Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The Iowa Wild had their visitors where they wanted last night.
Two goals for the Wild Hunter Haight put the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins up 2-0 with less than nine minutes left in the second half. Iowa, still trying to find its collective game following a rough start to the season, held the AHL’s top team to just 10 goals in a half-time.
Surprisingly, it was the third time all season that the Griffins trailed by two goals.
Then the game turned. While much of the story this season in Grand Rapids has been the league’s best offense, there is more to the Griffins. Their ability to beat opponents extends beyond the top line.
With John Leonard and his team-leading 19 goals in Detroit’s comeback, the offensive response of the Griffins last night started from behind. Just 1:40 after Iowa took a 2-0 lead, Alex Kannok Leipert a one-time shot from the left past the Iowa keeper Samuel Hlavaj. It was the first goal since April 6 and just the sixth in 206 AHL games for Kannok Leipert, a tough defenseman whose main job is his reliable — and physical — defensive play.
Ian Mitchellanother tenacious defender, tied the game 4:36 into the third period when he held his puck inside the blue line before picking up the puck in an open position and sneaking a long shot through traffic past Hlavaj.
Then the captain Dominik Shine scored at 7:23 to give the Griffins their first lead. He added his second of the season at 17:26, too Gabriel Seger finished the goal with an empty net at 19:31.
The win was Grand Rapids’ 23rd in 25 games this season, the best start in the AHL’s 90-year history. It was another team effort – they gave up just one power play opportunity to the Wild, and allowed just one third-period shot on goal while scoring four times in the final 20 minutes. Sebastian Cossawho saw just 18 shots all night, improved to 13-1-0 with his eighth straight win. Eleven different skaters registered a point, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Sheldon Dries again Erik Gustafsson each hitting with a pair of assists.
Having won 12 games, the Griffins have already opened a 16-point lead at the top of the Central Division. Next up is a rematch at Iowa on Friday night followed by a home date with Cleveland on Sunday. They close out 2025 with a home-and-home against Milwaukee on Dec. 27 and Dec. 31.
Can the Griffins see this through to April? Until June? It’s still early — two-thirds of the regular season remains — but it seems fair to start drawing comparisons between these Griffins and some of the strongest teams in AHL history. The 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers posted a .775 hitting percentage (57-13-10), the league’s best mark. The 2011-12 Norfolk Admirals have won 28 games in a row. The 2009-10 Hershey Bears team won a record 60 games (in an 80-game season). Just two years ago, Hershey set the standard for a 72-game season with 53 wins and 111 points.
More than a few obstacles still lie ahead for Grand Rapids. They still have 19 meetings left with Chicago and Milwaukee, their closest rivals. There’s a February visit to Charlotte – the only team to shut out the Griffins in regulation this season, a 2-1 decision on Nov. 21. Eleven of the 14 games will be on the road. And of course, there are the usual potential pitfalls like recalls, injuries and bad luck that can derail any team.
But 25 games in, it looks like the Griffins might have something special here.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
