Grand Rapids Griffins 17-18

[Fil Larkmanthanasiou]

Shine's a tough little fornicator.

 

[Henkka]

This looks to be almost complete Griffins lineup:

LW Matt Puempel (RFA)
LW David Pope
C/LW Turner Elson ( A )
LW Chris Terry
LW Givani Smith
LW Dylan Sadowy

C/RW Carter Camper
C/LW Axel Holmström
C Dominic Turgeon
C/LW Christoffer Ehn
C Wade Megan
C Trevor Yates

RW Filip Zadina
RW Evgeny Svechnikov
RW Dominik Shine
RW Matthew Ford ( A )
RW Colin Campbell


LD Joe Hicketts (NHL)
---------------------------
LD Libor Sulak --- RD Filip Hronek
LD Dennis Cholowski --- RD Dylan McIlrath
LD Brian Lashoff ( C ) --- RD Vili Saarijärvi
------------------------------
LD Jake Chelios --- RD Marcus Crawford

G Harri Säteri
G Patrik Rybar



EDIT:

Update.

 

[waltdetroit]

Maybe Givani, Peumpel, & Ehn

 

[GrGriffins]

Griffins add 2 former ECHL head coaches to fill out staff

Updated 3:01 PM; Posted 3:00 PM
Matt Macdonald, left, and Brad Tapper. (Photos courtesy of Cincinnati Cyclones, left, and Adirondack Thunder )
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By Peter J. Wallner
[email protected]
New Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon filled out his coaching staff Monday as the Detroit Red Wings announced the hiring of assistants Matt Macdonald and Brad Tapper, both head coaches in the ECHL last season.
The additions join holdovers in assistant coach Mike Knuble, goaltending coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson and video coach Bill LeRoy to complete the staff for the 2018-19 season.

"Matt and Brad have both won championships as players and/or coaches at different levels, so they understand what it takes to have success and the work that is necessary to help our guys develop on a daily basis," Simon said. "They also both have head coaching experience, which was very important for me in my first year as a head coach in this league, and they've had unique careers both as players and coaches to this point. I'm excited to work with them."
Macdonald, 35, spent the past six seasons with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones, including the past four as head coach and director of hockey operations. He guided the Cyclones to a winning record during each of his four campaigns (2014-18) as the club's head coach with a 142-116-16-14 record (0.545) and two Kelly Cup Playoff appearances.
In 2017-18, Macdonald helped the Cyclones post a 39-30-3-0 regular season mark (0.563) - due in part to a power play that placed second on the circuit at 20.1 percent - before falling in five games to Fort Wayne in the postseason's opening round.


Macdonald mentored three Cyclones - defenseman Eric Knodel and forwards Justin Danforth and Jesse Schultz - to spots on the All-ECHL Second Team, while also seeing Danforth named to the All-Rookie Team.
During Macdonald's two seasons as an assistant with the Cyclones from 2012-14, Cincinnati posted a combined 83-45-9-7 record (0.632) and advanced to the playoffs both years. In 2013-14, he served under Simon as the Cyclones advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals and Simon became only the second head coach in ECHL history to reach the championship series in his initial season.
Simon said Macdonald will work with the defensemen.
Before his coaching career, Macdonald played seven professional seasons as a defenseman from 2005-12. Appearing in 385 career games between the CHL (2005-06), ECHL (2006-09), AHL (2007-09), Italy (2009-10; 2011-12) and Denmark (2010-11),
Macdonald combined for 133 points (30-103--133) and 601 penalty minutes. He won the Kelly Cup with Cincinnati in 2008.
A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Macdonald played college hockey at St. Lawrence University, where he tallied 30 points (14-16--30) and 131 PIM in 118 contests from 2001-05.
Macdonald and his wife, Erin, have two children, Hazel and Max.


Meanwhile, the 40-year-old Tapper is coming off his first season as a professional head coach. He guided the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder to a 41-24-3-4 regular season record (0.618), a North Division title and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 41 wins tied for the fifth-most victories in franchise history and the Thunder finished fourth in the league in power play percentage at 19.1 percent.
Previously, Tapper spent the previous three seasons as an assistant in the AHL, serving the Chicago Wolves for two (2014-16) and the Rochester Americans for one (2016-17). He has totaled a 105-105-11-7 record (0.500) as an AHL assistant and helped Chicago reach the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs.
A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Tapper began his pro coaching career as an assistant in the ECHL from 2010-14. During three seasons with the Florida Everblades from 2010-13, he helped the club post a 115-78-7-16 regular season record (0.586) and qualify three times for the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
While an assistant with the Orlando Solar Bears in 2013-14, the club recorded a 43-24-2-3 mark (0.632) and advanced to the playoffs.
During a professional playing career as a forward that spanned nine seasons (2000-09) between the NHL, AHL, IHL and Germany, Tapper compiled 289 points (122-167-289) and 787 PIM in 435 games. He contributed 25 points (14-11-25) in 71 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2000-03.

Tapper and Simon were teammates for back-to-back championships, as the duo helped Orlando hoist the IHL's Turner Cup in 2001 before winning the Calder Cup with Chicago in 2002. Tapper and Simon also skated together as members of Iserlohn in Germany during the 2008-09 campaign.
Tapper and his wife, Alison, have two sons, Blake and Hudson, and a daughter, Addison.