TheAHL.com’s Patrick Williams posted a story about the Grand Rapids Griffins’ developmental machine this morning, discussing the resurgent Griffins’ winning streak of late:
The defensive foundation took hold early for the Grand Rapids Griffins, so the wins quickly followed – even if the goals did not.
Now the offense has arrived as well, and the Griffins are positioned to take a run at first overall in the AHL as this season’s first quarter reaches its conclusion. The Griffins are 12-4-1-0, including two separate five-game winning streaks, and have shown that they know how to avoid having one bad night turn into multiple bad nights.
Grand Rapids won four of its first five games despite managing only nine goals for. Thanks to a recent run of offense, the Griffins have risen to the middle of the pack, tied for 15th in the AHL at 3.06 goals per game, but fortunately it has not come at the expense of their defensive play. Along with a league-low 2.18 goals-against per game, Grand Rapids ranks second on the penalty kill at 89.7 percent, and their goaltenders’ combined .933 save percentage is tops in the AHL.
As always, Detroit Red Wings management has made sure to plant a deep group of veterans in Grand Rapids, players who are able to push prospects on and off the ice, but also be willing to take a back-seat role if needed in order to allow those young players key opportunities. But what is most encouraging for the Detroit front office is that it’s the drafted talent, amassed over several years since executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman’s return to the organization, who are driving much of this season’s success. Much like Yzerman did in helping to set up the Lightning to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, AHL development is paramount with his Detroit posting as well. Yzerman wants his draft picks to develop, and he wants them to do so in a winning, competitive environment, something that he made quite clear in publicly expressing his unhappiness with the Griffins missing the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2022-23.
Good teams have a knack for not letting one loss grow into two, three, or more. After a rare slip-up on Friday night – a 5-2 loss at home against Iowa – the Griffins made sure not to let that performance become something more concerning in a Sunday rematch. They built a 4-1 lead by the seven-minute mark of the second period and eventually took a 5-2 win.
