Following a historic 51-win campaign, Grand Rapids swaps veteran stars like Sebastian Cossa for a high-octane youth movement led by blue-chip goaltending prospects Trey Augustine and Michal Postava.
After a historic 51-win season, where the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate in the Grand Rapids Griffins shattered league records, they enter 2026-27 with what will be a very different looking roster.
While most teams would be looking to bring back a historic roster, the AHL is a developmental league, and the Griffins will be doing anything but standing pat. Several of the standout players who helped them to their historic campaign last season are elsewhere now, and the roster is turning over from a veteran led group to one built predominantly on youth.
Parting ways during the offseason, most notably, was star goaltender Sebastian Cossa, who put together franchise best marks in several categories, finishing with a 26-8-4 record, a 2.33 goals against average and a .915 save percentage in 39 games this past season.
The 23-year-old, a former first round pick in 2021, was dealt to the Utah Mammoth at the draft for the 23rd overall pick, which the Red Wings used to select JP Hurlbert. The move largely came down to a numbers crunch in net, with two goaltenders already expected to battle for starts in Grand Rapids this season in blue chip prospect Trey Augustine and undrafted free agent breakout Michal Postava.
Apart from the goaltending shakeup, a pair of former NHL defenders in Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl are both gone in free agency, along with former second round pick Antti Tuomisto, the 25-year-old defenseman who left in free agency and signed with the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Two impactful forwards have also left town. Amadeus Lombardi, a former fourth round pick who was a standout with the Griffins over back to back 40 point seasons, was dealt to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth round pick.
Latvian forward Eduards Tralmaks, who returned to North American pro hockey this past season and made an immediate impact, recording 26 goals and 42 points in 64 games with the Griffins, left in free agency as well.
Tralmaks was also a standout on the international stage, putting up a point per game average through four contests at the Olympics and adding six points in three games at the World Championships. The skill was evident enough that the Edmonton Oilers took notice, signing him to a one year deal worth $850,000, where he'll work as a solid depth option, similar to the role he played in Grand Rapids.
With the Griffins turning over so much of their roster, there will be plenty of new faces mixed in with the returning core. That includes the aforementioned Trey Augustine, along with the next wave of top prospects in Carter Bear and Jesse Kiiskinen, and rising young players like Anton Johansson, Kienan Draper, Noah Dower Nilsson, Justice Christensen and Dylan James.
The Griffins may not match last season's win total, but this year figures to offer a much more direct look at the future of the Red Wings, with several prospects getting their first real look at the professional level.
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