Patrick WilliamsTheahl.com features a writer
Back when the Grand Rapids Griffins selected Molisi in 1995, it was a fitting choice.
A name derived from ancient mythology, the griffin represents strength and protection. That’s right for the hockey team both on the ice and in pre-sale.
Thirty years later, the Griffins continue to live up to their name. They came to the AHL in 2001, joined the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, and won the caller cup in 2013 and again in 2017. They also send players to Detroit every year and become the ice.
Now, their 8-0-0-0-0 start leaves them as the AHL’s last unspectacular team and above mid-level contenders. They put their perfect brand on the line by visiting Chicago this afternoon.
The AHL record for consecutive wins to start a season is 13 years old, set by Utica in 2021. But professional staff won’t bother too much with the record book. What they do want this time of year is simple: time to practice. And a lot of it. With new faces, the easy schedules at the start of the season allow teams to get organized and get their systems in place before the game calendar starts to tighten up.
Today’s game is the griffins’ first game last Sunday. Next week features just two games – Wednesday morning and Friday evening – both at home against Toronto. A good pace that shows enough time to practice yet enough game action to keep players engaged.
Early numbers reveal that head coach Dan Watson And his staff is taking full advantage of the first plan. Grand Rapids leads the league in both offense (4.25 goals scored per game) and defense (2.00 goals allowed per game, tied with Providence and Colorado). John LeonardComing off a 36 game season with charlotte, there are nine goals in seven outings this year with the griffins. Dominic Shine . Carter Mazur has four goals in five games after missing most of last season due to injury, too Nate Danielson he remembered to remember to farm to do his nhl debit this weekend.
A veteran defenseman Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson Enter over 900 NHL games to experience the Griffins Blue Line. And a combination of high hope Sebastian Cossa and rookie Michal Postva – Who won the competition of the Czech League Shost Season – He gave outstanding works in the net, a change that continues until now.
It’s hard to find a weakness in this list. It has something for everyone: Proven players and the keeper of the high ways and the interest of young viewers to keep stuspect balects from Detroit and completely accessible.
Come Sunday, the ninth contest for the Griffins, they will be one-eighth of their way through their program. There are months and months, games and games, still to go. Detroit is off to a 9-5-0-0 start, which is good news for the Griffins. Winning at the NHL level allows a lot of patience in keeping prospects in the AHL to develop.
But this is a team the griffins are banking on early on and they look like a team to watch closely as this season plays out.
In the American Hockey League Beat twenty and twenty, Theahl.com Features Writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and flosports and is a regular contributor to the network. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage in the league in 2016.
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