League-Leading Griffins Set to Battle Cleveland, Toronto
AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

League-Leading Griffins Set to Battle Cleveland, Toronto

Published on December 2, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Jakub Rychlovský vs. the Toronto Marlies
Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Jakub Rychlovský vs. the Toronto Marlies
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo)

This Week's Games

GRIFFINS (16-1-0-1) vs. Cleveland Monsters (6-6-3-1) // Wed., Dec. 3 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m.

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey

Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 78-41-9-14 Overall, 45-18-4-4 Home

NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy: The Griffins lead the AHL in points (33) and points percentage (.917) heading into this week's games with a 16-1-0-1 record, which includes a 9-1 mark at home. Grand Rapids has also outscored its opponents 73-34 overall and 34-15 at Van Andel Arena.

GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies (9-9-1-1) // Sat., Dec. 6 // 4 p.m. // Coca-Cola Coliseum

GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies // Sun., Dec. 7 // 4 p.m. // Coca-Cola Coliseum

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday and WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey

Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at the Coca-Cola Coliseum

All-Time Series: 37-37-6-2 Overall, 15-20-3-1 Road

NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs

Noteworthy: Toronto is just one of five active AHL teams that the Griffins have a losing record on the road against. The Marlies are also one of just eight active teams that Grand Rapids does not have a winning record against.

You Get an Award, and You Get an Award, and You Get an Award: The Griffins cleaned up during the AHL monthly awards for November. John Leonard was named the player of the month, and Sebastian Cossa was dubbed the goaltender of the month. It marked the first time in franchise history that the team garnered both the player and goaltender of the month. Leonard became only the third player in franchise history to win the award and Cossa became just the fourth goaltender. In addition, Cossa was named the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 30 when he went 3-0 with one shutout, a 1.33 GAA and a .945 save percentage. In November, Cossa posted a 5-1 record, a 1.50 GAA and a .941 save percentage. Leonard logged 16 points (9-7-16) in 10 games during November and was held scoreless in just one game. His stat line included three game-winners, two three-point outings and five multi-point games.

Just Keep Winning: The Griffins have continued their franchise-record start with a 16-1-0-1 ledger and 33 points through 18 games. Two of the three best starts in franchise history have come under head coach Dan Watson, as last season's 27 points through 18 games tied for the third best. 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 Griffins' 10-1 victory at Texas last Tuesday marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history. The Griffins' 7-0-0-1 start on the road is the best in franchise history (previously 7-1 in 2004-05), and the 9-1 start at home is tied for the best in team history (2009-10).

Historic Run: John Leonard has 24 points and 15 goals through his first 15 games as a Griffin. Leonard was named the Fortune Tires "Expect More" AHL Player of the Month for November with 16 points (9-7-16) in 10 games. He became just the third player in franchise history to win the award, joining Riley Barber (April 2022) and Chris Minard (Feb. 2012). Leonard's career-best 10-game point streak set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career. 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 is first in the AHL in goals, tied for first in points, tied for seventh in plus-minus (+11), and first in points-per-game among players with at least 10 games (1.60). 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 195 points (98-97-195) in 264 games.

Future is Bright: Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, is off to an 8-1-0 start this season with a 1.56 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. Cossa was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for November with a 5-1 record, one shutout, a 1.50 GAA and a .941 save percentage. He became just the fourth netminder in franchise history to win the award, joining Jared Coreau, Jimmy Howard and Simon Lajeunesse. In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks first in GAA, first in save percentage, tied for third in shutouts and tied for fourth in wins. He registered his second shutout of the season last Sunday behind 26 saves in a 1-0 win over Iowa. It marked his fifth AHL shutout and ninth as a pro. Last season, Cossa was named to his first AHL All-Star Classic and ranked among the AHL regular-season leaders in games played (41, T8th), minutes played (2,424:37, 7th), GAA (2.45, 11th), save percentage (.911, T13th), and wins (21, T10th). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 52-26-14 mark with five shutouts to go along with a 2.43 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 93 outings.

Pucks on Net: The Griffins exploded for 10 goals last Tuesday against Texas, which were the most goals scored since Jan. 19, 2013. In the two games at Texas last week, Grand Rapids totaled 16 goals over consecutive outings for the first time since Jan. 19-23, 2013 (11-6 W at RFD, 5-4 SOW vs. OKC). The team now has 20 goals in its last four games (5.00 per game). The Griffins rank first in the AHL with 4.06 goals per game and have outscored their opponents 73-34. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 34-15 at home, while possessing a 39-19 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (28-12). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place eighth in shots per game (30.1). John Leonard leads the team with 15 goals, and Dominik Shine and Eduards Tralmaks are tied for second with 10.

Defense Wins Championships: The Griffins' defense is one of the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.89 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids has allowed more than two goals just twice in its last 12 games and has averaged just 1.43 goals allowed in its last seven games. In addition, the team's penalty kill places second at 87.3% (48-for-55). Despite ranking first in goals allowed, the Griffins place 22nd with 29.2 shots allowed per game. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.56 GAA with a .942 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 (516), 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.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker:

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard-Tied for fifth in game-winners (3), tied for first among rookies in game-winners (3)

Sebastian Cossa-First in GAA (1.56), first in save percentage (.942), tied for third in shutouts (2), tied for fourth in wins (8)

Erik Gustafsson-Tied for 15th among defensemen in assists (9), tied for 13th among defensemen in plus-minus (+8)

Justin Holl-Tied for fifth in plus-minus (+12), tied for second among defensemen in plus-minus (+12)

William Lagesson-Second in plus-minus (+14), first among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)

John Leonard-First in goals (15), tied for first in points (24), tied for seventh in plus-minus (+11), first in game-winners (5)

Dominik Shine-Tied for fourth in goals (10)

Eduards Tralmaks-Tied for fourth in goals (10), tied for 10th in power-play goals (4)

Antti Tuomisto-Tied for 15th among defensemen in assists (9), tied for 15th among defensemen in points (11), tied for fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+9)

Austin Watson-Tied for ninth in penalty minutes (53)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Jakub Rychlovský vs. the Toronto Marlies
Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Jakub Rychlovský vs. the Toronto Marlies
(Nicolas Carrillo)		   



American Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2025


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