Griffins Welcome Toronto for Two-Game Homestand
Published on November 11, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
Grand Rapids Griffins gather following a goal
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)
This Week's Games
GRIFFINS (8-0-0-1) vs. Toronto Marlies (6-5-0-1) // Wed., Nov. 12 // 11 a.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS vs. Toronto Marlies // Fri., Nov. 14 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday and 7 p.m. on Friday
Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Wednesday and WXSP-TV and AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday
Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 35-37-6-2 Overall, 20-17-3-1 Home
NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs
Noteworthy: Toronto is one of just five current AHL teams the Griffins have a losing record against. Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll is with the Marlies on a conditioning assignment. Woll has a 48-27-2 career NHL record with a 2.74 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage across six seasons.
Hot Like the Sun: The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with an 8-0-0-1 ledger. The perfect 8-0 start was the best by an AHL team in four years, and Grand Rapids was the league's last undefeated team for the first time since the 2000-01 IHL season. The 17 points through nine games beat the previous record of 15 points in 2000-01 (7-1-1), a record that stood for 25 years. The Griffins' 4-0-0-1 start on the road is the best since 2007-08 (5-0), and the 4-0 start at home is the best since 2009-10 (8-0).
Firing on all Cylinders: The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 4.11 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 37-20. The 37 goals are the second-most in franchise history through the team's first nine games (39 in 2005-06). The Griffins have outscored their opponents 19-6 at home, while possessing an 18-14 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the second period (14-6) and has tallied the most goals in the third (15). Despite ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 14th in shots per game (29.2) and have reached 30 or more shots just three times (33.3%). John Leonard leads the team with nine goals and Dominik Shine ranks second with six.
Historic Run: John Leonard has 12 points and nine goals through his first eight games as a Griffin. His career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied with teammate Austin Watson, Jiri Hudler, Kip Miller and Pavol Demitra for the third-longest run in franchise history. Leonard's active career-best eight-game point streak is closing in on Riley Barber's franchise-record run of nine games to begin both a season and a Griffins career. His nine goals are the second-most by a Griffin through his first eight games of an AHL season, while his 12 points tie for fourth (see chart below). Leonard is tied for first in the AHL in goals, tied for second in points per game (1.50), and tied for 13th in points. Last season, he ranked among the league leaders in points (61, T10th), goals (36, T2nd), power-play goals (10, T9th), short-handed goals (5, T1st) and shots (252, 2nd). Throughout his six-year AHL career since 2020-21, Leonard has 183 points (92-91-183) in 257 games.
Loaded Ammo: Third-year pro Amadeus Lombardi is off to a fast start with a team-high 10 assists in nine games, which are tied for fifth on the circuit. His 10 assists are tied for the most by a Griffin through the first nine games of an AHL season (see chart below). He is also currently on a career-high five-game assist streak (0-6-6), which is also tied for his career-best point run. Last season, Lombardi posted career-high numbers in goals (19), assists (21), and points (40) in just 44 games, as he was limited due to an upper-body injury. Lombardi was the 113th overall pick by Detroit in 2022 and has 77 points (24-53-77) in 125 games with Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023. Prior to turning pro, Lombardi spent three seasons in the OHL with Flint from 2020-23 and produced a combined 161 points (63-98-161) in 134 regular-season games, adding 22 points (12-10-22) in 26 playoff outings.
Special Powers: On Sunday in Chicago, the Griffins scored a season-high three power-play goals (3-for-5) but also surrendered two shorthanded tallies. Grand Rapids has scored a power-play goal in three straight games (5-for-11, 45.5%) and place third in the AHL at 26.7% (8-for-30). The Griffins' three shorthanded goals allowed this season are tied for the league lead. However, their penalty kill ranks first in the AHL at 87.9% (29-for-33) and has allowed a power-play goal in just three of the nine games. The 33 times shorthanded are tied for the fourth-fewest in the league.
Defense Wins Championships: The Griffins' defense is one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks fifth with 2.22 goals allowed per contest. The 20 goals allowed are the second-fewest in franchise history through the team's first nine games, trailing only last season's 18. In addition, the team's penalty kill places first at 87.9% (29-for-33). Despite ranking fifth in goals allowed, the Griffins place 28th with 31.2 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.75 GAA with a .939 save percentage, while rookie Michal Postava possesses a 2.15 GAA and a .936 save percentage. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (515), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107). Last season, the Griffins finished ninth in the AHL with 2.82 goals allowed per game but spent much of the campaign in the top five for goals allowed per contest.
The Well is not Dry: Sheldon Dries, a nine-year veteran, has goals in consecutive games and is on a three-game point streak from Nov. 1-9 (2-2-4). His seven points (3-4-7) in seven games rank fourth on the roster and are tied for the best start in his AHL career (2021-22 Abbotsford). With the Griffins since 2024-25, the Macomb, Michigan, native has 47 points (28-19-47) in 72 regular-season games. Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he served as a three-time captain at Western Michigan University and totaled 84 points (44-40-84) in 148 games at the university from 2013-17.
Good Problem to Have: The Griffins' roster features eight veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Dominik Shine and Austin Watson, and defensemen Erik Gustafsson, Justin Holl, William Lagesson and Ian Mitchell. With eight veterans, the Griffins are two over the playing limit and are required to scratch two of them each game due to the AHL's development rule. Even with two of them scratched for each contest, the veterans on the team have combined for 45 points (22-23-45) in 54 games, which accounts for 45% of the scoring for the team and 61% of the goals. Leonard ranks first among the veterans with 12 points (9-3-12) in eight games, while Shine (6-3-9 in 7 GP) ranks second, and Dries (3-4-7 in 7 GP) places third.
AHL Leaderboard Tracker:
Sebastian Cossa-Fourth in GAA (1.75), tied for 10th in wins (4), fourth in save percentage (.939)
Erik Gustafsson-Tied for sixth among defensemen in assists (6)
Justin Holl-Tied for 15th in plus-minus (+7), tied for seventh among defensemen in plus-minus (+7)
William Lagesson-Tied for seventh in plus-minus (+8), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+8)
John Leonard-Tied for first in goals (9), tied for 13th in points (12), tied for second in game-winners (3)
Amadeus Lombardi-Tied for fifth in assists (10)
Michal Postava-10th in GAA (2.15), tied for 10th in wins (4), fifth in save percentage (.936)
Dominik Shine-Tied for 12th in goals (6)
Images from this story
 Grand Rapids Griffins gather following a goal (Nicolas Carrillo) |
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