Prospect Info: Grand Rapids Griffins 2021-22 season

[lhsgolf19]

 

[lhsgolf19]

Victor Brattstrom playing for GR this year?


Pickard and Brattstrom the duo?

 

[waltdetroit]

This is a fun read...Renouf, Bert, Nosek, and many who moved on

Griffins’ 2017 Calder Cup championship team: Where are they now?

 

[Holden Caufield]

A whole new cast of veteran Defense for Grand Rapids.

Brought in Renouf, Ryan Murphy, Wyatt Newpower and Witkowski

Gone are longstanding members Hicketts, Lashoff and McIlath.

Big upgrades IMO.
But Sad to see McIlrath go…would have rather kept him over Witkowski.

 

[Gniwder]

A whole new cast of veteran Defense for Grand Rapids.

Brought in Renouf, Ryan Murphy, Wyatt Newpower and Witkowski

Gone are longstanding members Hicketts, Lashoff and McIlath.

Big upgrades IMO.
But Sad to see McIlrath go…would have rather kept him over Witkowski.

Mc got $450k/$475k on a 2 yr contract. That's almost NHL wages....(well half, but still a lot for AHL)

A bit odd since the Bears also re-signed Kessy. It's like they're using double protection.

 

[Henkka]

RW Riley Barber
RW Lucas Raymond
RW Givani Smith
RW Jon Martin

C Chase Pearson
C Kyle Criscuolo
C Dominik Shine
C Hayden Verbeek

LW Taro Hirose
LW Jonatan Berggren
LW Kirill Tuytyayev
LW Patrick Curry

LD Dan Renouf --- RD Ryan Murphy
LD Jared McIsaac --- RD Wyatt Newpower
LD Donovan Sebrango -- RD Luke Witkowski
LD Brian Lashoff --- RD Seth Barton
RD Patrick Holway

G Calvin Pickard
G Viktor Brattström
G Kaden Fulcher

 

[Gniwder]

RW Riley Barber
RW Lucas Raymond
RW Givani Smith
RW Jon Martin

C Chase Pearson
C Kyle Criscuolo
C Dominik Shine
C Hayden Verbeek

LW Taro Hirose
LW Jonatan Berggren
LW Kirill Tuytyayev
LW Patrick Curry

LD Dan Renouf - RD Ryan Murphy
LD Jared McIsaac -RD Wyatt Newpoer
LD Donovan Sebrango - RD Luke Witkowski

RD Seth Barton
RD Patrick Holway

G Calvin Pickard
G Viktor Brattström
G Kaden Fulcher

Smith won't clear waivers, his GR days are done. One of the other cellar teams will claim him because he has certain usefulness about him.

 

[deca guard]

 

[lhsgolf19]

Captain has returned

 

[deca guard]

Captain has returned

excellent . yzermans setting up a classroom for his young students down there

 

[deca guard]

 

[bedtime20]

 

[FabricDetails]

What's our sense of the coaching situation in GR with Ben Simon and staff? Do we like what they seem to be doing?

 

[Holden Caufield]

Former longtime Griffin and Red Wings prospect Mitch Callahan officially retires from hockey at 29.
'Cally' calls it a career

He was a gritty dude and a good team guy.
And I’ll always associate him with this classic ‘before’ pic in a dental add;

 

[Kingpin794]

What's our sense of the coaching situation in GR with Ben Simon and staff? Do we like what they seem to be doing?

I haven't been a fan of him since he took over. The team always seems a bit lifeless and uninspired. I also don't think the play style he uses really jives with how Yzerman is building this team. Now granted, the AHL is a more defense first league but there isn't really a whole lot of creativity from the forwards. Dump and chase. Dump and chase. Maybe you see some free reign on an odd man rush. They seemed to play a little more open during the middle of this past season but then for the last handful of games, right back to dump and chase. Honestly I'd rather have someone else with a more modern scheme.

 

[bedtime20]

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Calder cup incoming to Grand Rapids!

 

[lhsgolf19]

Sebrango staying with GR... Awesome!


He was really good in the short stint last year (not a lot of points but very solid for an 18 year old)

 

[Kingpin794]

Sebrango staying with GR... Awesome!


He was really good in the short stint last year (not a lot of points but very solid for an 18 year old)

Hot take: Not a fan of this. I'd rather have him down in Kitchener this season.

 

[ShelbyZ]

I'm guessing Sebrango will be close to if not a regular on D with the Griffins this season because they're likely going to have to rotate the veterans they dress to get around the vet rule.

The Griffins have Barber, Elson, Lynch, Lashoff, Murphy, Renouf and Witkowski all counting toward the vet rule, which means when all are healthy and on GR's roster, one will need to be scratched. Interstingly, Criscuolo actually missed the cutoff by one game and still counts as a "developmental" player for the whole year.

When healthy, the Griffins D is probably some rotation of 3 of their vets Lashoff, Murphy, Renouf and Witkowski and 3 of their young guys Barton, McIsaac, Newpower and Sebrango

 

[Henkka]

Starting6 should be:

Renouf - Murphy
Lashoff - Newpower
Sebrango - Witkowski
---------------------extras
LD McIsaac
RD Barton

Maybe they roll with 7 guys. McIsaac should push either Renouf or Lashoff out.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Starting6 should be:

Renouf - Murphy
Lashoff - Newpower
Sebrango - Witkowski
---------------------extras
LD McIsaac
RD Barton

Maybe they roll with 7 guys. McIsaac should push either Renouf or Lashoff out.

They aren't going to play with McIsaac as the 7th D-man. Witkowski can be 7th D or a 4th line forward.

 

[Winger98]

They aren't going to play with McIsaac as the 7th D-man. Witkowski can be 7th D or a 4th line forward.

I don't know why they wouldn't want Witkowski as a forward. Everyone knows his main job will be to go out and be the sheriff when necessary, and it's a lot easier to adjust the lines up front than on the blueline when someone disappears for five minutes at a time.

 

[Henkka]

I don't know why they wouldn't want Witkowski as a forward. Everyone knows his main job will be to go out and be the sheriff when necessary, and it's a lot easier to adjust the lines up front than on the blueline when someone disappears for five minutes at a time.

Yeah, he has been more forward recently. In Tampa farm system too.

Kind of ideal guy to have as a forward, if defenceman injury will happen during games, he can transfer from the fly.

I remember this happened in NHL, when Hedman went down. Tampa was leading 1-0. Witkowski jumped back to defence from 4th line.

They lost 1-4 and Witkowski was horrible.

But its quite a drop from Hedman to Witkowski. Maybe he survives in AHL.

 

[bedtime20]