Fueled by an influx of talented prospects and even some players with NHL experience, the Grand Rapids Griffins (the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings) appear set to make some noise in the 2022-23 AHL season. After a disappointing 2021-22 season which saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in 10 years (not including the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons where no playoffs were held), the Griffins enter this season with an excitement surrounding the team that can be felt from the west side of Michigan over to the east side.
The Griffins will begin their season this Friday night (Oct. 14) just like the Red Wings. Unlike the Red Wings, however, the Griffins and fans expect their team to be a championship contender this season. While most of the excitement coming out of “Hockeytown West” pertains to the young players that will entertain the crowds at Van Andel Arena this season, this year’s team has a healthy mix of skill, youth, experience, speed and tenacity that should make the Griffins a must-see team this season.
Here’s how the Griffins’ 2022-23 roster looks heading into the season:
Berggren Returns for an Encore (For Now)
One of the bright spots to come out of last season was the play of Swedish winger Jonatan Berggren, a 2018 second-round pick whose first season in North America can only be described as a success. Not only did his 64 points in 70 games lead the team, but it also set a new franchise mark for rookie scoring. Because of this, some expected that the 22-year-old was earmarked for a roster spot with the Red Wings this season. Detroit’s new head coach, Derek Lalonde, even expressed that he was impressed with Berggren during training camp and the preseason.
“Continue to play at the level he has, and he has played very well,” Lalonde answered when asked what he was looking for out of Berggren during the preseason. “Now we want it consistently. We want an every-day-type mentality.
Continue being who he is. He’s an offensive guy, he makes little plays in tight areas. He creates offense but a little more commitment the other way, which we’re going to ask of our whole team.”
Despite a strong showing during the preseason, Berggren finds himself back in Grand Rapids, tasked with developing his two-way game while also maintaining the parts of his game that make him so effective in the offensive zone. If he spends a good amount of time with the Griffins this season, he could be positioned to improve on his numbers from last season as one of the main catalysts of Grand Rapids’ attack.
All of that being said, a successful season for Berggren would lead him right to Detroit rather than spending extended time on the west side of Michigan. He is one of the Red Wings’ most exciting forward prospects, and if he shows that they are ready for the bright lights of the NHL, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has proven that he is willing to give players like him the opportunity to stick in the NHL when they’re ready.
Joining the Griffins for his rookie season in the AHL is Cross Hanas, a 2020 second-round pick that seems to have really put his name on the map ahead of this season. The Texas-native was a stand-out player during the Traverse City Prospect Tournament, showcasing the ability to make things happen on the ice while playing with pace. While his playmaking abilities are what will be his moneymaker at the pro level, he showed throughout that tournament that he knows what to do with the puck when he has a good look at the net.
While the younger, fresher faces headline this group, the Griffins’ offense won’t rely solely on first and second-year players to get the job done. Returning players like Taro Hirose and Kyle Criscuolo will provide some familiarity for the roster while also being capable offensive producers in their own right. Hirose, in particular, is set to embark on his fourth season with Grand Rapids, making the 26-year-old one of the longest-tenured members of the team.
Last, but certainly not least, is the addition of Givani Smith to the Griffins’ roster. The abrasive forward returns to Grand Rapids after spending all of last season with the Red Wings. He should be able to bring some NHL intensity to practice, and his offensive numbers at the AHL level are pretty solid. Known for his willingness to drop the gloves, the 2016 second round pick is a hard-worker that should set a good example for his teammates while also keeping the opposition honest on the ice. The jolt that fights provide to a hockey game is undeniable and, in Smith, the Griffins have someone on the roster that is capable of providing that jolt at a moment’s notice.
Edvinsson Begins His North American Career With the Griffins
Perhaps the most shocking revelation to come out of the Red Wings’ 23-man opening day roster was that Simon Edvinsson, the team’s top pick in the 2021 draft, would begin the season in Grand Rapids rather than Detroit. The 19-year-old embodies the direction Yzerman is trying to go with the blue line in Detroit. Edvinsson is skilled, he’s mobile, and he’s a big body, standing at 6-foot-6, 215 pounds. He flashed his sky-high potential during the preseason, but his play was riddled with inconsistencies that ultimately led to his assignment to the Griffins. With no remaining questions about where he’ll start the season, he now has the opportunity to play big minutes in a premiere role in Grand Rapids.
Related: Red Wings’ Edvinsson Is Better Off With the Griffins in the AHL
The Griffins’ defense should be their biggest strength this season, and not just because of Edvinsson. Donovan Sebrango and Albert Johansson – two of the Red Wings’ top-15 prospects – will also patrol the blue line for the Griffins this season. The 2022-23 campaign marks Sebrango’s third AHL season after joining Grand Rapids as a 19-year-old for the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. This past August, Sebrango was an alternate captain for Team Canada during the rescheduled World Junior Championship, and the native of Kingston, Ontario played big minutes while skating on the team’s top defensive pairing.
As for Johansson, well:
The Griffins’ roster currently lists eight defenseman, and every one of them has a solid case to play every single night, including longtime Griffin and team captain Brian Lashoff. As Griffins head coach Ben Simon and his staff walk the line between icing the best possible roster and prioritizing development of Detorit’s top prospects, it’s going to be quite interesting to see how the pairings look on a day-to-day basis. One thing that is for certain, however, is that the defensive group in Grand Rapids will be expected to make life pretty easy for whoever is in goal….
Griffins’ Goaltending Is a 3-Headed Monster
Prior to the beginning of training camp, before anyone gathered to watch the Red Wings up in Traverse City, it was pretty much assumed that the Griffins would have a tandem in goal that consisted of Jussi Olkinuora and Viktor Brattström. While the former was signed as a free agent in the offseason, the latter returns after an up-and-down rookie season that saw the Swedish netminder spend some time in the ECHL as well as the AHL.
Both goaltenders looked solid during the preseason, with Brattström stopping 43 out of 48 shots while Olkinuora stopped 29 of 32 shots. However, what wasn’t expected (but many certainly hoped for) were the improvements shown by Sebastian Cossa, the Red Wings second first-round pick in the 2021 draft. After backstopping the Edmonton Oil Kings to a Western Hockey League championship last season, Cossa spent most of the summer in Detroit as he focused on taking his game to another level. The Red Wings assigned him to Grand Rapids, cementing something of a “three-headed monster” in the Griffins’ crease this season.
The goalie rotation in Grand Rapids will be interesting to monitor this season. While it seems likely that the coaching staff will elect to ride the hot hand throughout the season, playing time is crucial for development, especially for goaltenders. If it becomes clear that Cossa isn’t going to get consistent minutes in the AHL, he may find himself yo-yoing between the AHL and the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye just like Brattström did last season.
Griffins’ Roster & Lineup
Forwards: Pontus Andreasson, Jonatan Berggren, Trenton Bliss, Kyle Criscuolo, Austin Czarnik, Cross Hanas, Taro Hirose, Cedric Lacroix, Joel L’Esperance, Matt Luff, Chase Pearson, Dominik Shine, Givani Smith, Tyler Spezia, Kirill Tyutyayev, Drew Worrad
Defense: Seth Barton, Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Steven Kampfer, Brian Lashoff, Jared McIsaac, Wyatt Newpower, Donovan Sebrango, Eemil Viro
Goalies: Viktor Brattström, Sebastian Cossa, John Lethemon, Jussi Olkinuora
| Jonatan Berggren | Austin Czarnik | Matt Luff |
| Joel L’Esperance | Pontus Andreasson | Taro Hirose |
| Givani Smith | Kyle Criscuolo | Cross Hanas |
| Tyler Spezia | Chase Pearson | Dominik Shine |
| Simon Edvinsson | Steven Kampfer |
| Donovan Sebrango | Wyatt Newpower |
| Albert Johansson | Brian Lashoff |
| Jussi Olkinuora | Viktor Brattström | Sebastian Cossa |
This projected roster leaves out a few notable names including Tyutyayev and Viro, but that does not mean they won’t factor in. The Griffins’ lineup will likely change a lot from game to game, with only the best players having a spot locked down on a nightly basis. Without the luxury of a preseason, coach Simon will likely be experimenting with his lines throughout the first few weeks of the season as he looks to establish some continuity throughout the lineup. This means that players like Berggren and Edvinsson will try to establish chemistry with their linemates as soon as possible as they look to build cases for themselves to be summoned to the NHL.
Those two players will be the biggest reasons why people buy tickets to see the Griffins play this season, but they are far from the only reasons. This is a team that will reflect the status of Yzerman’s rebuild. While the Red Wings’ goal for this season is to play meaningful games into the month of April, the Griffins are a team that should expect to play meaningful games through the month of April and into the month of May and beyond. That competitive atmosphere should be huge for the development of Detroit’s top prospects, and it should yield some exciting hockey games over the course of the season.
After a couple of unconventional and disappointing seasons, the Griffins are eager to reassert themselves as a power franchise in the AHL. Will you be at Van Andel Arena to watch them do it?