Full Press Hockey’s Elaine Shircliff did a fine job of summarizing the Grand Rapids Griffins’ offseason changes, and here’s the start of her survey:
The 2022-23 season was another lackluster one for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Despite having a roster full of young talent and strong veterans, the Griffins failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. To add insult to injury, their 64 points and record of 28-36-4-4 placed Grand Rapids toward the bottom of the league standings (30th out of 32 teams).
At the end of the season, General Manager Shawn Horcoff decided the Griffins needed a new voice in the locker room and decided to not renew the contracts of all of the coaching staff except video coach Mike Knuble (who ended up leaving the organization on June 22).
Even though the season was a little cloudy for the Griffins, there were many bright spots on the roster which helped salvage the season.
Forward Taro Hirose led the Griffins with 41 assists and 57 points, while Joel L’Esperance led the team with 25 goal. L’Esperance’s 14 power play goals was third best in the league, tied with Michael Carcone of the Tucson Roadrunners.
Jared McIsaac brought strength to the blue line at both even strength and on the power play. His ability to compose 200-foot plays based on how the opponent was playing allowed the Griffins to string together multiple successful plays all season.
