2014-15 griffiti - issue #2

2014-15 SEASON ISSUE NO. 2

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

PointProducerCenterAndy Miele

WE’RE FANS OF THE GRIFFINS.WE’RE ALSO FANS OF THEIR FANS.At Huntington, our community comes first. And

we’re proud to support the teams that represent

it, like the Grand Rapids Griffins. We’re also

proud to 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.™ is a service mark of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ©2013 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.

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Vol. 19, No. 2

STARTING LINEUP

24 LISTEN UP! Andy Miele is doing his best to improve his

play to a level that pricks up the ears of the Red Wings’ front office.

30 HOCKEY AMBASSADOR Goalie Tom McCollum has been a pillar of

service in the Grand Rapids community throughout his six seasons with the Griffins.

42 SKATE LIKE THE WIND Speed is the name of the game for Griffins

defenseman Nick Jensen.

48 POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Goaltending coach Jeff Salajko is helping the

Red Wings’ top prospects progress toward the NHL.

59 STREAKING COMETS Utica hockey fans are enjoying the new

direction of the Comets this season.

2 ...........Opposing Forces4 ...........Chalk Talk6 ...........Coming Attractions9 ...........Griffins Schedule12 ........AHL Tradition15 ........AHL Team Directory19 ........Detroit Red Wings21 ........Promotional Calendar

40 ........Meet the Griffins54 ........Community Events65 ........Griffins Records68 ........Griffins All-Stars69 ........Penalty Calls74 ........Arena Map/Ticket Info76 ........It All Starts Here79 ........Kids Page80 ........Parting Shot

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

ON THE BENCH

COVER:Andy Miele has been scoring at a point-per-game clip for the Griffins this season.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 ©2014 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.

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WE’RE FANS OF THE GRIFFINS.WE’RE ALSO FANS OF THEIR FANS.At Huntington, our community comes first. And

we’re proud to support the teams that represent

it, like the Grand Rapids Griffins. We’re also

proud to 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.™ is a service mark of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated. ©2013 Huntington Bancshares Incorporated.

IOWA (Dec. 27, Jan. 24)FAST FACT: Through the first two months of the season, the Wild statistically had the worst penalty killing unit in the AHL, killing off a league-low 76.1 percent.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Wild continue to push Corbin Baldwin (#14), an undrafted defenseman who spent time this season in the ECHL with the Alaska Aces. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the 23-year-old Baldwin has the size (6-5, 220) that coaches love on the blueline. He played a career-high 64 games with Iowa last season.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Baldy has great reach and good presence,” said former Iowa head coach Kurt Kleinendorst. “He has grown a lot but has a lot of development left.”

ROCKFORD (Dec. 31)FAST FACT: After 22 games, the IceHogs held a 29-14 scoring margin over their opponents during the third period.

HIGH SPIRITS: The IceHogs like the progress of Garret Ross (#26), a Michigan native who took home the team’s 2013-14 Rookie of the Year Award after netting 15 goals in 74 games. The 22-year-old Dearborn Heights product, who tallied his first professional hat trick on Halloween night in San Antonio, was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He’s a competitor and a warrior,” said Greg Gilbert, who coached Ross in Saginaw in the OHL. “He’s a guy who battles every night on both ends of the ice. He competes just as hard without the puck as he does with it.”

TORONTO (Dec. 19)FAST FACT: With their offense struggling, the Marlies scored only 30 goals in their first 19 games before beating the Griffins 4-2 on Dec. 2 to break a nine-game winless streak.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: The Marlies are counting on Sam Carrick (#16) to rebound from a slow start. A native of Markham, Ontario, the 22-year-old center found himself without a goal 16 games into the 2014-15 campaign after recording 14 lamplighters a year ago. Carrick, a fifth-round pick (144th overall) of the Maple Leafs in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, saw action in five NHL games in early November as a replacement for the injured Joffrey Lupul.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He’s a kid that just needs an opportunity,” said Stan Butler, Carrick’s coach when he played with Brampton in the OHL. “If they give him the opportunity, he’ll be a solid player for them — and he can fight, too. He’s probably that new style of player where he’s a good enough player to play, but he’ll have to drop the gloves, too.”

OPPOSING FORCESThe Griffins welcome visits by North Division

foes Toronto and Utica, along with the West Division’s Charlotte and Iowa, while hoping to make the holidays less pleasant for rivals

Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford.

2 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

UTICA (Jan. 23)FAST FACT: Through the first 21 games, the Comets had a 12-1 record when scoring first.

ON THE REBOUND: The Comets are thrilled with the performance of 24-year-old goalie Jacob Markstrom (#33), who was acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Roberto Luongo deal last March. Markstrom allowed one goal in his first start of the season, then promptly posted three consecutive shutouts. A native of Gavle, Sweden, Markstrom was the CCM/AHL Goalie of the Month for October.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “I think Jacob is going to be an NHL goalie, and an NHL goalie soon,” said Vancouver Canucks goaltending coach Rollie Melanson. “With a big frame like he has at 6-6, he just needs to be playing in the middle of the blue ice and let the game come to him – and that’s what he is doing.”

MILWAUKEE (Jan. 2, Jan. 31)FAST FACT: After winning their first six games of the season, the Admirals have cooled considerably, playing at a .500 clip since then.

HUGE STEP: The Admirals saw a different side of Anthony Bitetto (#2) last season when he tied for sixth among AHL defensemen in goals (11) and finished ninth in power play goals (6) after splitting the previous season between Milwaukee and Cincinnati (ECHL). A native of Island Park, New York, the 24-year-old needs to play with more consistency to advance to the NHL.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “He was in tremendous shape (last year),” said Milwaukee head coach Dean Evason. “We asked him to drop his body fat, to get into shape because he’s going to be a key guy for us. He did all the right things. There’s no question he’s made a huge development step.”

CHARLOTTE (Jan. 7, Jan. 9)FAST FACT: The Checkers have played a lot of lopsided games, losing six and winning two by margins of three goals or more.

STRONG FINNISH: Patience with the puck has earned Rasmus Rissanen (#2) another look from the Carolina Hurricanes, who originally selected the big defenseman from Kuopio, Finland, in the sixth round (178th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Now in his fourth full season in Charlotte, Rissanen, 23, needs to cut down on the minor infractions and play a more consistent game.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Rasmus is a big, physical defenseman who skates very well and plays a consistently reliable game,” said Hurricanes assistant general manager Jason Karmanos. “With his physical tools, work ethic and aggressive play, he projects as a shutdown defenseman.”

CHICAGO (Jan. 10, Jan. 21)FAST FACT: The Wolves scored five or more goals in one-third of their first 15 games, including a pair of contests when the team put a lucky 7 on the board.

OUT OF NOWHERE: The Wolves are keeping a close eye on Petteri Lindbohm (#4), an unheralded unknown from Helsinki, Finland, who has become the top defensive prospect in the St. Louis Blues organization, which selected him in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Lindbohm, 21, who made his NHL debut in October, played the past two seasons in SM-liiga, the top Finnish league.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Talk about coming from left field...nobody knew anything about him,” St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Lindbohm. “He’s got size, he’s got a bomb for a shot, he’s really competitive. He’s certainly put himself in the mix now, which is pretty impressive for a young guy.”

Grand Rapids GRIFFINS 3

When the Detroit Red Wings won their Stanley Cup titles in 1997, 1998 and 2002, the team was built, in part, through trades (Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan, Larry Murphy, Chris Chelios) and free agency (Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Steve Duchesne).

So when the NHL adopted a salary cap beginning with the 2005-06 season, critics predicted it would spell the demise of the Red Wings franchise. With Detroit unable to spend freely on high-priced talent, many figured the team’s fortunes would wane. Some wondered if the Red Wings’ appearance in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals might be the team’s last hurrah.

However, the Red Wings have continued to appear in the playoffs year after year, even with an influx of young players. When Detroit stretched its streak to 23 straight playoff appearances last season, the roster included 11 players who weren’t even born the last time the Wings missed the playoffs.

Some would say it’s a sign of good coaching, but Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill believes that the credit should start with the Red Wings scouting staff.

With NHL teams drafting players in reverse order of their finish in the standings, Detroit never gets the pick of the most highly touted players, which means that the team’s scouts must work that much harder to find the proverbial diamonds in the rough.

The Red Wings, Blashill suggests, are doing something right.

Other teams struggle, even though their organizations are loaded with highly regarded prospects. For example, success continues to elude Edmonton (six Top 10 picks in the last six years, including three No. 1s) and Buffalo (six Top 20 picks in the last four years). As of early December, the Oilers and Sabres were firmly entrenched in last place in their respective divisions.

Meanwhile, Detroit (with no Top 10 pick since 1992) was tied for first place in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, with only six regulation losses in its first 28 games.

While watching one of the Red Wings’ recent victories, Blashill marveled at the team’s success.

“The thought that came into my head as I was watching is what a job the scouting staff has done for the Red Wings over the years,” Blashill said. “Those aren’t high first-round picks who are excelling up there, and they are developing into elite NHL players.”

Everyone is aware that Pavel Datsyuk (6th round, 171st overall) and Henrik Zetterberg (seventh round, 210th overall) were late-round picks. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson was the last player chosen (9th round, 291st overall) in the 2002 draft.

Blashill points out that while they were first-round picks, Brendan Smith (27th overall) and Riley Sheahan (21st overall) were chosen late in the round. Tomas Tatar and Tomas Jurco were second-round picks, while Gustav Nyquist was a fourth-round choice.

“You have to have quality players in your organization to help guys get better, and we certainly feel blessed with the players that we have here,” Blashill said. “We take great pride in our job to develop our young players to reach the best of their ability. We want them to realize their maximum potential.”

Often it requires patience, both from the organization and the player. The team must be willing to suffer through the growing pains endured by most young pros; the player must realize that he has a lot to learn and must pay his dues before getting an opportunity.

Blashill points to the mantra of the Red Wings’ general manager.

“As Ken Holland says, when you’re a young player, every time you go out on the


ice, you’re building a resume. The more good games you put in, the more you build your resume in a positive fashion,” Blashill said. “We try to reward guys based on their play as much as we can.”

No position this year is more symbolic of the Red Wings’ development process than that of goaltender.

Petr Mrazek started the season with the Griffins before getting recalled by Detroit to replace the injured Jonas Gustavsson. Tom McCollum, who since 2012 has revitalized his career after struggling through three mediocre seasons, assumed the No. 1 spot, while Jared Coreau looked to re-establish himself as a prospect.

Coreau had a forgettable season a year ago when he had a 1-16-6 record in 25 games between the Griffins and ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. This season, he won his first three starts for Grand Rapids, stopping 87 of 89 shots and logging his first pro shutout.

“He had a tough year last season, but he was a really good college goalie,” Blashill said of Coreau, who started all 38 games for Northern Michigan University as a junior before signing with the Wings as an undrafted free agent. “It looks like he’s gotten better at the things that he needs to.”

In fact, Blashill was encouraged by the Griffins’ play as a whole, although the team

was still flirting with the .500 level as mid-December approached.

“We’ve gotten much better as a team,” Blashill said. “We’ve been doing the things that we will need to do to be successful. We’re better defensively and I think we’re much better offensively, for that matter. We’re making good progress.”

Blashill believes the Griffins are “in a good spot as a team,” although the club was still looking to put together an extended winning streak

“If you play (hard) night after night, you’re going to get the results. I’ve urged our guys to show their maturity, and maturity is showing up with that same effort every single game,” Blashill said. “The league’s so tight, you’re going to go through ebbs and flows. You just have to keep your head up and keep plugging away.”

The Griffins had three-game win streaks in October and November but were still struggling with inconsistent play. As long as his team continues to work through the process, Blashill is confident that the Griffins will enjoy success in the long run.

“We can talk about ourselves being a good team and we can think we’re a real good team, but we have to go prove it,” Blashill said. “Nobody gives you wins. You have to go out and execute at a high level every night.”

2014-15 GRIFFINS COACHING AND TRAINING STAFF

Head Coach: Jeff Blashill

Video Coach: Bill LeRoy

Assistant Coach: Pat Ferschweiler

Athletic Trainer:John Bernal

Assistant Coach:Dave Noel-Bernier

Equipment Manager: Brad Thompson

Assistant Coach:Mike Knuble

Assistant Equipment Manager: Andrew Stegehuis

Goaltending Coach:Jeff Salajko

Strength & Conditioning Coordinator: Marcus Kinney


Here’s a resolution that will start your New Year on a positive note: plan to attend the Friday, Jan. 2 game between the Griffins and Milwaukee Admirals at Van Andel Arena and enjoy the intermission entertainment of Mystic Cube.

Jean-Francois Martel, a former gymnast and acrobat, takes showmanship to the third power with his unique Mystic Cube show that has been featured at various sporting events, from NBA games to the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Martel performs feats of balance and strength with amazing agility and grace using a cube-shaped apparatus that allows him to display his acrobatic, juggling and gymnastic skills in a head-spinning, Cirque du Soleil-like performance.

A former performer in Cirque du Soleil’s Mystere production, Martel is also one-half of Acrobazia, a balancing act he performs with partner Christian Paquet.

DEC. 27: 2015 TEAM CALENDAR GIVEAWAY PRESENTED BY FOX MOTORS

Griffins fans can make a date to pick up their team-issued calendar when the Iowa Wild make their first of two visits to Van Andel Arena. A Huntington Bank post-game autograph session will follow the contest.

DEC. 31: 18TH ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION PRESENTED BY FARM BUREAU INSURANCE

Every year save one (2000), the Griffins have followed the tradition of putting the old year on ice with a good old-fashioned hockey game. This year’s opponent is the Rockford IceHogs, with the contest slated for an early 6 p.m. start.

New Year’s Eve festivities will include a post-game indoor fireworks show and a post-game open skate.

AND MORE GIVEAWAYS…

If you collect team memorabilia, get ready to see some hockey in January. The Griffins have planned three giveaways during the month, a docket that includes a Winter Hat Giveaway presented by Comerica Bank (Jan. 10), a Superhero Lunch Box Giveaway (featuring Jeff Hoggan) presented by Pepsi (Jan. 24), and a Griffins Texting Gloves Giveaway presented by DTE Energy (Jan. 31).

(NOTE: Only kids 12 and under will be eligible to receive the Superhero Lunch Box.)

THE ICE “CUBE”COMETH


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f o r DINING & EVENTS

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC


SEASON SCHEDULE

ADK – AdirondackCHA – CharlotteCHI – ChicagoHAM – HamiltonIA - Iowa

LE – Lake ErieMIL – MilwaukeeOKC – Oklahoma CityRCH – RochesterRFD – Rockford

TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR FOR MORE INFO, VISIT GRIFFINSHOCKEY.COM OR CALL 1.800.2.HOCKEY.

Post-Game Open SkateHuntington BankPost-Game Autograph SessionFriends & Family 4-Pack Home GamePepsi Reading Goals Redemption Date

SA – San AntonioTEX – TexasTOR – TorontoUTI - Utica

All times Eastern. Dates, opponents and times subject to change.

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PRIMARY AFFILIATE OF THE DETROIT RED WINGS

Dear Grand Rapids Griffins Fans, The Griffins’ 2013-14 season will forever be engrained in our memories, for reasons that go far beyond the year-long celebration of our Calder Cup championship. Never ones to be satisfied with past success, coach Jeff Blashill, his staff and players valiantly defended the Cup. We led the Midwest Division for most of the season, forged a better record than during our championship year and reached the conference semifinals before passing the torch to a worthy successor, the regular season and eventual Cup champion Texas Stars. Given what has transpired over the last two seasons, I don’t believe there’s ever been a better time to be a Griffins fan. Blashill, the American Hockey League’s reigning coach of the year, signed a new contract with the Detroit Red Wings over the summer that will keep him in the organization for the next three seasons. And while we’ve said goodbye to assistant coach Spiros Anastas and longtime friend Jim Paek, both of whom helped us capture the Cup in 2013 and now lead their own teams, we’re thrilled to welcome a pair of highly touted, new coaches with West Michigan ties in Pat Ferschweiler and Dave Noel-Bernier. Last season saw the best of both worlds in terms of our affiliation with the Red Wings. The Griffins earned consecutive playoff berths for the first time since 2007, while nine of our players made their NHL debuts in Hockeytown. Several other recent Grand Rapids alumni, such as Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Riley Sheahan, played invaluable roles in Detroit making the playoffs for a remarkable 23rd straight season. Perhaps most impressive was our incredible attendance. We finished second out of 30 league franchises, welcomed more than 300,000 fans for the first time in our 13 AHL seasons – including more than 20,000 for our first-ever outdoor game at Comerica Park in Detroit – and finished with our highest average since 1999-2000. As the Griffins enter season number 19, it’s humbling that your support and interest are as strong and fervent as they’ve ever been. After witnessing these tremendous accomplishments in two seasons under coach Blashill, everyone in Griffins Nation can hardly wait to see what the third act will bring. I look forward to cheering along with you. Sincerely,

Dan DeVosPresident & CEOGrand Rapids Griffins

Griffins President & CEO


Dear Fans,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2014-15 American Hockey League season, our 79th year of play. We are proud to be entering what is sure to be another exciting season, continuing our tradition of excellence and bringing an entertaining, physical and highly skilled level of professional hockey to more than 6 million fans in arenas across North America.

The 2014-15 season will once again feature 30 teams who will be competing for the AHL’s historic Calder Cup championship, and 30 National Hockey League clubs who will be developing their top prospects and future stars in our cities. Last season alone, more than 240 first- and second-round NHL draft picks competed in the American Hockey League, and 347 players took the ice in both the AHL and the NHL.

We take great pride in our tradition of developing the best hockey talent in the world, with over 88 percent of today’s NHL players, coaches and officials having honed their skills in the American Hockey League. Through the years, our loyal and passionate fans have enjoyed cheering for more than 100 future Hockey Hall of Famers, and have witnessed the triumphs of more than 100 Calder Cup champions who would go on to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup as well.

We’re pleased to continue to deliver professional hockey to the great fans of Glens Falls, N.Y., and we welcome Allentown, Pa., to the league as the Adirondack Flames and Lehigh Valley Phantoms hit the ice this season. The AHL’s two newest entries will join the rest of the league in looking to dethrone the defending Calder Cup champion Texas Stars in the chase for the AHL’s 2015 title.

On behalf of all of our teams, players and staff, thank you again for your continuing support of the AHL. I wish you the utmost enjoyment of all the excitement that our 2014-15 season has in store.

Sincerely,

David A. AndrewsPresident & Chief Executive OfficerAmerican Hockey League

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

DAVID A. ANDREWS

American Hockey LeagueOne Monarch Place – Springfield, MA 01144Phone: (413) 781-2030 Fax: (413) 733-4767

@TheAHLtheahl.com/TheAHL


19AHL alumni who

played for the 2014Stanley Cup champion

Los Angeles Kings

“Without my time in the American Hockey League, the door to the NHL does not open. The AHL gets many of its much deserved accolades for developing players, but the three years I spent in the AHL were the most important in my career to prepare me to be a head coach in the NHL.”-- Jon Cooper, Head Coach, Tampa Bay Lightning2014 Jack Adams Award Finalist, 2012 AHL Coach of the Year and Calder Cup Champion

The American Hockey League is enjoying its 79th season of play in 2014-15, 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 Haven, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Springfield and Syracuse.

Frank Calder, the National Hockey League’s president at the time, was instrumental in the forming of the new league, and his name would be given to its championship trophy. The first Calder Cup was won by the Syracuse Stars in 1937; the 78th championship was captured by the Texas Stars last spring.

From those roots, the American Hockey League has grown into a 30-team league that provides fans with exciting, high-level professional hockey while preparing thousands of players, coaches, officials, executives, trainers, broadcasters and more for careers in the NHL.

theahl.com @TheAHL

At the start of the 2014-15 season, the National Hockey League featured 20 head coaches who were former AHL bench bosses, including recent Stanley Cup champions Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien and Mike Babcock and Calder Cup winners Willie Desjardins, Jon Cooper, Bruce Boudreau, Todd McLellan, Peter Laviolette, Bob Hartley and Barry Trotz.

All-time greats like Fred Shero, Mike Keenan, Pat Quinn, Don Cherry and 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Pat Burns all coached in the AHL on their way to great NHL careers.

THE BEGINNINGS

THE COACHES

For the 13th consecutive season, American Hockey League teams drew more than 6.2 million fans to games across North America in 2013-14. The Hershey Bears led the league for the eighth year in a row, averaging 9,664 fans per home game, while the St. John’s IceCaps extended their sellout streak to an AHL-record 114 straight regular-season games at Mile One Centre (plus 19 in the playoffs). Since the start of the 2001-02 season, more than 85 million fans have attended AHL games.

Fans are also continuing to follow their teams and the league in record numbers digitally. Last season, the AHL Internet Network -- featuring theahl.com and the official Web sites of all 30 clubs -- got nearly 90 million page views from fans worldwide. Meanwhile, more than one million fans follow the AHL and its teams on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCEsince 1936

THE FANS

Over nearly eight decades, the American Hockey League has been home to some of the greatest players in the history of our sport. In fact, more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have been affiliated with the AHL during their careers. All-time greats like George Armstrong, Toe Blake, Gump Worsley, Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Brad Park, Ken Dryden and Brett Hull came through the AHL ranks and now find themselves enshrined in Toronto, and the coveted Calder Cup is inscribed with the names of legendary AHL alumni like Patrick Roy, Larry Robinson, Gerry Cheevers, Andy Bathgate, Tim Horton, Al Arbour, Emile Francis, Doug Harvey and Billy Smith.

The American Hockey League has created its own legends as well, and in 2006 began honoring them with the formation of the AHL Hall of Fame. The ninth class of inductees, recognized in 2014, included Bill Dineen, Al MacNeil, Bob Perreault and John Slaney. They join the likes of Johnny Bower, Fred Glover, Jody Gage, Mitch Lamoureux, Willie Marshall, Frank Mathers, Eddie Shore, Bruce Boudreau, Tim Tookey, Zellio Toppazzini and others as distinguished members of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame.

Eddie ShoreHonored Member, Hockey Hall of Fame

Honored Member, AHL Hall of Fame

THE LEGENDS

In today’s National Hockey League more than 88 percent of the players are AHL alumni, including 2014 Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks and 2014 Vezina Trophy recipient Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins. The 2014 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings were stocked with AHL graduates as well, among them Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Tyler Toffoli, Dustin Brown, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez and head coach Darryl Sutter, who was the AHL’s rookie of the year as a player in 1980.

During the 2013-14 season, more than 870 AHL alumni played in the National Hockey League, including 347 who skated in both leagues last year alone. San Jose’s Joe Pavelski, Carolina’s Eric Staal, Boston’s David Krejci, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Nashville’s Shea Weber were among the 20 AHL graduates who led their NHL teams in scoring, and former AHL All-Stars Kari Lehtonen, Jimmy Howard, Ryan Miller, Jonathan Bernier and Ben Bishop were among the 28 AHL goaltending alumni who paced their NHL clubs in victories. More than 240 former first- and second-round draft picks developed their skills in the AHL last season, including standout rookies like Ryan Strome, Filip Forsberg, Alexander Khokhlachev and John Gibson.

THE PLAYERS

Tyler Toffoli2014 Stanley Cup Champion2013 AHL Rookie of the Year

88.4Percentage of all

NHL players in 2013-14 who were

AHL graduates

347AHL players who

also playedin the NHLin 2013-14

242Former 1st- and 2nd-

round NHL draft picks who skated in the AHL

in 2013-14

The Texas Stars brought a Calder Cup championship to their fans at

Cedar Park Center in 2014.

Phot

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Photo: Getty Im

ages/LA Kings

Photo: Graig Abel/AHL

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Photo: AHL Archives

/TheAHL

870Former AHL playerswho skated in the National Hockey

League last season

“Looking back, I have a great appreciation for the time I spent in the American Hockey League and how it helped me develop as a hockey player. It gave me

the opportunity to learn the professional game and play with great teammates, many of whom have gone on to successful careers at the next level.”

-- Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks2x Stanley Cup Champion, 2x Norris Trophy Winner, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist

Photo: Chicago Blackhawks


ALBANY DEVILS NHL AFFILIATION: New Jersey Devils HOME ICE: Times Union Center (6,691) GENERAL MANAGER: Chris Lamoriello HEAD COACH: Rick Kowalsky ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 (as Lowell Devils) CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 8 2013-14 RECORD: 40-23-5-8, 93 pts. WEBSITE: www.thealbanydevils.com

BINGHAMTON SENATORS NHL AFFILIATION: Ottawa Senators HOME ICE: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (4,679) GENERAL MANAGER: Randy Lee HEAD COACH: Luke Richardson ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: One (2011) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 12 2013-14 RECORD: 44-24-3-5, 96 pts. WEBSITE: www.binghamtonsenators.com

BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS NHL AFFILIATION: New York Islanders HOME ICE: Webster Bank Arena (8,412) GENERAL MANAGER: Garth Snow HEAD COACH: Brent Thompson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 7 of 13 2013-14 RECORD: 28-40-2-6, 64 pts. WEBSITE: www.soundtigers.com

HARTFORD WOLF PACKNHL AFFILIATION: New York Rangers HOME ICE: XL Center (15,635) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Schoenfeld HEAD COACH: Ken Gernander ENTERED AHL: 1997-98 CALDER CUPS: One (2000) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 14 of 17 2013-14 RECORD: 37-32-1-6, 81 pts. WEBSITE: www.hartfordwolfpack.com

HERSHEY BEARS NHL AFFILIATION: Washington Capitals HOME ICE: Giant Center (10,500) GENERAL MANAGER: Doug Yingst HEAD COACH: Troy Mann ENTERED AHL: 1938-39 CALDER CUPS: 11 (1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 64 of 76 2013-14 RECORD: 39-27-5-5, 88 pts. WEBSITE: www.hersheybears.com

LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS NHL AFFILIATION: Philadelphia FlyersHOME ICE: PPL Center (8,578)GENERAL MANAGER: Ron HextallHEAD COACH: Terry MurrayENTERED AHL: 1996-97 (as Philadelphia Phantoms)CALDER CUPS: Two (1998, 2005)SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 182013-14 RECORD: 30-38-2-6, 68 pts.WEBSITE: www.lehighvalleyphantoms.com

MANCHESTER MONARCHS NHL AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Kings HOME ICE: Verizon Wireless Arena (9,852) GENERAL MANAGER: Rob Blake HEAD COACH: Mike Stothers ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 13 2013-14 RECORD: 48-19-3-6, 105 pts. WEBSITE: www.manchestermonarchs.com

NORFOLK ADMIRALS NHL AFFILIATION: Anaheim Ducks HOME ICE: Norfolk Scope (8,701) GENERAL MANAGER: Bob Murray HEAD COACH: Jarrod Skalde ENTERED AHL: 2000-01 CALDER CUPS: One (2012) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 10 of 14 2013-14 RECORD: 40-26-3-7, 90 pts. WEBSITE: www.norfolkadmirals.com

PORTLAND PIRATES NHL AFFILIATION: Arizona Coyotes HOME ICE: Cross Insurance Arena (6,157) GM/HEAD COACH: Ray Edwards ENTERED AHL: 1993-94 CALDER CUPS: One (1994) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 15 of 21 2013-14 RECORD: 24-39-3-10, 61 pts. WEBSITE: www.portlandpirates.com

PROVIDENCE BRUINS NHL AFFILIATION: Boston Bruins HOME ICE: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence (11,075) GENERAL MANAGER: Don Sweeney HEAD COACH: Bruce Cassidy ENTERED AHL: 1992-93 CALDER CUPS: One (1999) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 17 of 22 2013-14 RECORD: 40-25-2-9, 91 pts. WEBSITE: www.providencebruins.com

SPRINGFIELD FALCONS NHL AFFILIATION: Columbus Blue Jackets HOME ICE: MassMutual Center (6,784) GENERAL MANAGER: Chris MacFarland HEAD COACH: Jared Bednar ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 20 2013-14 RECORD: 47-23-1-5, 100 pts. WEBSITE: www.falconsahl.com

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 A H L D I R E C T O R Y

EASTERN CONFERENCEATLANTIC DIVISION:

Manchester, Portland, Providence, St. John’s, Worcester EAST DIVISION:

Binghamton, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton NORTHEAST DIVISION:

Albany, Bridgeport, Hartford, Springfield, Syracuse


ST. JOHN’S ICECAPS NHL AFFILIATION: Winnipeg Jets HOME ICE: Mile One Centre (6,287) GENERAL MANAGER: Craig Heisinger HEAD COACH: Keith McCambridge ENTERED AHL: 2011-12 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 3 2013-14 RECORD: 46-23-2-5, 99 pts. WEBSITE: www.stjohnsicecaps.com

SYRACUSE CRUNCH NHL AFFILIATION: Tampa Bay Lightning HOME ICE: War Memorial Arena (6,099) GENERAL MANAGER: Julien BriseBois HEAD COACH: Rob Zettler ENTERED AHL: 1994-95 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 11 of 20 2013-14 RECORD: 31-32-4-9, 75 pts.WEBSITE: www.syracusecrunch.com

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PENGUINS NHL AFFILIATION: Pittsburgh Penguins HOME ICE: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (8,050) GENERAL MANAGER: Jim Rutherford HEAD COACH: John Hynes ENTERED AHL: 1999-00 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 13 of 15 2013-14 RECORD: 42-26-3-5, 92 pts. WEBSITE: www.wbspenguins.com

WORCESTER SHARKS NHL AFFILIATION: San Jose Sharks HOME ICE: DCU Center (5,400) GENERAL MANAGER: Joe Will HEAD COACH: Roy Sommer ENTERED AHL: 2006-07 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 8 2013-14 RECORD: 36-34-4-2, 78 pts. WEBSITE: www.sharksahl.com

ADIRONDACK FLAMESNHL AFFILIATION: Calgary FlamesHOME ICE: Glens Falls Civic Center (4,796)GENERAL MANAGER: Brad TrelivingHEAD COACH: Ryan HuskaENTERED AHL: 2014-15WEBSITE: www.adirondackflames.com

CHARLOTTE CHECKERS NHL AFFILIATION: Carolina Hurricanes HOME ICE: Time Warner Cable Arena (8,200) HEAD COACH/ GENERAL MANAGER: Jeff Daniels ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 2 of 4 2013-14 RECORD: 37-36-1-2, 77 pts. WEBSITE: www.gocheckers.com

CHICAGO WOLVES NHL AFFILIATION: St. Louis BluesHOME ICE: Allstate Arena (16,692) GENERAL MANAGER: Wendell Young HEAD COACH: John Anderson ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: Two (2002, 2008) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 9 of 13 2013-14 RECORD: 45-21-5-5, 100 pts. WEBSITE: www.chicagowolves.com

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS NHL AFFILIATION: Detroit Red Wings HOME ICE: Van Andel Arena (10,834) GENERAL MANAGER: Ryan Martin HEAD COACH: Jeff Blashill ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2013) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 8 of 13 2013-14 RECORD: 46-23-2-5, 99 pts. WEBSITE: www.griffinshockey.com

HAMILTON BULLDOGS NHL AFFILIATION: Montreal Canadiens HOME ICE: FirstOntario Centre (8,819) GENERAL MANAGER: Marc Bergevin HEAD COACH: Sylvain Lefebvre ENTERED AHL: 1996-97 CALDER CUPS: One (2007) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 18 2013-14 RECORD: 33-35-1-7, 74 pts. WEBSITE: www.hamiltonbulldogs.com

IOWA WILD NHL AFFILIATION: Minnesota WildHOME ICE: Wells Fargo Arena (8,162)GENERAL MANAGER: Jim MillHEAD COACH: John TorchettiENTERED AHL: 2013-14CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 12013-14 RECORD: 27-36-7-6, 67 pts. WEBSITE: www.iowawild.com

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS NHL AFFILIATION: Colorado Avalanche HOME ICE: Quicken Loans Arena (20,093) HEAD COACH: Dean Chynoweth ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 1 of 7 2013-14 RECORD: 32-33-1-10, 75 pts. WEBSITE: www.lakeeriemonsters.com

TM

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 A H L D I R E C T O R Y

WESTERN CONFERENCEMIDWEST DIVISION:

Grand Rapids, Chicago, Lake Erie, Milwaukee, Rockford NORTH DIVISION:

Adirondack, Hamilton, Rochester, Toronto, Utica WEST DIVISION:

Charlotte, Iowa, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Texas


MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS NHL AFFILIATION: Nashville Predators HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bradley Center (17,845) GENERAL MANAGER: Paul Fenton HEAD COACH: Dean Evason ENTERED AHL: 2001-02 CALDER CUPS: One (2004) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 12 of 13 2013-14 RECORD: 39-24-6-7, 91 pts. WEBSITE: www.milwaukeeadmirals.com

OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS NHL AFFILIATION: Edmonton Oilers HOME ICE: Cox Convention Center (6,400) GENERAL MANAGER: Bill Scott HEAD COACH: Todd Nelson ENTERED AHL: 2010-11 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 4 2013-14 RECORD: 36-29-2-9, 83 pts. WEBSITE: www.okcbarons.com

ROCHESTER AMERICANS NHL AFFILIATION: Buffalo Sabres HOME ICE: Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial (10,662) GENERAL MANAGER: Tim Murray HEAD COACH: Chadd Cassidy ENTERED AHL: 1956-57 CALDER CUPS: Six (1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987, 1996) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 44 of 58 2013-14 RECORD: 37-28-6-5, 85 pts.WEBSITE: www.amerks.com

ROCKFORD ICEHOGS NHL AFFILIATION: Chicago Blackhawks HOME ICE: BMO Harris Bank Center (5,895) GENERAL MANAGER: Mark Bernard HEAD COACH: Ted Dent ENTERED AHL: 2007-08 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 7 2013-14 RECORD: 35-32-5-4, 79 pts. WEBSITE: www.icehogs.com

SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE NHL AFFILIATION: Florida Panthers HOME ICE: AT&T Center (6,374) HEAD COACH: Tom Rowe ENTERED AHL: 2002-03 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 3 of 12 2013-14 RECORD: 30-37-3-6, 69 pts. WEBSITE: www.sarampage.com

TEXAS STARS NHL AFFILIATION: Dallas Stars HOME ICE: Cedar Park Center (6,863) GENERAL MANAGER: Scott White HEAD COACH: Derek Laxdal ENTERED AHL: 2009-10 CALDER CUPS: One (2014) SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 4 of 5 2013-14 RECORD: 48-18-3-7, 106 pts. WEBSITE: www.texasstarshockey.com

TORONTO MARLIES NHL AFFILIATION: Toronto Maple Leafs HOME ICE: Ricoh Coliseum (7,851) HEAD COACH: Gord Dineen ENTERED AHL: 2005-06 CALDER CUPS: None SEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 6 of 9 2013-14 RECORD: 45-25-2-4, 96 pts. WEBSITE: www.marlies.ca

UTICA COMETSNHL AFFILIATION: Vancouver CanucksHOME ICE: Utica Memorial Auditorium (3,815)DIRECTOR OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS: Pat ConacherHEAD COACH: Travis GreenENTERED AHL: 2013-14CALDER CUPS: NoneSEASONS IN PLAYOFFS: 0 of 12013-14 RECORD: 35-32-5-4, 79 pts. WEBSITE: www.uticacomets.com

Eight teams in each conference will qualify for the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs:The three division winners will be seededfirst through third in order of points, and the next five teams in order of points will be seeded fourth through eighth.

The conference quarterfinals will be best-of-five series; the conference semifinals, conference finals and Calder Cup Finals will be best-of-seven series. Teams will be re-ordered after the first round so that the highest-remaining seed plays the lowest-remaining seed.

2014-15 PLAYOFF FORMAT

2 0 1 4 - 1 5 A H L D I R E C T O R Y


15 West Michigan locations to choose from. For the location nearest you call 888-GO-BELLE or go to belletire.com to schedule an appointment.

SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE!

1. We remove your off-season tires and install your Winter Tires.

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Ask a Store Associate for Details!

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THIS WINTER, DON'T GET STUCKWITH HIGH PRICES ON TIRES!

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TOP AFFILIATEGrand Rapids Griffins (13th Season) through 2016-17

ARENAJoe Louis Arena • Seating Capacity: 20,066

INFOPhone: (313) 394-7000 • www.detroitredwings.com

STANLEY CUPS1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008

MANAGEMENTKen Holland, Executive VP/General Manager

Ryan Martin, Assistant General ManagerCOACHING STAFF

Mike Babcock, Head Coach Tony Granato, Assistant Coach • Jim Hiller, Assistant Coach

Andrew Brewer, Assistant Coach – VideoJim Bedard, Goaltending Coach

Peter Renzetti, Strength and Conditioning Coach

Tomas Jurco and eight other Griffins made their NHL debuts with the Red Wings during 2013-14. Playing alongside recent Grand

Rapids alumni such as Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar, they helped Detroit extend its remarkable streak of consecutive Stanley Cup

Playoff appearances to 23 seasons.

Justin Abdelkader, 2008-09Adam Almquist, 2013-14

Joakim Andersson, 2011-12Sean Avery, 2002-03

Ryan Barnes, 2003-04Patrick Boileau, 2002-03Darryl Bootland, 2003-04

Fabian Brunnstrom, 2011-12Mitch Callahan, 2013-14

Ty Conklin, 2011-12 Chris Conner, 2011-12

Danny DeKeyser, 2013-14Aaron Downey, 2008-09Patrick Eaves, 2013-14

Matt Ellis, 2006-07Cory Emmerton, 2010-11

Jonathan Ericsson, 2007-08Landon Ferraro, 2013-14Valtteri Filppula, 2005-06Luke Glendening, 2013-14

Mark Hartigan, 2007-08Darren Helm, 2007-08

Jimmy Howard, 2005-06Jiri Hudler, 2003-04

Matt Hussey, 2006-07Doug Janik, 2009-10

Tomas Jurco, 2013-14Jakub Kindl, 2009-10

Tomas Kopecky, 2005-06Niklas Kronwall, 2003-04Marc Lamothe, 2003-04Josh Langfeld, 2006-07

Brian Lashoff, 2012-13Brett Lebda, 2005-06Ville Leino, 2008-09

Joey MacDonald, 2006-07Donald MacLean, 2005-06

Alexey Marchenko, 2013-14Darren McCarty, 2007-08Tom McCollum, 2010-11Derek Meech, 2006-07Kevin Miller, 2003-04

Mark Mowers, 2003-04Petr Mrazek, 2012-13Jan Mursak, 2010-11

Anders Myrvold, 2003-04Andrej Nestrasil, 2014-15

Kris Newbury, 2009-10Gustav Nyquist, 2011-12Xavier Ouellet, 2013-14

Teemu Pulkkinen, 2013-14Kyle Quincey, 2005-06

Mattias Ritola, 2007-08Jamie Rivers, 2003-04

Nathan Robinson, 2003-04Stacy Roest, 2002-03

Riley Sheahan, 2011-12 Brendan Smith, 2011-12

Ryan Sproul, 2013-14Garrett Stafford, 2007-08

Tomas Tatar, 2010-11Jordin Tootoo, 2013-14

Jason Williams, 2002-03

GRIFFINS WHO HAVE

EARNED THEIR

WINGS

DETROIT RED WINGS

* 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).

Phot

o: G

etty

Imag

es

*


“ - Places to Play” “One of the 25 best golf courses in Michigan”

-GOLF DIGEST

More than a great place to visit–it’s a great place to live.

Call 616-828-6780

Year-round Golf Lessons.Join the Academy!Call 616-363-GOLF

Our beautiful Rees Jones signature course is designed to provide a challenging test of golf, while accommodating golfers of all skill levels. Just minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, see for yourself why this stunning jewel has been rated one of the best golf courses around.

One of Michigan’s premier golf destinations.

Thousand Oaks is a name synonymous with attention to detail, sumptuous dining andunblemished nature. Once reserved for small parties and business meetings, ThousandOaks now presents Grand Oaks Banquet and Meeting Facility to accommodategatherings of all sizes. Nestled into a private, 425-acre setting, yet just minutes fromDowntown Grand Rapids, Grand Oaks Banquet Facility offers a refreshing alternativefor meetings, receptions, and private parties. From the intimate setting of the Birch Room that seats 60 Guests, the expanse ofthe Grand Oaks Hall that accommodates up to 350 persons, Grand Oaks Banquet Facility can meet most reception needs instyle. Our high performance facility, with its pre-function area, offers a flawless setting for professional meetings and personalevents. With a full line of projection screens, audio/visual equipment, stage and wireless business center, Grand Oaks is versatile,reliable, and priced ala-carte to most budgets.

www.togc.net

Casual and inviting surroundings. Diverse menu. Breathtaking views.

4100 Thousand Oaks Drive, Grand Rapids | East Beltline and 5 Mile - go East one mile | 616.447.7750

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!Check out our Season-Long Promotions on the next page!

“ - Places to Play” “One of the 25 best golf courses in Michigan”

-GOLF DIGEST

More than a great place to visit–it’s a great place to live.

Call 616-828-6780

Year-round Golf Lessons.Join the Academy!Call 616-363-GOLF

Our beautiful Rees Jones signature course is designed to provide a challenging test of golf, while accommodating golfers of all skill levels. Just minutes from downtown Grand Rapids, see for yourself why this stunning jewel has been rated one of the best golf courses around.

One of Michigan’s premier golf destinations.

Thousand Oaks is a name synonymous with attention to detail, sumptuous dining andunblemished nature. Once reserved for small parties and business meetings, ThousandOaks now presents Grand Oaks Banquet and Meeting Facility to accommodategatherings of all sizes. Nestled into a private, 425-acre setting, yet just minutes fromDowntown Grand Rapids, Grand Oaks Banquet Facility offers a refreshing alternativefor meetings, receptions, and private parties. From the intimate setting of the Birch Room that seats 60 Guests, the expanse ofthe Grand Oaks Hall that accommodates up to 350 persons, Grand Oaks Banquet Facility can meet most reception needs instyle. Our high performance facility, with its pre-function area, offers a flawless setting for professional meetings and personalevents. With a full line of projection screens, audio/visual equipment, stage and wireless business center, Grand Oaks is versatile,reliable, and priced ala-carte to most budgets.

www.togc.net

Casual and inviting surroundings. Diverse menu. Breathtaking views.

4100 Thousand Oaks Drive, Grand Rapids | East Beltline and 5 Mile - go East one mile | 616.447.7750

Dec. 19: Salute to Heroes NightDec. 27: 2015 Team Calendar Giveaway presented by Fox Motors Dec. 31: 18th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration presented by Farm Bureau Insurance/Post-Game Fireworks t

Jan. 2: Mystic Cube performance t

Jan. 9: ‘80s NightJan. 10: Griffins Winter Hat Giveaway presented by Comerica Bank t

Jan. 24: Superhero Lunch Box Giveaway presented by Pepsi (kids 12 and under)/Scout Night/Fan Design Jersey Auction #1/East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids Christian High School Hockey (pre-game) t

tJan. 31: Griffins Texting Gloves Giveaway presented by DTE Energy/Social Media Seminar (pre-game)

tFeb. 7: Mitch Callahan Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union/Mascot Mania/Grandville vs. Detroit Catholic Central High School Hockey (pre-game)

Feb. 7-8: 13th Annual Great Skate Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle (NEW DATES!)Feb. 9: Griffins & Sled Wings Game at Griff’s IceHouse (NEW DATE!)Feb. 13: Purple Community Game presented by Van Andel Institute/Purple Jersey Auction t

Feb. 14: Griffins Jersey Scarf Giveaway presented by Centennial Securities t

Feb. 17: Griffins Booster Club Silent AuctionFeb. 20: Russian Bar Trio performance t

2014-15 GRIFFINS PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE


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: 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!

Military Nights: Every home game, current members of our military can purchase up to four Upper Level tickets for $14 each or four Lower Level Faceoff tickets for $18 each with a valid military ID. The offer also extends to veterans who present a VA ID or discharge papers.

College Nights: Every Friday, college students can show their ID to purchase an Upper Level ticket for $14 (or $13 in advance at The Zone) and stop by the McFadden’s concourse table to receive a free pass to the post-game party at McFadden’s. 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.

Wednesday is Hockey Night: For all Wednesday games from December through March (excluding Dec. 31), show your Griffins ticket at participating Arena District restaurants and bars to enjoy Happy Hour specials before the game and Hockey Night specials afterward. Visit griffinshockey.com/hockeynight for a list of participating establishments.

Amway Winning Wednesdays: Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in

attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. Additionally, the first 300 fans to visit the Amway table in Section A will receive a gift. Fans can also enjoy a buy-one, get-one-free deal on a 16 oz. Pepsi all night long at any concession stand that sells fountain drinks. (Winning Wednesday and BOGO Pepsi offers exclude Dec. 31.)

Wednesdays at Rosa Parks Circle: Before every Wednesday game in January and February, bring your ticket for that night’s Griffins game to Rosa Parks Circle and skate for free. (Skate rentals are always free, compliments of the Griffins Youth Foundation.) One free admission per ticket. Valid Jan. 7, Jan. 21 and Feb. 18. Rink hours are noon-9:45 p.m.

Fox Motors Fast Lane: Before every home game, show your Fox Motors keychain to skip the main box office lines in the arena lobby and purchase your tickets at the designated “Fox Motors Fast Lane” ticket window.

Post-Game Parties at Peppino’s: Every Wednesday night (excluding Dec. 31), join Griffins players and staff for the official post-game party at Peppino’s Sports Grille downtown.

Library Nights: For every Sunday and Wednesday game (excluding Dec. 31), fans can present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone anytime during the store’s regular business hours to purchase either an Upper Level ticket for $14 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $18 ( (regularly $20 advance and $23 day of game). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

Friends & Family 4-Packs: Available for all Saturday games, each pack incudes four tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.

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 one of the following games: Bookmark #1 - Dec. 27 and Jan. 21; Bookmark #2 - Feb. 18; March 22; and April 1, 4 and 8.

Post-Game Open Skates: Dec. 31; Jan. 10; Feb. 14; March 22; and April 18.

Huntington Bank Post-Game Autograph Sessions: Dec. 27; Jan. 31; Feb. 21; March 14; and April 4.

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.

J. Gardella’s Burger and Beer Special: Take your used Griffins ticket to J. Gardella’s Tavern to enjoy a burger and beer for $5. Refer to the back of your ticket for details.

Bagel on the Board: Whenever the Griffins “put a bagel on the board” – i.e. shut out their opponent – you have one week to take your ticket to any Bagel Beanery location to receive one free bagel and a gourmet coffee.

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

Feb. 21: Star Wars Night presented by Consumers Energy t

March 14: Griffins Cereal Bowl Giveaway presented by Flagstar Bank t

March 16: Corks, Pucks & Brews at the Goei Center, benefiting Easter Seals MichiganMarch 20: ‘90s Night/Fan Design Jersey Auction #2 t

March 22: Dog Day at Van Andel presented by Nestlé Purina/$1 Pepsi Drinks and $1 Ice Cream from 3-5 p.m.t

April 4: Tomas Jurco Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Michigan Office Solutions t

April 6: Griffins Booster Club Awards BanquetApril 18: Season Finale presented by Huntington Bank/Friday Night Jersey Auction


LIS

TEN

UP! Andy

Miele is doing his

best to improve

his play to a level that

pricks up the ears

of the Red Wings’ front office.

Story and photos by Mark Newman


When you think about the various skills required to play in the National Hockey League, the ability to listen is probably not the first one that comes to mind. And yet, there may be no more important quality for a player interested in improving his game.

Hockey is a sport where self-preservation is a natural urge, and the tendency of some players is to hear only what they want to hear. Thinking they know what is best for them, young players all too often believe the quickest way to the NHL is the path of least resistance.

Andy Miele has learned to listen.It was not always so. As a youngster growing

up in Grosse Pointe Woods near Detroit, Miele (pronounced mee-lee) was a bit of a pistol with a rebellious streak. Having been raised on 8 Mile like rapper Eminen, he wonders if he might have had a little bit of a gangster attitude.

“I was probably a tough kid to deal with,” said Miele, who started skating when he was 4. “When I was real young, my mom and dad would have to pin me down to get me dressed because I didn’t want to go to the rink.”

Miele liked to play hockey – in fact, he played all sports except football – but practice was another story. “Some days I wanted to go, but if I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to go. So on certain days, for a little bit, they had to push me.”

Despite his size – he was always one of the smaller guys – Miele excelled at the sport. He loved playing with the puck, so much so in street hockey that another kid once yelled at him until he ran back to his house in tears. He became more of a playmaker after that and, like most kids in hockey skates, set his sights on someday playing in the NHL.

He played high school hockey at Grosse Pointe North, then played AAA hockey with HoneyBaked Ham and Little Caesars, before trying out for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL to pursue his dream of playing hockey

at the highest level.It was a big decision

for Miele and his parents: Jim, an employee of Hewlett-Packard, and Sue, who worked various jobs to support Andy and his older sister Ashleigh and younger brother Shawn. “They put in the time and hours of travel that most hockey parents do,” he said, noting that he had their full support to leave home at age 16.

Jim Miele had played club hockey at Ferris

State after running track and playing baseball and football in high school. As an athlete himself, he did everything he could to motivate his children.

“If I wasn’t trying my best, my dad would get very frustrated with me,” he recalled. “He felt that if I wasn’t working hard, I was wasting my time and his time. I remember a game during my sophomore year in high school where I didn’t try very hard and he didn’t talk to me for three days. He was really, really upset with me.”

Miele played well in the USHL, first in Cedar Rapids and later in Chicago, so he was confident that he was on track to play college hockey at the Division I level. “My biggest goal, of course, was the NHL,” he said. “I was a huge Red Wings fan growing up. When I was young, I loved watching (Sergei) Fedorov because he was so dynamic and fast. As I got older and grew to understand the game, I gained a ton of respect for Steve Yzerman.”

Ignored by the two big programs in his backyard – Michigan and Michigan State – Miele chose Miami (Ohio) on the basis of the positive direction of its hockey team. It didn’t hurt that the school also had a beautiful campus and a 3-to-1 female-to-male ratio. “That was actually one of their recruiting tools,” he said. As things turned out, it was at Miami that he would meet his girlfriend, Hilary.

His admission to the school was delayed, at least temporarily, by the fact that his ACT scores weren’t high enough. Unable to be on the campus with the rest of the freshman class, he had to wait

Miele tied for third overall among AHL scorers last season after posting 72 points in 70 games.


until he was cleared academically by the NCAA. He joined the RedHawks midway through the 2007-08 season.

“I had been a little lazy because I always knew I could get into school based on my hockey,” Miele said. “I wish my parents had pushed me a little more in school than they did.”

Miele enrolled in the school’s American Studies program, but he jokes that ice hockey was his major. He scored on his first shift in his first college game, then continued to improve his play from that point forward, with his point totals increasing each year.

He gives a lot of credit for his progress at Miami to the college’s coaching staff: head coach Enrico Blasi and a bevy of assistant coaches, including current Griffins coach Jeff Blashill, who was at Miami during Miele’s freshman year. “They all had their different styles, but they got the same results,” he said. “They were all great in their own way.”

Miele led the nation in scoring during his senior season (2010-11), when he tallied 24 goals and 47 assists for 71 points in 39 games. It was the most points by a Division I player in eight years.

“I had great chemistry with my linemates, who were Reilly Smith (now with the NHL’s Boston Bruins) and Trent Vogelhuber (now with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons),” Miele said. “We didn’t have to communicate – we always knew where each other would be.”

Although Miami fell short in its bid for a national title – the No. 1 seeded RedHawks lost to New Hampshire in their first tournament game – Miele won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player. “The icing on the cake would have been a national championship, but (the honor) was a nice way to end the year,” he said.

Having previously been given the cold shoulder during the NHL Entry Draft, Miele attracted a number of free agent offers following his collegiate career. Most organizations talked about putting Miele in the AHL and letting him develop, but the Phoenix Coyotes indicated that he would get a good shot at starting in the NHL.

“At the time, it was exactly what I wanted to hear,” he said. “Looking back, I think I probably should have listened to the guys who were talking about development. I needed more time to develop before I got my chance in the NHL.”

Miele ended up playing 15 NHL games during his three-year stint in the Coyotes organization.

He registered a pair of assists in his first appearance last season, but otherwise was kept off the scoresheet.

“Maybe if I had developed a little more confidence, I would have played better,” he said. “For some guys, (success in the NHL) is easy and for others, it isn’t. I was the kind of guy who had always been a late bloomer. I usually get better as the years go by and I’m hoping that continues.”

Shuttled back and forth between Phoenix and the team’s affiliate in Portland, Maine, Miele put together two solid AHL seasons before exploding with an all-star caliber campaign in 2013-14.

“I knew I was going to become a free agent, so at the beginning of last season, my agent told me, ‘You’re going to need to have a year like your Hobey Baker year where you tear it up.’ To get a good opportunity somewhere else, I was going to have to put up a lot of points.”

Miele signed with the Red Wings last summer after three seasons in the Phoenix Coyotes organization.


Miele tied for third overall among AHL scorers last season after posting 72 points (27 goals, 45 assists) in 70 contests with Portland. He tied for third among league scorers in power play assists (25) and tied a career-high by recording five points in a single game.

When Miele was ready to ink a new deal, he had a good idea where he wanted to sign. “No matter where I was going, I knew I would be starting in the AHL,” he said. “I knew I wanted to play for a team where I enjoyed the city and where I could play for a coach who could teach me more things and help me develop. I wanted to play for Blash.”

Miele had developed great respect for Blashill during his first year at Miami before Blashill left the school to become head coach and general manager of the Indiana Ice, a Tier I junior hockey team in the USHL.

“He’s a winner and if you’re winning at every level, you’re doing something right,” Miele said. “He pays so much attention to detail, which is so important throughout the year.”

Miele was looking forward to the Red Wings’ training camp in Traverse City to show the

Miele won the Hobey Baker Award in 2011 as the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.


organization what he could do, but he was never able to set foot on the ice during the preseason. He remained sidelined with a sports hernia that had been misdiagnosed at the end of last season.

“I was doing all my workouts like nothing was wrong during the summer, and then I skated,” Miele recalled. “I started feeling (pain) again, so I knew something wasn’t right.”

Projected to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks prior to the season, he missed the Griffins’ first three games. “It was frustrating because I was really looking forward to getting a fresh start,” he said.

Miele wasted little time in making an impression when he made his Griffins debut. He tallied a goal and assist in his first game, then recorded a pair of goals three games later. Through his first 15 games, Miele was scoring at a point-per-game clip.

Yet he knows that points alone won’t be enough to earn a promotion to Detroit. Blashill has already told him as much. “He’s told me that I won’t play in the NHL if I don’t work on my defensive game,” Miele said. “It’s tough to hear but it’s what I need to hear.”

Blashill concedes that Miele has “high-end offensive ability” but believes that he has the talent to be more than a one-dimensional player. “Andy’s learning how hard we expect our centers to work defensively,” Blashill said. “That’s a habit that’s going to take some time, but I think his best hockey is still ahead of him.”

Feeling that he was cheated out of a chance to make a favorable impression on his hometown team during training camp, Miele is looking at the regular season as his audition for the Red Wings.

“This is my time to show them what I can do,” Miele said. “Luckily, it’s a long season, so I still have plenty of time. They know I will put up points and they expect it, but what they want to see is whether I can play both sides of the puck.”

Blashill believes that Miele will prove that the Red Wings made the right decision when they signed him last summer. Why? Because he listens.

“What I like about Andy is that he’s not just an offensive player,” Blashill said. “He competes extremely hard, similar to Tomas Tatar, and you win with guys like that.”


A smile. A wave. A handshake. A simple hello. An autograph.

It doesn’t take much for a professional athlete to make a positive, lasting impression on a kid. Tom McCollum is only too glad to oblige young hockey fans because there was a time when he, too, stood in awe of his heroes.

Living in upstate New York, McCollum’s family had a natural affinity for the NHL team in Buffalo, since their hometown of Amherst is the largest and most populous suburb of The Nickel City. When the Griffins goaltender thinks of his personal heroes, he tells two stories related to Sabres players, one of which predates his earliest memories.

Brad May was scheduled to sign autographs at a grocery store in Amherst after being selected in the first round of

the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. At the time, McCollum wasn’t even a year old, but his mom and aunt stood in line to get a photo autographed and personalized.

“I grew up with that photo in my room – in fact, the picture’s still there – and I was fortunate enough to play with Brad during my first year in Grand Rapids,” McCollum said. “When he was here, I showed him the picture in private to let him know that the little things you do can go a long way.”

Years later at one of his minor hockey year-end banquets, McCollum met goaltender Dominik Hasek, who was still building his legend in Buffalo. “Hasek had a son a couple of years younger than me and he ended up behind us in line to get food,” McCollum recalled. “He started talking to my dad and I

Goalie Tom McCollum has been a pillar of service in the Grand Rapids community

throughout his six seasons with the Griffins.

Story by Mark Newman


remember standing there with my mouth open the whole time. He was one of the best players in the world, a true superstar, and yet he took the time to talk to my dad.”

Whenever McCollum finds himself in the position to talk to kids, he does his best to reciprocate the kindness.

“I was once that little kid,” he said. “I know the impressions those guys made on me and I think it’s only right that I try to do the same. It was a huge deal for me and so now I do my part. Anytime you meet someone, you hope to make their day a little better, or, at the very least, to leave them with a good memory.”

Now in his sixth season with the Griffins, McCollum, 25, said he feels it is important to give back.

“I’ve done so much growing up and maturing as a person here that Grand Rapids really feels like my second home,” he said. “After everything this city has given to me, I want to put myself in a position to give back and draw attention to various causes.”

McCollum admits he never would have imagined that he would feel such affection for a city that he once needed a map to find.

“I definitely didn’t plan on being here this long,” he said. “I had been given some indication that if I played well, I might be here only a year or two, but I might have listened

to that talk too much and, as a result, put too much pressure on myself.”

McCollum struggled during his first three years with the Griffins, allowing just under three-and-a-half goals per game while splitting each season between Grand Rapids and Toledo (ECHL).

“Nobody wishes it hadn’t taken so long for me to get things together more than me, but it’s the path I had to go through,” he said. “(Red Wings goaltending coach) Jimmy Bedard kept reminding me the whole time that if it was easy, everybody would do it. I feel very fortunate that Detroit was willing to give me so many opportunities.”

McCollum compiled a record of 18-11-2 during the Griffins’ Calder Cup season (2012-13)

Spending time at the local Boys & Girls Club has become a pleasurable pastime for the affable McCollum.

Taking a break during the team’s Pumping Gas event, McCollum (far right) talks with a young hockey fan.


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when he posted a solid 2.63 goals-against average, then went 24-12-4 last season when he improved his GAA to 2.30, the fourth-best figure among AHL goalies.

Still, McCollum feared he might be saying goodbye to his teammates for the final time at the close of last season. Although he was a former first-round draft pick (30th overall) of Detroit, his future in the organization was in doubt.

“At the end of last year, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” he said. “I knew I had had a good season, but I wasn’t sure where I was going to fit in the grand scheme of the Red Wings’ plans. I really had no idea. I thought things could have gone either way.”

He was thankful when Detroit rewarded his efforts to resurrect his career by signing him to a one-year contract for the 2014-15 season.

“I’ve gone from a 19-year-old kid and a year removed from high school to a 25-year-old adult with a much better understanding of life,” he said. “I still have a lot to learn, but I think I have a more realistic perspective now.”

That perspective has led him to become a more active participant in the Griffins’ community activities. He was named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL

Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Grand Rapids area during the 2013-14 season, and he has even more on his philanthropic plate this season.

“When I first came here, I was pretty quiet,” he admits. “I was very shy and wasn’t very comfortable doing stuff. But as you get more comfortable with who you are as a person, it becomes easier and the more you do it, the more comfortable you get.

There’s nothing he enjoys more than being able to put a smile on the face of youth hockey players.

McCollum (far right) poses for a photo during the team’s annual Corks, Pucks & Brews fundraiser for Easter Seals Michigan.

McCollum walks a dog during the annual Pups and Pucks Fall Walkathon at Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary.


“I love going to their practices and helping out their teams,” he said. “Coaches are never sure what to do with me, but I like to circulate among all the players and give them little tips where I can, and when they score, you can see their faces light up.”

McCollum hopes to eventually conduct one-day camps for aspiring goaltenders, potentially starting with a clinic in early 2015 for goalies from the Griffins Youth Foundation. “I can speak from personal experience that there isn’t a ton of instruction for young goalies,” he said. “In my case, coaching often consisted of my teammates’

dads hammering pucks at me and telling me to stop them.”

His interest in encouraging the younger generation extends to visiting elementary schools and children’s hospitals. McCollum has also teamed with Landon Ferraro to purchase tickets for the Boys & Girls Club under the banner of the TLC Club (i.e., the Tommy and Lando Care Club).

“If we can visit with kids and make the rest of their day better, that’s something worth doing,” he said. “If we can get them to a Griffins game and make their life better for three hours, that’s even better yet.”

The Boys & Girls Club provides a safe and positive place for youth through a variety of after-school and summer programs. McCollum and a number of Griffins teammates make frequent visits to the organization.

“We go there to help make their day better, but every time I go, I leave in better spirits than when I came,” he said. “When you hang out with them and talk to them, you would never know some of the things these kids have to face. They seem like the happiest people on the planet.”

McCollum also enjoys lending a hand at Kids’ Food Basket, the only organization in West Michigan focused solely on childhood hunger.

“They prepare sack suppers for

McCollum (center) joins teammates Landon Ferraro and Xavier Ouellet during the popular Tip-a-Griffin event.

McCollum signs an autograph before the annual Griffins-Sled Wings game.


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underprivileged kids, and a lot of guys from the team go once or twice a month to pack all these suppers for delivery to schools,” McCollum said. “The kids take them home and eat them for dinner.”

Through the Griffins’ Charitable Goals program, Carlin O’Brien Batson is donating $1 to Kids’ Food Basket for every save that McCollum or his teammates make this season, as well as $200 for every shutout. “It provides

more motivation for us to do well so we can help an organization that is doing nothing but good,” he said. “Every good performance can help somebody else’s life be a little bit better.”

McCollum is also hoping to do something with the Michigan Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “My family does a lot of the MS Walks in Buffalo because my grandmother has MS,” he said. “She used to come to games all the time, but it’s tougher for her now with MS, so it’s a cause that’s near and dear to my heart.”

He also would like to do his part to promote anti-bullying campaigns. “We hear so much about it happening in schools and it’s so unnecessary,” he said, conceding that the cause might seem contradictory for an athlete in a sport that allows fighting. “As you get older, you realize that there is no need to hurt people, and I’d like to draw attention to the problem.”

Whether he’s serving beverages at Corks, Pucks & Brews for Easter Seals Michigan or interacting with fans at the Tip-a-Griffin fundraiser or Great Skate Winterfest for the Griffins Youth Foundation, McCollum enjoys doing what he can to brighten the lives of others.

Hospital visits offer a welcomed opportunity for McCollum and his Griffins teammates to spread a little cheer.

Appearances at the Griffins’ Great Skate Winterfest have become a tradition for McCollum.


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“As you get older, you realize what’s really important in life,” he said. “Hockey is important to me, but I realize that it’s just a game. There are plenty of people who are facing much more serious issues in their lives.”

His volunteer efforts leave McCollum reinvigorated for another day and other challenges.

“I can go home and sit on my couch or I can go visit kids and make their lives a little better,” he said. “As players, we have a ton of free time, so why not try to make good use of it?”

Best of all, McCollum’s positive attitude seems to have helped his play on the ice.

“I’ve spent enough time worrying about what’s going to be, what could be, what should be,” he said. “I realize that if I don’t take care of what’s right in front of me, it doesn’t matter what’s down the road.

“I’d like to think if I have another good year, I’ll get another good opportunity next year, but I’m not going to be worrying about it. Right now I’m one of the goalies for the Griffins and that’s my focus.

“If I can’t be in the NHL, there’s no better place to be than Grand Rapids.”

McCollum ranks among the Griffins’ all-time goaltending leaders in games, minutes

played, wins, shutouts and saves.


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Growing up in Minnesota, Nick Jensen loved the outdoors. He played soccer, football and hockey, the latter often on the frozen ponds that dotted the landscape – the state is known as “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” for a reason.

His father, Jeff, had played college hockey at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie back in the ‘70s, and he steered his son in the direction of becoming a defenseman.

“His idea was that finding good, fast, puck-moving defensemen is pretty rare,” Jensen said. “He felt that if you can get those things down, you can definitely go places with it.”

Although Jensen was athletic and excelled at all sports – he was an all-conference running

back and free safety on the Rogers High School football team – hockey was his first love.

His father was chosen by the Colorado Rockies in the 10th round (159th overall) of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft; his mother Teresa was originally from Michigan (Flint), which made the Detroit Red Wings his favorite team.

Speed is the name of the game for Griffins defenseman Nick Jensen.


Speed is the name of the game for Griffins defenseman Nick Jensen.

Jensen has good hockey bloodlines. His father, Jeff, played at Lake Superior

State University and his uncle, Steve Jensen, played seven seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars

and Los Angeles Kings.


“They always tell the story about how they were walking through a sporting goods store and picked up a pair of skates and how I started crying when they put them back. I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s the story they told.”

Jensen began skating before he started school. “My dad would take me out before he played in the beer leagues and he’d help me skate around the rink even though I couldn’t stand up on my own,” he said.

His dad served as his coach for many years, even offering words of advice when he was playing for other coaches during his high school years in Rogers, a city that straddles Interstate 94 northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

“He gave me his input and it definitely helped, even though at the time it seemed like he was only yelling at me,” said Jensen, who admits that his father was his toughest critic. “It was constructive criticism in its own way.”

Jensen passed up his senior year at Rogers to move to Green Bay to play elite junior hockey in the United States Hockey League. “I wanted to keep my amateur status in order to attend college. It was the path that most Minnesota guys took,” he said.

He played two seasons (2008-10) for the Green Bay Gamblers. His billet family lived five minutes from Lambeau Field, so he even got to see a couple of Packers games. “They say there is not a bad seat in the house and it’s true,” he notes.

Jensen was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings after his first year in Green Bay.

“I was driving back from a wedding in Texas when I got a call from Dave Kolb, one of the Red Wings’ scouts. We talked for a few minutes and I remember thinking, ‘What was that all about?’

“When I got home, I was dog-tired. It was the second day of the draft and I got a call from my coach, Jon Cooper, who is now the head coach at Tampa Bay, and he told me I had been drafted. I was pretty shocked.”

Detroit had selected Jensen in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft with the 150th overall pick.

Jiri Fischer, director of player development for the Red Wings, said the organization felt fortunate that Jensen had “slipped” to the fifth round. “He competes as hard as anybody (and) he can fly on the ice,” Fischer said of Jensen. “He can skate as well as anybody.”

When it came time for Jensen to make a decision about college, he did not have to look far. St. Cloud State had shown the most interest in him early, and he wanted to play close to home.

“My parents put a lot of time and effort into my hockey as I was growing up – they worked, but they travelled with me, paid for ice time, paid for teams, paid for hotels and all that stuff – so I wanted them to be able to watch me further my career,” he said. “It was

important to me to stay close to home so they could do that.”

A finance major at St. Cloud, Jensen steadily improved each year until he was chosen WCHA Defensive Player of the Year after his junior season in 2012-13, when he helped lead the Huskies to their first Frozen Four appearance.

“College was a lot of fun,” Jensen said. “Getting to play hockey while making progress toward your education is pretty cool. You can’t play hockey forever, which is the main reason for going to college.”

Nevertheless, Jensen opted to forego his senior year and final season of eligibility in order to sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made,” he said. “I talked to a lot of people, including my coaches, my parents and my fiancee. It was not an easy decision, but I ended up deciding that signing pro was the best thing for me.

“Of course, I would like that senior year back, but I wanted to move up to the next level

“Getting to play hockey while

making progress toward your

education is pretty cool. You can’t play

hockey forever, which is the main reason for going

to college.”


Jensen was Detroit’s fifth pick (150th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.


so I could keep progressing in my game. The ultimate goal is to play in the NHL, of course, but it was still hard to leave because I can never go back and play college hockey again.”

His pro debut ended up being delayed after a tussle with fellow prospect Tyler Bertuzzi in Detroit’s summer development camp left him with a shoulder injury that required surgery.

“As soon as I found out that I needed surgery, my heart sank to my stomach,” Jensen said. “It was pretty frustrating. I was ready to get my pro career going and to have that happen, it was tough mentally.”

While Jensen admits that it was an incident that didn’t have to happen, it might have saved him some grief down the road. “One of the doctors thought I might already have had some damage in there, so it could have happened in the middle of this year – and that would have been way worse,” he said.

Going through the rehab process – healing and staying positive – wasn’t easy, according to Jensen. “I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without all my friends and family,” he admitted. “It was a good test of character. I think it will help me battle through adversity – not letting things get the best of you.”

Jensen made his professional debut with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in late November 2013 then played his first AHL game with the Griffins in early December. “Jumping into a pro league where I had never played was tough, but the team eased me into things,” he said. “I didn’t play too much, but once I got going, I started developing like I had hoped. It just happened a little later than I expected.”

He played 45 games, racking up nine assists while being a plus-12. He started to blossom in March when he collected an assist in three consecutive games, then earned assists in back-to-back games.

This past fall marked his first true Red Wings training camp. “The first one is a bit of a blur since I was in the training room or weight room doing rehab,” said Jensen, who finally got to play some NHL exhibition games. “I was really nervous, but it was a lot of fun at the same time.”

He averaged nearly 19 minutes a game in four exhibitions, scoring a goal and posting a plus-1 rating. His preseason play improved his stock. Suddenly, he was on everybody’s radar as a defensive prospect, joining the likes of Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul, Alexey Marchenko and Mattias Backman.

“I hope I made a good impression,” Jensen said. “I talked to Kenny Holland and Mike Babcock before they sent me down and they had good things to say. I just need to keep gaining experience and improving my resume.”

Jensen concedes that there is room for improvement. Consistency is the biggest thing. “It’s not enough to have a good game here or there,” he said. “You want to have a pretty good game every time out, not just average, average, good.”

He had already scored three goals by the end of November, as he made a concerted effort to improve his breakouts from the defensive zone. “That’s what Detroit wants, guys who can take the puck from the D-zone and turn it into offense,” he said.

Indeed, it’s his ability as a puck-moving Jensen scored a goal in back-to-back games

for the Griffins on Nov. 28-29, 2014.46 Grand Rapids GRIFFINS

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Jensen was the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.

defenseman that is likely to earn him a spot in the NHL. “By NHL standards, he’s not the biggest guy, but he makes up for it with his ability to skate and his ability to transport the puck,” Holland said.

Jensen realizes that it’s his wheels that will eventually get him to Detroit. “My dad emphasized that speed is the name of the game and everybody in the NHL can skate like the wind, so you need to be able to skate,” he said.

“My mindset is every shift is pedal to the floor. It’s like playing the last shift in a Stanley Cup game. I feel like every shift has got to be played like that and that’s how I try to approach the game. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the NHL or it’s down here.”

Jensen looks at the fact that he is just one of several high-end prospects as a positive, not a negative.

“You don’t want to earn a spot by default just because there’s nobody better,” he said. “Having competition among all these young defensemen is a good thing because if one guy plays well, all of the others want to play well, too. It may seem like we’re competing against each other, but we’re really just making each other better. And getting better is what we are all here to do.”


POSITIVEREINFORCEMENTGoaltending coach Jeff Salajko is helping the Red Wings’ top prospects progress toward the NHL.

Story and photos by

Mark Newman

Salajko is in his second season working with the Griffins’ goalies.


When Detroit Red Wings minor league goaltending coach Jeff Salajko talks with the Griffins’ netminders, he brings a unique perspective.

A 10th-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Salajko (pronounced suh-LAY-koh) posted a 148-125-31 record in the pros, playing all but 52 of his 323 pro games in the ECHL with Columbus (Ohio), Arkansas, Reading, Peoria and Charlotte.

He joined the Toledo Storm in March 2003 for the ECHL playoffs, serving as a backup in the first round before fatigue and frayed nerves forced him to the stands.

Within months, he had trouble climbing stairs, and his muscles would regularly twitch and spasm. Something was seriously wrong.

Although doctors initially feared it might be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), it turned out to be benign fasciculation syndrome, a neurological disorder with some of the same symptoms as ALS, but one that can be treated with medication.

Nonetheless, it spelled an end to Salajko’s

Salajko gives a tip to Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum.

“Goalies are going to have their ups and downs. The

guys who make it to the next level are the ones who can keep an even

keel – not too high, not too low.”


Salajko shares a laugh with Griffins goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum.

playing career at the relatively young age of 28.“I couldn’t play because of my medical

condition,” said Salajko, who had been considering opportunities to play in Europe. “I was told that any period of sustained activity could trigger more seizures, spasms or cramps. Once I had health problems, my career got cut short.”

Hockey had been his whole life, so eventually he found his way back into the game.

Starting with the 2008-09 season, Salajko served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Ohio State men’s ice hockey team, working mainly with the goalies. “I really enjoyed coaching and that’s when I realized it was what I wanted to do,” he said.

He also helped out with the women’s ice hockey program, an experience which he now terms “interesting,” before Red Wings goaltending coach Jim Bedard brought him into Detroit’s development camp in 2013.

Salajko had conducted goaltending camps with Bedard, whom he had known since his major junior days with the Niagara Falls

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Salajko, who played parts of three seasons with the Manitoba Moose, also played with the Kansas City Blades and

Indianapolis Ice in the IHL.

Thunder in the Ontario Hockey League. Upon Bedard’s recommendation, the Red Wings hired Salajko before the 2013-14 season to work with the organization’s minor league goaltenders.

“It’s great to be working at the pro level again and working with quality kids like Petr (Mrazek), Tommy (McCollum), Jared (Coreau) and Jake (Paterson),” Salajko said. “Coaching is the next best thing (to playing).”

Salajko remains based in Columbus, where his wife Karen is the assistant news director at local CBS affiliate WBNS-TV and their three children attend school.

He commutes to Grand Rapids to attend practices. He also watches both AHL and ECHL games (primarily in Toledo), and he occasionally visits Saginaw, where Paterson, Detroit’s third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, is currently playing in the OHL.

Salajko talks regularly with Bedard. “He wants to know how our guys are doing,” said Salajko, who files a report with the Red Wings’ scouting service after every game he


watches. “He’s very attuned to what our guys are doing here, plus he reads my scouting reports on other goalies that may be useful down the road.”

Although he misses playing, Salajko, 39, loves his work. “I’ve got the easy job,” he said, referring to his teaching responsibilities, which include reviewing video and running various drills. “The players have the tough job. They’re the ones who’ve got to execute and produce.”

Goaltenders today have one advantage that Salajko did not enjoy when he was playing. “NHL teams then only had one goalie coach, sometimes only part-time, and now it seems that every organization has two coaches,” he said. “Goaltending is such an important position and such a pivotal part of every team that it only makes sense to give them a little more

attention.”Salajko said he attended nine NHL camps

during his playing career, which exposed him to the teachings of Vladislav Tretiak (Chicago), Rick Wamsley (Toronto) and Pete Peeters (Edmonton), among others.

As he was generally the fourth or fifth goalie in the system, he didn’t always get the

coaching afforded the team’s top prospects. “I didn’t mind because I was chasing the dream,” he said.

But toiling in the minors gave Salajko a taste of the realities of the game. “Maturity takes time,” he said.

“It’s not just the physical part – it’s also the emotional and mental part of the game.

“Kids come into the pro game with the notion that they’re going to be successful and dominate, but it’s not the case most of the time. Forwards seem to adjust a little quicker,

Salajko shares his thoughts with Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill.

“Coaching is the next best thing (to playing).”


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but it’s tougher for defensemen and it’s even tougher for the goalies. You have to be a special individual, almost a prodigy, to come into the league and excel.”

When a player with the talent of McCollum or Coreau struggles at the pro level, Salajko can empathize. “I can relate because I’ve lived it,” he said. “I was a later pick, so the expectations were not as high, but I thought I could play. As I tell them, it doesn’t matter where you are at. Just play well and learn to win.”

Psychology plays a big role in Salajko’s job.“Every time you get sent down, it’s upsetting,

but you’ve got to make the best of it,” he said. “I played a lot of games and have a lot of good memories of playing between the IHL and ECHL. I had a couple of call-ups to practice with the big guys but never got into an NHL game, and that’s something I regret. But it allowed me to realize how tough it is (to make it).”

Salajko does his best to emphasize the positive.

“I’m here to pick these guys up – you don’t

want to dwell on the negative,” he said. “Our coach-player relationship is built on trust; I’ve got their back. But at this level, they know they have to be accountable, too. They know when they haven’t played well.”

While goaltending techniques have evolved as the game has changed, Salajko tries to adapt his teaching style to the player’s personality. “What works for Petr may not work with Tommy. They’re totally different goalies with different personalities,” he said. “You try to take what works for each individual.”

Salajko sees himself as much mentor as teacher. “These guys are going to have their ups and downs,” he said. “The guys who make it to the next level are the ones who can keep an even keel – not too high, not too low.

“These guys know where they want to go. They want to play in the NHL. Obviously, I want to see our guys develop and do well. When they are winning, it’s huge. Everybody’s happy when you win, so ultimately that’s our goal. I want to see all of our goalies playing and playing well.”


Don’t miss your chance to meet and interact with your favorite Griffins players while supporting some great West Michigan charitable organizations.

PLAY!&OUTCOME

GREAT SKATE WINTERFEST

Monday, Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. (doors)Griff’s IceHouseTickets: $5 per person/$20 per family at the door Following an autograph session, watch the Griffins play a spirited game of sled hockey with and against the Grand Rapids Sled Wings, a talented team of physically challenged children and young adults sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Saturday, Feb. 7 at noon through Sunday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m.Rosa Parks Circle Free admission Celebrate winter in our city, skate with Griffins players and support the Griffins Youth Foundation! You can help raise money for the foundation by sponsoring your favorite Griffins player or collecting pledges for your own participation in the Great Skate. Go to griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

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16Monday, March 16 from 6:30-9 p.m.Goei CenterTickets: $35 (two for $50) at essmichigan.org or 942-2081. Must be 21 years of age. Griffins players will serve over 100 varieties of wine and craft beer samples to guests at the event, which features live music, appetizers and silent and live auctions. All proceeds benefit Easter Seals Michigan programs and services in West Michigan. Presented by Flagstar Bank.

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All dates, times and details subject to change. Visit griffinshockey.com/community for more information on these and other community events and programs.


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Equip yourselfwith the confidenceto grow.

Utica is one of six American Hockey League franchises that sits atop its respective division. But none of the leaders has witnessed the kind of reversal experienced by the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.

On Nov. 18, 2013, the Comets sat dead last in the league with a record of 2-10-1-1, owning only six points. The team was averaging just 2.07 goals per

game while allowing an average of 3.50 per game.Kent Huskins, an ex-Red Wing who had won

a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007, was just five games into his career as a Comet, goalie Jacob Markstrom was playing for another team (San Antonio), and Cal O’Reilly, Dustin Jeffrey and Bobby Sanguinetti had yet to step foot in the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Utica hockey fans are enjoying the new direction of the Comets this season.

Photo Credit: Lindsay A. Mogle/Utica Comets Cal O’Reilly


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Fast-forward 365 days, and Utica’s world had flipped. The Comets improved their goals-per-game average to 2.80, while giving up just 1.73 goals per game. O’Reilly, tabbed as the Comets’ captain, was the league leader in assists. Jeffrey and Sanguinetti were among the team’s top scoring threats while Huskins was anchoring the defense. Markstrom had become virtually impenetrable, ranking among the AHL’s best goalies in wins, goals-against average and save percentage.

What prompted the U-turn for Utica, which will make its first-ever visit to Grand Rapids on Jan. 23?

“I don’t think you can point at one thing,” Comets head coach Travis Green said. “Our returning players are a year older and have improved their games, [and] having upwards of 15 returning guys helps. Our players are competing hard and we have had a lot better goaltending to start this season than we did last year.”

Utica’s turnaround actually started last season when the Comets’ fortunes changed during the second half, with the team posting a 24-12-3-1 record down the stretch.

Alternate captain Brandon DeFazio credits the competiveness of the team’s returning players for the Comets’ progress.

“Coming in this year, we knew the city, the systems, and each other,” said DeFazio. “We understood how we wanted to play. We pride ourselves on working hard and getting better every day. It’s a culture we started to build last year and one that is continuing to grow over time.”

Of course, the contributions of Utica’s younger players should not be overlooked. The Comets’ roster has showcased three of Vancouver’s first-round NHL Draft picks: Nicklas Jensen (2011, 21st overall), Brendan Gaunce (2012, 26th overall) and Hunter Shinkarus (2013, 24th overall).

There were other reasons to get excited.On Nov. 22, the Comets participated in the

historic Toyota Frozen Dome Classic in Syracuse. A total of 30,715 fans filled the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University to watch the game between Utica and the Syracuse Crunch.

The attendance figure established a new all-time record for largest indoor crowd for a pro hockey game in the U.S., eclipsing the previous record of 28,138 fans. That mark was set at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1996 when the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning faced the Philadelphia Flyers.

Utica will also host the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino in January.

The 2015 AHL All-Star Classic will include the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 25, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, January 26 and the 2015 AHL All-Star Game that evening. The Skills Competition and the All-Star Game will take place at the Utica Memorial Auditorium in downtown Utica; all other events during the All-Star Classic will take place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in nearby Verona, N.Y.

The 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino will feature the league’s top young talent. Of the 644 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 94 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Briere, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Jimmy Howard, Niklas Kronwall, Chris Kunitz, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal.

DOUBLE DUTYForward Rocco Grimaldi, a second-round pick (No.

33) of the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, had hockey fans seeing double on Nov. 18.

Grimaldi started his day in a black sweater for the San Antonio Rampage, skating in their Cool School Day game against AHL divisional rival Oklahoma City. He finished it wearing the white and red jersey of the NHL’s Panthers.

As the Rampage were defeating the Barons 4-3 in a shootout, Grimaldi was long gone, having departed before the six-round shootout was even

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Rocco Grimaldi


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a thought in anyone’s minds. He left the ice in the third period, presumably because of either an equipment or injury issue.

Instead, he was hopping on a plane to the West Coast, joining the Rampage’s parent club in time for their tilt against the Los Angeles Kings.

“It’s special, obviously,” Grimaldi told NHL.com. “This is one of the ones on the calendar that I really wanted to play and coming into this morning I obviously didn’t expect it.”

The AT&T Center, home of the Rampage, is 1,358 miles from the Kings’ home ice inside the Staples Center. The flight was just under three hours.

The California trip was a bit of a homecoming for the 5-foot-6 center, who grew up in Rossmoor, just south of Los Angeles.

Grimaldi, who made his NHL debut with the Panthers on Nov. 1, scored his first NHL goal on Nov. 22 at Nashville, when he fired a rebound past Predators netminder Pekka Rinne.

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keep the conversation going

with

Stop by the #GriffinsSocial Lounge behind Section 224 on game nights to charge your phone, connect to free wifi, see your

social media posts displayed on our TV and much more!

/grgriffins /griffinshockey /griffinshockey

Check out griffinshockey.com/socialmedia to follow us on all of our social channels.

/griffinshockey /griffinshockey

Download the official Griffins iPhone and Android app to stay connected with the Griffins on the go!

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONSFollow the Griffins on social media for these

promotion details, plus many more!

• Griffins Player Twitterviews • #GRGInstafreeze• GRCC Guess the First Goal Scorer • Star Tickets Guess the Attendance• Gardella’s Trivia Thursday • McFadden’s Tweet Your Friday Night Beat• Great Clips, Great Shots Photo Contest • #GRGUnited – Show Your Griffins Pride!• Huntington Bank Player of the Month • Marge’s Donut Den Sweetheart of the Game

Games Played Goals AssistsALL-TIME: Travis Richards ...................... 655 Michel Picard ...........................158 Michel Picard ................................. 222ACTIVE LEADER: Landon Ferraro (20th) ........... 219 Landon Ferraro (16th) ................52 Nathan Paetsch (T30th) ................... 61SINGLE-SEASON: 5 players tied ........................ *82 Donald MacLean (2005-06) .....*56 Jiri Hudler (2005-06) ....................... 602013-14: Adam Almquist ....................... 73 Teemu Pulkkinen .......................31 Adam Almquist ............................... 49

Points Plus/Minus Penalty MinutesALL-TIME: Michel Picard ........................ 380 Travis Richards ..................... +131 Darryl Bootland ...........................1,164ACTIVE LEADER: Landon Ferraro (24th) ........... 105 Nathan Paetsch (T24th) ......... +24 Brennan Evans (17th) .................... 290SINGLE-SEASON: Michel Picard (1996-97) ....... 101 Ivan Ciernik (2000-01) ..........*+41 Darryl Bootland (2005-06) ............ 3902013-14: Teemu Pulkkinen .................... 59 Mitch Callahan ....................... +23 Brennan Evans ............................... 111

Goalie Games Played Goals Against Average WinsALL-TIME: Joey MacDonald ................... 210 Martin Prusek .........................1.83 Joey MacDonald ............................ 109ACTIVE LEADER: Tom McCollum (3rd) ............. 172 Petr Mrazek (6th) ....................2.31 Tom McCollum (3rd) ........................ 74SINGLE-SEASON: Joey MacDonald (2004-05) ... *66 Martin Prusek (2001-02) .......*1.83 Joey MacDonald (2004-05) ............. 34 Mike Fountain (2000-01) ................*342013-14: Tom McCollum ........................ 46 Petr Mrazek .............................2.10 Tom McCollum ................................. 24

Shutouts Saves Save PercentageALL-TIME: Joey MacDonald ...................... 20 Joey MacDonald ....................5,362 Martin Prusek ..............................0.930ACTIVE LEADER: Tom McCollum (7th) ................. 5 Tom McCollum (3rd) ..............4,183 Petr Mrazek (T7th).......................0.916SINGLE-SEASON: 5 players tied ............................ 6 Joey MacDonald (2004-05) ...1,785 Joey MacDonald (2003-04) .........0.9362013-14: Petr Mrazek ............................... 3 Tom McCollum ......................1,158 Petr Mrazek .................................0.924* Led League

RECORD BOOK AND LEADERS

LANDON FERRARO

keep the conversation going

with

Stop by the #GriffinsSocial Lounge behind Section 224 on game nights to charge your phone, connect to free wifi, see your

social media posts displayed on our TV and much more!

/grgriffins /griffinshockey /griffinshockey

Check out griffinshockey.com/socialmedia to follow us on all of our social channels.

/griffinshockey /griffinshockey

Download the official Griffins iPhone and Android app to stay connected with the Griffins on the go!

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTIONSFollow the Griffins on social media for these

promotion details, plus many more!

• Griffins Player Twitterviews • #GRGInstafreeze• GRCC Guess the First Goal Scorer • Star Tickets Guess the Attendance• Gardella’s Trivia Thursday • McFadden’s Tweet Your Friday Night Beat• Great Clips, Great Shots Photo Contest • #GRGUnited – Show Your Griffins Pride!• Huntington Bank Player of the Month • Marge’s Donut Den Sweetheart of the Game

TRAVIS RICHARDS TEEMU PULKKINEN

TOM McCOLLUM MIKE FOUNTAIN PETR MRAZEK


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• Physical therapy

• Joint injections

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Official sports medicine provider for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

GRIFFINS ALL-STARS1996-97 Jeff Nelson, Michel Picard, Pokey Reddick1997-98 Ian Gordon, Kerry Huffman, Michel Picard1998-99 Robert Petrovicky, Maxim Spiridonov1999-00 John Gruden, Jani Hurme, Kevin Miller, Petr Schastlivy2000-01 Mike Fountain, Joel Kwiatkowski, Travis Richards, Todd White, Bruce Cassidy (co-coach)2001-02 Chris Bala, John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek, Petr Schastlivy, Bruce Cassidy (head coach), Gene Reilly (asst. coach)2002-03 Marc Lamothe, Mark Mowers 2003-04 Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson2004-05 Niklas Kronwall, Joey MacDonald2005-06 Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Donald MacLean2006-07 Derek Meech, Kip Miller 2007-08 Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard2008-09 Jakub Kindl, Daniel Larsson2009-10 Patrick Rissmiller2010-11 Ilari Filppula, Brendan Smith2011-12 Gustav Nyquist2012-13 Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist2013-14 Alexey Marchenko, Jeff Blashill (head coach)

2012 AHL All-Star Gustav NyquistPhoto by PhotoGraphics Photography/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Petr Mrazek Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

2014 AHL All-Star Alexey Marchenko Photo by Jeff Parsons/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Chad Billins Photo by Alan Sullivan/AHL

2010 AHL All-Star Patrick RissmillerPhoto by Sports Action Photography/AHL

2009 AHL All-Star Jakub KindlPhoto by JustSports Photography/AHL

2013 AHL All-Star Gustav Nyquist Photo by Paul Yacovone III/AHL

2011 AHL All-Star Ilari FilppulaPhoto by JustSports Photography/AHL

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PROUD TO REPRESENT PLAYERS IN THE AHL, CHL, AND ECHL

VISIT PHPA.COMYour source for PHPA news, officially licensed collectors

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STAY CONNECTEDTHEAHL.COM IS YOUR ONE-STOP SOURCE FOR ALL THE LATEST

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Join the conversation and getbehind-the-scenes access via

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WATCH TALKDon’t miss a minute with live game

streaming on AHLLive.com

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Tickets Van Andel Arena

VIP Glass $35 $38

Lower Level Preferred $29 $32

Lower Level Center Ice $24 $27

Lower Level Faceoff $20 $23

VIP Edge $21 $24

Upper Level Prime $19 $22(rows B-E)

Upper Level Preferred $18 $21(rows B & C)

Upper Level (rows D & up) $16 $19

Suites & Hospitality Areas Call for pricing and availability

ADVANCE DAY OFGAME

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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.

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Excellent medicine. Personalized care.

Sports Medicine Institute

William W. Schwab, M.D., F.A.C.S.

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Phone 616-459-7101

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Since their inception in 1996, the Griffins have sent 147 players to the National Hockey League, 15 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 five of the last seven years and in seven of the last 10 seasons. In chronological order, here are the 20 goalies and 127 skaters who have worn an NHL sweater after playing for Grand Rapids, along with the dates of their NHL debuts/returns.

GRIFFINS IN THE

NHL

1 ...............Pavol Demitra ..............................................3/17/97 STL at PHX2 ...............Kevyn Adams ............................................ 10/1/97 TOR vs. WSH3 ...............Tyler Moss ...................................................10/28/97 CGY vs. PIT4 ...............Michel Picard........................................................1/6/98 STL at SJ5 ............... Jeff Nelson ............................................... 10/10/98 NSH vs. FLA6 ...............Patrick Traverse .......................................10/10/98 OTT at COL7 ...............Mark Greig ........................................................1/7/99 PHI vs. NYI8 ...............Radim Bicanek .............................................2/1/99 OTT at VAN9 ...............Robert Petrovicky ..........................................2/15/99 TB at NYI10 ............Andrei Vasilyev ............................................3/5/99 PHX vs. DET11 ............Todd Hlushko ..................................................4/25/99 PIT vs. NJ12 ............Patrick Lalime...............................................10/2/99 OTT at PHI13 ............Glen Metropolit ........................................10/2/99 WSH at FLA14 ............Kevin Miller ................................................10/31/99 OTT at ATL15 ............Karel Rachunek ........................................10/31/99 OTT at ATL16 ............Erich Goldmann ...................................11/11/99 OTT vs. NSH

17 ............Yves Sarault ..................................................11/20/99 OTT at NJ18 ............ John Gruden ............................................11/30/99 OTT vs. CHI19 ............Mike Fountain ...............................................12/3/99 OTT at NJ20 ............Dave Van Drunen ..................................12/13/99 OTT at TOR21 ............Petr Schastlivy .................................................1/3/00 OTT vs. NJ22 ............ John Emmons .............................................1/6/00 OTT vs. PHX23 ............Slava Butsayev............................................1/28/00 OTT at BUF24 ............Aris Brimanis .................................................2/13/00 NYI at NYR25 ............Dieter Kochan...............................................3/28/00 TB vs. DAL26 ............ Jani Hurme ........................................................4/9/00 OTT vs. TB27 ............Shane Hnidy ...............................................10/5/00 OTT at BOS28 ............Donald MacLean ..................................10/14/00 TOR vs. OTT29 ............David Oliver ................................................11/4/00 OTT vs. CBJ30 ............ Jamie Rivers .............................................11/12/00 OTT at CAR31 ............Sean Gagnon ...........................................11/26/00 OTT at NYR32 ............ Joel Bouchard .........................................11/29/00 PHX at COL33 ............Mike Crowley ............................................12/8/00 ANA at MIN34 ............ Ivan Ciernik ...................................................1/23/01 OTT at NYI35 ............Darren Rumble ................................................2/6/01 STL at COL36 ............ Joel Kwiatkowski ......................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF37 ............Todd White ...................................................2/19/01 OTT at BUF38 .........Chris Neil ...................................... 10/3/01 OTT at TOR39 ............Toni Dahlman .............................................1/3/02 OTT vs. WSH40 ............Steve Martins ..............................................1/11/02 OTT at FLA41 ............Kip Miller ..............................................................1/17/02 NYI at SJ42 ............ Jody Hull ..............................................................2/4/02 OTT at TB43 ............Dmitry Afanasenkov ........................................2/6/02 TB at FLA44 ............Simon Lajeunesse ...........................................3/7/02 OTT at SJ45 ............Martin Prusek.............................................3/23/02 OTT vs. ATL46 ............Chris Bala ........................................................3/27/02 OTT at NYI47 ............Neil Little .........................................................3/28/02 PHI at CAR48 ............ Josh Langfeld................................................3/30/02 OTT vs. TB49 ............Gaetan Royer ...................................................4/1/02 TB vs. NYR50 .........Jason Spezza .............................10/24/02 OTT at BOS51 ............Sean Avery ...................................................10/29/02 DET vs. SJ52 ............ Jason Doig .....................................................12/3/02 WSH at PIT53 ............ Jason Williams ...........................................12/5/02 DET at PHX

IT ALL STARTS HERE

KEVYN ADAMS, 2006 CAROLINA


54 ............Patrick Boileau .......................................12/19/02 DET vs. DAL55 ............Stacy Roest ................................................2/20/03 DET vs. EDM56 ............Wade Brookbank .................................. 10/9/03 NSH vs. ANA57 ............ Julien Vauclair .........................................10/25/03 OTT at MTL58 .........Jiri Hudler .................................... 10/29/03 DET vs. STL59 ............Curtis Joseph ..........................................10/30/03 DET at NSH60 ............Darryl Bootland .......................................11/8/03 DET vs. NSH61 ............Mark Mowers ...........................................11/19/03 DET vs. CBJ62 ............Nathan Robinson ..................................11/28/03 DET vs. NYI63 ............Blake Sloan ......................................................12/4/03 DAL at LA64 .........Niklas Kronwall .......................... 12/10/03 DET at BUF65 ............Ryan Barnes .............................................12/15/03 DET vs. FLA66 .........Chris Kelly ....................................... 2/5/04 OTT vs. TOR67 ............Marc Lamothe ..........................................2/23/04 DET at EDM68 ............Anders Myrvold .......................................2/26/04 DET at CGY69 ............Mathieu Chouinard...................................2/29/04 LA at ANA70 ............Brett Lebda .....................................................10/5/05 DET vs. STL71 ............Mark Eaton .......................................................10/5/05 NSH vs. SJ72 ............Chris Osgood ...............................................10/29/05 DET at CHI73 .........Kyle Quincey ............................11/25/05 DET at ANA74 .........Jimmy Howard ............................11/28/05 DET at LA75 .........Valtteri Filppula ...........................12/15/05 DET at FLA76 ............Rob Collins.................................................12/17/05 NYI vs. COL77 ............Manny Legace ...............................................1/5/06 DET vs. STL78 ............David Gove .................................................1/31/06 CAR at MTL79 .........Tomas Kopecky ................................2/28/06 DET at SJ80 ............Alexandre Giroux ........................................3/25/06 NYR at TB81 ............ Joey MacDonald .........................................10/19/06 DET at SJ82 ............Derek Meech ..................................................12/7/06 DET vs. STL83 ............Matt Ellis .......................................................12/18/06 DET at CBJ84 ............Matt Hussey ..................................................1/26/07 DET at STL85 ............Sheldon Brookbank .......................................2/6/07 NSH at PIT86 ............Danny Syvret...........................................2/27/07 EDM vs. PHX87 ............Mark Hartigan ........................................... 11/29/07 DET vs. TB88 ............Drew MacIntyre ..........................................12/13/07 VAN at SJ89 ............Peter Vandermeer .................................2/10/08 PHX vs. NSH90 .........Jonathan Ericsson ...................... 2/22/08 DET at CGY91 ............Garrett Stafford .........................................2/23/08 DET at VAN92 .........Darren Helm ................................ 3/13/08 DET vs. DAL93 ............Mattias Ritola ............................................3/15/08 DET vs. NSH94 ............Clay Wilson ...................................................3/25/08 CBJ at NSH95 ............Darren McCarty ...........................................3/28/08 DET vs. STL96 ............Krys Kolanos ....................................................11/4/08 MIN at SJ97 ............Landon Wilson .....................................11/22/08 DAL vs. ANA98 ............Bryan Helmer .......................................11/28/08 WSH vs. MTL99 ............Chris Chelios ............................................12/13/08 DET at PHX100 .........Aaron Downey ........................................1/29/09 DET vs. DAL101 .......Justin Abdelkader ..................... 1/31/09 DET at WSH102 .........Ville Leino ....................................................1/31/09 DET at WSH

103 .........Aaron Gagnon ......................................10/16/09 DAL vs. BOS104 .........Scott Parse ....................................................10/24/09 LA at PHX105 .........Doug Janik .................................................11/3/09 DET vs. BOS106 ..........Ryan Keller ....................................................11/25/09 OTT at NJ107 .......Jakub Kindl ................................12/3/09 DET vs. EDM108 .........Kris Newbury .........................................12/14/09 DET vs. PHX109 ..........Darren Haydar ...........................................2/10/10 COL vs. ATL110 .........Andreas Lilja ..................................................3/1/10 DET at COL111 .......... Jeremy Williams ........................................10/24/10 NYR vs. NJ112 ......... Jan Mursak ................................................12/27/10 DET at COL113.......Chris Mueller ...........................12/28/10 NSH vs. DAL114 .......Tomas Tatar ...............................12/31/10 DET vs. NYI115 .........Cory Emmerton ........................................1/22/11 DET vs. CHI116 ..........Patrick Rissmiller ........................................2/23/11 ATL at BUF 117 .........Tom McCollum .........................................3/30/11 DET vs. STL118 ......Gustav Nyquist .........................11/1/11 DET vs. MIN119 ..........Fabian Brunnstrom .......................................11/5/11 DET vs. ANA120 .......Brendan Smith..............................11/17/11 DET at SJ121 ........Mark Cullen ................................11/29/11 FLA at CAR122 .........Chris Conner................................................12/2/11 DET at BUF123 .......Joakim Andersson ...................12/27/11 DET vs. STL124 .......Ty Conklin ....................................3/21/12 DET at NYR125.......Riley Sheahan ................................4/7/12 DET vs. CHI126 .......Brian Lashoff ................................ 1/21/13 DET at CBJ127 .........Mike Knuble ..................................................1/26/13 PHI at FLA128 ......... Jamie Tardif ....................................................2/2/13 BOS at TOR129 .......Petr Mrazek ....................................2/7/13 DET at STL130....... Jonas Gustavsson ......................2/19/13 DET at NSH131.......Carlo Colaiacovo...........................4/1/13 DET vs. COL132.......Danny DeKeyser ........................10/2/13 DET vs. BUF133.......Luke Glendening ......................10/12/13 DET vs. PHI134.......Xavier Ouellet ..............................10/21/13 DET vs. SJ135 .........Adam Almquist ......................................11/4/13 DET at WPG136 .........Chad Billins ..................................................11/5/13 CGY at MIN137.......Patrick Eaves ..............................12/14/13 DET vs. PIT138.......Tomas Jurco.................................12/15/13 DET vs. TB139.......Jordin Tootoo ...........................12/19/13 DET vs. CGY140 .........Alexey Marchenko .....................................1/4/14 DET at DAL141 .........Teemu Pulkkinen ..................................3/14/14 DET vs. EDM142 .........Landon Ferraro .........................................3/18/14 DET vs. TOR143.......Calle Jarnkrok .............................3/21/14 NSH at CGY144 .........Mitch Callahan ............................................3/25/14 DET at CBJ145 .........Ryan Sproul...................................................4/13/14 DET at STL146.......Andrej Nestrasil .........................10/9/14 DET vs. BOS147.......Stephen Weiss..........................11/24/14 DET vs. OTT

Bold = Has played in the NHL this season (as of Dec. 8)Italics = Had name engraved on the Stanley Cup after playing for Grand Rapids.

All photos by Getty Images except Niklas Kronwall (Dave Reginek).

IT ALL STARTS HERE NIKLAS KRONWALL, 2008 DETROIT

SHELDON BROOKBANK, 2013 CHICAGO


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Xavier OUELLETKyle QUINCEYRiley SHEAHANBrendan SMITHTomas TATARStephen WEISS

FROM GRAND RAPIDS TO HOCKEYTOWNAs of press time, 20 of the 25 members of the 2014-15 Detroit Red Wings had once played for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Find the last name of each Griffins graduate by searching horizontally, vertically and diagonally, both forward and backward. Have fun!

Q: Can you name those five current Red Wings who have never played for the Griffins?

A: Daniel Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg


PARTING SHOT

Post-game auctions are always popular, especially when they include a jersey worn by a highly touted Red Wings prospect like Anthony Mantha, who wore this blue-red sweater on Dec. 5, 2014. Photo by Mark Newman


Fox Motors is proud to support the Grand Rapids Griffins. Here’s to a winning 2014-2015 season.

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CADILLAC CHARLEVOIX CHICAGO GRAND RAPIDS MARQUETTE NEGAUNEE TRAVERSE CITY

Dreams.It’s what drives champions.

2014-15 griffiti - issue #2

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