WHATEVER IT TAKES

Story and photos by Mark Newman

Dominik Shine is willing to do anything to boost the Griffins’ chances for success.

Hockey doesn’t have utility players like baseball does, but if such a role existed, Dominik Shine would be the embodiment of the allpurpose talent.

He’s the ultimate team player, the can-do chameleon who will happily fill any role. His skill set allows him to be adaptable to anything that is thrown his way, and he is unusually reliable and responsible in the process. What he might lack in pure ability is overshadowed by his versatility and his ability to get the job done.

In other words, Dominik Shine will do whatever it takes.

Nothing illustrates his flexible attitude better than his willingness to play defense when the Griffins found themselves short of blueliners last season. He had played the position briefly a couple of times in junior hockey but the experience was so long ago that it barely counted for anything.

Even so, he jumped at the opportunity.

“It was actually really fun,” Shine said. “The coaches asked me if I could do it and I just said ‘yeah.’ They took a chance and it worked out. I had a really good time.”

A one-game experiment suddenly turned into a several-game stint.

“Honestly, I felt comfortable right away,” he said. “I’ve always been a decent defender, so I felt I could skate with guys and keep up with them. I made sure I was never put into a position where I had to skate backward the whole time. If you watch a lot of the good defensemen, they will often take an angle to cut a guy off so they can stay [skating] forward.”

That is not to say playing defense is the same as playing forward, his natural position.

“It’s a way different game,” he said. “There’s not as much skating as you might think. You would think that there is more skating, but a lot of the hard stuff for defensemen happens inside your blue line. You’re battling with guys in the corners, blocking shots, making sure no shots get through, and doing stuff like that.”

Shine said his temporary shift to defense was eased by his coaches and teammates who were extremely encouraging and supportive.

“They helped my confidence because they were giving me compliments and telling me that I was looking good,” he recalled. “I was feeling good back there, moving around and having fun. It may have helped that the coaches knew I wasn’t a defenseman, so they didn’t have any expectations for me. By the end, I felt a lot more comfortable.”

Shine and Griffins teammate Tyler Spezia (second from right) played youth hockey together.

The experience paid dividends this season when Shine was asked to play center.

“I think it set me up for success by helping me see the game a whole different way,” he said. “I wasn’t a center my whole life and now I’ve been playing center the whole year. After having played defense last season, I felt so comfortable going to center this year.”

With the coronavirus, call-ups and injuries keeping the Griffins’ roster in a constant state of flux, the coaching staff has continued to be resourceful. But even Shine admits there is a limit to what he is willing to do. “It’s been a crazy couple of years,” he said. “I’ve played left D, right D, left wing, right wing and center. The only place I have not played is goalie. No, thank you!”

Thanks to his resilient nature, Shine quickly adjusted to the responsibilities of a center, which are different from playing either wing.

“As a center, you have to be a little more strategic in terms of how you use your energy in the corners,” he said. “As a winger, I felt like I was just sprinting. That was my game, using my speed all the time. As a center, you’ve got to be a bit more calculated. If something happens in the offensive zone, you’re the one that’s getting all the way back. You have to think the game a little differently.”

Shine has been finding different ways to contribute ever since he came to Grand Rapids near the end of the 2016-17 season. He joined the Griffins after leading Northern Michigan University in scoring during his senior year, when he tallied 20 goals in 33 games.

Fighting for ice time in the pros required Shine to transform his game.

“At Northern, I was playing 20-25 minutes a game some nights, and when I came to the pros there were some nights where I was only playing five or six,” he said. “In that sense, it was a big transformation. But I’ve always played hard. I’ve always hit and I’ve always tried to do the things that coaches have asked of me.”

Shine joined the Griffins as a solid twoway forward –– a player who was defensively responsible and yet was able to occasionally contribute a goal or two.

“The big thing for my coach at Northern was defense,” he said. “Coming out of juniors, I was just trying to score. That’s the mindset of most young players. They focus on the fun things like scoring. But the things that keep you in the lineup are the little things like playing defense and being hard to play against.”

His role has not changed drastically since he

Shine has never been shy about standing up for his teammates. Before this season’s midpoint, he had already set a personalhigh for penalty minutes as a pro.

first joined the Griffins, but his perspective has.

“That first year, they wanted me to focus on creating energy, hitting, and maybe some fighting when needed,” he said. “It’s the same things I did in juniors to stay in the lineup. Now that I’m seeing more ice time, I think they’re looking to get a little more out of me.”

The Detroit native has been living up to the billing of his surname this season, scoring a pair of highlight-reel goals in December that ignited the Van Andel Arena partisans. On Dec. 4, Shine undressed a Rockford defenseman on the rush, dancing around him in the slot before slipping the puck inside the right post, then he ended the year with a bang by scoring an unassisted, shorthanded goal on a breakaway against Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve.

Like his similarly unheralded teammates Turner Elson and Tyler Spezia, Shine has stepped up to the challenge of another Covid-crossed season. All three are producing points at a career-best pace.

“We’re three guys who work really hard –– we always have,” Shine said. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of ice time and whether things go in or they don’t, but we take pride in being the kind of players who are hard to play against. We do our best to play the right way.”

Born less than two months apart, Shine and Spezia grew up playing hockey together on the east side of the state. Their mothers are best friends, so the chance to play a lot of minutes on the same line together this season is an opportunity not lost on them.

“Tyler and I have known each other since we were probably eight or nine years old and we were teammates,” he said. “Later, we played against each other in the USHL and then again in college. He went to Bowling Green while I was going to Northern, so our schools played each other about four times a year. And then we met up again here.

“I think we’re doing a good job with the opportunity that we’re being given. It’s been really fun to play a lot together this season. I love playing with him. I hope he feels the same way. It’s easy to play with him because we can talk and be honest with each other. He’s like a brother to me.”

Now in his fifth full season with the Griffins, Shine feels at home here. He got married in Grand Rapids in 2019. He met his wife, Taylor, when he was playing for the USHL team in Lincoln, Neb., a dozen years ago. “We

Shine’s versatility has allowed him to play a variety of roles during his six seasons with the Griffins.

started dating before we went to different colleges,” he said.

His wife attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and is now a product manager at Stryker in Kalamazoo. “She’s definitely the brains of the family,” he said. “She’s awesome and I’m very proud of her. She’s a big part of my life and she helps keep things in perspective.”

The stability that Shine has found in his life at home echoes the relative security he has enjoyed at the rink. His entire pro career has been spent in Grand Rapids after four years in Lincoln and four years at Northern.

He had originally been recruited to play at Ohio State University but changed his mind after the Buckeyes changed coaches. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee three games later.

“Northern called me right away after I got injured and told me that they still wanted me to come because they had made an offer earlier. From that moment, I felt a different level of loyalty,” he said. “When someone takes a chance on you, you want to perform for them and you want to win with them.

“That’s how I felt about Grand Rapids when the Griffins signed me. Obviously being a Wings fan growing up, it’s all I ever wanted to do – I wanted to play for the Red Wings. To be here and to be part of this organization means the world to me. I just want to do my best and I want to win here for as long as I can.”

Shine is confident that the Wings are building something special.

“There are so many nice guys in this organization right now,” he said. “I think the leaders of this team pride themselves on building a good culture in the locker room. If there are players who don’t want to be part of the team or only care about themselves, they find their way out.

“The core guys here really do care. That’s what makes it fun and I think that’s why we’ve had success for so many years – way before I got here.”

Shine feels his play has improved as he has matured. He’s learned there’s much more to the game than scoring goals.

“If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, I would say, ‘just be honest with yourself.’ Sometimes I got frustrated my first year because I went from the guy who was going to score 20 goals to the guy who had a lot to learn.

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot since I’ve been here. Instead of being frustrated with the situation,

Shine is playing center this season after playing on the wings for most of his career.

I wish I would have been honest with myself and grown a little faster. You have to be honest about your situation and that gets in the way for some guys.

“Obviously, I found a way to stay here. I know it can be hard for a young guy coming in. Everyone was ‘the man’ wherever they came from, and now you’re playing with a bunch of other guys who were the best wherever they played. You have to look at it as your time to grow as a person and to grow as a player.

“In saying that, I’m happy with the way things have worked out.”

Shine feels for young players who are breaking into the league now, especially given how the pandemic has played havoc with the schedule.

“For the young guys especially, it’s been difficult. Last year was the hardest in terms of the travel we were doing,” he said. “It’s easy to get caught up in being negative, saying ‘Covid is getting the best of us’ and things like that. You try to focus on those things you can control, even when it’s hard to stay positive in times like this. Of course, that’s true for everyone [in society] these days.”

Shine believes the Griffins are showing signs of finally coming together as a team.

“The pandemic added a whole different element,” he said. “Before, it was a matter of trying to figure out how we could become a team. Now it’s a matter of figuring out who’s on the team and let’s figure out what we’re doing. It’s still fun, but it adds a whole different level.

“It’s got to be hard on the coaches and management, too. Just figuring out who’s available to play each game, especially when you’re faced with a crazy schedule. Hopefully, at some point, this whole Covid thing will settle down and we can get our team back together and make a push for playoffs.”

Coming into the New Year, the Griffins were facing a slate of 17 games in 37 games. “I’m excited about it,” Shine said. “We just need to get healthy and get all of our guys back. I can count on one hand how many times I was on a line with the same guys. We’re playing all over the place. Guys are going up to the Wings, guys are out sick. If we can stay healthy and start to get rolling, I think we’ll have a good second half.

“For all the guys, it’s a big opportunity. I think we can take advantage of the opportunity and do a good job. This is a good team. The right pieces are here.”

Shine joined the Griffins as a free agent out of Northern Michigan University, where he led his team in scoring during his senior year.

RECORDBOOK AND Through games of Jan. 13, 2022 LEADERS

GAMES PLAYED All-Time Travis Richards Active Leader Brian Lashoff (2nd) Single-Season 5 players tied 2020-21 Riley Barber, Joe Hicketts GOALS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Turner Elson (T25th) Single-Season Donald MacLean (2005-06) 2020-21 Riley Barber ASSISTS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Brian Lashoff (17th) Single-Season Jiri Hudler (2005-06) 2020-21 Taro Hirose 655 534 *82 32

158 50 *56 20

222 85 60 23

Michel Picard Calvin Pickard

POINTS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Turner Elson (30th) Single-Season Michel Picard (1996-97) 2020-21 Riley Barber PLUS/MINUS All-Time Travis Richards Active Leader Turner Elson (13th) Single-Season Ivan Ciernik (2000-01) 2020-21 Turner Elson PENALTY MINUTES All-Time Darryl Bootland Active Leader Brian Lashoff (20th) Single-Season Darryl Bootland (2005-06) 2020-21 Dylan McIlrath

* = Led League

Darryl Bootland

380 117 101 34

+131 +46 *+41 +6

1,164 281 390 70

Turner Elson Brian Lashoff Joey MacDonald

GOALIE GAMES PLAYED All-Time Tom McCollum Active Leader Calvin Pickard (12th) Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) 2020-21 Kevin Boyle, Pat Nagle GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE All-Time Martin Prusek Active Leader Calvin Pickard (16th) Single-Season Martin Prusek (2001-02) 2020-21 Pat Nagle

WINS All-Time Tom McCollum Active Leader Calvin Pickard (11th) Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Mike Fountain (2000-01) 2020-21 Kevin Boyle 263 60 *66 12

1.83 2.69 *1.82 2.78

122 30 34 *34 7 SHUTOUTS All-Time Joey MacDonald Active Leader Calvin Pickard (T10th) Single-Season 6 players tied 2020-21 Kaden Fulcher SAVES All-Time Tom McCollum Active Leader Calvin Pickard (12th) Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) 2020-21 Pat Nagle SAVE PERCENTAGE All-Time Martin Prusek Active Leader Calvin Pickard (11th) Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2003-04) 2020-21 Pat Nagle 20 4 6 1

6,640 1,675 1,785 256

0.930 0.913 0.936 0.892

GRIFFINS IN THE ALL-STAR GAME

2020

Matthew Ford

2020

Chris Terry

2019 2018 2018

Chris Terry

2016

Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet

2013

Matt Puempel

2015

Teemu Pulkkinen

2013

Matt Lorito

2014

Alexey Marchenko

2013

Chad Billins

2019-20 Matthew Ford, Chris Terry 2018-19 Chris Terry 2017-18 Matt Lorito, Matt Puempel 2016-17 Matt Lorito, Robbie Russo, Todd Nelson (head coach) 2015-16 Jeff Hoggan (captain), Xavier Ouellet 2014-15 Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen 2013-14 Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (co-coach) 2012-13 Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist 2011-12 Gustav Nyquist 2010-11 Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith 2009-10 Patrick Rissmiller

2008-09 Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson 2007-08 Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard 2006-07 Derek Meech, Kip Miller (captain) 2005-06 Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean 2004-05 Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald 2003-04 Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards (captain), Nathan Robinson 2002-03 Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers

Petr Mrazek

2001-02

Chris Bala, John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy, Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Gene Reilly (asst. coach)

2000-01

Mike Fountain, Joel Kwiatkowski, Travis Richards, Todd White, Bruce Cassidy (co-coach) 1999-00 John Gruden, Jani Hurme, Kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy 1998-99 Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov 1997-98 Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard 1996-97 Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick

Gustav Nyquist

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BOARDING Called for any action which causes an opponent to be thrown violently into the boards.

CHARGING Taking a run at an opposing player using more than three strides to build up speed.

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.

DELAYED PENALTY Referee extends his arm and points to the penalized player until the penalized team regains possession of the puck.

HIGH STICKING Making contact with an opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder hight.

HOLDING Clutching an opposing player’s body with the hands, arms or legs.

HOOKING The use of the stick or blade to impede the progress of an opponent.

INTERFERENCE When a player impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.

MISCONDUCT 10-minute or disqualification penalty for excessive or additional misbehavior on the ice.

ROUGHING Called for engaging in fisticuffs or shoving.

SLASHING Striking an opposing player with the stick.

SPEARING

Called for using the stick like a spear.

TRIPPING

Called for using the stick, arm or leg to cause an opponent to trip or fall.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT Called for unsportsmanlike actions such as disputing an official’s decision, grabbing the face mask of a player, etc.

WASH-OUT When used by the referee, it means goal disallowed. When used by linesmen, it means there is no icing or no offside.

ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS BAKERSFIELD CONDORS BELLEVILLE SENATORS BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS CHARLOTTE CHECKERS CHICAGO WOLVES CLEVELAND MONSTERS COLORADO EAGLES GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS HARTFORD WOLF PACK HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS HERSHEY BEARS IOWA WILD LAVAL ROCKET LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS MANITOBA MOOSE MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS ONTARIO REIGN PROVIDENCE BRUINS ROCHESTER AMERICANS ROCKFORD ICEHOGS SAN DIEGO GULLS SAN JOSE BARRACUDA SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS STOCKTON HEAT SYRACUSE CRUNCH TEXAS STARS TORONTO MARLIES TUCSON ROADRUNNERS UTICA COMETS WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

Griffins in the NHL

Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 188 players to the National Hockey League, 17 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 eight of the last 14 years and in 10 of the last 17 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 23 goalies and 165 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.

IT ALL

STARTS HERE

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................................11/4/08 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.......Eric 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

156.....Martin Frk.................10/18/16 CAR at EDM 157.....Tyler Bertuzzi................11/8/16 DET at PHI

158.......Jared Coreau..............................12/3/16 DET at PIT 159......Nick Jensen........................12/20/16 DET at TB 160.......Drew Miller..............................2/28/17 DET at VAN 161.......Robbie Russo.............................3/7/17 DET at TOR

162.....Dan Renouf.................. 3/27/17 DET at CAR

163.......Ben Street.................................3/28/17 DET at CAR

164.....Evgeny Svechnikov........4/3/17 DET vs. OTT

165.......Matt Lorito................................4/8/17 DET vs. MTL

166.....Kyle Criscuolo............. 11/17/17 BUF at DET

167.......Dominic Turgeon......................1/14/18 DET at CHI 168.......Joe Hicketts.................................1/22/18 DET at NJ

169.....Dennis Cholowski..........10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ

170.......Libor Sulak................................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ

171.....Filip Hronek..................10/4/18 DET vs. CBJ

172.......Wade Megan.............................11/1/18 DET vs. NJ 173.......Christoffer Ehn.......................11/6/18 DET vs. VAN 174.......Eddie Pasquale............................12/4/18 TB at DET

175.....Michael Rasmussen.......2/7/19 DET vs. VGK 176.....Filip Zadina.....................2/24/19 DET vs. SJ

177.......Matt Puempel..........................3/23/19 DET at VGK 178.......Dylan McIlrath............................3/25/19 DET at SJ 179.......Jake Chelios................................3/29/19 DET vs. NJ

180.....Givani Smith............. 10/25/19 DET vs. BUF

181.......Calvin Pickard.........................11/29/19 DET at PHI

182.....Madison Bowey.........12/14/19 DET at MTL 183.....Taro Hirose..................... 2/6/20 DET at BUF 184.....Gustav Lindstrom.......... 2/6/20 DET at BUF 185.....Joe Veleno .................... 4/27/21 DET at CBJ

186.......Mathias Brome...........................5/7/21 DET at CBJ

187.....Moritz Seider...............10/14/21 DET vs. TB 188.....Riley Barber.................12/18/21 DET vs. NJ

Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Jan. 17, 2022)

Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids All photos by Getty Images

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EST. 1996

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LAUNCHING PADS

We all start somewhere, and every AHL player first honed his skills with a college or junior team before turning pro. Can you match the amateur team of each member of the 2021-22 Griffins with its nickname? Beware, as some of the nicknames are used by more than one team. Good luck!

(Note: Jonatan Berggren’s and Victor Brattstrom’s former teams in Sweden’s J20 SuperElit league do not have nicknames, so they are not included.)

AMATEUR TEAMS

1. BOSTON U. (HOCKEY EAST) - PATRICK CURRY 2. BOWLING GREEN (WCHA) - TYLER SPEZIA 3. CLARKSON (ECAC) - JOSH DICKINSON 4. CONNECTICUT (HOCKEY EAST) - WYATT NEWPOWER 5. DENVER (NCHC) - BLAKE HILLMAN 6. DRUMMONDVILLE (QMJHL) - JOE VELENO 7. HAMILTON (OHL) - KADEN FULCHER 8. HARVARD (ECAC) - KYLE CRISCUOLO 9. KINGSTON (OHL) - BRIAN LASHOFF 10. KITCHENER (OHL) - RYAN MURPHY, DONOVAN SEBRANGO 11. LAKE SUPERIOR STATE (WCHA) - MAX HUMITZ 12. MAINE (HOCKEY EAST) - CHASE PEARSON, DAN RENOUF 13. MIAMI (NCHC) - RILEY BARBER 14. MICHIGAN STATE (BIG TEN) - JUSTIN ABDELKADER,

MATT BERRY, TARO HIROSE 15. MONCTON (QMJHL) - JARED MCISAAC 16. NEW BRUNSWICK (USPORTS) - RANDY GAZZOLA 17. NORTHERN MICHIGAN (WCHA) - DOMINIK SHINE 18. OHIO STATE (BIG TEN) - GORDI MYER 19. OWEN SOUND (OHL) - ERIK BRADFORD, BRETT MCKENZIE 20. RED DEER (WHL) - TURNER ELSON 21. SAGINAW (OHL) - D.J. KING 22. SEATTLE (WHL) - CALVIN PICKARD 23. SHAWINIGAN (QMJHL) - DENNIS YAN 24. SOO (OHL) - HAYDEN VERBEEK 25. SWIFT CURRENT (WHL) - JON MARTIN 26. UMASS LOWELL (HOCKEY EAST) - SETH BARTON 27. WESTERN MICHIGAN (CCHA) - LUKE WITKOWSKI 28. YEKATERINBURG (MHL) - KIRILL TYUTYAYEV

NICKNAMES

A ATTACK B AVTO C BLACK BEARS D BRONCOS E BUCKEYES F BULLDOGS G CATARACTES H CRIMSON I FALCONS J FRONTENACS K GOLDEN KNIGHTS L GREYHOUNDS M HUSKIES N LAKERS O PIONEERS P RANGERS Q REBELS R REDHAWKS S REDS T RIVER HAWKS U SPARTANS V SPIRIT W TERRIERS X THUNDERBIRDS Y VOLTIGEURS Z WILDCATS

B D T D 28. 27. 26. 25. L G X V Q A 24. 23. 22. 21. 20. 19. E Z S Z U R 18. 17. 16. 15. 14. 13. C N P J H F 12. 11. 10. 9. 8. 7. Y O M K I W

6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. ANSWERS

PARTING SHOT

CALLING ALL HEROES:

Erik Bradford (left) and Matt Berry (right) celebrate the game-winning goal by Josh Dickinson (center) during the lineup-depleted Griffins’ 3-1 victory over Iowa on Jan. 7, 2022. All three players started the current season in the ECHL (Dickinson and Berry with the Toledo Walleye; Bradford with the Kalamazoo Wings).

Photo by Mark Newman

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