Griffins Game #36 * Home Game #20 * AHL Game #578
Season Series: 2-0-2-0 Home Series: 1-0-1-0 Road Series: 1-0-1-0
All-Time Series: 119-87-7-11-8 All-Time Home Series: 65-40-2-4-3 All-Time Road Series: 54-47-5-7-5
Admirals at Griffins
Fifth of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids is 17-19-4-0 (.475) against Milwaukee since the 2021-22 campaign with a minus-13 margin (114-101)…Also dating back to the 2021-22 season, the Griffins are 11-7-2-0 (.600) against the Admirals in Grand Rapids with a plus-four margin (58-54)…Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent – 233rd meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 119 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…The Admirals are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games while the Griffins are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10…The Admirals are 11-5-1-0 at home compared to 5-10-1-1 on the road…The Griffins are 14-0-0-1 on the road and 15-3-1-0 at home…Milwaukee’s power play ranks first at 30.4%, and its penalty kill is tied for 10th at 82.5%…Grand Rapids is 14th on the power play at 18.9% and first on the penalty kill at 87.0%…Milwaukee ranks 17th with 3.06 goals scored per game and tied for 14th in goals allowed per game (3.00)…Milwaukee head coach Karl Taylor is in his seventh season as head boss and is the Admirals’ winningest AHL coach. Taylor has a 260-148-33-13 record (.623) with the Admirals that includes three regular-season division titles and four 40-plus win seasons, in addition to never finishing worse than third place in the Central Division…Austin Watson spent nine seasons within Nashville’s organization and logged 132 points (73-59—132) in 234 games with the Admirals…Admirals’ Andrew Gibson was a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2023 (#42nd overall)…Milwaukee’s Ryan Ufko ranks third in the AHL in assists (28) and tied for fifth in points (37). Kyle Marino ranks fourth in penalty minutes (89) and Daniel Carr is tied for third in power-play goals (10).
Last Time Out
After battling for a late third-period comeback, the Griffins fell short and suffered a 3-1 loss to the Rockford IceHogs at Van Andel Arena on Friday. The regulation defeat for the Griffins was just their third of the season, and only their second to a Central-Division opponent. Grand Rapids moved to 26-17-2-0 against Rockford since the 2021-22 season. John Leonard bagged the lone goal for the Griffins with his 22nd of the campaign, while Michael Brandsegg-Nygard notched his 16th assist, and William Wallinder potted his 11th helper.
This Date in Griffins History
2001: Grand Rapids sets a team record with its seventh-consecutive win at Van Andel Arena. The game against Manitoba is scoreless through 65 minutes of play, before the Griffins prevail 1-0 in a shootout.
Sparkling Stars
The AHL on Thursday announced that Griffins goaltender Sebastian Cossa and forwards John Leonard and Dominik Shine will serve as the team’s representatives at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO, to be held Feb. 10-11 at the BMO Center in Rockford, Illinois. They will join their head coach, Dan Watson, who was previously announced as the coach for the Central Division. The three all-star player selections are the most for the Griffins since 2013 (Chad Billins, Petr Mrazek, Gustav Nyquist). Including Watson, the four all-star representatives are the most in team history since four players were chosen for the 2004 event in Grand Rapids (Jiri Hudler, Niklas Kronwall, Travis Richards, Nathan Robinson). Cossa becomes the first Griffins goalie to earn consecutive all-star selections, and the first Griffins player since Chris Terry (2019 and 2020). This is also Leonard’s second straight all-star selection, as he was chosen for last year’s event as a member of the Charlotte Checkers, while captain Shine will compete in his first-ever all-star game.
Leaders of the Pack
The Griffins currently lead the Central Division and are 19 points above second-place Chicago and 27 points up on a playoff spot. Grand Rapids is 22-2-2-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 102-54, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division last Friday against Texas. Last season, it took the Griffins 46 games to reach 22 wins against the division (22-20-3-1) compared to 24 games this season. Twenty-nine of the remaining 37 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (78.4%), which includes the next four contests. The Griffins will see the most games against the Milwaukee Admirals (8) followed by the Chicago Wolves (6) and Rockford IceHogs (5).
A Happy New Year
Despite being on a season-high three-game winless skid, the Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 29-3-2-1 ledger and 61 points through 35 games. Grand Rapids tied the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.) for the best start in the AHL’s 90-year history through 35 games. Grand Rapids also reached 60 points three games faster than any team in the AHL’s 90-year history (2005-06, W-B/Scranton, 29-3-2-1, 61 pts. in 35 games). The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins’ 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended last Friday, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 14-0-1-1 on the road and 15-3-1-0 at home. The 16-game points streak on the road is tied with the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals (10-0-4-2) for the longest in AHL history. Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (61), has a 19-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 27 points up on a playoff spot.
Slowed Down a Smidge
Grand Rapids was shut out for the first time this season last Friday against Texas but followed that performance with four goals on Wednesday in Milwaukee. The Griffins now have 12 goals in their last five contests (2.40 per game) compared to 19 goals in the previous five outings (3.80 per game from Dec. 19-Jan. 2). However, the Griffins still rank first in the AHL with 3.69 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 129-66 and is 21-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. Last season, it took Grand Rapids 36 games to eclipse 100 goals compared to just 26 outings this campaign. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 59-32 at home, while possessing a 70-34 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (52-24). In addition to ranking first in goals, the Griffins place 11th in shots per game (29.6). John Leonard leads the team and ranks third in the AHL with 22 goals, while Eduards Tralmaks ranks second on the roster with 15 and Dominik Shine places third with 14.
Going for Gold
Last Tuesday, Team Latvia announced that forward Eduards Tralmaks will represent the country at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games from Feb. 6-22. Tralmaks becomes the seventh player to participate in an Olympics while playing for the Griffins. Tralmaks is the fifth current or former Griffin to be named to an Olympic roster for 2026, joining USA’s Dylan Larkin, Germany’s Moritz Seider, Czechia’s Filip Hronek and Slovakia’s Tomas Tatar. Tralmaks, a native of Riga, Latvia, has 20 points (15-5—19), six penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating in 35 games with the Griffins this season. He ranks among the team leaders in goals (2nd), points (T5th), and plus-minus rating (T3rd), while tying for 13th in the AHL in goals and tying for eighth in plus-minus rating. Tralmaks has competed for Team Latvia at the two previous World Championships in 2024 and 2025, showing a combined nine points (4-5—9) in 14 games. At last year’s World Championship, Tralmaks led Latvia in points (3-4—7) and assists, while ranking second in goals in seven games. Also in 2024-25, he potted one goal in three Olympic qualifying games with Latvia.
Power Struggle
On Dec. 30, the Griffins ranked eighth in the AHL with a power-play percentage of 22.7%. However, Grand Rapids has been held without a power-play goal in seven straight games from Dec. 31-Jan. 16 (0-for-17) and has just three man-advantage goals in its last 13 outings (3-for-40, 7.5%). The Griffins now rank 14th in the power-play rankings at 19.0%. The road power play places fifth at 25.4% but the home power play ranks 31st out of 32 teams at 10.9%, which includes a 0-for-16 mark in its last seven home games. Dominik Shine and Eduards Tralmaks are both tied for the team lead with four power-play tallies.
Johnny Bravo
John Leonard has 34 points and 22 goals in 26 games with the Griffins this season to go along with two penalty minutes, seven game-winners and a plus-11 rating. In the AHL rankings, the sixth-year veteran is tied for 13th in points, third in goals and first in game-winners. Leonard has jumped back and forth between Detroit and Grand Rapids since Dec. 16, showing four points (2-2—4) in nine games with the Red Wings. He was named the Fortune Tires “Expect More” AHL Player of the Month for November with 16 points (9-7—16) in 10 games and 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 from Oct. 10-Nov. 19 set a franchise record to begin both a season and a Griffins career, and his career-high six-game goal streak from Oct. 11-Nov. 2 tied for the third-longest run in franchise history. Throughout parts of six AHL seasons since 2020-21, Leonard has 205 points (105-100—205) in 275 games.
The Brick Wall
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fourth shutout of the season on Dec. 27 at Milwaukee in just his 16th game. His four shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2016-17 (Eddie Pasquale). He then showed a career-high 47 saves on Jan. 2 against Chicago, which tied Jared Coreau’s franchise record for saves in a home game. Cossa has won the last two AHL Goaltender of the Month awards (November and December), becoming the first netminder in franchise history to receive the honor twice in the same season. The 23-year-old also became just the third goaltender in team history to win the award twice in any fashion, joining Jared Coreau (Feb. 2018, Dec. 2015) and Jimmy Howard (Dec. 2007, March 2006). Cossa has a 17-2-2 record with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He enjoyed a career-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 27, showing a 1.51 GAA and a .939 save percentage, and a 14-game point streak from Nov. 25-Jan. 13 (12-0-2). In the AHL rankings, Cossa ranks first in GAA, second in save percentage, first in shutouts and first in wins. In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 61-27-16 mark with seven shutouts to go along with a 2.38 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 105 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team.
A Warm Welcome Back
After rehabbing a lower-body injury that kept him sidelined from Nov. 12-Dec. 14, goaltender Michal Postava returned to the crease on Jan. 3 and collected a 4-1 victory with 21 saves at Chicago. The rookie suffered his first AHL defeat last Friday against Texas after beginning his campaign 5-0. Postava is now 5-1-0 with a 1.96 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in seven games. Last season, Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion with Kometa Brno, showing a league-best .940 save percentage with a 1.97 GAA and a 10-7 record in 17 playoff games. During the regular season with Kometa Brno, the 23-year-old ranked among the Czech Extraliga leaders in save percentage (.921, 5th), GAA (2.39, 11th), wins (23, 4th), games played (42, T2nd) and shutouts (3, T7th). As an undrafted free agent, Postava signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer.
What’s The Password?
Despite allowing a season-high five goals on Wednesday in Milwaukee, the Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.89 goals allowed per contest. Providence is the closest to Grand Rapids with 2.15 goals allowed per game. Grand Rapids shut out its opponent in two straight games from Dec. 21-27 for the first time since Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just six times in their last 29 games and have averaged just 1.77 goals allowed in their last 13 outings, which includes three shutouts. In fact, the team has allowed more than two goals just eight times all season (22.9%). In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 87.0%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.81 GAA with a .932 save percentage, while first-year netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.96 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Grand Rapids also has four of the top six plus-minus ratings among defensemen. 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), totaling 1,129 appearances.
AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for sixth in plus-minus (+19), tied for third in game-winners (5), tied for fourth among rookies in assists (16), tied for eighth among rookies in points (24), tied for first among rookies in plus-minus (+19), eighth among rookies in shots (76), first among rookies in game-winners (5)
Sebastian Cossa—First in GAA (1.81), second in save percentage (.932), first in shutouts (4), first in wins (17)
x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+18), tied for 10th among defensemen in points (20), tied for fifth among defensemen in assists (18), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18), tied for seventh among defensemen in power-play goals (2)
Justin Holl—Tied for eighth in plus-minus (+18), tied for third among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)
William Lagesson—Tied for first in plus-minus (+22), tied for first among defensemen in plus-minus (+22)
John Leonard—Third in goals (22), 13th in points (34), tied for first in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (7)
Ian Mitchell—Tied for eighth among defensemen in plus-minus (+14)
Eduards Tralmaks—Tied for 13th in goals (15), tied for eighth in plus-minus (+18)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 12th in plus-minus (+17), tied for fifth among defensemen in goals (6), tied for fifth among defensemen in plus-minus (+17)
William Wallinder—Tied or 12th among defensemen in plus-minus (+13)
Milestones
On Wednesday in Milwaukee, Alex Doucet skated in his 100th game as a Griffin.
Sheldon Dries—Five points from 300 as a pro
William Lagesson—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11
Photo by Milwaukee Admirals