The Grand Rapids Griffins have posted their first weekly press release of the 2026-2027 season ahead of tomorrow’s season-opening game in Cleveland. Here’s the press release:
GRIFFINS BEGIN 31ST SEASON ON FRIDAY IN CLEVELAND
This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Fri., Oct. 2 // 7 p.m. // Rocket Arena
GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Sun., Oct. 4 // 3 p.m. // Rocket Arena
Listen:WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday
Watch:AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday and Sunday
Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Rocket Arena
All-Time Series: 83-44-9-14 Overall, 35-25-5-10 Road
NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids will begin the campaign on the road for the second straight season, which hasn’t happened since a run of three straight road season openers from 2018 to 2020.
31st Season of Hockey: The Grand Rapids Griffins begin the franchise’s 31st overall season of play, 26th as a member of the American Hockey League, and 25th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Friday evening when they travel to the Cleveland Monsters. The Griffins have competed in 2,277 games between the IHL and AHL and have amassed a 1,196-834-27-90-130 regular-season record (.585), to go along with 20 playoff appearances, eight division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013).
The Watson Supercomputer:Dan Watson was named the 12th head coach in franchise history on June 14, 2023, and enters his fourth season at the helm. Last season, Watson became the third head coach in franchise history to reach the postseason in each of his first three full years as head boss (Jeff Blashill 2012-15 & Todd Nelson 2015-18) and is looking to become the first coach to lead the Griffins to four consecutive playoff appearances. Watson was also named the head coach of the Central Division at the AHL All-Star Classic for the second straight season, becoming the second coach in team history to attend two all-star events and the first in its AHL history. In the 2025-26 regular season, Watson led the Griffins to a Central Division title as well as a Western Conference championship with a franchise-record 51-16-4-1 (.743) mark. With Grand Rapids, Watson sports a 125-68-16-7 regular-season mark (.632) and a 9-11 postseason ledger (.450). As a head coach, the Glencoe, Ontario, native possesses a 397-180-38-20 record (.671) during the regular season and a 60-45 (.571) mark over only eight playoff campaigns.
We Meet Again:Dan Watson and Monsters new head coach Nick Bootland have a long history with each other, dating back to 2009. Bootland served as head coach of the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings from 2008-22 and Watson was on the Toledo Walleye’s bench from 2009-23. As head coaches in the ECHL from 2016-22, Watson and Bootland met 41 times during the regular season, with Watson holding a 29-7-2-3 record (.733) over teams led by Bootland. In addition, Watson and Bootland competed together in the 2003-04 campaign as teammates with the Cleveland Barons (AHL), Columbus Stars (UHL) and Kalamazoo Wings (UHL).
I Shall Return: Veterans John Leonard (33-21—54) and Sheldon Dries (23-22—45) both return to the Griffins after being the team’s top two point producers last season. Captain Dominik Shine (21-18—39), who finished sixth on the roster in 2025-26 with nearly a point-per-game output, also returns. The Griffins went 35-3-2-0 (.900) a season ago when Shine was in the lineup. In addition to generating 21% of the team’s points, Leonard, Dries and Shine accounted for 30% of Grand Rapids’ goals from a year ago. Defensively, William Lagesson is back for his third campaign after pacing all AHL defensemen and ranking third among all skaters with a plus-33 rating last season. Goaltender Michal Postava enters his second season in North America after posting a 1.71 GAA and a .937 save percentage in 25 regular-season games, which were both franchise records for a single season.
Shine On, Captain:Dominik Shine enters his 11th season with the Griffins and his second as captain, becoming just the second player in team history to reach 11 seasons (Brian Lashoff 14). During the 2025-26 AHL season, Shine finished with 39 points (21-18—39), 41 penalty minutes and a plus-25 rating, setting career highs in goals, plus-minus and shooting percentage (20.5%). He also competed in his first-ever AHL All-Star Classic, serving as an alternate captain for the Western Conference. Shine spent Feb. 28 until the end of the NHL regular season with the Detroit Red Wings and showed three goals and seven penalty minutes across a career-best 18 outings. He scored his first NHL goal on March 8 at the New Jersey Devils, becoming the fifth-oldest player in Red Wings history to score his first-career NHL goal. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (523), third in goals (96), seventh in assists (127), fourth in points (223), fifth in penalty minutes (594), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (901).
Pure Michigan: Several Griffins will be competing in their home state this year, as the roster features seven Michiganders in Ronnie Attard (White Lake Township), Trey Augustine (South Lyon), Kienan Draper (Bloomfield Hills), Sheldon Dries (Macomb), Sutter Muzzatti (Okemos), Dominik Shine (Detroit) and Jacob Truscott (Port Huron). In addition, the roster is comprised of seven players that competed collegiately in the Great Lakes State, including Attard (Western Michigan), Augustine (Michigan State), Draper (Michigan), Dries (Western Michigan), Nolan Moyle (Michigan), Shine (Northern Michigan) and Truscott (Michigan).
Venture Across the Pond: Forwards Noah Dower Nilsson, Jesse Kiiskinen and Theo Rochette are all embarking on their first full professional seasons in North America. Dower Nilsson, the 70th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, competed in parts of four Swedish Hockey League seasons with Frolunda since 2022-23, notching 28 points (11-17—28) in 91 regular-season outings. Kiiskinen was the 68th overall pick by the Nashville Predators in 2023 and has shown 83 points (35-48—83) in 145 regular-season games in the Liiga (Finland) since 2022-23. Rochette is a 24-year-old undrafted prospect out of Switzerland who has suited up for three seasons in the National League (Swiss), totaling 104 points (50-54—104) in 131 regular-season games with Lausanne.
Young Guns: The Griffins have eight players who are considered rookies this season in forwards Dylan James, Kienan Draper, Noah Dower Nilsson, Sutter Muzzatti and Jesse Kiiskinen, defensemen Justice Christensen and Jacob Truscott, and goaltender Trey Augustine.
Oldies but Goodies: The Griffins’ roster features five veterans, including forwards Sheldon Dries, John Leonard and Dominik Shine, and defensemen Jacob Bryson and William Lagesson. A player receives veteran status if he has competed in at least 261 games in the NHL, AHL or European elite leagues. Shine leads all veterans with 550 professional games played, while Dries (523) ranks second and Lagesson (427) places third.
World Travelers: The Griffins have nine Americans in forwards Kienan Draper, Sheldon Dries, John Leonard, Nolan Moyle, Sutter Muzzatti, Dominik Shine, defensemen Ronnie Attard and Shai Buium, and goaltender Trey Augustine. There are seven Canadians on the roster, including forwards Tag Bertuzzi, Cameron Butler and Dylan James, defensemen Jacob Bryson, Justice Christensen and Alex Kannok Leipert, and goaltender Carter Gylander. From overseas, Sweden leads the way with three players in forwards Noah Dower Nilsson and Wilmer Skoog, and defenseman William Lagesson. Next, the roster features two Czechs in forward Ondrej Becher and goaltender Michal Postava. Finally, Finland (Jesse Kiiskinen) and Switzerland (Theo Rochette) both feature one player with the Griffins.
Pour Me A Draft: The Griffins’ roster is highlighted with three former second-round picks, including Trey Augustine (41st in 2023 DET), Shai Buium (36th in 2021 DET) and Dylan James (40th in 2022 DET). The roster also includes four third-round picks in Ronnie Attard (72nd in 2019 PHI), Ondrej Becher (80th in 2024 DET), Noah Dower Nilsson (70th in 2023 DET) and Jesse Kiiskinen (68th in 2023 NSH), and 15 total draft picks.
Where It All Began: The Griffins near the 30-year anniversary of their first-ever game and victory, which occurred on Oct. 5, 1996, in a 1-0 win at the Indianapolis Ice. Grand Rapids opened its inaugural campaign on the road at Market Square Arena versus the Ice and emerged with a 1-0 win behind 30 saves by Pokey Reddick and a first-period power-play goal by Michel Picard, the first goal in franchise history.
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