2018-19 Griffiti - Issue #2

2018-19 SEASON ISSUE NO. 2

TOP GUN CHRIS TERRY O F F I C I A L

M A G A Z I N E

O F

T H E

G R A N D

R A P I D S

G R I F F I N S

Vol. 23, No. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS STARTING LINEUP 26 LARGER GOALS High-scoring Chris Terry isn’t looking to pick up points when he gets involved in the community. He just thinks it is the right thing to do.

26

32 WINNING ATTITUDE Griffins assistant coaches Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper both have experienced what it takes to win championships.

42 MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF Now in his fifth full pro season, Jake Chelios has established himself as a solid defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice.

52 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS Former Griffins star Derek King is finally getting his chance to be a head coach in the AHL. 56 EHN-ERGIZING Swedish center Christoffer Ehn is exciting Red Wings fans with his potential.

42

ON THE BENCH 50......InfoGRIFFics 2.........Chalk Talk 4.........Scouting Report 63......Griffins Records 9.........Griffins Schedule 68......Griffins All-Stars 12......AHL Tradition 73......Penalty Calls 15......AHL Team Directory 74......Arena Map/Ticket Info 19......Detroit Red Wings 76......It All Starts Here 21......Promotional Calendar 79......Calder City Comics 24......Icing on the Cake 80......Parting Shot 40......Meet the Griffins

COVER: Chris Terry won the AHL scoring title last season by collecting a leagueleading 71 points in 62 games for the Laval Rocket.

52

Photo by Mark Newman

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 ©2018 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.

56

Talk

WITH GRIFFINS HEAD COACH BEN SIMON Two decades ago when the Griffins were a fledgling organization, most head coaches had one assistant coach. Today, it is common for teams to not only have two assistant coaches but to also have specialists for everything from conditioning to goaltending.

“Now there is more emphasis on development, so there is more attention to teaching,” said Griffins head coach Ben Simon.

“In the salary cap era, there is a greater need to develop players in your own organization, so there is more emphasis on detail.

“The more resources you can provide your players, the more you can expedite the process and increase their odds for success.”

Additional coaching is an organizational investment in its prospects. “Organizations have decided to build their teams through the development of their young talent rather than free agent signings, so teaching has become increasingly important,” he said.

The Griffins’ primary assistant coaches are Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper, both of whom Simon knew previously.

Macdonald worked with Simon as an assistant in Cincinnati when Simon was the head coach of the Cyclones during the 2013-14 season. Tapper and Simon were teammates in Orlando and Chicago from in 2000-02.

Like a team, it takes time for a coaching staff to jell.

“I think back to when I first came to Grand Rapids four years ago,” Simon said. “Nellie (Todd Nelson) was the new coach and while he had worked with Rammer (Bruce Ramsay) before, he hadn’t worked with me. It took time for us to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Photo: Sam Iannamico

Chalk The NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City provided an opportunity for Simon to work with his new assistant coaches before the regular season began. “The rookie tournament was great for us,” he sad. “Although it wasn’t the team we now have here, we were able to go through the daily routines, the practices and game day operations to work out the kinks a little bit.”

Initially, Tapper will be in charge of the forwards and power play while Macdonald will oversee defensemen and the team’s penalty kill.

“Brad was an offense-minded player who sees the game from an offensive perspective, so putting him in charge of the forwards seemed like a logical fit, while Matt played defense and understands the penalty kill. That doesn’t mean it has to stay that way,” Simon said.

It’s entirely possible that those roles could flip at some point.

“Some organizations will switch halfway through a season to give everybody a different look,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not for lack of success but just to switch responsibilities so that your coaches are getting different experience as well.”

Pre-scouting the opposition is an important function that Simon himself handled the past three seasons as an assistant coach but one that he will divide between Macdonald and Tapper this year.

“It was hard work and a lot of long hours, but I loved the grind,” he said. “I made sure that Nellie knew the opposition’s personnel, systems and line combinations so that we were never caught with our pants down.

“This year we’ve divided the teams between Matt and Brad so they can break down every team’s idiosyncrasies and tendencies. They will know the opposing team like the back of their hand so that if I have a question, they’ll have the answer just like that.”

Simon is a stickler for detail.

“Preparation is key,” he said. “We want to be dialed in so we’re prepared for our opponent, and that starts in practice. What you do on a daily basis has a direct correlation to how you play in the game.”

His assistant coaches will serve not only as teachers but also as a sounding board. “During practices, it’s all hands on deck,” he said. “In this league, it’s important that we’re holding guys accountable and that we’re teaching and doing things right on a daily basis, whether it’s during drills in practice or running video from games.”

Simon will use his assistants as an extra set of eyes. “We’re all in it together,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I welcome their input based on their experience and situations they’ve encountered as coaches. Maybe they’ve tried different techniques or approaches to end struggles on special teams or to break a losing streak.

“When things aren’t going well, you have to be open to suggestions. Are we using the right players in the right spots on the power play? Are we being too aggressive on the penalty kill? You try to get feedback from your coaches to make sure you’re utilizing your personnel in the best way possible.

“I’m all ears when it comes to determining the best course of action, but ultimately as the head coach, it’s my decision,” he said.

The Griffins’ coaching staff also includes goaltending development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson and strength-conditioning coordinator Marcus Kinney as well as Mike Knuble, who serves as an assistant coach at home, and video coach Bill LeRoy. “Any time you can have someone with Mike’s NHL experience, it gives him instant credibility,” Simon said. “Mike may not say a lot, but when he speaks, guys pay attention because he’s been there and lived it. He’s such a great resource.

“Billy has worked as a video coach for Claude Noel, Ken Hitchcock, Todd Nelson and Jeff Blashill – all guys who have coached in the NHL. Billy’s done it for such a long time and he loves this organization. He genuinely cares about its success.”

Simon said he will look to his assistant coaches to cultivate relationships with the players and build a level of trust. “It’s all about being honest and approachable,” he said. “We want to make this place somewhere they want to come every day to work and practice.”

He wants his players to know that the coaches care about them not only as hockey players but as people. “Ultimately, whether they need an arm around their shoulder or a kick in the butt, we want them to know that we have their best interest in mind.”

2018-19 GRIFFINS HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF

General Manager

Ryan Martin

Video Coach

Bill LeRoy

Head Coach

Assistant Coach

Ben Simon

Matt Macdonald

Athletic Trainer

Assistant Athletic Trainer

John Bernal

Anthony Polazzo

Assistant Coach

Assistant Coach

Goaltending Coach

Brad Tapper

Mike Knuble

Brian Mahoney-Wilson

Equipment Manager

Assistant Equipment Manager

Strength-Conditioning Coordinator

Brad Thompson

Charlie Kaser

Marcus Kinney

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3

SCOUTING

REPORT

SAN ANTONIO

NOV. 30, DEC. 5

• The Rampage are in their first season as the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues after spending the previous three with the Colorado Avalanche. Drew Bannister is in his first year as a pro head coach.

• First-year Griffin Wade Megan made his AHL debut with the Rampage on March 28, 2013 versus Grand Rapids and scored his first goal in that game, against Petr Mrazek. Megan went on to total 31 points (20-11—31) in 115 games with San Antonio from 2012-15.

• Grand Rapids had its eight-game winning streak against San Antonio snapped in the second game of the season on Oct. 6, as the Rampage defeated the Griffins for the first time since March 22, 2016.

• Goaltender Ville Husso was named to the 2017-18 AHL All-Rookie Team after posting a .922 save percentage in 38 games with the Rampage. Husso was selected 94th overall

by St. Louis in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

TEXAS STARS PRIMARY MARK

• Ben Simon made his AHL head coaching debut in the season-opening 3-1 loss at Texas on Oct. 5.

TEXAS

DEC. 1

PANTONE 3425 C

METALLIC SILVER 877

PANTONE 877 C

PROCESS BLACK

WHITE

• The Stars have a handful of players with ties to the Mitten: Joel L’Esperance is a native of Brighton and played four seasons (2014-18) at Michigan Tech; Dallas native Colton Hargrove played at Western Michigan from 2012-15; Nicholas Caamano appeared in 154 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds from 2015-18; Erik Condra is a native of Trenton; Robbie Payne is from Gaylord, played college hockey at Northern Michigan from 2014-18, and played for the NAHL’s Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings from 2011-13; Shane Hanna played at Michigan Tech from 2013-17; Tony Calderone is from Trenton and played at the University of Michigan from 2014-18; and Benjamin Gleason is from Ortonville.

2015-16

• Entering this season, Grand Rapids was 9-2-0-1 in its last 12 home games against the Stars.

• Texas is celebrating its 10th AHL season and has advanced to the postseason seven times, including winning the 2014 Calder Cup and advancing to the finals in 2018 and 2010.

4 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

ROCKFORD

• On Nov. 6, the Chicago Blackhawks relieved Joel Quenneville of his coaching duties and named Rockford head coach Jeremy Colliton its 38th head coach in franchise history.

Colliton, 33, had been the youngest active head coach in the AHL and becomes the youngest head coach currently in the NHL.

DEC. 14, DEC. 31

• On the same day, Rockford assistant coach Derek King was named the interim head coach of the IceHogs. A former Griffin, King played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04 and is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41). He also ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203).

• With the exception of the 1999-00 season, Grand Rapids has hosted a game on New Year’s Eve every year since the franchise’s inception in 1996. When Rockford comes to town on Dec. 31, it will mark the 22nd annual New Year’s Eve Celebration and the 19th consecutive calendar-closer. The Griffins post a 10-9-1-1 (.524) record on NYE. Grand Rapids and Rockford have met three times previously on NYE, with the Griffins owning a 2-0-0-1 record and the most recent matchup resulting in a 5-2 victory in 2016.

MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS

MILWAUKEE

• At the end of the first month of the season, Milwaukee posted a league-high 18 points by way of an 8-1-2-0 record.

PRIMARY MARK

DEC. 15

• Admirals center and 2018 AHL All-Star Classic participant Emil Pettersson is the older brother of the Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson, who became the fifth player outside of the NHL’s inaugural season to score 10 or more goals through his first 10 career games.

• Milwaukee’s opening-night roster only featured two players born in the 1980s: goaltenders Tom McCollum, the popular former Griffin, and Troy Grosenick.

PANTONE 282 C

PANTONE 292 C

PANTONE COOL GRAY 4 C

• Entering this season, Grand Rapids had faced Milwaukee 174 times in the regular season – including 32 matchups when both were part of the International Hockey League – the most of any Griffins adversary.

2015-16

WHITE

CLEVELAND MONSTERS PRIMARY MARK

CLEVELAND

• As part of the league’s realignment last summer, Cleveland moved to the Eastern Conference’s North Division, while San Antonio and Texas joined the Central.

DEC. 19, DEC. 29

• The Griffins and Monsters will meet four times this season, a stark decrease compared to recent years when the squads squared off eight times in 2017-18, 12 in 2016-17, 18 in 2015-16 (including playoffs) and 10 in 2014-15.

• Head coach Ben Simon is a native of Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb.

PANTONE 209 C

PANTONE 1235 C

PANTONE 1395 C

PANTONE 429 C

PANTONE 647 C

WHITE

PROCESS BLACK

• Hailing from Rocky River, another Cleveland ‘burb, first-year Griffin Carter Camper appeared in 53 games with the Monsters in 2017-18. He posted 42 points (13-29—42) and finished the season as Cleveland’s leading scorer, despite being traded to Tucson on Feb. 26.

2018-19

• In the first meeting of the season between the clubs on Nov. 4 at Cleveland, Grand Rapids scored six unanswered goals in the third period to skate away with a come-from-behind 8-4 victory. The eight-goal total marked Grand Rapids’ highest-scoring game since tallying nine at Rockford on Feb. 5, 2016, and the six goals in the third was one off the franchise record for most goals in a single period (seven at Chicago on Nov. 27, 2010).

BELLEVILLE

JAN. 11, JAN. 12

• Belleville is in its second season as the primary affiliate to the Ottawa Senators. The Griffins spent three seasons (1999-2002) as Ottawa’s affiliate, including their last two as members of the IHL (1999-2001) and their first in the AHL (2001-02). From 1999-2002, the Griffins won three straight division titles while compiling a 146-71-11-4-12 regular season record (.653) to go along with an 18-14 playoff mark (.563). The Senators showed similar success during the affiliation, advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs all three seasons and showing a 128-76-29-13 regular season record (0.606). Of the Griffins’ 173 alumni to play in the NHL, 38 came from 1999-02.

• Jan. 11 and 12 marks the third and fourth all-time meetings, respectively, between the clubs. Grand Rapids and Belleville split their inaugural matchups on Oct. 26-27 in Canada.

Belleville marked the 52nd different road city and CAA Arena the 63rd different road venue the Griffins have competed in since the franchise’s inception in 1996.

• Goaltender Patrik Rybar made 21 saves during Grand Rapids’ 3-1 victory at Belleville on Oct. 27 to notch his first win on North American soil in his second start.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 5

SAVE YOUR DATE 2019 WEDDINGS AT RAILSIDE

Contact Donna at donna@railsidegolf.com to book. railsideweddings.com • Byron Center, MI

Power play OR play date?

You were made to move.

Athletes aren’t the only ones who need to move and feel better.

At Metro Health – University of Michigan Health, our team can help you overcome an injury, joint pain or whatever it is that’s holding you back. If you’re ready to move like yourself again, we’re here to help.

• Evaluation and treatment of movement related injuries

• Digital X-ray and MRI

• Expedited access to physicians and surgical consultations

• Sports cardiology

• Physical therapy • Sports physicals • Concussion evaluations

616.252.7778

• Diagnostic ultrasound • Application and removal of casts • Gait analysis • Tenex Health TX for chronic tendon pain

metrohealth.net/sportsmedicine

A SMARTER WAY TO PAY THE WAVE: REVOLUTIONIZING YOUR RIDE ON THE RAPID.

The Rapid is excited to announce that the all-new Wave tap-and-go smart card system is already revolutionizing how riders interact with The Rapid and making boarding faster than ever. Riders are able to load their account anywhere, anytime and even set their card to auto-load when their balance is low. Which means ... there’s more to the ride than ever before.

RIDETHERAPID.ORG

2017

Dear Griffins Fans, They say that good things come in threes.

Jeff Blashill’s three-year tenure as head coach of the Griffins began with capturing our franchise’s first Calder Cup championship in 2013 and concluded with his hiring as bench boss for the Detroit Red Wings.

He was succeeded by the “original Griffin,” former defenseman Todd Nelson, who during his own three years at the Griffins’ helm captured our second Calder Cup in 2017. Over the summer he made his well-deserved return to the National Hockey League, as an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.

Now, our head coaching baton passes to a man we’ve come to know very well through the years. Ben Simon, who as a player won a pair of championships at our expense before eventually lacing up his skates for us 12 years ago, embarks on his third role with our organization. He served at Nelson’s right hand as an assistant coach over the last three seasons, forging a reputation as a thorough, detail-oriented workhorse who rarely saw a sunrise; he was typically already at his desk, deep in the bowels of Van Andel Arena.

2013

The challenge for Simon, his new pair of assistant coaches, Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper, and our returning staff is to build upon our remarkable six-year run of success while integrating more than the usual number of new players into the Griffins’ lineup and culture.

While our championship memories from June 2017 remain vivid, no more than 10 players whose names are found on the Calder Cup will find a place in our lineup this season. That’s life in a developmental league, of course, but with it comes the excitement and anticipation of getting to know the next wave of Red Wings prospects who are tasked with maintaining our tradition.

LETTER FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER — DAN DEVOS GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

10 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

And if this mix of familiar and new faces ultimately succeeds in our quest to bring a third AHL championship to Grand Rapids, Simon would join a select trio of men who’ve achieved the rare trifecta of winning a Calder Cup as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach – a feat most recently accomplished by Nelson with the 2017 Griffins.

That three-of-a-kind is hard to beat.

Along with these changes around the locker room this season, we’re excited about two new and improved ways that you can follow the Griffins. Be sure to check out our completely redesigned website at griffinshockey.com, and never miss a single Griffins game by subscribing to the league’s new video streaming platform, AHLTV. We look forward to everything this new season promises.

Sincerely,

Dan DeVos Chief Executive Officer Grand Rapids Griffins

2018 - 2019 SEASON

Dear Fans, It is my pleasure to once again welcome you to a new American Hockey League season, the latest chapter in a tradition of excellence that dates back to our founding in 1936.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT —— DAVID A. ANDREWS PRESIDENT & CEO, AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

The AHL remains proud of its role in developing the vast majority of players, coaches, executives, trainers, broadcasters and officials who you see throughout the National Hockey League. Since 1936, our great fans have been able to cheer for blossoming NHL stars, future Stanley Cup champions, and more than 100 eventual members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

We are coming off of a record-setting year on and off the ice, capped by the Toronto Marlies’ memorable run to the Calder Cup championship. And the 2018-19 season is sure to be another exciting one, as we drop the puck in an all-time high of 31 cities across North America.

Welcome to our new fans in Colorado, and thank you to all of you for your continuing support of the AHL. Sincerely,

DAVID A. ANDREWS

TheAHL.com

PRESIDENT & CEO | AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 11

BY THE NUMBERS

87%

A TRADITION OF

Percentage of all NHL players in 2017-18 who were graduates of the AHL

29

AHL graduates led their NHL team in goaltending wins

THE BEGINNINGS Marking its 83rd season of play in 2018-19, the American Hockey League is continuing a tradition of excellence that began in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League merged with the International Hockey League to form what is today known as the AHL. Eight teams hit the ice that first season, playing in Buffalo, Cleveland, New

12

Haven, Philadelphia,

recent championship

Pittsburgh,

was captured by

Providence,

the Toronto Marlies

Springfield and

last spring.

Syracuse.

From those roots, Frank Calder, the

the American Hockey

National Hockey

League has grown into

League’s president

a 31-team league that

at the time, was

provides fans with

instrumental in the

exciting, high-level

forming of this new

professional hockey

league, and his name

while preparing

would be given to its

thousands of players,

championship

coaches, officials,

trophy. The first

executives, trainers,

Calder Cup was won

broadcasters and more

by the Syracuse Stars

for careers in the NHL

in 1937; the most

328

AHL players who also played in the NHL in 2017-18

229

Former 1st- and 2ndround NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL in 2017-18

22

AHL Graduates led their team in rookie scoring

LEFT TYLER PEKKA FFROM ROM L E F TTO T ORIGHT: R I G HBRADEN T: B R A DHOLTBY, E N H O LT B Y, TJOHNSON, Y L E R J O HJAKE N S O GUENTZEL N , J A K E G,UCLAUDE E N T Z E LGIROUX, , CLAUD E G I RRINNE OUX, PEKKA RINNE

THE PLAYERS

THE LEGENDS

THE COACHES

In today’s National

For the past eight

At the start of the 2018-19 season, the National Hockey

Hockey League

decades, the American

League featured 23 head coaches who were former

nearly 90 percent of

Hockey League has

AHL bench bosses, including 2018 Stanley Cup winner

the players are AHL

been home to some of

alumni, including 2018

the greatest players in

Hart Trophy recipient

the history of our sport.

Taylor Hall of the New

In fact, more than 100

Jersey Devils, Vezina

honored members

Trophy winner Pekka

of the Hockey Hall

John Tortorella also spent time in the AHL before

Rinne of the Nashville

of Fame have been

making the jump.

Predators and Lady

affiliated with the AHL

Byng Trophy winner

during their careers.

William Karlsson of the

All-time greats like

Vegas Golden Knights.

Johnny Bower, Toe

The 2018 Stanley Cup

Blake, Gump Worsley,

champion Washington

Terry Sawchuk, Glenn

Capitals were stocked

Hall, Brad Park, Ken

with AHL graduates,

Dryden, and Brett

including former Calder

Hull came through

Cup winners Braden

the AHL ranks and

Holtby, John Carlson

now find themselves

and Jay Beagle.

enshrined in Toronto,

Barry Trotz, two-time champion Mike Sullivan and 2016 Calder Cup winner Jared Bednar. Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, Detroit’s Jeff Blashill, Minnesota’s Bruce Boudreau, Toronto’s Mike Babcock and Columbus’s

and the coveted Calder During the 2017-18

Cup is inscribed with

season, a total of 856

the names of legendary

AHL alumni played in

AHL alumni like Patrick

the National Hockey

Roy, Larry Robinson,

League. There were

Gerry Cheevers, Andy

328 players who skated

Bathgate, Tim Horton,

in both leagues last

Al Arbour, Emile

year alone, including

Francis, Doug Harvey,

Nashville’s Juuse Saros,

and Billy Smith.

Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim, Toronto’s Travis Dermott and Vegas’s Shea Theodore.

In addition, nearly 230 former first- and secondround NHL draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including Dylan Strome, Alex Nylander,

“I WISH EVERY PLAYER COULD PLAY IN THE AHL...

I WOULDN’T TRADE IT FOR THE WORLD.” -

- P. K . S U B B A N

N A S H V I L L E P R E D AT O R S

Filip Chytil, Colin White, Luke Kunin and Jack Roslovic.

ANDREAS //O2018 CUP A N D R E AJOHNSON S JOHNSS N / /CALDER 201 8 CA L D EMVP R C U P M 13 VP

Fear no forecast.

MICHELIN ® PILOT ® SPORT A/S 3+ REAL PERFORMANCE HAS NO OFF-SEASON. Copyright © 2016 Michelin North America, Inc. All rights reserved.

RHD Tire 800.632.8724 650 36TH ST SE WYOMING, MI 49548 www.RHDTIRE.COM

2018-19 AHL DIRECTORY EASTERN CONFERENCE

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

NHL AFFILIATION: New York Rangers HOME ICE: XL Center (15,635) GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Drury HEAD COACH: Keith McCambridge ENTERED AHL: 1997-98 CALDER CUPS: One (2000) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 21 2017-18 RECORD: 34-33-6-3, 77 pts./0.507 WEBSITE: hartfordwolfpack.com

ATLANTIC DIVISION: Bridgeport, Charlotte, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Providence, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton NORTH DIVISION: Belleville, Binghamton, Cleveland, Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica

BELLEVILLE SENATORS

NHL AFFILIATION: Ottawa Senators HOME ICE: CAA Arena (4,350) GENERAL MANAGER: Pierre Dorion HEAD COACH: Troy Mann ENTERED AHL: 2017-18 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 1 2017-18 RECORD: 29-42-2-3, 63 pts./0.414 WEBSITE: bellevillesens.com

HERSHEY BEARS

NHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals HOME ICE: Giant Center (10,500) GENERAL MANAGER: Bryan Helmer HEAD COACH: Spencer Carbery ENTERED AHL: 1938-39 CALDER CUPS: 11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 67 of 80 2017-18 RECORD: 30-37-4-5, 69 pts./0.454 WEBSITE: hersheybears.com

BINGHAMTON DEVILS

NHL AFFILIATION: New Jersey Devils HOME ICE: Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena (4,897) GENERAL MANAGER: Tom Fitzgerald HEAD COACH: Mark Dennehy ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 (as Lowell Devils) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 12 2017-18 RECORD: 25-38-9-4, 63 pts./0.414 WEBSITE: binghamtondevils.com

LAVAL ROCKET

NHL AFFILIATION: Montreal Canadiens HOME ICE: Place Bell (10,062) GENERAL MANAGER: John Sedgwick HEAD COACH: Joel Bouchard ENTERED AHL: 2017-18 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 1 2017-18 RECORD: 24-42-7-3, 58 pts./0.382 WEBSITE: rocketlaval.com

BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS

NHL AFFILIATION: New York Islanders HOME ICE: Webster Bank Arena (8,412) GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Lamoriello HEAD COACH: Brent Thompson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 17 2017-18 RECORD: 36-32-5-3, 80 pts./0.526 WEBSITE: soundtigers.com

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS

NHL AFFILIATION: Philadelphia Flyers HOME ICE: PPL Center (8,420) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Downey HEAD COACH: Scott Gordon ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms) CALDER CUPS: Two (1998, 2005) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 22 2017-18 RECORD: 47-19-5-5, 104 pts./0.684 WEBSITE: phantomshockey.com

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS

NHL AFFILIATION: Carolina Hurricanes HOME ICE: Bojangles’ Coliseum (8,300) GENERAL MANAGER: Derek Wilkinson HEAD COACH: Mike Vellucci ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 8 2017-18 RECORD: 46-26-1-3, 96 pts./0.632 WEBSITE: gocheckers.com

PROVIDENCE BRUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Boston Bruins HOME ICE: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,075) GENERAL MANAGER: John Ferguson CLEVELAND MONSTERS HEAD COACH: Jay Leach PRIMARY MARK ENTERED AHL: 1992-93 CALDER CUPS: One (1999) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 21 of 26 2017-18 RECORD: 45-26-3-2, 95 pts./0.625 WEBSITE: providencebruins.com

CLEVELAND MONSTERS

NHL AFFILIATION: Columbus Blue Jackets HOME ICE: Quicken Loans Arena (18,277/9,447 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 11 2017-18 RECORD: 25-41-7-3, 60 pts./0.395 WEBSITE: clevelandmonsters.com

PANTONE 209 C

ROCHESTER AMERICANS

PANTONE 1235 C

PANTONE 1395 C

PANTONE 429 C

PANTONE 647 C

WHITE

PROCESS BLACK

NHL AFFILIATION: Buffalo Sabres HOME ICE: Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (10,662) GENERAL MANAGER: Randy Sexton HEAD COACH: Chris Taylor ENTERED AHL: 1956-57 CALDER CUPS: Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 45 of 62 2017-18 RECORD: 37-22-11-6, 91 pts./0.599 WEBSITE: amerks.com 2018-19

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 15

2018-19 AHL DIRECTORY SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS

UTICA COMETS

SYRACUSE CRUNCH

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Florida Panthers HOME ICE: MassMutual Center (6,793) GENERAL MANAGER: Eric Joyce HEAD COACH: Geordie Kinnear ENTERED AHL: 2016-17 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 2 2017-18 RECORD: 32-37-5-2, 71 pts./0.467 WEBSITE: springfieldthunderbirds.com NHL AFFILIATION: Tampa Bay Lightning HOME ICE: War Memorial Arena (6,110) GENERAL MANAGER: Julien BriseBois HEAD COACH: Benoit Groulx ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 14 of 24 2017-18 RECORD: 46-22-3-5, 100 pts./0.658 WEBSITE: syracusecrunch.com

TORONTO MARLIES

NHL AFFILIATION: Vancouver Canucks HOME ICE: Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,917) GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Johnson HEAD COACH: Trent Cull ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 5 2017-18 RECORD: 38-26-8-4, 88 pts./0.579 WEBSITE: uticacomets.com NHL AFFILIATION: Pittsburgh Penguins HOME ICE: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Guerin HEAD COACH: Clark Donatelli ENTERED AHL: 1999-00 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 17 of 19 2017-18 RECORD: 45-22-6-3, 99 pts./0.651 WEBSITE: wbspenguins.com

NHL AFFILIATION: Toronto Maple Leafs HOME ICE: Coca-Cola Coliseum (7,851) GENERAL MANAGER: Laurence Gilman HEAD COACH: Sheldon Keefe ENTERED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CUPS: One (2018) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 13 2017-18 RECORD: 54-18-2-2, 112 pts./0.737 WEBSITE: marlies.ca

WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION: Grand Rapids, Chicago, Iowa, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford, San Antonio, Texas PACIFIC DIVISION: Bakersfield, Colorado, Ontario, San Diego, San Jose, Stockton, Tucson

COLORADO EAGLES

NHL AFFILIATION: Colorado Avalanche HOME ICE: Budweiser Events Center (5,289) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Billington HEAD COACH: Greg Cronin ENTERED AHL: 2018-19 WEBSITE: coloradoeagles.com

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

CHICAGO WOLVES

IOWA WILD

NHL AFFILIATION: Edmonton Oilers HOME ICE: Rabobank Arena (8,751) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig MacTavish HEAD COACH: Jay Woodcroft ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 3 2017-18 RECORD: 31-27-9-1, 72 pts./0.529 WEBSITE: bakersfieldcondors.com NHL AFFILIATION: Vegas Golden Knights HOME ICE: Allstate Arena (16,692) GENERAL MANAGER: Wendell Young HEAD COACH: Rocky Thompson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2002, 2008) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 17 2017-18 RECORD: 42-23-7-4, 95 pts./0.625 WEBSITE: chicagowolves.com 16 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

NHL AFFILIATION: Detroit Red Wings HOME ICE: Van Andel Arena (10,834) GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Martin HEAD COACH: Ben Simon ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2013, 2017) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 17 2017-18 RECORD: 42-25-2-7, 93 pts./0.612 WEBSITE: griffinshockey.com NHL AFFILIATION: Minnesota Wild HOME ICE: Wells Fargo Arena (8,356) GENERAL MANAGER: Tom Kurvers HEAD COACH: Tim Army ENTERED AHL: 2013-14 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 5 2017-18 RECORD: 33-27-10-6, 82 pts./0.539 WEBSITE: iowawild.com

2018-19 AHL DIRECTORY MANITOBA MOOSE PRIMARY MARK

MANITOBA MOOSE

SAN JOSE BARRACUDA

NHL AFFILIATION: Winnipeg Jets HOME ICE: Bell MTS Place (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: 10 of 13 2017-18 RECORD: 42-26-4-4, 92 pts./0.605 WEBSITE: moosehockey.com

PANTONE 429 C

PANTONE COOL GRAY 11

PANTONE 2945 C

PANTONE 282 C

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 MILWAUKEESEASONS ADMIRALSIN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 3 PRIMARY MARK 2017-18 RECORD: 34-26-4-4, 76 pts./0.559 WEBSITE: sjbarracuda.com

STOCKTON

2015-16

WHITE

MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS

PRIMARY MA

STOCKTON HEAT

NHL AFFILIATION: Nashville Predators HOME ICE: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena (9,450) GENERAL MANAGER: Scott Nichol HEAD COACH: Karl Taylor ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2004) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 14 of 17 2017-18 RECORD: 38-32-4-2, 82 pts./0.539 WEBSITE: milwaukeeadmirals.com

PANTONE 282 C

PANTONE 292 C

PANTONE COOL GRAY 4 C

NHL AFFILIATION: Calgary Flames HOME ICE: Stockton Arena (6,705) GENERAL MANAGER: Brad Pascall HEAD COACH: Cail MacLean ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None ONTARIO REIGN IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 3 SEASONS PRIMARY MARK 2017-18 RECORD: 34-28-2-4, 74 pts./0.544 WEBSITE: stocktonheat.com 2015-16

WHITE

TEXAS STAR PRIMARY MARK

PANTONE 186 C

PANTONE 425 C

PANTONE 110 C

PANTONE 142 C

PROCESS BLACK

TEXAS STARS

ONTARIO REIGN

NHL AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Kings HOME ICE: Citizens Business Bank Arena (9,491) GENERAL MANAGER: Richard Seeley HEAD COACH: Mike Stothers ENTERED AHL: 2015-16 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 3 2017-18 RECORD: 36-25-4-3, 79 pts./0.581 WEBSITE: ontarioreign.com

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: 7 of 9 2017-18 RECORD: 38-24-8-6, 90 pts./0.592 WEBSITE: texasstars.com PANTONE 3425 C

PANTONE 429 C

PROCESS BLACK

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

PROCESS BLACK

WHITE

NHL AFFILIATION: Arizona Coyotes HOME ICE: Tucson Arena (6,521) GENERAL MANAGER: Steve Sullivan HEAD COACH: Jay Varady ENTERED AHL: 2016-17 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 2 2017-18 RECORD: 42-20-5-1, 90 pts./0.662 WEBSITE: tucsonroadrunners.com

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE

NHL AFFILIATION: St. Louis Blues HOME ICE: AT&T Center (6,374, lower bowl) GENERAL MANAGER: Kevin McDonald HEAD COACH: Drew Bannister ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 16 2017-18 RECORD: 35-31-10-0, 80 pts./0.526 WEBSITE: sarampage.com

THE ROAD TO THE CALDER CUP Eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The SAN DIEGO GULLS

top four teams in each division, ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available), will qualify for the postseason.

PRIMARY MARK

SAN DIEGO GULLS

PANTONE 1655 C

PANTONE 877 C

TUCSON ROADRUNNERS

NHL AFFILIATION: Chicago Blackhawks HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895) GENERAL MANAGER: Mark Bernard HEAD COACH: Derek King ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 11 2017-18 RECORD: 40-28-4-4, 88 pts./0.579 WEBSITE: icehogs.com

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: 2 of 3 2017-18 RECORD: 36-28-3-1, 76 pts./0.559 WEBSITE: sandiegogulls.com

METALLIC SILVER 877

2015-16

WHITE

PANTONE MEDIUM BLUE C

PANTONE 5455 C

PROCESS BLACK

WHITE

The division semifinals will be bestof-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.

2015-16

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 17

WHITE

DETROIT RED WINGS TOP AFFILIATE Grand Rapids Griffins 17th Season

ARENA

Little Caesars Arena Seating Capacity: 19,515

CONTACT

(313) 471-7000 detroitredwings.com

STANLEY CUPS

1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008

MANAGEMENT

Photo: Getty Images

EXECUTIVE VP/ GENERAL MANAGER: Ken Holland ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Martin

COACHING STAFF

G

riffins alumni led the Red Wings in every significant statistical category in 2017-18, highlighted by Anthony Mantha’s 24 goals and nine power play goals, along with Dylan Larkin’s 47 assists and 63 points. In all, 23 former Griffins wore the Winged Wheel last season, energizing a Grand RapidsDetroit affiliation that will continue until at least 2022.

HEAD COACH: Jeff Blashill ASSISTANT COACHES: Dan Bylsma, Doug Houda, Pat Ferschweiler ASST. COACH/VIDEO: Adam Nightingale GOALTENDING COACH: Jeff Salajko STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH: Mike Kadar

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 Tyler Bertuzzi, 2016-17 Patrick Boileau, 2002-03 Darryl Bootland, 2003-04 Fabian Brunnstrom, 2011-12 Mitch Callahan, 2013-14 Dennis Cholowski, 2018-19 Ty Conklin, 2011-12 Chris Conner, 2011-12 Jared Coreau, 2016-17 Danny DeKeyser, 2013-14 Aaron Downey, 2008-09 Patrick Eaves, 2013-14 Christoffer Ehn, 2018-19 Matt Ellis, 2006-07 Cory Emmerton, 2010-11

Jonathan Ericsson, 2007-08 Landon Ferraro, 2013-14 Valtteri Filppula, 2005-06 Martin Frk, 2017-18 Luke Glendening, 2013-14 Mark Hartigan, 2007-08 Darren Helm, 2007-08 Joe Hicketts, 2017-18 Jimmy Howard, 2005-06 Filip Hronek, 2018-19 Jiri Hudler, 2003-04 Matt Hussey, 2006-07 Doug Janik, 2009-10 Nick Jensen, 2016-17 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 Matt Lorito, 2016-17 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 Wade Megan, 2018-19 Drew Miller, 2016-17 Kevin Miller, 2003-04 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

* 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 (2012-13), Carlo Colaiacovo (2012-13) and Stephen Weiss (2014-15).

Teemu Pulkkinen, 2013-14 Kyle Quincey, 2005-06 Dan Renouf, 2016-17 Mattias Ritola, 2007-08 Jamie Rivers, 2003-04 Nathan Robinson, 2003-04 Stacy Roest, 2002-03 Robbie Russo, 2016-17 Riley Sheahan, 2011-12 Brendan Smith, 2011-12 Ryan Sproul, 2013-14 Garrett Stafford, 2007-08 Ben Street, 2016-17 Libor Sulak, 2018-19 Evgeny Svechnikov, 2016-17 Eric Tangradi, 2015-16 Tomas Tatar, 2010-11 Jordin Tootoo, 2013-14 Dominic Turgeon, 2017-18 Jason Williams, 2002-03 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 19

0111 0000 0000 1111 0001 1111 0010 1111

111 000 000 111 001 111 010 111

01101111 01101110 01101101 01101101 00100000 01111001 01101011 00100000

01110010 01101111 01100001 01100101 01100100 01100001 00100000 01110000

01101011 00100000 01101011 01110010 01110101 01101100 01100001 01101100

Does your bank understand your business?

01100001 00100000 01110000 01100101 01101001 01101100 01101100 01101110 01100001

01101111 01101110 01101101 01101101 00100000 01111001 01101011 00100000

01110010 01101111 01100001 01100101 01100100 01100001 00100000 01110000

01101011 00100000 01101011 01110010 01110101 01101100 01100001 01101100

01101100 01100001 01101100 01110011 01100011 01101100 00100000 01100100 01111001

01100001 00100000 01110000 01100101 01101001 01101100 01101100 01101110

01101100 01100001 01101100 01110011 01100011 01101100 00100000 01100100

01101100 01101110 01100001 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110111 00100000 00100000

01101100 01101110 01100001 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110111 00100000

00100000 01100100 01111001 01100011 00100000 01100010 01101111 01101110

00100000 01100100 01111001 01100011 00100000 01100010 01101111 01101110 01101101

01110111 00100000 00100000 01101111 01100001 01101111 01110010 01101111

01101111 01101110 01101101 01101101 00100000 01111001 01101011 00100000

If your banker doesn’t understand the differences of your business, maybe it’s time to bank differently.

The Leading Bank for Business* does.

At Comerica, we’ve become the Leading Bank for Business by providing more than banking basics, because we’re not just business bankers.

We’re business advisors who specialize in specialized industries.

We understand what makes your business unique from the next.

That’s why we provide industry-specific support, experience and insights to help different kinds of businesses grow, differently.

To move forward, move beyond basic banking. Learn how, with the Leading Bank for Business at comerica.com/leadingbank.

®

RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

SM

MEMBER FDIC. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LENDER. *Comerica ranks first nationally among the top 25 U.S. financial holding companies, based on commercial and industrial loans outstanding as a percentage of assets, as of March 31, 2018. Data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

CB-107103

08/18

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

011 011 011 011 011 011 001 011

MARK YOUR

2018GR 19 PRO IFFI

SCHMEODTIONNASL ULE

CALENDAR Nov. 30

Jan. 12

Fourth Annual Red Kettle Game presented

by The Salvation Army/Red Kettle Jersey Auction

Plaid Hat Giveaway presented by Comerica Bank

Jan. 19

Toy Night/ Rubik’s Cube Giveaway presented

by Eikenhout/ Toy-Themed Jersey Auction

Dec. 1

Social Media Night/Power Bank Giveaway presented by DTE Energy

Jan. 19-20 Dec. 15

Arcade Night/Athletic Socks Giveaway presented by Fifth Third Bank

16th Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle, benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation

Dec. 29

Bluetooth Speaker Giveaway presented by Adventure Credit Union/ Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #1

Dec. 31 22nd Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Farm Bureau Insurance/Post-Game Fireworks/6 p.m. start

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 21

Jan. 25

Y2K Night presented by MedExpress Urgent Care

Jan. 26

Joe Hicketts Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Michigan Office Solutions

Feb. 9

Superhero Night/Third Annual Comic Book Giveaway/Anthony Mantha Bobblehead Giveaway presented

by Lake Michigan Credit Union

Feb. 15

Fan-Designed Jersey Auction #2 FEB. 16

Feb. 16

Star Wars Night presented by DTE Energy

Feb. 26

14th Annual Griffins & Sled Wings Sled Hockey Game, benefiting the Grand Rapids Sled Wings and the Griffins Youth Foundation

FEB. 26

March 8

Eighth Annual Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/ Purple Jersey Auction

22 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

MARCH 12

March 31

Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game presented by Nestlé Purina

April 12

Season Finale presented by Huntington Bank/Friday Night Jersey Auction

March 12

Eighth Annual Hockey, Hops & Hope at Fox Hyundai Kia, benefiting Easterseals Michigan

March 15

‘90s Night presented by Spectrum Health Stroke Awareness MARCH 31

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 Coppercraft Distillery, 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 Faceoff tickets for $14 each, four Upper Level Center Ice tickets for $17 each or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $20 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 Faceoff ticket for $13 (or $12 in advance at The Zone) or an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $16 (or $15 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.

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.

Big E’s Score 4 for More: If the Griffins score four or more goals during a home game, take your ticket from that game to Big E’s Sports Grill in Grand Rapids or Holland within four days to receive 50% off any food item. Dine in only.

Library Nights: For all Wednesday and Sunday games, 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 Faceoff ticket for $14 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game), an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $17 (regularly $19 advance and $22 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $20 (regularly $22 advance and $25 day of game).

Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

Friends & Family 4-Packs: Presented by Big E’s Sports Grill and available for all Saturday games, each pack includes 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 – Dec. 5 and 19; Bookmark #2 – Feb. 10; March 6 and 31; April 10.

Post-Game Open Skates: Dec. 15, Feb. 9, March 31 Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Sessions: Dec. 1, Jan. 12, Feb. 16 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 Sliders Special: Available on select tickets, take your used Griffins ticket to J. Gardella’s Tavern to buy one slider and get one of equal or lesser price free. Refer to the back of select tickets for details.

All promotions and dates subject to change. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com.

ALL PROMOTIONS AND DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM. Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 23

The Griffins’ award-winning promotions continue to produce a positive experience for fans.

Win or lose, the Griffins want fans to leave Van Andel Arena with a smile on their face.

It’s the job of Phil Cronin, the Griffins’ director of game presentation, and his crew to enhance the elements that entertain fans during the game as well as during breaks in the action.

“People come to the game for the hockey, but we want to deliver an entertaining experience that offers something for everyone in the family,” he said. “We’re the icing on the cake.”

Now in his fifth year with the Griffins, Cronin has become increasingly focused on the overall presentation. “That’s what I really love, making sure that we’re able to put on the best show for the fans night after night,” he said. “We want to engage the crowd in various ways so their whole experience is a positive one.”

Cronin said creating a game day experience is a careful balance of enhancing the on-ice action with entertaining promotions that excite and energize fans in memorable ways that will bring them back.

The goal is not to create a crazy circus-like atmosphere with silly sideshows that detract 24 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

ICING ON THE CAKE from the game but to offer pleasing diversions to delight fans of all ages. “We don’t want to draw attention away from the on-ice product – fans are here to watch hockey, after all – but we want to keep people entertained,” he said.

It’s a mix of theatrics – everything from lighting to music – that adds color to the package of promotional programming. “There’s a method to the madness – and it’s constantly changing,” Cronin said.

“Our job is to enhance the experience of fans from the moment they step foot into the arena to the time when the game is finished,” he said. “It includes everything from putting tweets on the video board to various on-ice promotions during the intermissions.”

Theme nights continue to be the most popular promotions on the Griffins’ schedule.

“Our theme nights are probably the most fun because they are so different from ’normal’ nights,” Cronin said. “While there is a good amount of stress from our perspective because they require considerable planning due to the detail required, in the end they offer the most satisfaction.

“Obviously, Star Wars Night has been a huge

draw for us,” Cronin said. “Most teams offer some version of it, but we take it to a very high level with 40-50 costumed characters who do a phenomenal job. We’d like to think that we set the standard, at least for the AHL.” Cronin said his game night team is always looking to build on past successes. Princess Night, which was introduced this year, is one example. Toy Night, which started a few years ago with the organization’s Lego Night, is another.

Toy Night is notable for the Griffins’ awardwinning stop-action videos. The Griffins organization became the first minor league team to win a Golden Matrix Award for Best Music Video at the 2017 Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Conference, beating out entries from the St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Hawks for top honors.

“Music is a key element to our promotions, and it’s important that we know the demographic of a given night,” Cronin said, noting that his team tailors the playlist to match the audience.

Fridays, for example, tend to draw a college crowd, so the music tends to be more current and whatever is popular at the moment.

Wednesdays tend to attract diehard hockey fans, so the sound leans to the classics, while Saturdays appeal to families, so the selection of music is broader in scope.

Theme nights dedicated to a decade are fun, Cronin said, with each following tried-andtrue templates that emphasize popular culture relating to the period. “It’s a formula, but fans usually enjoy the nostalgia aspect,” he said.

Maintaining a full promotional schedule can be a challenge.

“We haven’t had a big flop, but some promotions work better than others,” he said.

“If you do too many, you dilute the product and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to reach the level that we desire night after night.”

Cronin stresses that his vision would never be realized without a talented staff. “Just like the team on the ice, you need to have the right mix of talent and personalities, and we’re extremely fortunate to have some of the best available.”

From public address announcer Eric Zane and in-arena host Josh Pettinger to technical director Eric Nacke, the Griffins employ a team of talented individuals who make the game night experience extra special. “It’s like

Eric Zane

watching a duck sailing smoothly across the water while the feet below are paddling like crazy,” he said. “Everybody does their part.

Our crew does a phenomenal job.”

Social media has had its impact on the game night experience, and Cronin said the organization has tried to incorporate more and more aspects in new ways that help keep the attention of fans.

“As more technology becomes available, we’ve added more elements that are designed to keep fans engaged in new ways,” he said.

“Whether we like it or not, smartphones are going to be in the hands of fans watching the game.”

Cronin said his job has been made a little easier by the fact that the Griffins have been good enough to qualify for the playoffs six years running.

“We do our best to get the fans to rally behind the team,” he said. “Some nights might present more of a challenge than others, but we’ve been very fortunate to have had teams that have enjoyed a lot of success on the ice.”

A winning atmosphere and a great game night experience is the perfect combination.

“We’re in the business of making people happy,” Cronin said. “It’s all about finding the right balance.”

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 25

Larger

Goals The well-traveled Carter Camper is looking forward to his stay in Grand Rapids.

26 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Story and photos by Mark Newman

High-scoring Chris Terry isn’t looking to pick up points when he gets involved in the community. He just thinks it is the right thing to do.

When Chris Terry signed a two-year deal with the Red Wings this past summer, he was thrilled for a number of reasons.

For several years now, he has made his offseason home in Northville as his wife Chelsey is from Canton. “My wife and her family grew up as Red Wings fans, so there was a lot of excitement when we found out the news that we were going to be back in the state of Michigan and close to home,” he said.

Terry was already a fan himself.

“I have Leaf blood in me, having grown up in Brampton, just outside Toronto. But I was always a fan of the Red Wings and, in particular, Steve Yzerman, especially during the late 1990s when I was about 10,” he said.

“When you’re a kid, you don’t appreciate leadership abilities, but he obviously could score and he could skate and he won those Stanley Cups,” he said. “I still have a vivid memory of the double-overtime goal he scored against St. Louis: a slapshot from the blue line, the camera behind the net, and then you see it go in and him jumping up and down in celebration. That’s probably my biggest memory of Stevie Y.” Terry was already a hardcore hockey fan at that age, even though he had also played other sports while growing up.

His grandparents had served as president of the Chinguacousy Blues minor hockey association in Brampton, an area which had produced a number of future NHL stars, from Mike Cammalleri to Rick Nash. His father, a product of the same system, had played a year for the Kingston Canadians in the Ontario Hockey Association before becoming a coach.

“He coached me from age 7

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 27

to 10,” Terry said. “One-on-one he was extra hard on me, but I am where I am today because of it.

We still talk about the game even though he lost his eyesight six or seven years ago. He can’t drive, only sees shadows, no color, so he struggles with it, but if I make a bad play, he still has no problem pinpointing it after the game. I’ll say, ‘I thought you can’t see,’ but he’ll say, ‘I can still see that.’”

Although Brampton still had an OHL team at the time, Terry was drafted to play for the Plymouth Whalers in 2005. “We had to consult a map to see where Plymouth was because we didn’t know,” he said. “We were excited, but I was only 16, so I think it hit my mom pretty hard when I left home. At the time I was ecstatic, but now looking back, it had to be tough to see her 16-year-old son move four hours away. My parents rarely missed a home game.”

Terry had a memorable four years in Plymouth, starting with a solid rookie season when his teammates included future NHLers James Neal and Jared Boll. The team’s leading scorer was the late John Vigilante, who would later play for the Griffins during the 2009-10 season.

“Vigilante was my captain when I was 16 and he was 20,” Terry said. “He told me to enjoy my Terry is a three-time AHL All-Star Classic participant, having been honored in 2012, 2017 and 2018.

28 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

four years in Plymouth because the time would be gone before you know it. It was the truth.

My four years in juniors were awesome and his advice stuck with me.”

Terry tore his ACL at the end of his first season, but he was able to rehab himself back into playing form for the 2006-07 season, when the Whalers won the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions. While the team finished in the middle of the pack his final two seasons, Terry excelled on a personal level.

He recorded an OHL career-high 101 points (44 goals, 57 assists) in 68 games during the 2007-08 campaign, when the Whalers named Terry as their captain for road games. He became the Whalers’ full-time captain for the 200809 season, when he finished second in league scoring with 94 points (39-55—94) in 53 games.

During his final junior season, Terry won the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy as the OHL team captain that best exemplified leadership on and off the ice. He was also recognized with the Dan Snyder Trophy as the league’s humanitarian of the year.

Terry welcomed the opportunity to visit schools, but it was his involvement with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, often called

Terry has scored 60 or more points five times in his AHL career.

Lou Gehrig’s disease after the famous baseball player who suffered from it) that defined his dedication to making a difference.

“I’ve always wanted to help people because my parents always made sure that I knew how fortunate I was to be playing hockey,” he said. “I think it’s imperative that when you’re part of a team, you’re also a part of the community. People spend money to watch us play and support our hockey team, so I think it’s great to be able to meet and interact with the people and then help out those who might be having a tough time.”

Meeting ALS patient Bobby Suvoy and his family for the first time was an experience he will never forget.

“We played a Friday game in Sault Ste. Marie, which was eight hours north, then had a Saturday home game against Sarnia,” he recalled.

“Bobby’s family had rented a suite for the home game, but he had taken a turn for the worse that week and they asked me if I would come to the house for a visit before the game. I said, ’Sure, no problem.’”

Terry arrived at the Suvoy home before lunchtime. “I met Bobby, his two sisters, and his mom and dad, along with a lot of uncles and

aunts,” he said. “It was almost a life-changing moment for me. ALS is a terrible, terrible disease, and to see what it was doing to a kid who was only three years younger than me at the time was tough.”

He quickly formed a bond and friendship with Suvoy and his family. “I wrote ‘Do it for Bobby’ on my stick that night and I told him that I was going to score a goal for him,” Terry said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t score, but I tried really hard.”

That was in March 2009. By May, Suvoy had died. He was buried in a Whalers jersey with Terry’s name on it. Terry still talks to the family and he continues to establish programs for ALS in every city that he plays.

During his last season in Plymouth, Terry got to play with Tyler Seguin, who would become the second overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Terry had been drafted himself three years earlier, having been selected in the fifth round (132nd overall pick) by the Carolina Hurricanes.

“It was pretty cool because at the time Peter Kamanos, Jr. owned both the Hurricanes and the Whalers,” he said. “I was at the draft in Columbus with my parents along with my uncle and aunt.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 29

Terry won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL’s leading scorer with a career-high 71 points in 62 games last season.

I got to go on the draft floor and put on a jersey.

It’s pretty cool to be drafted, regardless of the round. At that time, it was probably the biggest day of my life.”

Terry had a solid rookie season in the AHL with the Albany River Rats in 2009-10 when he tallied 17 goals and 30 assists in 80 games.

When he doubled his goal production during his second season – scoring 34 goals in 80 games for the Charlotte Checkers – he thought he was ready to make the jump to the NHL. He would play another full season before he even got a look.

“At the end of the day, which round you’re drafted in means nothing,” he said. “There are plenty of guys never drafted who make the NHL. When I turned pro, I expected that I would need time to develop, but it was a longer road than I anticipated.

“I wasn’t a Top-3 pick so I wasn’t expected to make it right away, and yet I was outscoring the guys who were. So mentally I did my best to stay positive. It’s not fun and it’s not easy, but I never really changed my mindset. I figured that if I hadn’t played well enough yet, I would do better.

I’d just score more.

30 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

“I can sit here now and tell you how it works, but back then I had no clue. I admit that I was frustrated at times, but once I got called up, all those thoughts went away.”

Terry made his NHL debut in a home game against the New Jersey Devils in March 2013.

“My parents, sister and girlfriend-now-wife were all in Raleigh,” said Terry, who managed to score a goal in his first game.

“I scored in the second period after battling a guy in front of the net. There was a point shot and the puck squirted through. I went to my backhand and knocked the puck in past the fivehole of (Johan) Hedberg. The celebration was a bit of a blur, but I’ll always remember the feeling.”

Terry played two more games before he was sent back down, then saw action in 10 NHL games the next season. It would take Terry until his sixth pro season before he cemented his place in the Carolina lineup.

In 57 games with the Hurricanes during the 2014-15 season, Terry recorded 11 goals and nine assists. He had eight goals and three assists in 68 games during 2015-16, when his playing time was curtailed and he saw his scoring opportunities decrease.

“I learned a lot during those two years. I learned how quickly it can be taken from you,” he said. “I was playing primarily fourth line, 6-8 minutes a night, which wasn’t exactly my skillset or what I had done previously. At the same time, I wanted to stay in the NHL, so I wasn’t going to complain. I did my best to adapt to the role.”

Ultimately, Terry decided it was time for a change.

“I had spent seven years in the same organization and had a lot of close friends among management and players, so it was tough to walk away,” he said. “I was always very hesitant. Players seem to think the grass is always greener on the other side and I knew that it wasn’t.”

Terry signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens in 2016.

“I was really excited because I was a Canadian kid back in Canada with an Original Six team,” he said. “I had a good camp, but when I got sent down, I wasn’t mad. I had lost who I was as a player, so I decided I was going to make the most of playing prominent minutes and become the go-to guy.”

Terry appeared in 14 NHL games with Montreal during the 2016-17 season but spent most of the year with the St. John’s IceCaps. He

was named a Second-Team AHL All-Star after registering an impressive 30 goals and 38 assists in 58 games with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate.

“I had been called up and sent down enough that I knew it wouldn’t help to sit there and sulk or let my play drop off,” he said. “If some guy is going to pass you (in the pecking order), that’s life. What you can control is how you play.

If you’re playing your best and you don’t get called up, well that’s just how it works here. It’s a business. The quicker you realize it, the more stress you take off yourself, honestly.”

Terry had a memorable 2017-18 season while spending the whole year in the AHL. Playing for the Laval Rocket, he led the league in scoring and earned First-Team AHL All-Star honors while being named the team’s AHL Man of the Year nominee for his charity and community involvement.

“I had a slow start personally, but then I found chemistry with Adam Cracknell,” he said. “A lot of things I shot either went in or led to a goal. When you find the right chemistry with players, it just makes everything easier. Whether I have the puck or they have the puck, when you know each other’s tendencies, you’re able to anticipate and the end result is you put up goals.”

Over the years, Terry has become more adept at how he thinks the game, to the point where he is able to mentally slow down the action in the offensive zone. It’s partly a result of his time playing roller hockey, a sport that he started playing in his preteen years.

“I fell in love with inline hockey when I was 11 or 12 and kept playing on and off until a couple of years ago,” he said. “There’s always been a knock that the game ruins your skating stride, but I don’t think it could be further from the truth.

“It’s a different game because there’s no icing and no offside. Dumping it in is basically frowned upon in inline hockey. You want possession of the puck the whole time even if you have to curl back. It’s more like European hockey where puck possession is stressed. If you want to learn patience with the puck, inline hockey is a good way to do it.

“For me, it’s all about clarity. When I can see everything ahead of me, the puck seems to follow me. When I can find a rhythm, I’m doing all the right things. I want to play a game every day. The more I play, the more things seem to come alive.”

After going scoreless in his first four games with the Griffins, Terry scored eight goals in his

Terry was a regular with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes for two seasons from 2014-16.

Photo: Getty Images

next nine contests.

“My role here is based on being an offensive threat, but I want to be reliable everywhere on the ice,” he said. “I want to play top line minutes, but at the same time I realize there are some high-value prospects here that will need the time to develop.”

Terry wants to set an example both on and off the ice. “I’m not the rah-rah, bark-at-guys type,” he said. “I’m more lead by example. I remember watching guys when I was younger and learning from them, from how they played in practice to what they did off the ice, even how they taped their stick. I’ve molded my career from bits and pieces that I’ve taken from other guys.”

And while scoring is nice, Terry has a bigger goal for this season.

“Grand Rapids has a history of winning,” he said. “I’m not getting any younger and I’ll never give up making the NHL, but I’m also old enough and mature enough to know that the NHL is becoming a lot younger and there aren’t many teams looking for 29-year-old veterans.

I’m tired of first and second round exits in the playoffs. I want to win a Calder Cup.” Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 31

WINNING

32 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

ATTITUDE Griffins Assistant Coaches Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper both have experienced what it takes to win championships.

Story by Mark Newman Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 33

When Ben Simon was named the head coach of the Griffins this past summer, he looked to add two assistants who would not only support his teaching efforts but also complement his coaching skills. Of all the qualities that Simon required, the one that might have been most obvious is that they had to know what it takes to win.

“Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper have both won championships as players and/or coaches at different levels, so they understand what it takes to have success and the work that is necessary to help our guys develop on a daily basis,” Simon said.

“They also both have head coaching experience, which was very important for me in my first year as a head coach in this league, and they’ve had unique careers both as players and coaches to this point. I’m excited to work with them.”

Simon has previously been associated with both Macdonald and Tapper.

The new Griffins coach has known Tapper the longest, both having started their pro careers with the Orlando Solar Bears in 200001 after four years of college hockey. While Simon came from Notre Dame, Tapper had played at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

A native of Scarborough, Ontario, near Toronto, Tapper comes with offensive credentials, having developed into a pointper-game player at the AHL level and having tallied 14 goals and 11 assists in 71 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers over three seasons (2000-03).

He also played five seasons in Germany, finishing his playing career in 2008-09 with the Iserlohn Roosters, which is where he reconnected with Simon, who would play for two more seasons.

Simon and Tapper won two championships together as players. With Orlando, they etched their names on the final Turner Cup in 2001 before the IHL disbanded, and they won the Calder Cup the following year with the Chicago Wolves.

“Benny was our warrior,” Tapper recalled.

“He was a workhorse. He threw the body around and he would hit everything in sight.

He would put his face in front of a slap shot.

That was the type of player he was and he’s the same hard-working guy now as a coach.”

34 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Matt Macdonald

Brad Tapper

Looking back on the experience, Tapper said both champions defined the word ‘team.” They won because they played together.

“We had a great group of young guys who were almost drooling to get to the next level,” he said. “We had that hunger where we would do anything to win. We were pushing the older guys and they, in turn, were pushing us. When we were on the ice together, we were true teammates. We had each other’s back and I think we were a close-knit group.

“The second year was similar because we were still hungry and motivated. The third year we had almost the same team on paper but the result wasn’t the same because the same effort wasn’t there.”

Tapper started thinking about coaching during his last year in Germany. “I was a little

Photo: Jenn March/Post Star

banged up and it was time to think about what came next,” he said. “When a coaching job opened with the Tier 2 Junior A team in North York, I jumped at the chance.”

He became an assistant in the ECHL for four seasons, three with the Florida Everblades and one with the Orlando Solar Bears, then moved up to the AHL for three more seasons, two with the Chicago Wolves and one with the Rochester Americans.

Tapper became the head coach of the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder last season, compiling a 41-24-7 record on the way to a North Division title and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Like most coaches, Tapper is the coach he is today because of the coaches he had as a player, along with the experience he has gained during his eight seasons in the coaching ranks at the pro level. “As a player, I wasn’t a great student, but I believe I’m a better teacher,” he said.

“John Paddock, who was my coach in Binghamton, was a player’s coach, but if you weren’t pulling your weight, he would get on you. John Anderson, my coach in Chicago

Tapper was the head coach of the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder last season.

both as a player and an assistant, was laidback.

When a referee makes a bad call, don’t go crazy on the bench because you can’t change it. Just roll with it.

“Greg Poas, who coached in Florida, was one of the best Xs and Os coach you’ll ever find. From Benny, I’ve learned that you can never be too detailed. You take a little from everyone. It’s no different than being a player.

You learn stuff every year.”

Simon first met Macdonald in 2013 when he became the head coach in Cincinnati, where Macdonald was already the assistant after having finished his playing career there.

A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Macdonald played Division I college hockey at St. Lawrence University, a small school in upstate New York. “It was a great place to not only learn about hockey but to grow up in life as well,” said Macdonald, who earned a degree in sociology. “It was an all-around great experience.”

A gritty, stay-at-home defenseman who played with intensity, Macdonald began what would be a seven-year pro hockey career in Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 35

Macdonald was the head coach of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones the past four seasons.

the unlikely spot of Lubbock, Texas, in the CHL. “Going to the panhandle of Texas to play hockey was a bit of culture shock,” he said. “It was a different way of life down there but it was a college town (Texas Tech) so I loved it there. The fans weren’t necessarily that educated about hockey but they were passionate about the team.”

Macdonald split the next three seasons between the ECHL and AHL, playing his finals three years in Europe (Italy and Denmark). He earned his first promotion to the AHL with Rockford during the last half of the 2007-08 season, then returned for the ECHL playoffs in Cincinnati, where he helped the Cyclones win the 2008 Kelly Cup as league champions.

“Any time you win a championship, it’s something they can never take back from you,” Macdonald said. “I was very fortunate to be a part of that team and I often think back to that year and the things that enabled us to achieve success.”

He spent most of the 2008-09 season in the AHL with the Portland Pirates, a positive experience that he believes earned his ticket to 36 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Europe, where he learned to change his style of play to fit the larger ice surface there. “It wasn’t enough to be a shutdown defenseman there,” he said. “I had to elevate the offensive instincts in my play.”

Like Tapper, Macdonald said it was in Europe where he began thinking about coaching. He spent his first season in Italy playing for Steve Stirling, curiously the same coach whom Tapper had played for in his final year in Germany. “He taught me a lot about the game, especially the offensive side of the game,” Macdonald said.

“I learned a lot from the coaches I had during my three years in Europe. I absorbed how they worked and I asked a lot of questions. I tried to get myself involved in their preparation and everything that went into it. When I started to see the game from the coaching side, I found I enjoyed it even more.”

The transition from being a player to coach, however, was not easy. “The first year is always tough,” Macdonald said. “You see things happen on the ice and you wish you could be out there to either remedy the situation or be

Macdonald won a Kelly Cup playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones in 2008.

a part of it. Eventually, you realize your time has passed.”

In 2012-13, Macdonald became the assistant coach with his former team in Cincinnati under Jarrod Skalde, who coincidentally has been a teammate of Simon and Tapper in Orlando, Chicago and Atlanta.

“For many different reasons, it was a great situation for me,” he said. “Having played there, I had a familiarity with the organization and everyone involved with the team. It was also great that Jarrod was the head coach because he threw me right into the fire. He didn’t have me sit back and observe. He had me running practice plans and video sessions right from the beginning.”

His second season, working under Simon, was equally enlightening. “What impressed me about Ben is the same thing that impresses me now. His attention to detail and his work ethic set him apart. When you watch Ben and see how hard he works, you see what it takes to have success.

“Ben also has a good way to relate to players.

He’s very honest with them, but he also knows

where they come from. Because he played the game a long time, he understands there are times you have to be hard on them and other times when you have to back off.”

Simon and Macdonald took the Cyclones to the Kelly Cup Finals, losing in six games to the Alaska Aces (featuring current Griffin Turner Elson). Simon became only the second head coach in ECHL history to reach the championship series in his rookie season.

“It’s the teams that have great chemistry that seem to push through to the top because the players all want to win for each other,” Macdonald said. “Whether a team wins or loses, they all feel it. A guy can have two points, but if the team loses, that’s what counts. You need to have chemistry in order to have any success.”

When Simon left for the AHL, Macdonald became the head coach and director of hockey operations in Cincinnati for the next four seasons leading up to his promotion to Grand Rapids. He guided the Cyclones to a winning record during each of his four campaigns, including two Kelly Cup Playoff appearances.

Tapper spent part of three seasons with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers from 2000-03.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 37

Macdonald oversees the Griffins’ defensemen and penalty kill.

38 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Both Macdonald and Tapper say their coaching styles have evolved over the years, in part, because the game has changed and technology has improved, leading to increased use of statistics and video.

“Now everything is at your fingertips,” Macdonald said.

“The only problem with video is you can stop it, you can start it, you can slow it down, but it doesn’t show you what the player is thinking. The game is so quick now that things happen fast and you don’t always have time to see everything that you see on video.”

Just as it takes time for a team to come together over the course of a season, Tapper thinks there will be a growth process for the coaching staff. “It’s true we know each other off the ice, but now inside the coaches’ room, we’ve got to learn each other. We have to learn how Ben wants his pre-scouts, what he wants to show with video, how he runs practice, how he wants us to run drills.

“While we get to know the players, we will push each other as coaches. If one of us has an idea, speak up because we’re trying to make each other better.

Whether it’s a good idea or a bad idea, you gotta say it.”

From the players’ perspective, Tapper believes success depends on three things.

“You can control your effort every single day of your life,” he said. “You can also control your attitude, which can be displayed to all of your coaches, teammates and everybody in the organization. If your effort and attitude are better than your opposition, you will be better.

“The third thing is you can play for each other. If you learn to play for each other, the sky’s

the limit, if you ask me. And it all starts with sending the right message every day, which Benny does.”

Initially, Tapper has been put in charge of forwards and the power play, while Macdonald will oversee the defensemen and the penalty kill. Those responsibilities are subject to change, of course. And when it comes to teaching, they all play a role.

“When you’re a coach, you’re a coach – you help everybody,” Tapper said. “If somebody needs something, you help them right away because that’s your job.”

Macdonald said the coaches are excited about the potential for the players they have this season.

“We have a great mixture between experienced vets and some hungry, young prospects,” Macdonald said.

“We have great leadership from guys who have had success in their careers.

They’re good people, and when they’re working hard, the other guys fall into line.

The younger guys are hungry and they want to win. There’s a lot of potential.”

Tapper reiterates that it all comes down to attitude and effort.

“If you want to win a hockey game, your guys need to play for each other,” he said.

“If you’re only going to worry about your points or your plus-minus, you’re not going to succeed. It’s when you’re blocking shots and winning the battles in the dirty areas of the ice, that’s when you win.

When you play for each other, anything can happen. The sky’s the limit.”

Tapper oversees the Griffins’ forwards and power play.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 39

2018

2019

45

19

27

COLIN CAMPBELL

CARTER CAMPER

Forward 6-1, 200 lbs.

Born: 4/17/91 Toronto, Ont.

26 CHRISTOFFER EHN Forward 6-2, 193 lbs.

Born: 4/5/96 Skara, Sweden

2 JOE HICKETTS

40 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Defenseman 6-2, 200 lbs.

Born: 3/8/91 Chicago, Ill.

TURNER ELSON

MATTHEW FORD

Forward 6-0, 190 lbs.

Born: 9/13/92 New Westminster, B.C.

AXEL HOLMSTROM

Forward 6-1, 200 lbs.

Born: 6/29/96 Arvidsjaur, Sweden

MARCUS CRAWFORD Defenseman 5-11, 196 lbs.

Born: 3/21/97 Ajax, Ont.

14

55

10 Defenseman 5-8, 180 lbs.

Born: 5/4/96 Kamloops, B.C.

JAKE CHELIOS

Forward 5-9, 175 lbs.

Born: 7/6/88 Rocky River, Ohio

15

17

Forward 6-1, 205 lbs.

Born: 10/9/84 West Hills, Calif.

13

TREVOR HAMILTON

Defenseman 6-0, 195 lbs.

Born: 3/17/95 Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.

18 FILIP HRONEK

Defenseman 6-0, 178 lbs.

Born: 11/2/97

Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

BRIAN LASHOFF Defenseman 6-3, 221 lbs.

Born: 7/16/90 Albany, N.Y.

FILIP

griffinshockey.com

13 HRONEK

FILIP

griffinshockey.com

11 ZADINA

Proud Sponsor of Grand Rapids Griffins

52

22 DYLAN McILRATH

WADE MEGAN

Defenseman 6-4, 235 lbs.

Born: 4/20/92 Winnipeg, Man.

42

12

PATRIK RYBAR

Goaltender 6-3, 185 lbs.

Born: 11/9/93 Skalica, Slovakia

65

VILI SAARIJARVI

DOMINIC TURGEON

Forward 6-2, 205 lbs.

Born: 2/25/96 Pointe-Claire, Que.

29

51

Goaltender 6-1, 205 lbs.

Born: 12/29/89 Toijala, Finland

25

4 Forward 6-2, 220 lbs.

Born: 2/27/98 Toronto, Ont.

HARRI SATERI

Forward 6-1, 210 lbs.

Born: 4/2/96 Brampton, Ont.

GIVANI SMITH

Forward 5-11, 180 lbs.

Born: 4/18/93 Detroit, Mich.

Forward 6-1, 205 lbs.

Born: 1/24/93 Essex, Ont.

DYLAN SADOWY

Defenseman 5-10, 180 lbs.

Born: 5/15/97 Rovaniemi, Finland

DOMINIK SHINE

MATT PUEMPEL

Forward 6-3, 205 lbs.

Born: 9/27/94 Edmonton, Alta.

28

54

23

DAVID POPE

Forward 6-1, 190 lbs.

Born: 7/22/90 Canton, N.Y.

9

73

LIBOR SULAK

Defenseman 6-2, 207 lbs.

Born: 3/4/94

Pelhrimov, Czech Republic

CHRIS TERRY

Forward 5-10, 195 lbs.

Born: 4/7/89 Brampton, Ont.

11 TREVOR YATES

Forward 6-2, 200 lbs.

Born: 3/6/95 Kassel, Germany

FILIP ZADINA

Forward 6-0, 190 lbs.

Born: 11/27/99 Pardubice, Czech Republic Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 41

Now in his fifth full pro season, Jake Chelios has established himself as a solid defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice.

42 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Story and photos by Mark Newman

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 43

Jake Chelios wasn’t necessarily destined to follow in his famous father’s footsteps.

Like his older brother Dean, he played forward growing up, establishing himself as a teenage prospect first with Little Caesars and later the Chicago Steel in the USHL. His fate, however, would change after he was recruited to play at Michigan State University.

Dean, who is nearly two years older, was already playing for the Spartans, so the opportunity for the two sons of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios to attend the same school was too good to pass up.

“When Dean made the choice, it played a huge role in my decision,” said Chelios, who was torn between Wisconsin and MSU. “Both of our parents went to Wisconsin, but when you get the opportunity to play with your brother for three or four years, you’ve got to take it.”

Whether it was an effort to avoid competing for playing time with his older brother or an eye for increasing his long-term value as a hockey player, Chelios talked to the Spartans’ coaches about switching his position to defense.

“I didn’t run it by the Michigan State people until I was in their office for my visit,” he recalled.

“Wisconsin wasn’t as excited about the idea because they wanted me to play forward. But Michigan State had been traveling around, looking for ‘D.’ “I had already been thinking about it after playing a year of juniors, so when I pitched the idea to them, they seemed really excited about it.

It worked out for both sides, and I still think it’s one of the best decisions I made.”

On the surface, the proposed move seemed monumental, but Chelios felt the switch would be mitigated by the fact that he was a defensiveminded forward, so he was already accustomed to using his skill to shut down the opposition.

“Looking around the league, it seemed like there were fewer defensemen who were able to move the puck, so I was interested in giving it a try. State agreed to try me out at the position at the beginning of the season. From then on, it stuck.”

Chelios admits that he wasn’t the strongest of skaters, so he felt like playing defense might suit his game better. He is thankful that the MSU coaching staff had the confidence to stick an untested freshman into a lineup laden with upperclassmen.

“As a forward, you handle a lot of pucks in 44 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

practice, but as a defenseman, it’s less,” he said.

“The biggest difference is that you can make mistakes playing forward and still get away with it because you’re trying to make plays and make things happen. As a defenseman, if you make a mistake and let your guy go, it’s usually a goal.

There were definitely growing pains that first year, for sure.”

He worked closely with Spartans associate head coach Brian Renfrew, a former Western Michigan University goalie who had mentored defenseman Jeff Petry the previous three seasons before the son of former Tigers pitcher Dan Petry had turned pro. He also did his best to draw on the experience of his well-seasoned teammates.

“Being able to watch the other guys helped a lot,” he said. “With the amount of practice you get in college, playing the position at Michigan State really helped my development. It was a learning experience every day.”

Chelios contends that he never worried about comparisons with his father, who many consider the greatest American-born defenseman to ever play the game. As far back as he can recall, the Chelios brothers played purely for the love of the sport.

“I remember Chicago Stadium and playing in the locker room with the other kids,” he said. “(Gary) Suter, (Ed) Belfour and Steve Smith all had kids my age and we all played mini sticks in the locker room growing up.”

While others fawned over their father’s abilities, Jake and his brother never made much of the connection. “Obviously, it’s the only thing you know,” he said. “As you get older, you start to appreciate all the opportunities you’ve been given and all the experiences you’ve been able to enjoy in the world of hockey. But when you’re growing up, you don’t think twice about it.”

Chelios played four seasons in East Lansing, finishing his collegiate career at the same time as his brother, who had redshirted his final season following a shoulder injury. “I had a blast – I wouldn’t change anything,” he said. “I enjoyed every second of my time there.”

The Chelios brothers began their pro careers together with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye after the 2013-14 Big Ten season.

“Within a week of finishing our college careers, we were driving down to Toledo to play our first pro games, which was cool,” said Chelios, who would need one more summer to finish his degree in communications. “It was a lot

Chelios learned to play defense during his four years at Michigan State University.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 45

STAY CONNECTED. FOR ALL THE LATEST HIGHLIGHTS, NEWS, STATS, AND LIVE UPDATES FOR ALL 31 TEAMS

WATCH

TALK

SHOP Look like the pros with

Don’t miss a minute of

Join the conversation and

the action with live game

get behind-the-scenes

apparel and AHL

streaming at

access via AHL social media

memorabilia exclusively

TheAHL.com/AHLTV

at AHLStore.com & AHLAuthentic.com

TheAHL.com

of fun to play there with him and start our pro Ulf Samuelsson, whose son Philip also played careers together.” on the team.

Chelios earned a four-game audition with “Hockey is such a tightknit community that the Chicago Wolves at the end of that 2013everyone is in the same boat,” he said. “I’ve also 14 season, then spent the majority of the next played with Keegan Lowe (son of Kevin) and season in the Windy City, save an eight-game Josh Wesley (son of Glen). When it comes down stint with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. to it, your name doesn’t matter. We’re all trying While he embraced the opportunity – “The to make a name for ourselves while trying to pro game allows a little more creativity than the make the NHL.” college game, which is more structured.” – he It’s all about making the most of your admits that the transition to pro hockey further opportunities. tested his abilities.

“Every year in the pros has been different for “It was a big jump to the AHL,” he said. “For me,” he said. “My first two years in Charlotte, me, it was a growing pains year. In college, you I was more of an offensive defensemen. Then can get away with a few things, but in the pros last year I was put into more of a penalty-killing when you’re playing against good players, they’re role when they gave power play time to some going to score on you if you make a mistake. of the younger guys. I’ve learned to play in “There were definitely every situation. some bad pinches and “In college, I was more of blown coverages those a stay-at-home defenseman first couple of years. I because it’s harder to create was lucky to play with offense due to the style of guys like Brent Sopel, the game. Every year has Adam Burish, Ben Eager been a learning experience. and Colin Fraser, and I’ve adapted my play to they helped me to learn whatever the team needs.” the pro lifestyle.”

Signing a one-year Chelios signed with contract with Detroit this the Charlotte Checkers past summer was a dreamfor the 2015-16 season, come-true for Chelios, who and it was while still considers Michigan playing for the top as much his home as his affiliate of the Carolina birthplace of Chicago.

Hurricanes over the “Every year it was in the course of the next three back of my head,” he said. seasons that his career “I wanted to wind up back would blossom. in Michigan, and while I “I started my season was waiting on a couple of in Charlotte as the team’s other offers, it was pretty Chelios played in every game during the eighth defenseman and easy to convince me to sign 2016-17 season with the Charlotte Checkers. then (James) Wisniewski here. I knew it was a great hurt his knee the first organization that has won shift of the first game with the Hurricanes and Calder Cups, so it just felt right.” everybody got moved up a spot,” he recalled.

At age 27, he feels he has reached an important “Now in the seventh spot, I was scratched junction in his career. “I’m at that age where your the first two games before I finally got to play in career can go one of two ways. You can fizzle out the third game. By luck, I got three assists in the or you can keep proving that you’re getting better game and then scored a goal in the next game, so every year while you wait for your chance. Once it was hard for them to take me out.” you get that opportunity, you’ve got to be ready Chelios became one of Charlotte’s top to take advantage of it.” blueliners, appearing in all 76 games during Although a late-bloomer, he has now been a the 2016-17 season for the Checkers, who defenseman for nearly a decade. were coached by former NHL defenseman “I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t still be playing Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 47

if I was still a forward,” he said. “If I had started as a defenseman, there are some little things that might have helped me – being able to recognize situations a little quicker is one – but I think I developed puck skills as a forward that have helped me out in defensive situations. I’d like to think starting as a forward has ultimately helped make me a more wellrounded player.”

Chelios believes that he needs to continue to refine his game.

“You’ve got to keep it simple,” he said. “You’ve got to let the forwards do their job by getting them the puck. I’ve found that it’s important to focus on a good first pass, make sure you can get the puck up to them and then just play smart defense.”

Part of the only father-son duo to ever play for the Griffins – Chris had a two-game conditioning stint in Grand Rapids in 2008-09 – he admits that he does his best to listen to his father, who like most hockey dads is not shy with his words of wisdom. “He has no problem throwing his two cents in,” he said, “but I’d be stupid not to take his advice.”

With his father playing until the age of 48, Chelios was able to watch his father play much longer than most sons, so he did his best to watch and learn.

“I was getting to the age that I was almost as old as some of his teammates,” he said. “It was a weird situation, but when it was coming to an end it was a cool experience. The older I get, the more I appreciate what it takes to be able to play that long. He proved that you’ve really got to keep working at it.”

Chelios started his AHL career with the Chicago Wolves after breaking into the pro ranks with the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL. 48 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

On March 12th,

...and help people with disabilities.

raise a glass with the Griffins…

Information coming soon at EastersealsMichigan.com

CRAFT BEER TASTING • LIGHT DINNER • SILENT & LIVE AUCTION • MEET THE PLAYERS & COACHES

HOLLAND LITHO TRIPLE THREAT

DIGITAL. CONVENTIONAL. DIRECT MAIL.

Celebrating 60 Years

Founded in 1957, HLPS has developed into a leading provider of superior print products and marketing materials.

1957–2017

800.652.6567

www.hollandlitho.com Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 49

GRIFFICS “Go Green! Go White!” “Hail to the Victors!”

“Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame!”

Of the 500 players (as of Nov. 2) who have ever played for the “On, Wisconsin!” Griffins, exactly 200 once showed their school spirit by suiting up for a total of 42 Division I programs. Michigan State leads the alumni ranks with 18 players who went on to play for Grand Rapids, while 10 other schools have graduated at least seven players to the Griffins.

More than two dozen Griffins claim an NCAA championship on their resume, including two who won it twice and three who eventually won a Calder Cup with Grand Rapids. Let’s go back to school and see who placed at the top of the class.

Jake Chelios Drew Miller Jared Nightingale Justin Abdelkader Chris Mueller Mike Watt Dominic Vicari Brock Radunske Jon Insana Rustyn Dolyny Bryan Adams Chad Alban Sean Berens Kip Miller Kevin Miller Kelly Miller Danton Cole Don McSween

Dylan Larkin Kevin Porter Mark Mitera Mike Knuble Luke Glendening David Rohlfs Nick Martens Blake Sloan Scott Matzka Josh Langfeld David Oliver Dave Roberts Vashi Nedomansky

Robbie Russo Riley Sheahan David Brown Evan Rankin Jordan Pearce Ben Simon Mike Walsh Tom Galvin Mark Eaton Brett Lebda

Carter Camper Matt Caito Andy Miele Alden Hirschfeld Derek Edwardson Ernie Hartlieb Dustin Whitecotton Josh Harrold Kevyn Adams

Matthew Ford Ben Street Tyler Barnes Mark Zengerle Brendan Smith Chris Chelios Matt Hussey Curtis Joseph Mickey Elick

MICHIGAN STATE

MICHIGAN

NOTRE DAME

MIAMI

WISCONSIN

50 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Be True To Your School 2 3 3 4

TWO-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Blaine Lacher (1994 and 1992 Lake Superior State) Brett Skinner (2005 and 2004 Denver) HOBEY BAKER AWARD WINNERS Andy Miele (2011 Miami) Kevin Porter (2008 Michigan) Kip Miller (1990 Michigan State) NCAA CHAMPIONS/ GRIFFINS CALDER CUP CHAMPIONS Matthew Ford (2006 Wisconsin/2017) Ben Street (2006 Wisconsin/2017) Brett Skinner (2005 and 2004 Denver/2013) FUTURE GRIFFINS ON NORTH DAKOTA’S 2000 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM Bryan Lundbohm Jeff Panzer Aaron Schneekloth Tim Skarperud

Alumni of Other Division I Programs in Michigan Michigan Tech (6) - Greg Amadio, Chris Conner, Brett Engelhardt, Kelly Hurd, Brent Peterson, Clay Wilson; Lake Superior State (5) - Keith Aldridge, Colin Campbell, Ryan Knox, Blaine Lacher, Sean Tallaire; Western Michigan (5) - Bill Armstrong, Shane Berschbach, Jeff Campbell, Danny DeKeyser, David Gove

Patrick Eaves Brett Peterson Tony Voce Krys Kolanos John Adams David Hymovitz Tom Ashe

Cody Lampl Brandon Straub Jason Jozsa Mark Cullen Judd Lambert Shawn Reid Chad Remackel

BOSTON COLLEGE

COLORADO COLLEGE

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Justin Abdelkader (2007 Michigan State), Keith Aldridge (1994 Lake Superior State), P.J. Atherton (2003 Minnesota), Adam Berkhoel (2004 Denver), Chris Chelios (1983 Wisconsin), Danton Cole (1986 Michigan State), Matthew Ford (2006 Wisconsin), Joe Frederick (1991 Northern Michigan), Doug Janik (1999 Maine), Krys Kolanos (2001 Boston College), Blaine Lacher (1994 and 1992 Lake Superior State), Josh Langfeld (1998 Michigan), Bryan Lundbohm (2000 North Dakota), Scott Matzka (1998 Michigan), Don McSween (1986 Michigan State), Kelly Miller (1986 Michigan State), Chris Mueller (2007 Michigan State), Jeff Panzer (2000 North Dakota), Brett Peterson (2001 Boston College), Aaron Schneekloth (2000 North Dakota), Tim Skarperud (2000 North Dakota), Brett Skinner (2005 and 2004 Denver), Blake Sloan (1996 Michigan), Bobby Stewart (1999 Maine), Ben Street (2006 Wisconsin), Sean Tallaire (1994 Lake Superior State), Jeff Ulmer (1997 North Dakota), Tony Voce (2001 Boston College)

28

Schools of Other 2018-19 Griffins Players & Coaches Boston University - Wade Megan; Cornell - Trevor Yates; Lake Superior State - Brian Mahoney-Wilson; Omaha - David Pope; Penn State - Trevor Hamilton; R.P.I. - Brad Tapper; St. Lawrence - Matt Macdonald

Pat Nagle P.J. Atherton Landon Wilson Kyle Bonis Mike Crowley Nick Naumenko Scott Czarnowczan Brian LaFleur Jeff Panzer Chad Billins Jed Fiebelkorn Bryan Lundbohm Rob Collins Mike Muller Aaron Schneekloth John Gruden Travis Richards Tim Skarperud Pat Mazzoli Ben Hankinson Jeff Ulmer FERRIS STATE

MINNESOTA

NORTH DAKOTA

Dominik Shine Jared Coreau Erik Spady Jim Jackson Dieter Kochan Kory Karlander Joe Frederick NORTHERN MICHIGAN

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 51

King was named the interim head coach of the Rockford IceHogs after the Chicago Blackhawks fired Joel Quenneville.

OPPORTUNITY

KNOCKS

Derek King has been around hockey long enough that almost nothing surprises him, but he had to admit that he was jolted by the news when the Chicago Blackhawks fired three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6.

In related moves, the Blackhawks promoted their AHL coach, Jeremy Colliton, 33, who becomes the youngest head coach in the NHL, and then installed King, 51, as the interim head coach of the Rockford IceHogs.

“It was like ‘Whammo!’ – right in the face,” King said. “You always think you’re ready to take on a new role and a new position, but it was a bit of an adjustment. There were a little nerves because I felt like, ‘Here’s my chance – don’t screw up. Let’s go!’”

The IceHogs promotion is King’s first head coaching opportunity. From 2009 to 2015, he was an assistant and associate coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, helping guide the team to a Western Conference Championship (2012) and three division titles (2012, 2013 and 2014).

He joined Rockford in 2016-17 and worked under head coach Ted Dent, who was relieved 52 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

of his duties after that season. Although King interviewed to be Dent’s replacement, he was passed over for the job in favor of Colliton, who had spent the previous four seasons coaching in Sweden.

“I had no reason to feel mad about their decision,” King said. “Jeremy’s a young guy and they felt like he had done a good job over in Europe, so I understood their decision. When I talked to them, I felt my interview had gone well, but when they made their choice, I was still on board to do what I feel like I’m here to do, and that’s to develop these kids.”

King began his coaching career in 2002-03 as a player-assistant with the Griffins, for whom he played a total of four seasons (1999-01, 200204). King, who spent those final two years as a player-assistant under Danton Cole, remains Grand Rapids’ all-time leading playoff scorer (41 points) and still ranks in the Griffins’ alltime Top 10 for regular season goals (73), assists (130), points (203), plus-minus (+71), and power play goals (25). He helped lead the team to the 2000 IHL Turner Cup Finals and was the regular season scoring champion during the

FORMER GRIFFINS STAR DEREK KING IS FINALLY GETTING HIS CHANCE TO BE A HEAD COACH IN THE AHL. Story by Mark Newman

IHL’s final season in 2000-01. up after assuming control of the During his 14-year NHL team, except for a few tweaks in career, King scored 261 goals practices. Rockford earned a berth and dished out 351 assists in in the Western Conference Finals 830 games with the New York for the first time in franchise Islanders, Hartford Whalers, history last season after finishing Toronto Maple Leafs and St. with a 40-28-4-4 record.

Louis Blues.

“We built a nice program last King decided to stay in year with the way we play and the Blackhawks’ organization the way we develop the kids, and after Colliton’s initial hiring I’m planning to continue with out of a sense of loyalty, which it,” King said. was rewarded when IceHogs At his side will be assistant general manager Mark Bernard coach Sheldon Brookbank, the called him to say that Chicago former Griffins defenseman was going to him a shot at (2001-03) who played eight running the team’s bench. seasons in the NHL, winning “I felt like I’m a loyal guy King started his coaching career the Stanley Cup with the as a player-assistant with the and I’m going to continue to Blackhawks in 2015.

Griffins. do my job regardless,” King “Brookie does a fantastic said. “I felt like if I’m going to job,” King said. “It’s only his be in the system, working with these young kids second year and it’s like he was meant to be a for a longer time without being a head guy, that’s coach. He’s great with all the players, especially OK. Now that I have an opportunity, I’m going to the defensemen, and he has all the necessary embrace it and see what I can do.” experience – from playing up and down to King said he wasn’t planning to shake things winning a Cup. He can relate all that stuff to the Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 53

He lost his first visit to Van Andel Arena as a head coach on Nov. 14, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Griffins, the first of 10 meetings between the two teams. He looks forward to returning to Grand Rapids exactly one month later. He hopes to get revenge on Ben Simon, whom he came to know well in Toronto, both as a player (2009-10) and as a coach (2014-15).

“I was very happy to see Ben get the opportunity in Grand Rapids,” King said following their first meeting as head coaches.

“I coached with Ben in Toronto and I even coached him when he was a player. He’s a great guy with a great family, and he’s going to do a good job there.

“I may need to sneak out the side door because he’s going to give me the gears because he beat me this time. But I’m beginning to get the hang of things and starting to feel more comfortable, so hopefully we come out the winners next time.”

players and let them absorb it, and hopefully they do. I wouldn’t be surprised if you eventually see him coaching in the NHL.” This is not the first time that King has been confronted with the coaching carousel. During his six seasons coaching in Toronto, he worked with three different head coaches (Dallas Eakins, Steve Spott, and Gord Dineen).

“The faces change, but the development process stays the same. Guys are going to make mistakes and you help correct them, using the experiences that you had as a player over the course of your career. Hopefully they figure out that the more they turn that puck over, the less they’re going to play. It’s that simple.”

King believes there are countless teaching moments, not only in practice but also during games.

“You want to put players in situations they’ll need to experience if they’re going to make it to the next level,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll lose a draw or miss a check, but if you don’t put them in a position where they have to try to succeed, they’ll never learn. If they fail, they fail.

Just go back to the drawing board and get them back out there.”

54 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

King still ranks in the Griffins’ all-time Top 10 for several offensive categories.

GRIFFINS COACHING IN THE AHL NAME

TITLE

TEAM

SEASONS AS GRIFFIN

JOEL BOUCHARD

HEAD COACH

LAVAL ROCKET

2000-01

SHELDON BROOKBANK

ASSISTANT COACH

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

2001-03

KERRY HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT COACH

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS

1997-99

DOUG JANIK

ASSISTANT COACH

SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS

2009-12

DEREK KING

INTERIM HEAD COACH

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS

1999-01; 2002-04 (P-AC)

MIKE KNUBLE

ASSISTANT COACH

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

2012-13

CAIL MACLEAN

HEAD COACH

STOCKTON HEAT

2000-01

AARON SCHNEEKLOTH

ASSISTANT COACH

COLORADO EAGLES

2002-04

BEN SIMON

HEAD COACH

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

2006-07; 2015-18 (AC)

MIKE STOTHERS

HEAD COACH

ONTARIO REIGN

2007-08 (HC)

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 55

Swedish center Christoffer Ehn is exciting Red Wings fans with his potential.

EHNERGIZING 56 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

When the Red Wings opened training camp this past fall, scouts had their eyes on a number of prospects who were projected as possible NHL roster players.

If Christoffer Ehn wasn’t on their radar, he probably should have been.

The former fourth-round draft pick (106th overall in 2014) proved to be positively Ehnticing. Although he was viewed as largely unknown and untested, he came to North America with a wealth of experience, having played the past three seasons for one of the top pro teams in Sweden.

Based in the city of Gothenburg, the Frölunda Hockey Club has not only produced a startling number of top prospects for the NHL but also has served as a finishing school of sorts, polishing the potential of future stars from two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to Buffalo Sabres rookie Rasmus Dahlin.

Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, is just one of the many talented young players whom Ehn has called a teammate during the past three years. Others include Lias Andersson, a first-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2017 draft; Kristian Vesalainen, a first-round selection of the Winnipeg Jets in the same draft; and Carl Grundstrom, a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.

The Frölunda list also includes Ehn’s best friends: Anaheim Ducks prospect Jacob Larsson, who has played for the San Diego Gulls this season, and Dallas Stars prospect John Nyberg, currently a member of the AHL’s Texas Stars.

“The good part of having so many talented young guys at the same time is that everybody is competing for a spot on the team,” Ehn said.

“We’re all pushing each other and I think that helped me a lot. Whether it was working out

in the gym or staying out extra on the ice, it’s easy when you have a bunch of guys doing the same thing.”

Hopefully, they all rub off on each other.

Ehn and Dahlin both claim roots in Lidköping, the town where Ehn’s father serves as a police officer. Although Dahlin is four years younger, Ehn has known him for several years and even drove the puck prodigy to practice for a couple of years.

“He’s such an exceptional talent,” Ehn said. “So many things that he does come so naturally to him. But I have to say that he is a really humble guy. I know there’s a lot of talk about him, but it’s nothing that he pays attention to.

“He has tremendous skill, but his biggest talent is how hard he works.

He’s the last guy off the ice every day.

He’s playing well already, but it’s hard to imagine how good he will be once his body catches up. He’s going to be something special, for sure.”

Ehn believes his time in Sweden has served him well.

“Sweden has a great developmental league,” he said. “When you don’t play as many games as you do here, you have more time to practice. Frölunda sets the bar for how you need to practice, both on and off the ice. I’m really happy I stayed an extra year there. I think I’ve really grown into myself as a player.”

Still only 22 years old, Ehn feels Frölunda helped put him on a path to play professionally at the highest level in North America.

“I wanted to keep getting stronger, bigger and faster – all those things that would help me build my confidence here,” he said. “I didn’t want to come here and then find things weren’t going right. I felt all my years were good, but especially the last one.”

Ehn was pushed to excel by Frölunda head coach Roger Rönnberg, who made him earn

I wanted to keep getting stronger, bigger and faster – all those things that would help me build my confidence here.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 57

every second of his ice time. Rönnberg is a tough coach who demands a lot of his players.

“He hasn’t given me an easy time, but he’s been crucial to my development,” Ehn said. “I learned the hard way. Some nights I was in and out of the lineup. Some days I would play with the junior team at 12 o’clock, then dress for the senior team at night and only play two minutes.

“He always told me, ‘I can’t give you confidence. That’s something you have to find on your own.’ He was a hard coach, but it was what I needed to take the steps in my career.

You don’t get things for free. You have to work for it. In that way, he helped me a lot.”

Ehn worked hard on his defensive play, seeing it as the easiest way to work his way into the lineup. “In Sweden, you have to get coaches to trust you to get ice time when you move up to the senior league, so it’s about being responsible, being good defensively and being strong on the penalty kill,” he said. “I think the defensive side of the game fits me.”

His offensive production increased each season. Last year, Ehn tallied seven goals and 10 assists in 50 games. “During my last year in Sweden, I felt like I not only played defense but was also able to contribute with offense. I’m Ehn is a strong-skating center who is known for his solid defensive play.

58 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

starting to learn where the offense comes from.”

Ehn also benefitted from international play. He has twice represented Sweden in the World Junior Championship. “It’s always fun to compete against the best guys your age,” he said. “When you play against (Jack) Eichel and (Connor) McDavid, it gives you a boost (of confidence), but it also shows that you have to get better.”

His teammates with Frölunda this past season included two former Griffins: defenseman Adam Almquist (2011-14) and forward Jan Mursak (2008-13), both members of Grand Rapids’ 2013 Calder Cup champion club.

“Both of them talked about how they had a really good time here and how they loved the city,” Ehn said. “They’re both really good guys, and it’s unfortunate that they weren’t really able to break into the Red Wings. I talked to them (about Grand Rapids and the AHL), so I knew how to prepare and what to expect.”

Ehn had planned to join the Griffins at the end of last season after Frölunda was eliminated from the playoffs, but mononucleosis ended those plans.

“I felt like I was battling a cold during the playoffs and I wasn’t feeling very good between

Ehn and his Frรถlunda teammates won the 2016 championship in Sweden.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 59

Ehn was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

60 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

games, but I kept playing and working hard,” he said. “I felt awful on the plane during the flight here and when I arrived, I had blood work done – 36 hours later, I was flying back home.”

Ehn was down for six weeks, losing 13 pounds in the process. “You’ve got to be careful because if you try to come back early, the mono will come back and it will take longer, so I was careful. I felt exhausted after practice the first couple of weeks, so it was a long way to come back, but I had a good summer and felt ready for camp.”

He opened eyes during the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, then got stronger during the Red Wings’ training camp. A solid performance during Detroit’s preseason earned him a spot on the team’s opening night roster.

“To people in North America, I am still a rookie, but in my head I’m a fourth-year pro,” Ehn said. “I have played more than 200 games in Sweden.

Of course, there’s the difference with the ice surface here, playing more often here and a bunch of other new stuff to pick up, but I don’t see myself as a rookie.”

If he’s honest, Ehn knew that making the team out of camp was a long shot, so all he wanted to do was give it his best.

“My main goal was to give myself a chance,” he said. “I didn’t expect to start in the NHL. I had two years on my contract and in my head I hoped I would get a chance to play in Detroit someday during that time.”

“Like I always do, I went all out. I just wanted to work hard, do all the right things, listen to the coaches and try to learn the system as fast as I could. I thought I was playing pretty good, so I felt like I had a shot as the camp moved on.”

Needless to say, he was overjoyed when he got the news that he had made the team. The Red Wings flew his parents, Lars and Ulrica,

and his younger sister, Rebecca, to Detroit so they could see his first game.

“It was amazing to start the season in Detroit and get a taste of what it is like,” he said. “I was pretty pumped. You want to have that edge, but it was hard to calm down. In my case, it might have been better to be overexcited because it kept my feet moving. I might have been overworking but maybe that’s better than not working at all.”

Ehn felt more comfortable the more he played. He ended up playing nine games with the Red Wings, earning one assist, before he was sent to Grand Rapids. “I think I showed that I can play at that level if I play at the best of my ability, but there are so many small details that I still need to improve,” he said.

While he works to get stronger on draws and further develop the responsibilities of the center position, he also knows that he has to contribute more offensively.

“It’s good to be strong defensively, but at the same time, you can’t forget that you have to be able to chip in with offense and create scoring chances and get a goal every other game or two. I need to work on my overall game.

“I know that I’m not going to become this crazy playmaker, so I’m going to play to my strengths. I’m going to skate a lot, play solid defensively and try to take advantage of that to create offense where I can.

“As the season moves on, I’m hoping I will figure out where to skate, which spots to be in. Obviously we play a different system in Sweden and the ice surface is smaller here, but I’ve got to find a way to put up points. I think I’m off to a pretty good start, but I need to keep working hard.

“I came here with a blank page. Now this is my shot. Let’s go out and do something.”

I think I showed that I can play at that level if I play at the best of my ability.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 61

At MOS, we go beyond the meters...

Get back to what you do best, We’ll take care of the rest!

Count on us.™

OFFICIAL PRINT SERVICES PARTNER OF

THE DETROIT LIONS

CONNECT WITH US • MOS-XEROX.COM • 800.442.9070 •

@MOSCOUNTONUS

R E C O R D

B O O K DARRYL BOOTLAND

A N D BRIAN LASHOFF

GAMES PLAYED Travis Richards Brian Lashoff (2nd) 5 players tied Corey Elkins/Dylan McIlrath GOALS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Matthew Ford (T41st) Single-Season Donald MacLean (2005-06) 2017-18 Eric Tangradi ASSISTS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Brian Lashoff (T36th) Single-Season Jiri Hudler (2005-06) 2017-18 Ben Street POINTS All-Time Michel Picard Active Leader Brian Lashoff (T53rd) Single-Season Michel Picard (1996-97) 2017-18 Ben Street PLUS/MINUS All-Time Travis Richards Colin Campbell (T34th) Active Leader Single-Season Ivan Ciernik (2000-01) 2017-18 Filip Hronek PENALTY MINUTES All-Time Darryl Bootland Active Leader Brian Lashoff (T36th) Single-Season Darryl Bootland (2005-06) 2017-18 Dylan McIlrath GOALIE GAMES PLAYED All-Time Tom McCollum Active Leader Harri Sateri Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) 2017-18 Jared Coreau GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE All-Time Martin Prusek Active Leader Patrik Rybar Single-Season Martin Prusek (2001-02) 2017-18 Jared Coreau WINS All-Time Tom McCollum Active Leader Harri Sateri Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) Mike Fountain (2000-01) 2017-18 Jared Coreau SHUTOUTS All-Time Joey MacDonald Active Leader N/A Single-Season 6 players tied 2017-18 Jared Coreau SAVES Tom McCollum All-Time Active Leader Harri Sateri Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2004-05) 2017-18 Tom McCollum SAVE PERCENTAGE All-Time Martin Prusek Active Leader Patrik Rybar Single-Season Joey MacDonald (2003-04) 2017-18 Jared Coreau All-Time Active Leader Single-Season 2017-18

FILIP HRONEK

MIKE FOUNTAIN

L E A D E R S

* = Led League (Through Nov. 13, 2018)

655 407 *82 76 158 39 *56 31 222 64 60 44 380 85 101 65

JOEY MacDONALD

+131 +24 *+41 +24 1,164 202 390 119 263 9 66 38 1.83 2.21 *1.83 2.52 123 4 34 *34 21

TOM McCOLLUM

20 N/A 6 2 6,640 216 1,785 987 0.930 0.905 0.936 0.913

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 63

BEFORE

Buy one entree, get one free app

the game

THE NEW FLANAGAN’S

AFTER

Free app w/ purchase of 2 cocktails To redeem this promotion, you must present your ticket to your server or bartender.

Integrity • Quality • Solutions

1-800-444-6430

www.powellrelocationgroup.com

HOME & OFFICE RELOCATIONS

• LOCAL • STATEWIDE • NATIONWIDE • WORLDWIDE

www.powellrelocationgroup.com 64 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

65

FACE-OFF FLAVOR IN HOCKEYTOWN WEST Indulge in authentic global classics and hand-crafted cocktails in the kitchen of the world’s first celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck. Made with the best available, locally sourced ingredients, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck promises a relaxed and welcoming dining environment inside the Amway Grand Plaza with breakaway flavors in your neighborhood.

For reservations visit opentable.com

Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace.

We’re there for you!

TWELECTRONICS.COM

TWO-WAY RADIOS RADIO SERVICE WHOLESALE PARTS INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS

OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS TO THE

When you need Radio Communications or Industrial & Wholesale Electronics Solutions, come to T&W – trusted by West Michigan for the past 60 years.

VEHICLE MONITORING & TRACKING AVAILABLE NOW!

T&W ELECTRONICS, INC.

©2017 T&W ELECTRONICS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2017 Motorola, Inc. Design & Layout M4D

1045 S. DIVISION | GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49507 | 800.531.8409 | TWELECTRONICS.COM

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 67

GRIFFINS

2018 AHL All-Star Matt Puempel

ALL STARS 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

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 (captain), Nathan Robinson Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean Derek Meech, Kip Miller (captain) 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 (co-coach) Xavier Ouellet, Teemu Pulkkinen Jeff Hoggan (captain), Xavier Ouellet Matt Lorito, Robbie Russo, Todd Nelson (head coach) Matt Lorito, Matt Puempel

2016 AHL All-Stars Jeff Hoggan and Xavier Ouellet Photo by Scott Thomas/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Chad Billins

Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

68 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

2013 AHL All-Star Petr Mrazek

Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

2018 AHL All-Star Matt Lorito

2015 AHL All-Star Teemu Pulkkinen

2014 AHL All-Star Alexey Marchenko

Photo by Lindsay A. Mogle/AHL

Photo by Jeff Parsons/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist

2012 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist

Photo by Paul Yacovone III/AHL

Photo by PhotoGraphics/AHL

Grand Rapids Griffins Office Completed Fall 2017

Your workspace can help you achieve your goals.

616.458.6322

70 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Call for a free design consultation GRAND RAPIDS

217 GRANDVILLE AVE. SW

CUSTERINC.COM

Our 3% Max Checking account offers one of the best rates you can find anywhere! Call, click or visit us today! Anyone can join!

*

LMCU.org • (800 or 616) 242-9790 *APY = Annual Percentage Yield. Rate as of 9/1/18 and subject to change after account opening. Membership required. No minimum balance required. Interest not paid on balances over $15,000. Fees may reduce earnings. To earn 3% APY, some requirements apply. Federally insured by the NCUA.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 71

PHPA AD_2015 8.5” x 5.5”

VISIT PHPA.com

Your source for hockey news, player information, and PHPA merchandise.

Find us at @thephpa Sign up for our Insider Newsletter at:

www.phpa.com/newsletter PROUD TO REPRESENT AHL AND ECHL PLAYERS

72 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

PENALTY CALLS

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.

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.

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.

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.

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 73

TICKETS VIP Glass Lower Level Preferred

$37 $31

DAY OF GAME $40 $34

Lower Level Center Ice Lower Level Faceoff VIP Edge Upper Level Prime

$26 $22 $23 $21

$29 $25 $26 $24

Upper Level Preferred

$20

$23

Upper Level Center Ice

$19

$22

Upper Level Faceoff

$16

$19

ADVANCE

(rows B-E)

(rows B & C)

(rows F & up)

(rows D & up)

VAN ANDEL ARENA

Suites & Hospitality Areas Call for pricing and availability

startickets.com or 616.222.4000 THE ZONE Located on the west side of Van Andel Arena ONLINE griffinshockey.com/buytickets or the Griffins hockey app Seats may not be available in all price categories.

For season, game-plan and group ticket information, call 616.774.4585 or 1.800.2.HOCKEY.

2018-19 AHL TEAM LANDSCAPE 2018-19 AHL TEAM LANDSCAPE BAKERSFIELD CONDORS BELLEVILLE SENATORS BINGHAMTON DEVILS BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS CHARLOTTE CHECKERS CHICAGO WOLVES CLEVELAND MONSTERS COLORADO EAGLES GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS HARTFORD WOLF PACK HERSHEY BEARS IOWA WILD LAVAL ROCKET LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS MANITOBA MOOSE MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS ONTARIO REIGN PROVIDENCE BRUINS ROCHESTER AMERICANS ROCKFORD ICEHOGS SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE SAN DIEGO GULLS SAN JOSE BARRACUDA SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS STOCKTON HEAT SYRACUSE CRUNCH TEXAS STARS TORONTO MARLIES TUCSON ROADRUNNERS UTICA COMETS WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS

74 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

GRIFFINS IN THE NHL

Joe Hicketts

Dominic Turgeon

Kyle Criscuolo

IT ALL STARTS HERE

Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 173 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 11 years and in eight of the last 14 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 21 goalies and 152 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.................................11/4/08 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 Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Nov. 6) Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup

after playing for Grand Rapids All photos by Getty Images Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 77

DONT MISS ANY OF THE ACTION THIS SEASON! FOLLOW GRIFFINS HOCKEY ON NEWSRADIO WOOD 106.9 FM / 1300 AM AND STREAM THE ACTION ON IHEARTRADIO!

A BIG THANKS TO OUR RADIO SPONSORS FOR THEIR HELP IN BRINGING GRIFFINS HOCKEY TO YOU THIS SEASON

78 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 79

PARTING SHOT If you’re going to be a Griffins fan, give it everything you’ve got.

Amethyst Schaap-Jones, 11, shows how it’s done.

Photo by Mark Newman

80 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

WE’RE FANS OF ThE GRiFFiNS. WE’RE ALSO

WE’RE FANS OF THE GRIFFINS. WE’RE ALSO FANS OF ThEiR FANS. FANS OF THEIR FANS. At Huntington, our community comes first. And we’re proud to support

Atthe Huntington, community comes first. And we’re proudWe’re to support teams thatour represent it, like the Grand Rapids Griffins. also the teams represent like theinGrand Rapids Griffins. We’re also proud to proudthat to support theit,people the stands. support the people in the stands.

The Huntington National Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. ¥® and Huntington® are federally registered service marks of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. Huntington.® Welcome.TM is a service mark of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ©2018 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.

Gameday’s favorite light lager.

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY © 2018 Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO