It wasn’t exactly the end to the season they had hoped for, but still, a pair of Grand Rapids Griffins were honored for their production in the month of April.
Rookie winger Jonatan Berggren joined Justin Abdelkader and Tomas Kopecky as they only Griffins to achieve AHL Rookie of the Month. The 21-year-old Swede finished the season on a scoring rampage, posting 20 points (6-14—20) in 14 games. Seven of those games were multi-point performances. Berggren became the first rookie in Griffins history to record 60 points in a season, and that made him the Grand Rapids’ rookie single-season scoring leader. The 2018 2nd round pick finished with an impressive 64 points (21-43—64) in 70 appearances.
Forward Riley Barber was also named AHL Player of the Month for April. Barber scored in all 13 games he suited up for, which amassed to 21 points (15-6—21).. Including a five-game goal streak. Barber is just the second player in Grand Rapids Griffins history to win AHL Player of the Month, joining Chris Minard from February of 2012.
The Griffins missed the AHL Playoffs. Berggren is headed back overseas to join Team Sweden for the worlds tournament.