The Red Wings’ top prospects return to exhibition play against Cleveland, aiming to build on a record-breaking campaign with high-octane offense and league-leading defensive dominance.
On Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings organization took another step toward the upcoming season, as AHL affiliate the Grand Rapids Griffins released their preseason schedule, giving fans a first look at how the club's top prospects will prepare for the 2026-27 campaign.
Grand Rapids will open its exhibition slate with a home-and-home style set against the Cleveland Monsters on the weekend of September 26th and 27th, with both games set for the afternoon in Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
The announcement marks the first time the Griffins have held a preseason slate since 2016, a notable step for an organization looking to build on last season's success before puck drop. Grand Rapids is coming off a franchise-best 51-16-4-1 record, a mark that stood out across the entire AHL.
The Griffins boasted the league's second-best offense, scoring 255 goals, while also fielding its stingiest defense, allowing a league-low 159 goals against.
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That combination of high-end scoring and shutdown defense made Grand Rapids one of the most complete teams in the AHL a season ago, and the return of a preseason slate gives the organization a chance to fine-tune its roster against outside competition before the games start to count.
With training camps across the AHL still weeks away, the preseason matchups against the Monsters will serve as an early marker for a Grand Rapids team with plenty to prove after last season's franchise-record campaign.
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