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Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Open 2016-17 Season against Wolves

October 13, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


]This Week's Games Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS // Fri., Oct. 14 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:05 p.m. Watch: AHLLive.com Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Van Andel Arena. All-Time Series: 35-21-2-4-2 Home, 71-49-2-6-2 Overall NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues Noteworthy: The Griffins posted a 3-0-1-0 record at Van Andel Arena against the Wolves last season, as three of the four games were decided by a single tally.

GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves // Sat., Oct. 15 // 8 p.m. // Allstate Arena Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. Watch: AHLLive.com Season Series: Second of 10 meetings overall, first of five at Allstate Arena. All-Time Series: 36-28-0-2-0 Road, 71-49-2-6-2 Overall NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues Noteworthy: The Griffins finished 3-1-0-0 at Allstate Arena last season, outscoring the Wolves 14-5 as Jared Coreau claimed two shutouts.

21st Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins begin the franchise's 21st overall season of play, 16th as a member of the American Hockey League and 15th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. They'll open the campaign on Friday night when they welcome their Central Division rivals, the Chicago Wolves, to Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids has competed in 1,590 games between the International Hockey League and AHL and has amassed an 838-581-27-48-96 (0.581) regular season record, to go along with seven division titles, 14 playoff appearances and a 2013 Calder Cup championship.

Season Openers: The Griffins own an 11-6-2-1 record (0.625) all time in season openers, including a 5-4-0-1 mark (0.550) when the season opener comes on home ice.

Home Openers: Grand Rapids has sold out 20 consecutive home openers and posts a 10-9-0-1 record (0.525) all time in those contests, including losses in the last four.

Sellouts: With a capacity crowd of 10,834 expected for Friday night's opener, it will mark the 164th overall sellout of Van Andel Arena. Over the course of their 20-year history at the "Freezer on Fulton," the Griffins have enjoyed the raucous crowd support, showing an 84-61-1-2-15 record (0.571) while outscoring opponents 483-442 (2.96-2.71 average per game) in sold-out home games. The 11 previous times Grand Rapids has hosted Chicago at a sold-out Van Andel Arena, the Griffins hold the edge with a 5-4-1-0-1 record and have outscored the Wolves 33-32.

Griffins Recall Barre: The Grand Rapids Griffins on Thursday recalled forward Jack Barre from the ECHL's Toledo Walleye.

Old Foe, New Season: As the rivalry with Chicago dates back to the 1996-97 season and the International Hockey League, the Griffins and Wolves have matched up a total of 130 times. But Friday will mark only the second time the two teams have commenced their seasons against each other, and the first at Van Andel Arena. The last time the teams met for a season opener came at the beginning of the 2003-04 season when Grand Rapids earned a 3-2 overtime victory at Chicago.

Chicago Connections: Griffins head coach Todd Nelson (2008) and assistant coach Ben Simon (2002) each won a Calder Cup as a member of the Wolves' organization...New Griffins goalie Eddie Pasquale made his AHL debut with Chicago in 2010-11, posting a 2.93 goals against average in 24 outings. The next season, as a member of the St. John's IceCaps, he was named to the AHL's All-Rookie Team...A pair of Griffins defensemen were born in Illinois, as Robbie Russo is from Chicago suburb Westmont and Conor Allen was born in Chicago.

Notes on Chicago: Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach and 17-year NHL veteran Craig Berube assumed Chicago's coaching reins this summer from John Anderson, who had helmed the Wolves for 14 of the previous 19 seasons...Anderson led the Wolves to the AHL's Calder Cup in 2002 and 2008 and the IHL's Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000...Chicago ousted Grand Rapids in six games to claim the 2000 Turner Cup...Wolves newcomer Landon Ferraro, who signed with the St. Louis Blues in the offseason, played five seasons in Grand Rapids (2009-10; 2011-15), totaled 140 points (75-65 - 14) in 270 regular season games and helped the Griffins claim the 2013 Calder Cup.

Captains: Fifth-year Griffin and 14th-year professional Nathan Paetsch has been named the 11th captain in Griffins history. The fastest defenseman in franchise history to accumulate 100 points as a Griffin, Paetsch has skated in 286 career games in a Griffins sweater and totaled 124 points (20-104 - 124), second all time among Grand Rapids blueliners behind Travis Richards (56-182 - 238). Should he appear in 14 more contests, Paetsch can join the short list of seven other players who have played in 300 or more games. Eighth-year Griffin Brian Lashoff along with newcomers Matthew Ford and Ben Street will serve as assistant captains.

Tango Time: Eighth-year pro Eric Tangradi returns to the Griffins for his second season after leading the team with 28 goals in his initial campaign with the club. Tangradi's 28 goals also tied for fourth leaguewide, marking the third consecutive season a Griffin has placed among the AHL's top-five goal scorers (Teemu Pulkkinen in 2014-15 led the league with 34 goals; Pulkkinen in 2013-14 tied for fourth with 31 goals).

Svechnikov Debuts: Evgeny Svechnikov is set to begin his rookie campaign in Grand Rapids. The Red Wings' first round draft pick and 19th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Svechnikov is tied with former Detroit first rounder Jakub Kindl (2005 NHL Entry Draft) for second among highest Detroit draft picks to play in Grand Rapids. Dylan Larkin, selected 15th overall in 2014, remains at the top of the list. Svechnikov, who made his Griffins debut last season during the Calder Cup Playoffs, also became the 11th Detroit draft choice to play for Grand Rapids in the season after he was drafted.

Joining Forces: With a number of free-agent signings this past offseason, four players join the Griffins having already developed a record against their current franchise. While playing for Hartford (2008-09), Lake Erie (2008-11), Oklahoma City (2013-15) and Bakersfield (2015-16), Matthew Ford compiled 12 points (4-8 - 12) in 23 games against Grand Rapids while his teams posted a 12-9-0-2 mark. While playing for the Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild last season, Conor Allen played against the Griffins five times and saw his team tally a 2-3 record. As a member of Abbotsford (2012-14), Lake Erie (2014-15) and San Antonio (2015-16), Ben Street banked six points (0-6 - 6) in 11 games against the Griffins as his teams combined for a 4-6-0-1 record. Goaltender Eddie Pasquale made two starts against the Griffins during the 2010-11 season as a member of the Chicago Wolves and allowed nine goals on 55 shots en route to a 0-2-0 record.

Like Old Times: Despite being a first-year Griffin, ninth-year pro Matthew Ford is familiar with head coach Todd Nelson. Nelson coached the Oklahoma City Barons from 2010-14 before being named interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 15, 2014, and Ford played for Oklahoma City from 2013-15. In 95 games played under Nelson's direction, Ford accounted for 63 points (33-30 - 63). Griffins newcomer Eddie Pasquale also has a tie to Nelson, who was in his second season serving as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009 when Atlanta used its fourth choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on Pasquale.

Roster Turnover: The Griffins enter the 2016-17 campaign in an unfamiliar position, as this year will mark just the third time in club history, and first since 2009-10, the Griffins will enter a season without the previous season's top scorer, goaltender and captain (2009-10, 2001-02) after Andy Miele (18-44 - 62), Tom McCollum (2.42 GAA, 0.923 save percentage) and Jeff Hoggan (captain) all departed for different teams in the offseason. The Griffins began the 2009-10 season without 2008-09's captain and leading scorer Darren Haydar and goalie Jimmy Howard. The 2001-02 year marked Grand Rapids' inaugural season in the AHL.

Young Leaders: Four rookies on the roster come to Grand Rapids after having served as a captain for their respective junior or collegiate team last season: Mike Borkowski (Colgate), Kyle Criscuolo (Harvard), Joe Hicketts (Victoria - WHL) and Dominic Turgeon (Portland - WHL).

Bringing in the Best: Four newcomers to the roster were the top scorer or goaltender on their respective clubs last season. Matthew Ford led the Bakersfield Condors in points (27-24 - 51) and goals. As a rookie, Matt Lorito paced the Albany Devils in points (18-36 - 54) and assists while helping the Devils to the AHL's third-best record. In his final year playing for Portland in the WHL, Dominic Turgeon was the team leader in points (36-34 - 70) and goals (36). In between the pipes for St. John's, Eddie Pasquale posted a team-best 2.62 goals against average and a 0.919 save percentage.

NHL Lineage: Three Griffins, Louis-Marc Aubry, Tyler Bertuzzi and Dominic Turgeon, are related to former NHL players. Aubry's father, Pierre, played in the NHL from 1980-85 for Quebec and Detroit, totaling 50 points (24-26--50) in 202 games and won a Calder Cup with the Adirondack Red Wings in 1986. Bertuzzi's uncle, Todd, a first-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in 1993 accumulated 770 points (314-456--770) and 1,478 PIM in 1,159 NHL games over his 18-year NHL career with six teams including the Detroit Red Wings (2009-14). Turgeon's father, Pierre, was selected first overall by Buffalo in the 1987 NHL Draft and registered 1,327 points (515-812 - 1,327) in 1,294 career NHL games with six different teams spanning 19 seasons. Turgeon's uncle, Sylvain, appeared in 669 NHL games with four different teams across 12 seasons.

Chess, Anyone?: Three players on the Griffins' roster played collegiately at Ivy League schools: Jack Barre (Dartmouth), Kyle Criscuolo (Harvard) and Matt Lorito (Brown).

Seconds on Nelson: Grand Rapids begins its second season under bench boss Todd Nelson, who, in his first year, etched his name next to a number of club records. Grand Rapids established a new franchise mark with a 15-game winning streak while also embarking on a 13-game run, becoming the first AHL team since the 2009-10 Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears to record multiple double-digit winning streaks in the same season. Adding to the list, the Griffins won a franchise-record 14 straight home games from Nov. 11, 2015-Jan. 15, 2016. As an AHL coach, Nelson owns a 220-141-13-35 overall record (0.597), including a 44-30-1-1 mark (0.592) in his Griffins debut last season. The first player ever signed to a Griffins contract, Nelson is one of the most significant defensemen in franchise history. His 236 games played rank 23rd all time and eighth among defensemen, while his 56 assists and 67 points both place 14th among Grand Rapids blueliners. Following in the footsteps of Danton Cole (2002-05), whom he served under as an assistant coach, Nelson is the second former Griffins player to be employed as Grand Rapids' head coach.

You Again?: Of the 76 games this season for the Griffins, 66 will come against Central Division foes. Grand Rapids showed success in intra-divisional games last season, boasting a 37-17-1-1 record.

Where Are They Now?: A number of players who skated with the Griffins last season now find themselves with new clubs for the 2016-17 season. Mark Zengerle signed an AHL contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms while Andy Miele signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers and will start the season with the AHL club in Lehigh Valley. Four-year Griffins captain and 2013 Calder Cup champion Jeff Hoggan will begin the season with the Iowa Wild on a professional tryout. Martin Frk was placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings and was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 9. Tom McCollum attended the Los Angeles Kings' training camp on a professional tryout but has since been released. Joel Rechlicz signed with the Bakersfield Condors. Ryan Sproul, Xavier Ouellet and Andreas Athanasiou are on the roster for the Red Wings.

Preseason Wrap: The Griffins' lone preseason contest came against the Chicago Wolves last Friday, Oct. 7 in a game held at the West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, Ill. The result ended in a 5-1 Wolves victory as just two players with previous Griffins experience, A.J. Jenks and Zach Nastasiuk, were on the roster.

Detroit Exports: Sixteen Red Wings-contracted players are on the Griffins' 26-man roster, including goaltenders Jared Coreau and Eddie Pasquale; defensemen Joe Hicketts, Nick Jensen, Brian Lashoff and Robbie Russo; and forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Callahan, Matt Lorito, Anthony Mantha, Zach Nastasiuk, Dylan Sadowy, Ben Street, Evgeny Svechnikov, Eric Tangradi and Dominic Turgeon.

Signed and Sealed: Of the 14 players signed to Griffins contracts during the offseason, 10 will start the season with Grand Rapids: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Mike Borkowski, Colin Campbell, Daniel Cleary, Kyle Criscuolo, Matthew Ford and defensemen Conor Allen, Matt Caito and Nathan Paetsch.

Veteran Roll Call: AHL clubs may dress up to five veteran skaters with more than 260 games of experience in the NHL, AHL or European Elite leagues, plus another with 320 or fewer games played. The Griffins have eight skaters who are considered veterans: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Mitch Callahan, Daniel Cleary, Matthew Ford, Brian Lashoff, Nathan Paetsch, Ben Street and Eric Tangradi. Grand Rapids' veterans boast a combined total of 2,611 AHL regular season games played.

New Kids On The Block: The Griffins have eight players who are considered rookies this season, including newcomers on the blue line Matt Caito and Joe Hicketts and forwards Jack Barre, Mike Borkowski, Kyle Criscuolo, Dylan Sadowy, Evgeny Svechnikov and Dominic Turgeon.

Griffins in the NHL: 33 Griffins alumni, including three on injured reserve, spread across 11 teams have made their respective NHL club's roster. In addition to 18 on the Red Wings' roster, the list is as follows: Martin Frk and Andrej Nestrasil with Carolina; Jordin Tootoo with Chicago; Patrick Eaves, Jiri Hudler, Jason Spezza and Mattias Janmark (injured reserve) with Dallas; Jonas Gustavsson with Edmonton; Teemu Pulkkinen with Minnesota; Calle Jarnkrok with Nashville; Kyle Quincey with New Jersey; Alan Quine with the New York Islanders; Chris Kelly and Chris Neil with Ottawa and Valtteri Filppula with Tampa Bay.

GRG --> DRW: Eighteen former Griffins players are on the Red Wings' roster, including: Justin Abdelkader, Andreas Athanasiou, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Luke Glendening, Darren Helm, Jimmy Howard, Tomas Jurco (IR), Niklas Kronwall (IR), Dylan Larkin, Alexey Marchenko, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist, Xavier Ouellet, Riley Sheahan, Brendan Smith, Ryan Sproul and Tomas Tatar

About Last Season: The Griffins qualified for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance with a fourth-place finish in the Central Division. After sweeping the regular season Central Division champion Milwaukee Admirals in the Central Division Semifinals, Grand Rapids has earned at least one playoff series victory in each of the last four seasons, the AHL's third-longest such streak since the current 16-team playoff format was adopted in 2005. Grand Rapids' 2015-16 campaign ended with a 4-2 series loss in the Central Division Finals to the eventual Calder Cup Champion Lake Erie Monsters. The Griffins, who lost Games 1 and 6 of that series, were the only team to defeat the Monsters during their 15-2 run to the title.

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