The Grand Rapids Griffins started the week off with a 5-3 win on Tuesday in Cleveland. On the weekend, the Griffins lost 5-2 at home against Milwaukee. Last night, Toronto stormed from behind to defeat the Griffins 4-3 in OT.
The Griffins now have a record of 15-12-7, good for 3rd place in the Central Division.
Player Preview: Jared McIsaac
Jared McIsaac continues to show improvement at the professional level with the Griffins. During three games this week, McIsaac scored one goal and chipped in two assists. For the year, McIsaac has played 33 games, while scoring three goals and adding nine assists for 12 points and a -5 rating. After two injury-riddled seasons, McIsaac is playing his first full season professionally. According to eliteprospects.com, McIsaac earns $70,000 while playing in the AHL. If he is recalled to Detroit during his entry-level contact, McIsaac will earn $764,167.
Detroit Prospect Update
On Tuesday, Jonatan Berggren was selected as the 1st star after picking up four assists. Berggren has now moved into 2nd on the Griffins in scoring. In 31 games, Berggren has eight goals and 19 assists for 27 points and a -3 rating.
Kyle Criscuolo played two games with the Griffins last week. He was shuffled between Grand Rapids and Detroit and missed the 5-2 loss on Saturday. Criscuolo picked up one assist in Tuesday’s win. Criscuolo has now slipped to 3rd in Griffins scoring with 25 points in 25 games.
Taro Hirose continues to lead the Griffins in scoring. He has yet to play a game in Detroit. Hirose scored one goal and added one assist while earning the 2nd star in Tuesday’s 5-3 win. Last night, Hirose chipped in with one assist. In 33 games this year, Hirose has nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points.
Donovan Sebrango continues to chip in offensively while playing very good in the defensive zone. Sebrango had one assist in Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee. On the season, Sebrango has played 28 games and has contributed one goal, five assists, six points, and a +8 rating.
Dan Renouf chipped in with three assists in the last two games for the Griffins. In 22 games this year, Renouf has seven assists and leads the Griffins with a +10 rating.
Calvin Pickard shuffled back and forth between Grand Rapids and Detroit last week but, he still ended up winning the Tuesday game in Cleveland and took the OT loss to Toronto last night. In 27 games, Pickard has a 13-8-5 record, 2.40 GAA, and a .927 SV%.
Victor Brattstrom played Saturday’s game and took the loss. Brattstrom was 27/31 in save attempts. On the season, Brattstrom now has a 2-4-2 record, 4.05 GAA and an .873 SV% in eight games.
Next Week
The Griffins play three games in four days starting Wednesday at home against the Milwaukee Admirals. Game time is 7:00 PM ET at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI. The Griffins then go on the road for two games beginning Friday night in Chicago. The Wolves have won all six games between the two teams this season. Game time is 8:00 PM ET at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL. The Griffins conclude a busy week with their fourth game in six days when they travel to Milwaukee to play the Admirals. Game time is 7:00 PM ET at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, WI.