Patrick WilliamsTheahl.com features a writer
There has been no layoff for the 2025-26 season for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Griffins have won nine of their 10 outings, the highlight from the ledger so far being a 4-3 shootout loss at Chicago last Sunday – a game in which they established a two-goal deficit after losing to GoalTender Michal Postva injury gradually eight minutes in and quoted a short man of the man behind Nate Danielson he was remembered in Detroit.
After a 3-2 day against the visiting Toronto Marlies, Grand Rapids remains the only team in the AHL to be relegated.
Sebastian Cossaa 2021 first-round pick by the Red Wings, continues to press his case for a full-time NHL role. He is currently day-to-day with the injury, according to the head coach Dan WatsonThe 22-year-old Cossa won his first four games of the Griffins season, including Manitoba on Oct. 24, and sports a 1.75 goals against average and a .939 Save percentage.
Posava, 24, has been doing his own thing. Signed by Detroit to a one-year entry-level contract on June 10, PostAva arrived in North America after leading HC Kometa Brno to the Czech Extraliga Championship last season. In his fifth season before the split on Sunday, Postava (4-0-0) had a 2.15 gaa and a .936 save percentage.
At the time, Grand Rapids had the perfect situation in net to open the season: Two top prospects each pushing for a start, some quality playing time in Detroit, and winning games for the Griffins.
But this business is changing fast. Carter Gylanderwho was already recalled in Toledo (ECHL) when Cossa went down, defied the postava against the Wolves on Sunday and put up 34 shots in Wednesday’s victory over Toronto. And that the depth that benefits the organization like the red wings, they have built a strong strong setup that burns from Detroit from Grand Rapids and continues to Toledo. Gylander, 24, was a seventh-round pick by the Red Wings in 2019 who became a late-season Spo after four seasons at Colgate University.
The Griffins’ career has been successful with the players they have. Watson hoped to have a cossa back soon and today, but a good team plays with existing players rather than pinning those who are not working. And any successful performance in the AHL always has two important factors: the ability to adjust quickly, and the knack of winning games even when there may be setbacks.
The Griffins need only look back as far as last season to see the importance of getting an early win. Grand Rapids went 11-3-3-0 to start 2024-25, and those points in October and November were crucial as the team advanced to the second division.
While repeated red relationships have enabled that ability to adapt to the fly part of their bluefprint, they also have a strong bone in endurance and conditioning. In COSSA’s first COSSA season, he went to Toledo and played 46 games there rather than rushing him to the AHL too soon; that is not usually the first choice. They also leave themselves room this season by having a solid option like Gylander in Toledo. Of course, when the injuries hit – two of them, in fact – they were able to turn to someone who was not familiar with the organization.
Taking all of those good practices as a whole, these griffins look like they could be more than an October-November success that quickly drags on when the AHL schedule starts to squeeze teams. The Marlies stay in town for another game-up Friday night at Van Andel Arena before the Griffins have their final weekend.
But whatever is to come, the griffins building that early can deal with problems, injuries, you remember and any other challenges like the age of the program.
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.
