Welcome to our Central Division Preview, where one-by-one we will take a look at each of the Checkers' division rivals. Today's focus is on the Grand Rapids, affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.
Forwards
The Griffins rode the best offensive attack in the AHL to a division title last season and will be looking to reload that firepower after some significant turnover. Their leading scorer, former Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele, earned himself a one-way deal with Detroit, meaning he will likely be spending his campaign in the NHL, and 34-goal scorer Teemu Pulkkinen will be poised to make that jump and stick with the Red Wings as well. Combine that with the loss of Kevin Porter, who signed with Pittsburgh over the offseason, and that strips the Griffins of three of their top four scorers from a year ago.
2014-15 Season
- • 46-22-6-2; 100 points; 1st in Midwest Division; 2nd in Western Conference
- • Checkers 2014-15 Head-To-Head Record: 3-4-1
- • Three Stars:
C Andy Miele – 70 points (26g, 44a)
RW Teemu Pulkkinen – 61 points (34g, 27a)
RW Landon Ferraro – 42 points ( 27g, 15a)
- • Key Additions:
F Eric Tangradi (Signed 1-year, 2-way contract with Detroit)
LW Triston Grant (Signed AHL contract)
- • Key Departures:
C Kevin Porter (Signed 2-way deal with Pittsburgh)
D Brennan Evans (Signed AHL deal with Texas)
But there is still plenty of talent waiting in the wings for Grand Rapids. Mark Zengerle, who played alongside Brendan Woods for two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, proved to be a capable scorer at this level, leading Griffins rookies in scoring last season, while the highly-touted prospects duo of Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou each netted over 30 points and showed flashes of brilliant
skill. On top of that, the organization has returned the likes of Landon Ferraro and Mitch Callahan, who have shown a strong scoring at this level, but the one catch for the Griffins will be how many of their young forwards will get looks from the Red Wings. If spots become open up top, the Griffins could be without some of their firepower, but nevertheless could still be one of the most dangerous groups of forwards in the Western Conference.
Defense
The Griffins were hardly a one-dimensional squad in 2014-15, as their goals against average was tied for sixth best in the league. Nathan Paetsch returned on an AHL deal after notching his third consecutive 30-point season for the Griffins and should anchor the blue line. Alexy Marchenko, Nick Jensen and Ryan Sproul all return as well, adding young talent on the back end for Grand Rapids and keeping last season’s top four scoring defensemen intact. As with the offense, the deep prospect pool on defense could mean several high-performing blue liners earning recalls and spending time with the NHL club, but it looks like the Griffins will again have a formidable corps of defensemen.
Goalie
The Griffins mainly turned to the duo of Tom McCollum and Jared Coreau to man the crease last season, and with Petr Mrazek solidified in the NHL, it looks like that will again be the case. In 12 fewer appearances, Coreau produced the more impressive numbers of the two, with a goals against average of 2.20 and a save percentage of .927 in his first pro season, while McCollum’s 16 wins last season bring his total over the last three campaigns to 61. The two will likely function as a tandem once again, giving the Griffins two solid options in net.
Outlook
The Griffins caught fire toward the end of last season, rattling off a 19-game point streak through February and March to storm back and take their division. They’ll likely be without some of their more familiar names (AHL teams will be thrilled if Pulkkinen makes the NHL and they don’t have to watch him rip one-timers from the circle anymore), but seem to have enough up-and-coming skill to continue that strong push from last season.
