With the Calder Cup Playoffs around the corner, Mike Fink takes a closer look at the top teams in the American Hockey League.
The story all season in the Central Division has been the Grand Rapids Griffins. Even with a slow March, they have a 26-point cushion for first place in the division and have the second-best record in the league behind only the Bruins.
When the Griffins started the season hot, they were firing on all cylinders and looked like an unstoppable force. While the Griffins have cooled off, they remain the team to beat with a roster that has minimal weaknesses.
The Griffins Recipe For Success
John Leonard is a longtime AHLer, a 27-year-old veteran who leads the offense but is also a leader in the locker room. He was integral to the Charlotte Checkers playoff run, and the Griffins brought him in hoping he’d provide the same veteran presence. He’s done that and then some. Leonard leads the team with 51 points but has been pivotal in developing the younger forwards as well.
Leonard is just one example. The Griffins have a handful of vets that have carried them all season, from Sheldon Dries to Dominik Shine to Erik Gustafsson. It’s hard to get some to buy into the American Hockey League team, especially a player like Gustafsson, who has spent his entire career in the NHL. It’s why the coaching staff, led by Dan Watson, deserves credit for getting them to buy in.
If there’s one position where the Griffins stand out, it’s goaltending. Sebastian Cossa has been a workhorse all season and one of the best in the AHL, certainly a finalist for the Goaltender of the Year Award at the end of the season. Along with Cossa, the Griffins added Trey Augustine as a backup recently, who is another goaltending prospect in the Detroit Red Wings system. Cossa will be the goaltender who leads the playoff run but if needed, the team has a reliable backup they can turn to, something most teams lack for the sprint that is the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Prospects to Watch
Sebastian Cossa - With a .918 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.26 goals-against average (GAA), Sebastian Cossa has made his mark as a top goaltender in the AHL and has proven he’s ready to join the NHL team soon enough. Goaltenders take time to develop but at 23, Cossa has hit his stride to dominate at the AHL level.
William Wallinder - The Griffins have rotated defensemen throughout the season, with plenty of them getting called up to the NHL or battling injuries. William Wallinder has been a steady presence, playing in 61 games while adding 17 assists on the offensive end. While the 23-year-old won’t stand out offensively, he’s developed his defensive game to become an intriguing depth player.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård - As a rookie out of Norway, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has picked up the North American game in full stride. In his first AHL season, he has 19 goals and 24 assists in 56 games and has been a leader of the Griffins offense. He's added that layer of skill to take the offense to the next level, and the 20-year-old winger might not be in the AHL for much longer.
What Can Be The Griffins' Undoing?
The Griffins have picked things up lately and are preparing for the home stretch. That said, their play in March raised some red flags, especially since some of the teams in their division have started to play their best hockey down the stretch.
The Texas Stars, who have won three games in a row and seven of 10, can particularly be a thorn in their side. They stumbled out of the gate but have been playing great across the board in the past three months and have the elite goaltending that can go up against the Griffins. While the Griffins have had their number this season, the last time the two teams met was in January, and the Stars have been a much better team since then.
The Griffins have been the dominant team all season in the Central Division. So, it will be interesting to see how this team stacks up in a short series when they are forced to adapt and might play a team that they haven’t seen in a while.