphasis on character. They teach you how to be a man, how to be strong and never give up.” He went to Miami with his whole family for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. “Just remembering it makes me smile,” he said. “It was a dream come true. I remember thinking of my parents’ sacrifices and all we went through. I never expected to be drafted by a big organization.” Although he watched little of the NHL growing up – “We only had like 10 channels on our TV,” he said – he knew about the tradition of the Red Wings and the organization’s history with the Russian Five: Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Vyacheslav Fetisov and the aforementioned Larionov. “I cannot put it into words,” he said, trying
36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
to describe the emotions of being selected by Detroit. “You’ve got to be there at the draft to feel it. To be on that stage and then hear your name with the Red Wings and their whole story, it’s hard to explain.” When his three-year contract was finalized in October 2015, he sent his signing bonus back to his parents in Kazan. “They did so much for me and I didn’t really need the money at the time,” he said. “My billets in Cape Breton were unbelievable. They treated me as one of their kids. I had food, I had clothes, so there was nothing I needed. My parents needed it more than me.” Now, as he prepares to leave his teenage years behind, Svechnikov cannot help but think of Alexei Cherepanov, the former firstround pick of the New York Rangers who died of heart failure on the bench during a KHL game at the age of 19 in 2008. “My first coach was his coach, too, so I got to know him when I was a kid,” Svechnikov said. “I skated with him a few times in Barnaul. My mom also worked with his mom, so I watched him a lot. He was a phenomenal player. I couldn’t believe it when it happened.”
Svechnikov has size (6-foot-2, 205 lbs.) to go with high-end skill.
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Svechnikov was able to see action in two Calder Cup Playoff games with the Griffins last season after finishing his junior career in Cape Breton, earning an assist for his first professional point. “I was a little nervous, but I knew I had to be ready,” he said. “Once I got the feel of the puck and the speed of the game, it was nice to play. It was playoff hockey, so I just tried to do my best and compete.” In preparation for this season, Svechnikov worked out this past summer in Royal Oak with a group of guys that included Red Wings Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Gustav Nyquist and Jimmy Howard. He drove an hour from Flint every day. “I put a lot of work into the summer in order to get ready for this season and to be able to compete with NHL guys,” he said. “I already can feel it. I’m stronger on the ice and I feel faster.” Although each player followed his own workout program, Svechnikov benefitted from being able to talk with NHL-proven players. “It was real interesting,” he said. “They’re older and more mature, so there’s so much you can learn off the ice.” The last month before training camp was spent skating together on the ice, which proved to be even more beneficial for Svechnikov. “I can feel how I got better, just the speed and how I can think in a game better,” he said. “I just feel better on the ice.” He is looking forward to this season, not only because it will be his first full pro season. His mother is going to be living in Muskegon with his brother, now 16, who was signed by the Lumberjacks to play in the United States Hockey League this season. Andrei is considered one of the top prospects eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. “Having them close will be better,” he said, anxious to be able to enjoy his mother’s cooking during the season. Her soups, he said, are the best. Nobody, it seems, makes borscht like Elena Svechnikov. Svechnikov believes he is ready to make the transition to the AHL. “It’s already my third year in North America,” he said. “I feel comfortable playing here. Three years is a long time, so it’s time to show what I can do.” The brothers talk every day – in Russian, of course. Like his older brother, Andrei came 38 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
to North American not knowing any English. “He will learn. English is not that hard. It gets easier and easier every day,” said Svechnikov, who adds that his father plans to visit when he is able. He is currently sharpening skates at a hockey store back in Kazan. In the meantime, Svechnikov will concentrate on doing what he can to keep moving in the direction of his dream to play in the NHL. “There’s a dream in my mind, for sure,” he said. “I know this is a dream that I am never going to put away. I won’t say I will be a Red Wing soon because I know how tough it’s going to be. I’m just going to try to be myself and work really hard every day.”
DETROIT FIRST-ROUNDERS IN GRAND RAPIDS
Player
Draft Year
Overall
Dylan Larkin
2014
15
Jakub Kindl
2005
19
Evgeny Svechnikov
2015
19
Anthony Mantha
2013
20
Riley Sheahan
2010
21
Brendan Smith
2007
27
Niklas Kronwall
2000
29
Tom McCollum
2008
30
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2016
2017
44
22 CONOR ALLEN
Defenseman 6-2, 208 lbs. Born: 1/31/90 Chicago, Ill.
17
39
LOUIS-MARC AUBRY Forward 6-4, 212 lbs. Born: 11/11/91 Arthabaska, Que.
15 `MATTHEW CAITO
45
JARED COREAU Goaltender 6-5, 235 lbs. Born: 11/5/91 Perth, Ont.
40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
11
Forward 5-9, 175 lbs. Born: 5/5/92 Southampton, N.J.
DANIEL CLEARY
Forward 6-1, 206 lbs. Born: 4/17/91 Toronto, Ont.
55 KYLE CRISCUOLO
Forward 6-0, 182 lbs. Born: 5/30/92 Kanata, Ont.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Forward 6-0, 195 lbs. Born: 8/17/91 Whittier, Calif.
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31
MIKE BORKOWSKI
Forward 6-1, 190 lbs. Born: 2/24/95 Sudbury, Ont.
MITCH CALLAHAN
Defenseman 5-11, 187 lbs. Born: 8/13/93 Coto de Caza, Calif.
21 TYLER BERTUZZI
Forward 6-1, 205 lbs. Born: 12/18/78 Carbonear, Nfld.
35 MATTHEW FORD
Forward 6-1, 207 lbs. Born: 10/9/84 West Hills, Calif.
CAL HEETER
Goaltender 6-4, 195 lbs. Born: 11/2/88 St. Louis, Mo.
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Celebrate the big win or a big day with custom cakes fresh from the Meijer bakery.
2
14 JOE HICKETTS
Defenseman 5-8, 177 lbs. Born: 5/4/96 Kamloops, B.C.
8
18
Forward 6-4, 214 lbs. Born: 9/16/94 Longueuil, Que.
20
TOMAS NOSEK
Forward 6-2, 210 lbs. Born: 9/1/92 Pardubice, Czech Republic
DAN RENOUF
Defenseman 6-0, 191 lbs. Born: 2/15/93 Westmont, Ill.
77 BEN STREET
Forward 5-11, 200 lbs. Born: 2/13/87 Coquitlam, B.C.
EVGENY SVECHNIKOV
Forward 6-2, 205 lbs. Born: 10/31/96 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
Forward 5-9, 170 lbs. Born: 7/3/90 Oakville, Ont.
40 NATHAN PAETSCH
EDDIE PASQUALE
Defenseman 6-1, 195 lbs. Born: 3/30/83 LeRoy, Sask.
29 ROBBIE RUSSO
Defenseman 6-3, 209 lbs. Born: 6/1/94 Pickering, Ont.
MATT LORITO
Defenseman 6-3, 221 lbs. Born: 7/16/90 Albany, N.Y.
4
5
10
BRIAN LASHOFF
Defenseman 6-0, 200 lbs. Born: 9/21/90 Rogers, Minn.
19 ANTHONY MANTHA
28
NICK JENSEN
Goaltender 6-3, 210 lbs. Born: 11/20/90 Toronto, Ont.
7 DYLAN SADOWY
Forward 6-1, 195 lbs. Born: 4/2/96 Brampton, Ont.
26
RYAN SPROUL
Defenseman 6-3, 205 lbs. Born: 1/13/93 Mississauga, Ont.
23 ERIC TANGRADI
Forward 6-4, 221lbs. Born: 2/10/89 Philadelphia, Pa.
DOMINIC TURGEON Forward 6-2, 203 lbs. Born: 2/25/96 Pointe-Clare, Que.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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HOCKEY Story by Mark Newman
RENAISSANCE
Hockey has undergone a rebirth in Toledo as the Walleye organization has taken on an important role in the developmental pipeline for the Griffins and Detroit Red Wings. In relative terms, Toledo is not far from Detroit – only 59 miles by car. In a hockey sense, however, the distance is much farther because the road from Toledo to Detroit goes through Grand Rapids, establishing an affiliation triangle that is nevertheless one of the smallest in hockey – allowing for no-hassle travel, quick callups and easy oversight of prospects throughout the Red Wings’ organization. The connection between the Toledo Walleye and the Griffins is a fairly recent development, a minor league affiliation that has been in place since the inception of the ECHL franchise in 2009-10. It’s an arrangement that has only strengthened in the years since. “We have an advantage in that we are one of the few NHL organizations that has an American Hockey League team two hours away and an ECHL team only an hour away,” said Ryan Martin, assistant general manager of the Red Wings. “It’s really important for us to be able to watch our prospects so that when an opportunity for a callup comes, we’ve seen the players and know what they can do.” Like the Griffins, Toledo has become one of the top organizations in minor league hockey, 42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
both on and off the ice: • Toledo has won the ECHL’s Overall Award of Excellence four times in its seven years (2016, 2015, 2012, 2010). The award is “presented by the league office to teams that are first-rate, who excel in all categories of sales and marketing, and who distinguish themselves in their community, both on and off the ice;” • The Walleye have won consecutive North Division championships, with 2014-15 being the most successful of their seven seasons. Toledo has made four trips to the playoffs, the longest run occurring in 2014-15 when the team posted the best record in the ECHL at 50-15-5-2 (107 points) before losing to South Carolina in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals: • In terms of attendance, the Walleye organization has never finished lower than fourth in the ECHL. Toledo was second out of 28 teams last season with a franchise-record average of 6,982, and the city’s playoff average of 5,709 led the league: • The renaissance of Toledo hockey coincided with the construction of the 7,431seat Huntington Center, a state-of-the-art
facility which replaced the “It’s been crazy,” Watson old Toledo Sports Arena, said. “Toledo hockey fans home to the Toledo Storm, are very passionate and the city’s previous entry in very knowledgeable about the ECHL. the game. Whether you’re “The old Sports Arena winning or losing, they’re was a great building to play behind us all the time. in because it wasn’t the They live and breathe most friendly confines for Toledo Walleye hockey in the opposition,” said Dan the winter.” Watson, who spent seven The rebirth of Toledo years as an assistant coach hockey started somewhat in Toledo before becoming quietly. Martin remembers the Walleye head coach sitting in the stands one this season. Sunday five or six years “The new building has ago with Joe Napoli, who really helped revitalize is the president and CEO Dan Watson became the head coach downtown,” Watson of the Toledo Mud Hens, of the Walleye this past summer after the same organization continued. “The energy seven years as an assistant in Toledo. in the building when it’s that oversees the Walleye full is fantastic. I think it organization. rivals even some of the “The team was dead last, but the building bigger pro sports arenas around. It’s got a great was packed,” Martin recalled. “I said to Joe, atmosphere.” ‘Do these fans have any idea that you’re in last While capital improvements have kept the place?’ The baseball mentality has always been seven-year-old building in great shape, the fans more focused on developing players, win or have brought renewed excitement to the arena lose. Hockey, I felt, was different. with their support of a winning team. “I told Joe if he could ever get the hockey The Walleye host huge crowds for most weekend games.
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operations to match system with AA and their business side, AAA affiliates.” they would have a Eventually, Martin complete home run. pushed taking that With the Red Wings, relationship to a we feel that winning is new level. really important to the “Toledo has development of young always been an players. We want them A+ organization to experience the from the business playoffs.” side, and there was Martin envisioned a mutual desire The Huntington Center opened in a new hockey to improve the downtown Toledo in 2008. development model hockey operations that more closely resembled the baseball farm component,” he said. “We felt if we could get a system but one that emphasized winning, a top-notch coach in there and supply him with concept that he shared with Nick Vitucci, who some good minor league players, we could was the coach and general manager of the have a more true development farm system.” Walleye at the time. It was a change of philosophy. In years past, “We started talking about trying to improve the ECHL had been viewed by many in the that relationship, not necessarily just between NHL as a dead end. “I don’t want to sound Toledo and Detroit, but league-wide,” Martin disrespectful, but in reality sometimes it was a said. “With the introduction of the salary cap, spot to put the mistakes that you had signed,” we felt the need to sign some younger players to Martin said. minor league deals. It was the beginning of what Watson, who played the last three years of I feel is now more like a baseball development his career in the ECHL, is even more blunt. “It
Martin Frk scored 23 goals with the 2014-15 Walleye, who finished the regular season with the best record in the ECHL. 44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Toledo hockey fans enjoy a close bond with many of the Walleye players. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
45
used to be that you were sent there to go and rot and hopefully go away,” Watson said. “They would pay guys their money and pray that they would never see them again.” The new developmental model has already paid dividends. Current Red Wings Luke Glendening and Petr Mrazek began their pro careers in Toledo while Louis-Marc Aubry, Martin Frk, Jared Coreau, Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff and Zach Nastasiuk have all played there. “With the salary cap now, we think it’s a really valuable relationship,” Martin said. “It allows us to sign 5-6 guys to minor league deals so that we can use them for depth in Grand Rapids. I think in the last two years, we’ve led the league in man-games in recalls from the ECHL.” In recent years, Toledo has become the preferred destination for prospects to get playing time rather than sitting on the bench or the stands in Grand Rapids. “When you might play only five or six minutes in Grand Rapids, you can go to
Luke Glendening began his pro career by tallying 14 goals and seven assists in 27 games with Toledo. 46 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Toledo, play a lot, get your feet moving and get going,” Martin said. “It’s a great conditioning tool, but it’s only half of the equation. More importantly, every player we’ve sent down there has come back a better hockey player. Derek (Lalonde, the Walleye’s previous head coach now with the Iowa Wild) and Dan Watson have done a phenomenal job teaching these players.” ECHL is becoming a panacea rather than a purgatory for hockey players who might otherwise find themselves buried in the AHL. “It’s part of our sales pitch to players,” Martin said. “We tell players, ‘You’re not going to an ECHL-level team. You’re going to our farm club to develop you into an American Hockey Hockey player and eventually an NHL player.’ It’s not a penalty. They’re not being punished. They’re going there to play and play a lot in all situations, and that’s why they come back better hockey players.” There is no better example than Glendening, the East Grand Rapids native who was sent to
Toledo after a successful college career at the University of Michigan. “In Toledo, the team is allowed to dress 10 forwards and Luke was literally the 10th forward on the depth chart,” Martin recalled. “I now joke with Luke that if we had room for another forward, he might have been No. 11. But Luke worked himself from the 10th spot to the second line and then to the first line and within six weeks, he was the team’s leading scorer.” Glendening has fond memories of the role that Toledo played in pushing his career forward. “When I got to Toledo, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the way they treated me was outstanding” he said. “With a mix of veterans and good young guys, it’s really a strong league. In the ECHL, there are a lot of great players who work hard and play the right way. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to prove myself there.” Martin Frk was a second-round pick of the Red Wings in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but when he struggled during his first season in Grand Rapids, he was sent to Toledo, where he was able to gain confidence over the course of two seasons there. “Going to Toledo was good for me because I got more ice time than I was getting in Grand Rapids,” Frk said. “I played a lot of minutes and got to play against a lot of good players. I realized what I had to do, so I worked harder
and tried to get better, and eventually I did very well. I had two fun years in Toledo.” Goaltender Jared Coreau also found his footing in Toledo. Signing as a free agent by the Red Wings after three years at Northern Michigan University, Coreau struggled during his first pro season in 2013-14. After posting only one victory in 23 ECHL and AHL decisions during his rookie year, he gained confidence during his second season with the Walleye. “I went to Toledo with mixed feelings,” Coreau admitted. “Coming from college, you don’t hear a lot of good things about the ECHL just because it’s the lower of the three leagues. But it was an eye-opener for me. It’s a good league with good players. “In terms of my development, it helped calm my game down. It also instilled a bit of mental toughness. To get out of that league and stay out of that league is not always easy. Toledo and the ECHL did a good job of preparing me for the AHL and eventually, I hope, a shot at the NHL.” In fact, recent years have seen Toledo become the preferred destination for prospects who need to play to improve. “Zach Nastasiuk is a perfect example,” Martin said. “He was a guy who played well in the playoffs after his junior career and he looked like he might springboard himself into a position with Grand Rapids as a first year pro (in 2015-16).
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Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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Jared Coreau posted a 5-2-0 record and 3.01 goals against average during his second year (2014-15) in Toledo.
48 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
“But due to our depth, it turned out that he might be our 14th or 15th forward in Grand Rapids and rather than have him sit in the stands, we felt it would be better for him to go down to Toledo where he could get more ice time and play important minutes.” More ice time can do wonders for confidence. “These younger guys are used to playing,” Watson said. “After being the best player on their college or junior team, it doesn’t help them or their confidence to sit. If they come to Toledo and play and gain confidence, they should be flying high when they get called up.” Even so, some players’ egos are more fragile than others. When your aspiration is to play in the NHL, Toledo can seem a million miles away. “It’s a tough dynamic because their hearts are broken,” Watson said. “But they’re getting sent down to get ice time so they can get better. You can improve more quickly if you’re playing rather than practicing all the time. It’s not a punishment to get sent to Toledo and once they understand it, they can walk into our building with confidence.” A positive atmosphere can help a player’s
adjustment. Joining a winning team is even better. “A winning environment is critical,” Martin said. Thankfully, Watson has seen the fortunes of Toledo hockey change for the good. “In the last couple of years, we’ve changed the culture to create a winning atmosphere,” Watson said. “It’s a very healthy and positive environment where guys can grow at a quicker rate. We really promote that when you come to the rink, you work and if you’re winning for Toledo, you’re going to improve your chances of playing in Grand Rapids. It makes it a fun place to work.” Watson is excited about the opportunity to be the head coach of the Toledo Walleye for 2016-17, especially given the apparent depth of the Red Wings organization. “If you’re doing a good job developing players, winning and success come quicker,” Watson said. “Those things go hand in hand and we do our best to find that balance. With the roster we’re putting together for this season, I think we’re going to be dangerous. We’re ready to go.”
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50 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Dependable Workhorse Story Mark Newman • Photos by Mark Newman and Sam Iannamico
Undrafted and unsung, Colin Campbell is building a reputation as a hard-nosed player who isn’t afraid of doing the dirty work. Follow Colin Campbell on the ice and you may notice that he’s not the fastest or flashiest player in the game. But there’s a ferocity and tenacity that distinguish his play as he separates the puck from one opposing player after another. Whether he’s plowing forward on the forecheck or digging deep in the corners in the defensive zone, he isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty. Now in his third full season with the Griffins, Campbell is a proverbial workhorse. “I think I’ve come a long way,” he says, agreeing that it’s his smarts rather than his skill that has allowed him to get as far as he has in hockey. “It’s about making great decisions, valuing the puck, never turning it over. Whether the puck is in our end or
theirs, I need to use my size and strength to try to make plays.” Campbell was taught the value of hard work by his parents, both of whom worked in sales. His father, Richard, now retired, was a salesman for Merck, the giant pharmaceutical company, while his mother, Elaine, worked in sales for Clairol, the personal products division of Procter & Gamble. “I think my work ethic came from them raising me right,” Campbell said. “They put me in the right situations and got me around the right people, and it helped me get to where I am today. There are a lot of things in life that you can put towards hockey and that’s what they did.” Campbell started skating between his third and fourth birthdays. While the Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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Campbell grew up in Pickering, Ontario, east of the Toronto metropolitan area.
52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Campbell played four years of hockey at Lake Superior State.
backyard pond provided months of joy during the winter, his love of the sport was cultivated in warmer weather, playing shinny on the streets of Pickering, Ontario, with friends. “We lived on a court, so we played street hockey every day after school,” said Campbell, who has one brother, Kevin, who is three years older. “I was always a forward on the ice, but I played goalie – I was Dominik Hasek – in street hockey.” Campbell played other sports, including golf, baseball, football and rugby, until he was 15 and decided to stick with hockey, a decision all the more tumultuous given that it was the same year that his mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Elaine Campbell had been extremely active with her boys’ sports, lending a hand wherever she could, whether it was running fundraisers, organizing golf tournaments or holding postgame pool parties. “My mom was such a great mentor and she inspired me so much,” Campbell said. “When you’re only 15, you still have a lot of growing
up to do and I think (her death) made me grow up a lot faster than maybe I wanted. She really was a great woman and she truly made me the person that I am today. Looking down on me, I would hope she would be very proud of how far I’ve come.” Campbell played for the Toronto Red Wings Midget AAA team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League at age 15, then played a couple of junior A hockey seasons for the Vaughan Vipers before deciding to try college hockey. “I knew there was life after hockey, so the education route made sense for me,” he said. “I knew hockey careers are only so long and I definitely wanted to get into business after hockey. I felt like the college route wouldn’t hurt me in terms of development, so it was the best choice for me.” Campbell chose to play hockey for Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. “They were on me right from day one,” he recalled. “I had other teams that were interested, but I wanted to go where I could Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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excel the fastest. I knew going to a smaller school with a good hockey environment could provide the best opportunity, and it paid off.” Campbell had a solid freshman year then blossomed during his sophomore season. He lost most of his junior season while recovering from shoulder surgery, but he finished his collegiate career with a solid senior campaign (14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 36 games). “With fewer games during the college season, we had more time to work during the week,” he said. “One of the things I got to work on during college was my speed. I knew going into the pros, the game would be a lot faster. I think my speed increased every year in school.” For a while, Campbell wasn’t sure if he would get a chance to play after college. “I never was a big name, so I didn’t get my hopes up too high,” he said. “Even so, it was still a bit of a disappointment when I saw a few of my friends being drafted and I didn’t go, but it didn’t slow me down.” In a way, not being drafted might have been a blessing in disguise. As a free agent, he was allowed to negotiate his own path. “Ultimately,
it worked to my benefit because it allowed me to pick and choose the organization I would go to,” he said. Campbell signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings, knowing that he would be playing for the Griffins, their top affiliate. “Having attended college in Michigan, I was familiar with Grand Rapids,” he said. “Of course, Detroit is close to Toronto, plus there’s the history and culture of the Red Wings, so I thought it would be a good fit for me.” He played in 13 games for the Griffins on an amateur tryout at the end of the 2013-14 regular season, scoring one goal and then appearing in three playoff games. “I had a slow start,” Campbell admits. “I went from college, where I was one of the go-to guys, to the pros where I had a limited role, and it took a while for me to adjust to that.” His play started to improve during his first full season with the Griffins in 2014-15. He tallied two goals and three assists in 44 games. “The assistant coaches helped me stay positive and helped me put in the necessary work to get better,” he said.
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Campbell began making real inroads last season when he played a career-high 70 games, recording 10 goals and eight assists. “One of the things you learn is that in order to be a good pro, you’ve got to show up every night,” he said. “It’s true there are a lot of games in the season, but you’ve got to find a way to be rested and mentally prepared so you can bring your best every night.” He benefitted from the fact that he played on the same line with Louis-Marc Aubry for two years in a row. Chemistry can be just as important for muck-and-grind players as it is for highly skilled front-liners. “When you play with a guy that long, you know exactly where he’s going to be,” Campbell said. “You know their tendencies, what they’re going to do with the puck, and I think we were able to benefit from that. We were the fourth line, but we often didn’t feel like it.” With Jeff Hoggan or Dan Cleary complementing their crash-and-bang style, Campbell and Aubry not only excelled as checkers, but they found a way to score goals with some regularity.
“You’ve got to find a way to get the puck to the net,” said Campbell, who remained with the organization by signing a one-year deal with the Griffins in July. “You’re there to win battles and score dirty goals. That’s the game today. Goalies are so big and everyone is so positionally sound that it’s hard to get good opportunities to score.” Campbell is rarely going to score style points, but he has no problem with his role. “Right now, I’m very comfortable. I know exactly what I have to do,” he said. “There’s no sugarcoating. It’s up to me to go out every night and just do it. I want to continue to progress and earn increased ice time.” With newfound confidence, Campbell is excited about his prospects for the 2016-17 season. “I feel like I’ve found my place in the league,” he said. “I’m very blessed to be where I am at this point in my career. I need to keep doing the things I’ve been doing the past year and build on that. I’m just going to keep working hard and try to make it to the NHL.”
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Donald MacLean
Robbie Russo
Nathan Paetsch
RECORD BOOK AND LEADERS
Jared Coreau
Joey MacDonald
Mike Fountain
(Entering 2016-17 Season)
GAMES PLAYED
GOALS
ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2015-16:
Travis Richards....................... 655 Louis-Marc Aubry (5th).......... 306 5 players tied......................... *82 4 players tied........................... 75
Michel Picard............................158 Mitch Callahan (T4th).................78 Donald MacLean (2005-06)......*56 Eric Tangradi...............................28
POINTS
PLUS/MINUS
ASSISTS
Michel Picard.................................. 222 Nathan Paetsch (9th)..................... 104 Jiri Hudler (2005-06)........................ 60 Andy Miele....................................... 44 PENALTY MINUTES
ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2015-16:
Michel Picard......................... 380 Mitch Callahan (T11th).......... 143 Michel Picard (1996-97)........ 101 Andy Miele.............................. 62
Travis Richards...................... +131 Nathan Paetsch (4th).............. +69 Ivan Ciernik (2000-01)...........*+41 Robbie Russo.........................*+40
GOALIE GAMES PLAYED
GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE WINS
Martin Prusek..........................1.83 Jared Coreau (T7th)..................2.44 Martin Prusek (2001-02)........*1.83 2015-16: Jared Coreau ........................... 47 Tom McCollum.........................2.42
Joey MacDonald............................. 109 Jared Coreau (T7th).......................... 45 Joey MacDonald (2004-05).............. 34 Mike Fountain (2000-01).................*34 Jared Coreau..................................... 29
SHUTOUTS
SAVES
SAVE PERCENTAGE
ALL-TIME: Tom McCollum...................... 226 ACTIVE LEADER: Jared Coreau (9th)................... 77 SINGLE-SEASON: Joey MacDonald (2004-05).... *66
ALL-TIME: ACTIVE LEADER: SINGLE-SEASON: 2015-16: * Led League
Joey MacDonald....................... 20 Jared Coreau (T4th).................... 9 6 players tied............................. 6 Jared Coreau.............................. 6
Tom McCollum.......................5,653 Jared Coreau (8th)..................2,102 Joey MacDonald (2004-05)....1,785 Jared Coreau..........................1,314
Darryl Bootland............................1,164 Mitch Callahan (13th)..................... 365 Darryl Bootland (2005-06)............. 390 Tyler Bertuzzi.................................. 133
Martin Prusek...............................0.930 Jared Coreau (T3rd)......................0.921 Joey MacDonald (2003-04)..........0.936 Tom McCollum..............................0.923 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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FLASH FORWARD The Detroit Red Wings showcased their future during the annual NHL Prospect Tournament held Sept. 16-20 at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City. While the Wings were defeated 6-4 by the Carolina Hurricanes in the championship game, the team displayed the kind of speed and skill that will fuel the potential for many Stanley Cup runs in the future. Wins over the prospects of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks in the round-robin tournament showed that the Red Wings have the talent to remain a playoff contender for many years Goaltender Jake Paterson appeared in two games with the Griffins last season after spending most of the year with to come. the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.
The Red Wings outpowered the St. Louis Blues prospects to earn a berth in the championship game.
Defenseman Joe Hicketts, who signed a three-year free agent deal with Detroit in 2014, has played for Team Canada in world tournaments.
Defenseman Dan Renouf signed a two-year Givani Smith is a physical, bulldozer-like entry-level contract with the Red Wings power forward who was targeted by the after deciding to forego his season season Red Wings in the second round (46th overat the University of Maine. all) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Dylan Sadowy is a high-scoring winger who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2017 third-round draft pick.
Filip Hronek will play for the CHL’s Saginaw Spirit this season after the Wings chose the Czech defenseman in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Dominic Turgeon, the son of four-time NHL All-Star Pierre Turgeon, is a solid two-way center who was the Red Wings’ second-round pick (63rd overall) in the 2014 draft.
Jordan Sambrook is an 18-year-old right-shot defenseman who was chosen in the fifth round (137th overall) by the Red Wings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
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‘A’ is for Advancement Like dozens of coaches working in the AHL, former Griffins playercoach Derek King is helping prospects climb the ladder of success. Much is made of the fact that the American Hockey League is the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are AHL graduates and more than two dozen current NHL head coaches have coached in the AHL, so the circuit serves as a training ground for not only those on the ice, but also those behind the bench.
Derek King knows how important the AHL can be for both players and coaches. One of the greatest players in Griffins history, King enjoyed two separate stints in Grand Rapids after a 14-year NHL playing career. He skated with the Griffins from 1999-2001 in the International Hockey League, sharing that league’s final scoring title in his second season, and again from 2002-04 in the AHL, the latter being where he spent parts of a few seasons (1987-90) early in his career.
King is excited about the opportunity to work with the top prospects of the Chicago Blackhawks. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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King started making the transition to coaching during his last two seasons in Grand Rapids, serving as a player-assistant coach under Danton Cole. When King finally decided that he had finished playing, he headed west to Arizona, where he dabbled in coaching youth hockey and working with pros during the summer in semi-retirement. “I thought about coaching, but I was happy doing other things,” King recalled. That all changed when former teammate Dallas Eakins was hired to coach the Toronto Marlies in 2009 and called to offer his old roomie an assistant coaching position. King spent the next six seasons in Toronto, the last one (2014-15) as associate head coach before losing his job when the parent Maple Leafs decided to clean house in order to assemble a new coaching staff. “Being let go by Toronto was part of the game,” King said matter-of-factly. “When you’re coaching, you’re hired to be fired.” He began last year as assistant coach for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack but stepped down early in the season due to family reasons. “I didn’t
like it,” he said. “I was away from my family, plus my oldest (D.J., an elite prospect) was having a big year, so I felt like I needed to be there.” King is back in the AHL this season as a Rockford IceHogs assistant coach under Ted Dent. He is thrilled to join the Chicago Blackhawks organization, which has claimed three Stanley Cups in the past seven seasons. “It’s great to be back,” he said during September’s NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City. “I thought there might be an adjustment period, but there hasn’t been. Ted lets me do my thing. He lets me be me. He’s not dictating what I need to say. He’s letting me coach and I love that.” As he did in Toronto, King enjoys keeping the players loose. It’s the same easygoing style that distinguished his time in Grand Rapids. Griffins legend Travis Richards has called King one of the funniest guys he ever played with, and King hasn’t lost his sense of humor over the years. “I always said that if I got into coaching, I would have to call all the coaches I had during my career and apologize to them because I probably drove them nuts,” King
King has returned to the AHL as an assistant coach for the Rockford IceHogs. 64 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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said. “I liked to keep things loose, maybe a little too loose sometimes.” Still, King is not beyond joking about his Yoda-like appearance in his self-deprecating style, sharing war stories and tall tales about mistakes he made during his playing career. “People always told me, ‘Just be yourself,’ and that’s what I’ve tried to do. Be myself,” he said. “I try to relate to the players and talk to them as if I was sitting in the locker room with them lacing up the skates. I try to share the things that I did over the course of my career.” King’s playing career pretty much started and ended in the AHL. Now, nearly three decades later, he is coaching prospects who are just as inexperienced as he was when he was coming out of junior hockey. “The league hasn’t changed. It’s the players who have changed,” he said. “The size of players, their strength, their off-ice training and the speed of the game have all changed. Plus, players are a lot more educated now. When I first started, we were just happy getting our first hockey card. We didn’t know any better. We just went out and played. “That’s what I try to instill in these guys. Just go out and play. It’s still a game. It’s supposed to be fun. And if you work hard, they’ll keep paying you to do it.” Of course, telling players to work hard is easier said than done sometimes. “Sometimes it’s difficult to teach someone how to work hard,” King said. “You can tell them, but they have to do it themselves. I try to stay positive and keep them motivated. Maybe I tend to be use humor a little more, just to lighten things up a bit. It seems to work for me, gets them to work a little harder. I’ve found that as long as they trust you, they will work hard for you.” King knows it’s not easy to toil in the minor leagues, wondering if you’ll get a chance to play in the NHL. Although it’s largely a physical game, the sport of hockey can also wear on a player’s psyche and confidence. As a former player, King has no problem relating their struggles to his own. “I was up and down,” he said. “I made mistakes. I had stretches in my playing career where I was awful. I’ve been there. You’ve got to figure out how to get out of slumps. I try to bring my experience to the table and just talk to them.” If a player feels like he’s not been given a fair shake by his organization, King reminds them 66 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
that there are plenty of other teams that might want to employ their services. “The mentality is you’re no longer just playing for, in our case, Chicago,” he said. “Maybe Chicago can’t use you, but maybe another team can. There are 29 other teams out there. There are eyes on you all the time, so be prepared and be ready to go.” And when that big moment comes, King the coach is just as thrilled as any player. “When someone goes up, that’s what it’s about,” he said. “It’s not about me. It’s not what I did. I get a lot of reward when a guy goes up and gives me a call later or someone keeps in touch during the summer and sends me texts. You feel like you did something.” The AHL is the classroom where people learn how to become better players and better coaches. “The game at this level is all about development,” King said. “You just don’t sign a player and bring him up to the big club. You work with them and bring them up through your minor league system. They’ve got to learn the game, how to play the right way and how to work hard. But it’s got to be fun for them.” That fun extends to the coaches. “You’re always learning,” King said. “When you stop learning as a coach, that’s when you’re in a lot of trouble. It’s not just about the drills. It’s seeing the game better. I recognize things a lot easier now on the bench than when I first started coaching. I’ve learned from Dallas Eakins, Steve Spott, Gord Dineen and Ryan McGill, and I’m sure that I’ll learn from Ted Dent, too.” King has already learned that this year is going to be different. In the past, he has usually been charged with working with forwards or overseeing the power play, but his primary responsibility this season will be something that might seem a little out of place for a high-scoring forward who once tallied 40 goals for the New York Islanders and scored 30+ goals in two other seasons. “I’ll be working with the defense,” he said. “As a forward, it’s a new challenge, but I love it.”
Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace. We’re there for you!
GRI
FFIN
S
ALL STARS 2016 AHL All-Stars Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet
Photo by Scott Thomas/AHL
1996-97 1997-98 1998-99
2004-05
Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov John Gruden, Jani Hurme, Kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy Mike Fountain, Joel Kwiatkowski, Travis Richards, Todd White, Bruce Cassidy (co-coach) Chris Bala, John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy, Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Gene Reilly (asst. coach) Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald
2005-06
Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Derek Meech, Kip Miller Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson Patrick Rissmiller Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith Gustav Nyquist Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (head coach) Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen Jeff Hoggan (captain), Xavier Ouellet
1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04
2015 AHL All-Star Teemu Pulkkinen
2014 AHL All-Star Alexey Marchenko
2013 AHL All-Star Petr Mrazek
2013 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist
Photo by Lindsay A. Mogle/AHL
Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL
68 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
Photo by Jeff Parsons/AHL
Photo by Paul Yacovone III/AHL
2013 AHL All-Star Chad Billins Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL
2012 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist
Photo by PhotoGraphics Photography/AHL
Every game is a big game.
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P E N A LT Y C A L L S
BOARDING Called for any action which causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.
HIGH STICKING Making contact with an opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder hight.
MISCONDUCT 10-minute or disqualification penalty for excessive or additional misbehavior on the ice.
TRIPPING Called for using the stick, arm or leg to cause an opponent to trip or fall.
CHARGING Taking a run at an opposing player using more than three strides to build up speed.
HOLDING Clutching an opposing player’s body with the hands, arms or legs.
ROUGHING Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT Called for unsportsmanlike actions such as disputing an official’s decision, grabbing the face mask of a player, etc.
CROSS CHECKING A check or block delivered by a player with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice.
HOOKING The use of the stick or blade to impede the progress of an opponent.
SLASHING Striking an opposing player with the stick.
DELAYED PENALTY Referee extends his arm and points to the penalized player until the penalized team regains possession of the puck.
INTERFERENCE When a player impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.
SPEARING Called for using the stick like a spear.
ELBOWING Called when a player uses an elbow to impede an opponent.
KNEEING Called when a player uses a knee to impede an opponent
WASH-OUT When used by the referee, it means goal disallowed. When used by linesmen, it means there is no icing or no offside.
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 73
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GRIFFINS IN THE NHL
2015-16 GRADUATES
Top Row: Mattias Janmark, Dylan Larkin, Kevin Porter, Andreas Athanasiou Bottom Row: Tomas Nosek, Eric Tangradi, Anthony Mantha, Alan Quine
Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 155 players to the National Hockey League, 16 of whom have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. In fact, a Griffins alumnus has had his name engraved on Lord Stanley’s chalice in six of the last nine years and in eight of the last 12 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 20 goalies and 135 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns. 1............Pavol Demitra...........................3/17/97 STL at PHX 2............Kevyn Adams...........................10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH 3............Tyler Moss................................10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT 4............Michel Picard..................................1/6/98 STL at SJ 5............Jeff Nelson.............................10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA 6............Patrick Traverse.......................10/10/98 OTT at COL 7............Mark Greig...................................1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI 8............Radim Bicanek............................2/1/99 OTT at VAN 9............Robert Petrovicky........................2/15/99 TB at NYI 10..........Andrei Vasilyev...........................3/5/99 PHX vs. DET 11..........Todd Hlushko...............................4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ 12..........Patrick Lalime............................10/2/99 OTT at PHI 13..........Glen Metropolit......................10/2/99 WSH at FLA 14..........Kevin Miller.............................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 15..........Karel Rachunek.......................10/31/99 OTT at ATL 16..........Erich Goldmann....................11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH 17..........Yves Sarault...............................11/20/99 OTT at NJ 18..........John Gruden...........................11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI 19..........Mike Fountain..............................12/3/99 OTT at NJ 20..........Dave Van Drunen....................12/13/99 OTT at TOR 21..........Petr Schastlivy..............................1/3/00 OTT vs. NJ 22..........John Emmons............................1/6/00 OTT vs. PHX 23..........Slava Butsayev..........................1/28/00 OTT at BUF 24..........Aris Brimanis.............................2/13/00 NYI at NYR 25..........Dieter Kochan............................3/28/00 TB vs. DAL 26..........Jani Hurme....................................4/9/00 OTT vs. TB 27..........Shane Hnidy.............................10/5/00 OTT at BOS 28..........Donald MacLean...................10/14/00 TOR vs. OTT 29..........David Oliver...............................11/4/00 OTT vs. CBJ 30..........Jamie Rivers............................11/12/00 OTT at CAR 31..........Sean Gagnon.........................11/26/00 OTT at NYR
32..........Joel Bouchard........................11/29/00 PHX at COL 33..........Mike Crowley..........................12/8/00 ANA at MIN 34..........Ivan Ciernik.................................1/23/01 OTT at NYI 35..........Darren Rumble..............................2/6/01 STL at COL 36..........Joel Kwiatkowski......................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 37..........Todd White................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF 38.......Chris Neil........................10/3/01 OTT at TOR 39..........Toni Dahlman..........................1/3/02 OTT vs. WSH 40..........Steve Martins............................1/11/02 OTT at FLA 41..........Kip Miller.......................................1/17/02 NYI at SJ 42..........Jody Hull.........................................2/4/02 OTT at TB 43..........Dmitry Afanasenkov.......................2/6/02 TB at FLA 44..........Simon Lajeunesse..........................3/7/02 OTT at SJ 45..........Martin Prusek...........................3/23/02 OTT vs. ATL 46..........Chris Bala....................................3/27/02 OTT at NYI 47..........Neil Little...................................3/28/02 PHI at CAR 48..........Josh Langfeld..............................3/30/02 OTT vs. TB 49..........Gaetan Royer...............................4/1/02 TB vs. NYR 50.......Jason Spezza................10/24/02 OTT at BOS 51..........Sean Avery................................10/29/02 DET vs. SJ 52..........Jason Doig.................................12/3/02 WSH at PIT 53..........Jason Williams.........................12/5/02 DET at PHX 54..........Patrick Boileau......................12/19/02 DET vs. DAL 55..........Stacy Roest.............................2/20/03 DET vs. EDM 56..........Wade Brookbank..................10/9/03 NSH vs. ANA 57..........Julien Vauclair........................10/25/03 OTT at MTL 58.......Jiri Hudler.......................10/29/03 DET vs. STL 59..........Curtis Joseph..........................10/30/03 DET at NSH 60..........Darryl Bootland......................11/8/03 DET vs. NSH 61..........Mark Mowers........................11/19/03 DET vs. CBJ 62..........Nathan Robinson..................11/28/03 DET vs. NYI 63..........Blake Sloan.................................12/4/03 DAL at LA 64.......Niklas Kronwall.............12/10/03 DET at BUF 65..........Ryan Barnes...........................12/15/03 DET vs. FLA 66.......Chris Kelly..........................2/5/04 OTT vs. TOR 67..........Marc Lamothe.........................2/23/04 DET at EDM 68..........Anders Myrvold........................2/26/04 DET at CGY 69..........Mathieu Chouinard...................2/29/04 LA at ANA 70..........Brett Lebda..................................10/5/05 DET vs. STL 71..........Mark Eaton..................................10/5/05 NSH vs. SJ 72..........Chris Osgood.............................10/29/05 DET at CHI 73.......Kyle Quincey...............11/25/05 DET at ANA 74.......Jimmy Howard..............11/28/05 DET at LA 75.......Valtteri Filppula.............12/15/05 DET at FLA 76..........Rob Collins..............................12/17/05 NYI vs. COL 77..........Manny Legace............................1/5/06 DET vs. STL 78..........David Gove...............................1/31/06 CAR at MTL 79..........Tomas Kopecky..............................2/28/06 DET at SJ 80..........Alexandre Giroux........................3/25/06 NYR at TB 81..........Joey MacDonald........................10/19/06 DET at SJ 82..........Derek Meech...............................12/7/06 DET vs. STL 83..........Matt Ellis...................................12/18/06 DET at CBJ 84..........Matt Hussey...............................1/26/07 DET at STL 85..........Sheldon Brookbank.......................2/6/07 NSH at PIT 86..........Danny Syvret..........................2/27/07 EDM vs. PHX 87..........Mark Hartigan.........................11/29/07 DET vs. TB 88..........Drew MacIntyre........................12/13/07 VAN at SJ 89..........Peter Vandermeer..................2/10/08 PHX vs. NSH 90.......Jonathan Ericsson..........2/22/08 DET at CGY 91..........Garrett Stafford.........................2/23/08 DET at VAN 92.......Darren Helm....................3/13/08 DET vs. DAL 93..........Mattias Ritola..........................3/15/08 DET vs. NSH 94..........Clay Wilson................................3/25/08 CBJ at NSH 95..........Darren McCarty..........................3/28/08 DET vs. STL 96..........Krys Kolanos...............................11/4/0x8 MIN at SJ 97..........Landon Wilson.....................11/22/08 DAL vs. ANA
98..........Bryan Helmer.....................11/28/08 WSH vs. MTL 99..........Chris Chelios ..........................12/13/08 DET at PHX 100........Aaron Downey.........................1/29/09 DET vs. DAL 101......Justin Abdelkader........ 1/31/09 DET at WSH 102........Ville Leino................................1/31/09 DET at WSH 103........Aaron Gagnon......................10/16/09 DAL vs. BOS 104........Scott Parse................................10/24/09 LA at PHX 105........Doug Janik...............................11/3/09 DET vs. BOS 106.........Ryan Keller................................11/25/09 OTT at NJ 107......Jakub Kindl..................12/3/09 DET vs. EDM 108........Kris Newbury........................12/14/09 DET vs. PHX 109.........Darren Haydar...........................2/10/10 COL vs. ATL 110........Andreas Lilja................................3/1/10 DET at COL 111.........Jeremy Williams......................10/24/10 NYR vs. NJ 112........Jan Mursak..............................12/27/10 DET at COL 113........Chris Mueller.........................12/28/10 NSH vs. DAL 114......Tomas Tatar.................12/31/10 DET vs. NYI 115........Cory Emmerton........................1/22/11 DET vs. CHI 116.........Patrick Rissmiller......................2/23/11 ATL at BUF 117 .......Tom McCollum .........................3/30/11 DET vs. STL 118 .....Gustav Nyquist ............ 11/1/11 DET vs. MIN 119 ........Fabian Brunnstrom........................11/5/11 DET vs. ANA 120......Brendan Smith...............11/17/11 DET at SJ 121......Mark Cullen.................11/29/11 FLA at CAR 122........Chris Conner..............................12/2/11 DET at BUF 123......Joakim Andersson.......12/27/11 DET vs. STL 124......Ty Conklin .................... 3/21/12 DET at NYR 125.....Riley Sheahan..................4/7/12 DET vs. CHI 126........Brian Lashoff..............................1/21/13 DET at CBJ 127........Mike Knuble...............................1/26/13 PHI at FLA 128........Jamie Tardif.................................2/2/13 BOS at TOR 129......Petr Mrazek ..................... 2/7/13 DET at STL 130..... Jonas Gustavsson.........2/19/13 DET at NSH 131.....Carlo Colaiacovo..............4/1/13 DET vs. COL 132.....Danny DeKeyser.......... 10/2/13 DET vs. BUF 133.....Luke Glendening........10/12/13 DET vs. PHI 134.....Xavier Ouellet................10/21/13 DET vs. SJ 135........Adam Almquist .....................11/4/13 DET at WPG 136........Chad Billins...............................11/5/13 CGY at MIN 137.....Patrick Eaves................12/14/13 DET vs. PIT 138.....Tomas Jurco..................12/15/13 DET vs. TB 139.....Jordin Tootoo..............12/19/13 DET vs. CGY 140.....Alexey Marchenko...........1/4/14 DET at DAL 141.....Teemu Pulkkinen ........3/14/14 DET vs. EDM 142.....Landon Ferraro.............3/18/14 DET vs. TOR 143.....Calle Jarnkrok...............3/21/14 NSH at CGY 144........Mitch Callahan...........................3/25/14 DET at CBJ 145........Ryan Sproul................................4/13/14 DET at STL 146.....Andrej Nestrasil............10/9/14 DET vs. BOS 147........Stephen Weiss.......................11/24/14 DET vs. OTT 148.....Mattias Janmark............10/8/15 DAL vs. PIT 149.....Dylan Larkin.................10/9/15 DET vs. TOR 150.....Kevin Porter....................10/10/15 PIT at ARI 151.....Andreas Athanasiou.....11/8/15 DET vs. DAL 152.....Tomas Nosek...............12/26/15 DET at NSH 153.....Er ic Tangradi................. 1/25/16 DET at NYI 154.....Anthony Mantha...........3/15/16 DET at PHI 155.....Alan Quine.......................4/9/16 NYI vs. PHI Bold = Played in the NHL during the 2015-16 season Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids All photos by Getty Images. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
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THE CHOSEN ONES
When he made his pro debut during the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs, Evgeny Svechnikov (see page 32) became the 32nd first-round selection from the NHL Entry Draft to play for the Griffins. Find the last name of each of them by searching horizontally, vertically and diagonally, both forward and backward. Have fun!
N I K R A L T H L F A B L R G Y F Q T J
N Q C H V N B L F Z R L M Q I R H P E U
T O S P I Y U L Z N A C S U B A P X A T
Q D S V K H D E M W A T V F P E R D E N
X B I I O C P Z N M Q Y W P N L I V R Y
Kevyn ADAMS (Boston 1993) Scott ALLISON (Edmonton 1990) Claude BOIVIN (Philadelphia 1988) Mathieu CHOUINARD (Ottawa 1998) Daniel CLEARY (Chicago 1997) Carlo COLAIACOVO (Toronto 2001) Patrick EAVES (Ottawa 2003) Brad FERENCE (Vancouver 1997) Mark GREIG (Hartford 1990) Kevin GRIMES (Colorado 1997) Kerry HUFFMAN (Philadelphia 1986)
J O U U L S J O U U D L E N Z C C Q U L
B X U G A L R N L L S T E C N E R E F S
T R P H N K A O R L R M T M D J A U G V
E X C X O B A S O O Y S A N K Q D I I E
D D O H S F M L V C J O M D G I A L U C
S O S A O B D I N C N R L I A L E T K H
Q E F S H U C W T M B D F J T R Y S I N
K M M M H K I S H E A H A N O H X Q N I
B A C I Y A H N K O R Z D U Q Q G F D K
Jody HULL (Hartford 1987) Jonas JOHANSSON (Colorado 2002) Jakub KINDL (Detroit 2005) Derek KING (NY Islanders 1985) Krys KOLANOS (Phoenix 2000) Niklas KRONWALL (Detroit 2000) Dylan LARKIN (Detroit 2014) Francois LEROUX (Edmonton 1988) Anthony MANTHA (Detroit 2013) Brad MAY (Buffalo 1990) Tom MCCOLLUM (Detroit 2008)
A N A J R U N G A T A A X H S R J E L O
L T I R F G T N Y R U M B L E P V H Z V
U H N F O W O I O A D W E I S S H L O R
T A M X I Y T K L N M U G P F O R E G K
R A S E V A E D I J O H A N S S O N Z Q
N F E G O V O C A I A L O C G R U J S S
Mark MITERA (Anaheim 2006) Robert PETROVICKY (Hartford 1992) Darren RUMBLE (Philadelphia 1987) Darrin SHANNON (Pittsburgh 1988) Riley SHEAHAN (Detroit 2010) Brendan SMITH (Detroit 2007) Jason SPEZZA (Ottawa 2001) Evgeny SVECHNIKOV (Detroit 2015) Stephen WEISS (Florida 2001) Landon WILSON (Toronto 1993) Grand Rapids GRIFFINS
79
PARTING SHOT
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. His body seemingly climbing the glass outside Van Andel Arena, a gargantuan Nathan Paetsch peers through the branches of a tree on Fulton Street. Photo by Mark Newman 80 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS