Prospect Info: Grand Rapids Griffins, 2024 - 2025 Season

[lilidk]

Good, put him with Danielson and Mazur and tell that line to cook.

And next season move them to Detroit

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Lombardi will start on line 3 centering Gettinger and Doucet

 

[Filppula]

I’m so excited that he’s back!!!

 

[lilidk]

Just bring ASP in GR already, someone have to score

 

[schuelma24]

Griffins lose 5-2. Cossa wasn’t great. Danielson scored. But overall team looks pretty terrible.

 

[Filppula]

Griffins lose 5-2. Cossa wasn’t great. Danielson scored. But overall team looks pretty terrible.

At least Lombardi got an assist too on return.

 

[RED WINGS STOMP]

Griffs in free fall, pretty much started when Elmer got the call up. Cmon fellas, get it together.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Griffins had no finish and they got goalied for the first 50 minutes of the game. Uneventful 1st, LV somewhat controlled the 2nd, GR controlled the 3rd period. 4th line was excellent, Johannes finding his footing lately having a great game, as did Becher

Lines:

Snively - Dries - Mazur
Shine - Danielson - Watson
Gettinger - Lombardi - Doucet
Johannes - Becher - Seger

Wallinder - Tuomisto
Buium - Rafferty
Viro - Dello

Cossa


Danielson: B+
• Poor angle shot somehow got through Gahagan's glove. He needed a real greasy one like that. Now go on and bury some beauties that you've been robbed of

I like how he tries to cheat on draws. Gets kicked out a lot (didn't today though) but he's gonna be around an over 50% FO guy in the NHL cause the best of them find ways to win. Good at them in general

Did the flying up the right wing poor angle shot, puck went the other way and LV scored with 7 seconds left in the 1st. Very poor puck management choice there despite the clock running out

Good first shift in period 2, high slot shot opportunity saved, retrieved, fed the point, eventually got fed back in the middle and he tried to look for an option but gave up the puck on a nifty behind the back pass to himself on the boards. 2 Phantoms were on him there

Good rush mid-2nd corralled a tough pass and had a chance on net


Cossa: C
• Wasn't tested in the 1st all until the goal where he got fooled and left space between his pads. He got sniped for goal #2, glove side. It was a partial 2 on 1 where Wallinder took the puck carrier. The other Phantom had a Griffin on his back but was still ahead of him. Unsure if Cossa was not fully focused on the shooter because he saw that. Either way, Wallinder playing the puck carrier again wasn't what I'd hoped he'd have done. Let Cossa have the shooter

3rd goal was very bad, should have had the save and it squeaks 5-hole

4th goal Lombardi threw a pass that got intercepted and tipped out from the LV zone, then Richard blew by everyone and went top shelf on the breakaway

Good saves early in the 2nd. Tough result though. Need a better effort next time


Mazur: A-
• All alone in front had all day, turned and tried to tuck it in but lost the handle. Later in the 1st he got in behind the defense and tried to tuck it 5-hole but Gahagan stopped him

Chipped a nice pass through the D to a streaking Danielson who shoveled a backhand that was saved. Tried to go upstairs in Gahagan but the glove was there

Empty net he got stopped on the doorstep trying to go upstairs, great chance

Good support defensively


Lombardi: A-
• NICE play taking the pass from down low and dropped a soft backhand dish right in Doucet's wheelhouse and he buried 5-hole

Only Griffins PP tonight had so much more jump now that's he back. Quick puck movement, willingness to shoot

Nifty, shifty player in tight space. You've seen his early season highlights pulling off some gnarly moves

Start of the 2nd he was grinding out his man behind his own net, eventually worked a breakout where he slipped a backhand pass to the streaking Gettinger who got stopped

I still think he's got some net front defensive awareness to work on. He gets floating around a bit and doesn't time his reads well. You can see he itches to leave the zone. He's decent when he's engaged defensively, which is not 100% of the time. Cossa had to bail him out mid-2nd due to his missed coverage. Missed coverage earlier but thankfully didn't amount to a chance against


Wallinder: A-
• I think that was one of his better games overall. I thought he was quite good with slowing down or stopping up, then taking a moment and looking for a safer play to make. Quicker and more conviction with his decision making with the puck. Moved the puck with better vision and accuracy

Some good mustard on a couple shots he took. Had a good rush entering the zone where he weaved in and just ripped it wide

He is generally solid at rush defense. He was better today at getting body position on his man. Mostly saw that against the rush, but good job there by him


Buium: B+
• Late 2nd had a nice offensive zone shift playing give and go with Lombardi

His play along the boards sealing off his man seems to be involving more physicality. You can tell he's not used to it but hopefully he continues to make that part of his game because that'll be key to how he sticks in the NHL


Tuomisto: A-
• Great physical defense giving his man little space to work with. Good choices with puck under pressure. Very solid puck movement. Once again showing some puck skills in the offensive zone and making plays instead of just throwing the puck into the corner


Becher: A
• Good puck support defensively, created breakouts twice because of his reads and quick decisions with the puck. He is coming out of scrumbs with the puck, more often than not. Great signs early on from him

Great read as he was high at the point waiting for Johannes' pressure to force a bad play where the puck was flung up the middle, and just inside the blueline he batted down and then controlled the puck with 2 Phantoms on him, made a nifty backhand pass to Johannes who took a shot on goal from distance that was saved

I've actually found him to be have a decent puck touch along the boards. Looking for that to develop as it's an underrated skill

The line had a sick chance in the 3rd great puck movement and Becher soft touch pass to Johannes who cut in and somehow Gahagan got a toe on it...

Late 3rd Johannes caught him streaking in and he let off a backhand that almost fooled the goalie

 

[Henkka]

Where's Hanas and Rychlovsky?

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Where's Hanas and Rychlovsky?

Healthy scratched. Rychlovsky for about the last 5 games and Hanas first time as Lombardi returned tonight

 

[HoweFan]

Healthy scratched. Rychlovsky for about the last 5 games and Hanas first time as Lombardi returned tonight

Not a good sign for those two players

 

[19 for president]

Griffins had no finish and they got goalied for the first 50 minutes of the game. Uneventful 1st, LV somewhat controlled the 2nd, GR controlled the 3rd period. 4th line was excellent, Johannes finding his footing lately having a great game, as did Becher

Lines:

Snively - Dries - Mazur
Shine - Danielson - Watson
Gettinger - Lombardi - Doucet
Johannes - Becher - Seger

Wallinder - Tuomisto
Buium - Rafferty
Viro - Dello

Cossa


Danielson: B+
• Poor angle shot somehow got through Gahagan's glove. He needed a real greasy one like that. Now go on and bury some beauties that you've been robbed of

I like how he tries to cheat on draws. Gets kicked out a lot (didn't today though) but he's gonna be around an over 50% FO guy in the NHL cause the best of them find ways to win. Good at them in general

Did the flying up the right wing poor angle shot, puck went the other way and LV scored with 7 seconds left in the 1st. Very poor puck management choice there despite the clock running out

Good first shift in period 2, high slot shot opportunity saved, retrieved, fed the point, eventually got fed back in the middle and he tried to look for an option but gave up the puck on a nifty behind the back pass to himself on the boards. 2 Phantoms were on him there

Good rush mid-2nd corralled a tough pass and had a chance on net


Cossa: C
• Wasn't tested in the 1st all until the goal where he got fooled and left space between his pads. He got sniped for goal #2, glove side. It was a partial 2 on 1 where Wallinder took the puck carrier. The other Phantom had a Griffin on his back but was still ahead of him. Unsure if Cossa was not fully focused on the shooter because he saw that. Either way, Wallinder playing the puck carrier again wasn't what I'd hoped he'd have done. Let Cossa have the shooter

3rd goal was very bad, should have had the save and it squeaks 5-hole

4th goal Lombardi threw a pass that got intercepted and tipped out from the LV zone, then Richard blew by everyone and went top shelf on the breakaway

Good saves early in the 2nd. Tough result though. Need a better effort next time


Mazur: A-
• All alone in front had all day, turned and tried to tuck it in but lost the handle. Later in the 1st he got in behind the defense and tried to tuck it 5-hole but Gahagan stopped him

Chipped a nice pass through the D to a streaking Danielson who shoveled a backhand that was saved. Tried to go upstairs in Gahagan but the glove was there

Empty net he got stopped on the doorstep trying to go upstairs, great chance

Good support defensively


Lombardi: A-
• NICE play taking the pass from down low and dropped a soft backhand dish right in Doucet's wheelhouse and he buried 5-hole

Only Griffins PP tonight had so much more jump now that's he back. Quick puck movement, willingness to shoot

Nifty, shifty player in tight space. You've seen his early season highlights pulling off some gnarly moves

Start of the 2nd he was grinding out his man behind his own net, eventually worked a breakout where he slipped a backhand pass to the streaking Gettinger who got stopped

I still think he's got some net front defensive awareness to work on. He gets floating around a bit and doesn't time his reads well. You can see he itches to leave the zone. He's decent when he's engaged defensively, which is not 100% of the time. Cossa had to bail him out mid-2nd due to his missed coverage. Missed coverage earlier but thankfully didn't amount to a chance against


Wallinder: A-
• I think that was one of his better games overall. I thought he was quite good with slowing down or stopping up, then taking a moment and looking for a safer play to make. Quicker and more conviction with his decision making with the puck. Moved the puck with better vision and accuracy

Some good mustard on a couple shots he took. Had a good rush entering the zone where he weaved in and just ripped it wide

He is generally solid at rush defense. He was better today at getting body position on his man. Mostly saw that against the rush, but good job there by him


Buium: B+
• Late 2nd had a nice offensive zone shift playing give and go with Lombardi

His play along the boards sealing off his man seems to be involving more physicality. You can tell he's not used to it but hopefully he continues to make that part of his game because that'll be key to how he sticks in the NHL


Tuomisto: A-
• Great physical defense giving his man little space to work with. Good choices with puck under pressure. Very solid puck movement. Once again showing some puck skills in the offensive zone and making plays instead of just throwing the puck into the corner


Becher: A
• Good puck support defensively, created breakouts twice because of his reads and quick decisions with the puck. He is coming out of scrumbs with the puck, more often than not. Great signs early on from him

Great read as he was high at the point waiting for Johannes' pressure to force a bad play where the puck was flung up the middle, and just inside the blueline he batted down and then controlled the puck with 2 Phantoms on him, made a nifty backhand pass to Johannes who took a shot on goal from distance that was saved

I've actually found him to be have a decent puck touch along the boards. Looking for that to develop as it's an underrated skill

The line had a sick chance in the 3rd great puck movement and Becher soft touch pass to Johannes who cut in and somehow Gahagan got a toe on it...

Late 3rd Johannes caught him streaking in and he let off a backhand that almost fooled the goalie

How would you describe our vets down there? I could totally be off but it seems like we have less skill in that area than in the past with maybe only Snively being a real offensive guy from past numbers.

There seems to be a heavier reliance on the youth to score.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

How would you describe our vets down there? I could totally be off but it seems like we have less skill in that area than in the past with maybe only Snively being a real offensive guy from past numbers.

There seems to be a heavier reliance on the youth to score.

Vets at forward are not great offensively. I'd say that Dries and Shine are the smartest with the best overall skill package IMO. I'll give the edge to Shine because of his physical nature.

Snively has been okay at finishing but he's not very fast nor a very adept passer

Watson's stamina has seemingly taken a notable hit and he's gotten slower as the season has worn on. His hands have also suffered

Gettinger is not a good finisher and also not physical at all for a 6'6 guy

The veterans on defense are not offensively inclined with the exception of Rafferty, who's got some flaws even in his offensive ability

 

[schuelma24]

Vets at forward are not great offensively. I'd say that Dries and Shine are the smartest with the best overall skill package IMO. I'll give the edge to Shine because of his physical nature.

Snively has been okay at finishing but he's not very fast nor a very adept passer

Watson's stamina has seemingly taken a notable hit and he's gotten slower as the season has worn on. His hands have also suffered

Gettinger is not a good finisher and also not physical at all for a 6'6 guy

The veterans on defense are not offensively inclined with the exception of Rafferty, who's got some flaws even in his offensive ability

In my admittedly non expert opinion..they really miss Ed and Aljo on D transitioning the puck. Wallinder ain't it. Also doesn't help that Lagesson has been the on call D for the Wings going on a month..

 

[saska sault]

Vets at forward are not great offensively. I'd say that Dries and Shine are the smartest with the best overall skill package IMO. I'll give the edge to Shine because of his physical nature.

Snively has been okay at finishing but he's not very fast nor a very adept passer

Watson's stamina has seemingly taken a notable hit and he's gotten slower as the season has worn on. His hands have also suffered

Gettinger is not a good finisher and also not physical at all for a 6'6 guy

The veterans on defense are not offensively inclined with the exception of Rafferty, who's got some flaws even in his offensive ability

Gettinger has been plagued by that since his junior days. He was a monster in junior but played a fragile game at times.

PS love the reports from GR. Thanks for that. Always a joy to read.

 

[19 for president]

Vets at forward are not great offensively. I'd say that Dries and Shine are the smartest with the best overall skill package IMO. I'll give the edge to Shine because of his physical nature.

Snively has been okay at finishing but he's not very fast nor a very adept passer

Watson's stamina has seemingly taken a notable hit and he's gotten slower as the season has worn on. His hands have also suffered

Gettinger is not a good finisher and also not physical at all for a 6'6 guy

The veterans on defense are not offensively inclined with the exception of Rafferty, who's got some flaws even in his offensive ability

That kind of aligns with what I was thinking to some degree. Griffs lost a lot of scoring with Berg, Ed, Aljo, and Kasper all graduating. Now Soder's likely graduated. Then you've swapped some more skilled vet guys like Hirose/ Czarnik for more gritty vet guys, and you are bound to see some drop off. Obviously we added Danielson, and Becher (Buium full time to an extent) but that is still a lot of skill to lose. Losing the two more AHL seasoned skilled kids in Mazur and Ammo for extended periods of time hasn't helped either.

​

[B]schuelma24[/B] note about losing the transition game to some degree with Ed & Aljo leaving is big too. Of the dmen there now who would you say has the best outlet pass, Buium?​

 

[Our Lady Peace]

In my admittedly non expert opinion..they really miss Ed and Aljo on D transitioning the puck. Wallinder ain't it. Also doesn't help that Lagesson has been the on call D for the Wings going on a month..

100%. A team needs a guy or two who can fire the puck up ice and push the pace. Buium is probably the best bet and hopefully he can secure the top pair LD spot next season. Tuomisto is decent at it but it's not the type of defenseman he is. Wallinder is in year two with GR and he shows little confidence in that regard. I hate to say this, but I don't see him moving his needle very much off of what he currently is

Lagesson missing has been a bummer for sure

Gettinger has been plagued by that since his junior days. He was a monster in junior but played a fragile game at times.

PS love the reports from GR. Thanks for that. Always a joy to read.

Appreciate it, as well as everyone's continued support here