2013–14 Grand Rapids Griffins season

2013–14 Grand Rapids Griffins
Division 2nd Midwest Division
Conference 1st Western Conference
2013–14 record 46–23–2–5
Home record 21–12–0–2
Road record 23–10–2–3
Goals for 238
Goals against 187
Team information
General Manager Dan DeVos
Coach Jeff Blashill
Assistant Coach Jim Paek
Spiros Anastas
Captain Jeff Hoggan
Alternate captains Brennan Evans
Nathan Paetsch
Arena Van Andel Arena
Average attendance 8,220 (75.9%)
Total: 312,355
Team leaders
Goals Teemu Pulkkinen (31)
Assists Adam Almqvist (49)
Points Teemu Pulkkinen (59)
Penalties in minutes Brennan Evans (111)
Plus/minus (+) Mitch Callahan (+23)
(–) Martin Frk (–12)
Wins Tom McCollum (24)
Goals against average Petr Mrázek (2.10)

The 2013–14 Grand Rapids Griffins season was the franchise's 13th season in the American Hockey League.

Off-season

Following the Grand Rapids Griffins' Calder Cup-winning season last year, several of the players were called up to the Detroit Red Wings, including forwards Joakim Andersson and Tomáš Tatar; and defensemen Danny DeKeyser, Brian Lashoff and Brendan Smith.[1] There was a great deal of roster movements between the two teams throughout the off-season, with some players getting repeatedly called back and forth, which meant Griffins coach Jeff Blashill could not finalize the roster or power play and penalty kill teams until just before the regular season began.[2] Ten of the 20 players on Detroit's starting roster had played with Grand Rapids the previous year.[3] Other Griffins departures included defenseman Chad Billins,[4] goaltender Jordan Pearce,[5] and forwards Jan Muršak,[6] and Francis Paré.[7] Winger Cory Emmerton began the regular season with Detroit after Patrick Eaves was placed on long-term injured reserve.[8]

Gustav Nyquist was sent down to Grand Rapids from Detroit, but was not expected to remain there long. The move was primarily intended to keep the team under its salary cap, since Nyquist could be transferred without having to clear waivers.[9] The Griffins signed several new skaters during the off-season, giving the roster a mix of veterans and young prospects. New additions included goaltender Jared Coreau; defensemen Alexei Marchenko, Richard Nedomlel and Xavier Ouellet; forwards Martin Frk, David McIntyre and Marek Tvrdon. McIntyre was the only one of the seven with previous American Hockey League experience.[10] The team re-signed defensemen Nathan Paetsch and Brennan Evans, and forwards Triston Grant and team captain Jeff Hoggan,[4] as well as several skaters who had played only a handful of games the previous year, including center Calle Järnkrok, winger Teemu Pulkkinen,[10] and defenseman Ryan Sproul.[2]

After a training camp that began September 23 at Van Andel Arena,[4] the Griffins played a pair of off-season games against the Lake Erie Monsters, although eight of their players were absent due to a call-up to Detroit.[11] Grand Rapids won the first game 3–2 in a shootout, with Frk scoring the sole shootout goal and McCollum making 36 saves and stopped five shootout shots.[12] Lake Erie won the second game in a 2–0 shutout.[13] Center Landon Ferraro, the team's third-highest score the previous year, suffered a foot injury during the off-season that kept him out of the first two weeks of the regular season.[2]

Regular season

On October 4, the Grand Rapids Griffins won their season opener against the Rochester Americans by a score of 8–1, setting a franchise record for largest margin of victory in a season debut, breaking the previous record of four goals in 2004. Gustav Nyquist and Adam Almquist led the scoring with three points apiece.

Standings

Conference standings

 y–  indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
 x–  indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
 e–  indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention

Ranking Western Conference[14] Div GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA
1*y– Texas Stars (DAL)WT76481837106274197
2*y– Chicago Wolves (STL)MW76452155100239191
3*y– Toronto Marlies (TOR)NT7645252496223202
4x– Grand Rapids Griffins (DET)MW7646232599238187
5x– Abbotsford Heat (CGY)WT7643255394237215
6x– Milwaukee Admirals (NSH)MW7639246791215199
7x– Rochester Americans (BUF)NT7637286585216217
8x– Oklahoma City Barons (EDM)WT7636292983239256
9e– Rockford IceHogs (CHI)MW7635325479234262
10e– Utica Comets (VAN)NT7635325479187216
11e– Charlotte Checkers (CAR)WT7637361277228241
12e– Lake Erie Monsters (COL)NT76323311075197232
13e– Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL)NT7633351774182224
14e– San Antonio Rampage (FLA)WT7630373669206235
15e– Iowa Wild (MIN)MW7627367667169235

* = Division leaders are seeded 1, 2, and 3 in Conference standings.
The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

Regular season

2013–14 Regular season Game Log

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Overtime/shootout loss (1-point)

Playoffs

2014 Calder Cup Playoffs

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on Ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SV = Saves; SA = Shots Against; SV% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Regular Season
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SV SA SV% SO G A PIM
Petr Mrázek321829:52229642.10774838.9243022
Tom McCollum462560:462412982.3011581256.9222006
Jared Coreau5205:0604154.39103118.8730010
Totals4622:5646251822.3620352217.9185038
Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SV SA SV% SO G A PIM
Petr Mrázek10599:3255282.80288316.9110000
Tom McCollum128:010024.281416.8750000
Totals632:4955312.94302333.9070000

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining team. Stats reflect time with the team only.
Left the team mid-season
*Rookie

Final roster

Updated April 19, 2014[15]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
5 Sweden Adam Almqvist D L 23 2012 Jonkoping, Sweden Red Wings
47 Canada Andreas Athanasiou LW L 19 2012 Woodbridge, Ontario Red Wings
22 Canada Louis-Marc Aubry C L 22 2010 Arthabaska, Quebec Red Wings
46 Sweden Mattias Backman D L 21 2013 Linkoping, Sweden Red Wings
15 United States Mitch Callahan RW R 22 2011 Whittier, California Red Wings
32 Canada Colin Campbell F R 23 2013 Pickering, Ontario Red Wings
8 South Africa Willie Coetzee RW R 23 2009 Johannesburg, South Africa Red Wings
31 Canada Jared Coreau G L 22 2013 Perth, Ontario Red Wings
44 Canada Brennan Evans (A) D L 32 2012 North Battleford, Saskatchewan Griffins
18 Canada Cory Emmerton C L 25 2006 St. Thomas, Ontario Red Wings
29 Canada Landon Ferraro C R 22 2010 Trail, British Columbia Red Wings
27 Czech Republic Martin Frk RW R 20 2012 Pelhrimov, Czech Republic Red Wings
20 Canada Gleason Fournier D L 22 2011 Saint-Fabien, Quebec Red Wings
23 Canada Triston Grant LW L 30 2010 Neepawa, Manitoba Griffins
10 Canada Jeff Hoggan (C) LW L 36 2011 Hope, British Columbia Griffins
38 Sweden Mattias Janmark-Nylen C L 21 2013 Stockholm, Sweden Griffins
14 United States Nick Jensen D R 23 2009 Rogers, Minnesota Red Wings
3 Russia Alexei Marchenko D R 22 2011 Moscow, Russia Red Wings
30 United States Tom McCollum G L 24 2009 Cambria, New York Red Wings
26 Canada David McIntyre C L 27 2013 Pefferlaw, Ontario Griffins
34 Czech Republic Petr Mrazek G L 22 2012 Ostrava, Czech Republic Red Wings
37 Canada Zach Nastasiuk RW R 19 2013 Barrie, Ontario Red Wings
42 Czech Republic Richard Nedomlel D L 20 2011 Prague, Czech Republic Red Wings
11 Czech Republic Andrej Nestrasil RW L 23 2011 Prague, Czech Republic Red Wings
17 United States Max Nicastro D R 24 2012 Thousand Oaks, California Red Wings
16 France Xavier Ouellet D L 20 2011 Bayonne, France Red Wings
4 Canada Nathan Paetsch (A) D L 31 2012 LeRoy, Saskatchewan Griffins
21 Canada Trevor Parkes LW R 22 2011 Fort Erie, Ontario Red Wings
1 Canada Jake Paterson G L 19 2013 Mississauga, Ontario Red Wings
6 Finland Teemu Pulkkinen RW R 22 2013 Vantaa, Finland Red Wings
7 Canada Ryan Sproul D R 21 2011 Toronto, Ontario Red Wings
22 Canada Jordin Tootoo RW R 30 2012 Churchill, Manitoba Red Wings

References

  1. Duff, Bob (September 30, 2013). "AHL stars shine in Windsor". Windsor Star. Archived from the original on 2013-10-16. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Wallner, Peter J. (October 4, 2013). "Ready or not, Grand Rapids Griffins open season tonight and coach Jeff Blashill offers no excuses". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  3. Katje, Jonathan (October 4, 2013). "Detroit Red Wings: 8 Prospects To Watch During 2013-14 Season". Rant Sports. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Wallner, Peter J. (September 22, 2013). "Grand Rapids Griffins to open camp, here are main storylines to follow". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  5. Katje, Jonathan (July 4, 2013). "Detroit Red Wings: Goaltender Tom McCollum Sticking Around After All". Rant Sports. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  6. Wallner, Peter J. (May 7, 2013). "Jan Mursak ends stay with Detroit organization, signs deal with Russian team Amur". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  7. "Paré, Sexton and Seiga sign contracts" (in Finnish). HC TPS. July 8, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  8. Khan, Ansar (September 30, 2013). "Cory Emmerton to start season with Red Wings after Patrick Eaves placed on long-term injured reserve". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  9. Khan, Ansar (September 30, 2013). "Red Wings assign forward Gustav Nyquist, goaltender Petr Mrazek to Grand Rapids Griffins". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Wallner, Peter J. (September 27, 2013). "Prized first-year forwards look for opportunities with Grand Rapids Griffins". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  11. Khan, Ansar (September 27, 2013). "Red Wings recall eight players from Grand Rapids for Saturday's preseason finale in Toronto". Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  12. "Rapids Griffins win shootout in exhibition against Lake Erie". Booth Newspapers. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  13. "Grand Rapids Griffins blanked in second exhibition game". Booth Newspapers. September 30, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  14. "2013–14 Regular Season – Conference". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  15. "Grand Rapids Griffins 2013-14 Regular Season". Retrieved 2014-04-19.
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