There I was, in a parking garage across from Van Andel Arena.
It was already a long day, working in the morning and a two-hour-long car ride, which seemed to drag on forever. My hungry tummy didn’t help things, either. As my sister finished getting her sweatshirt from the car, I led the charge to the glass elevator. I had a nice view of the crazy line beginning to snake along the sidewalk surrounding the arena.
Pressing the button with one hand, holding my pizza slice in the other, I figured it would be a minute before our chariot arrived. Not this time.
Luckily for me (not), it came right away. As an anxious person already, the exhaustion and mob of strangers didn’t help things. Looking at the selections on the elevator panel, I searched for the starred letter but couldn’t find it. My pea-sized brain figured “L” for lobby would be the best selection.
As I held the door open with my foot for the strangers, pressed the button with one of my hands, and munched on the pizza slice in the other, I noticed more zombies extending the line.
Taking charge, as she normally did, my sister asked if I had hit the right button while the doors to freedom shut. “Yes—L for lobby,” I responded
The direction of the elevator told a different ending. Instead of descending to the depths below, the elevator rose higher above the crowd. Driving the point home, my captain obvious of a sister exclaimed L is for the roof.
As much as I would have loved to shrivel into a dark hole, surrounded by people I couldn’t even hide in a corner.
Eventually, we made it to the ground level, and the poor people dispersed.
As The Rolling Stones sing, “You can’t always get what you want.”
Whether it’s getting to the correct floor on an elevator the first time or having an easy first couple of games on professional ice in North America, things don’t always go according to plan.
Detroit Red Wings prospects Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård made their debut for the Grand Rapids Griffins
The hype trains for the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) turned American Hockey League (AHL) players left the station Friday night.
The duo made their way to Rockford, Illinois, where the Grand Rapids Griffins took on the Rockford IceHogs.
As the night unfolded, we saw both players learning a lot about the AHL. It’s a bit of a different animal. While the SHL has marathon skating and skills, the AHL replaces these facets with sprints and brutality.
Neither player seemed overwhelmed or out of place. However, it was clear that the night demanded more from both players than originally intended.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka started on the second pairing, a move I agreed with as it would provide enough ice time and challenge while we see how Sandin-Pellikka adjusts to the new style of hockey (and systems, teammates, etc.). Michael Brandsegg-Nygård played as a third-line winger. Not my first choice, but Grand Rapids has a pretty set top-six. Plus, Brandsegg-Nygård can fill a bottom-six role pretty well given his skillset.
As mentioned in his interview on the broadcast, head coach of the Griffins, Dan Watson, said Sandin-Pellikka would get time on the power play. Taking full advantage of the extra time and space, Sandin-Pellikka put on a show for Grand Rapids Griffins fans.
Sandin-Pellikka even earned his first assist (and point) in North America (as a professional).
At five-on-five, Sandin-Pellikka played okay, all things considered. New environment, systems, country, teammates, and playing style all made for a challenging night.
Then, after the third period officially ended, things took a turn in the game. Returning the favor for checking Sebastian Cossa as the opponent so pleased, Griffins’ forward, Austin Watson, decided he would say hi to a few IceHogs in the goal crease.
Plenty of dance partners took shape, and before too long, another Rockford player wanted to partake. Jumping off the bench to aid his fellow Hogs, two Grand Rapids players didn’t like that, so they hopped on the ice from the bench as well.
Unfortunately for all three players, it’s not something the AHL permits. All three players were thrown out of the game and subsequently suspended for one game for their actions. Even worse for the beat-up Grand Rapids Griffins, they were two of their defensemen who played some of the most minutes for the team.
Shai Buium and Anton Johansson might not be making the same-sized waves that Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson made with Grand Rapids, but they are two of the most promising defensive prospects in the Detroit Red Wings organization. Especially with Johansson, he played top-line right-handed defensemen duties the last few games, embracing some of the hardest minutes the team had to offer. He's looked so good, in fact, I wonder if he might stay in Grand Rapids next season.
This lack of right-handed defense left Sandin-Pellikka and Antti Tuomisto as the only right-handed shooting defensemen left in the Griffins’ lineup. Although the team wanted to ease Sandin-Pellikka into his role, circumstances demanded he play more minutes and against higher levels of competition than everyone planned.
Sandin-Pellikka gave his best efforts in the 20 minutes of Hell.
I can’t fault anybody in this situation. Johansson and Buium were trying to help their teammates (not in the best way, but I empathize with the thought process…Also, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the two just wanted to help clean up some equipment, which is exactly what Johansson did after the referees spoke to him).
For my assessment, I kind of throw the third period out the window as it’s not an appropriate measure of Sandin-Pellikka. Anyone who tells you he failed in his first outing is sorely mistaken. They’re also mistaken if they’re comparing him to Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar. Let Sandin-Pellikka find his own path before jumping to conclusions, please.
As for Brandsegg-Nygård, his output in the game mirrored Sandin-Pellikka, as he showed well on the power play. Five-on-five play for Brandsegg-Nygård was okay; it looked like he was adjusting to the speed and lack of space.
Also in the third period, Griffins forwards Watson and Dominik Shine spent 10 minutes in the box for their extracurricular activities. As such, Brandsegg-Nygård likely played more than anyone anticipated, as both Shine and Watson were scheduled to play top-six minutes. Fortunately, though, for Brandsegg-Nygård, there were other players who could help fill the void, so the demand wasn’t extraordinarily high (like it was for Sandin-Pellikka).
Game two in their North American professional careers saw Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygård in another challenging situation. It was the second game in two nights, plus a four-hour bus trip in between. It couldn’t have been an easy turnaround, as I still reckon they’re getting over the time change from Sweden to the US, not to mention all the other changes their facing as well.
With Johansson suspended for their game Saturday night, Sandin-Pellikka had the privilege of suiting up as the number one right-handed defenseman for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Meanwhile, Brandsegg-Nygård remained on the third line.
Both players looked better and worse than their Friday night debut.
I am convinced that Sandin-Pellikka is a wizard, at least on the power play. Brandsegg-Nygård is still looking to activate his beast switch, which will likely flick on as he gets more comfortable in his role. Also, as he understands the ins and outs of the AHL, I think he’s really going to embrace the physical play. It’s something that wasn’t allowed in the SHL, so I think it might take him a few games to wake that side of his game up, but once he does, just look out. Both Sandin-Pellikka and Brandsegg-Nygård will be worth the price of admission alone.
Although William Wallinder might make a nice partner for Sandin-Pellikka, I think I still prefer Sandin-Pellikka on the second pairing. Johansson has handled the increased role well and played nicely alongside Wallinder, who has desperately needed a consistent defensive partner. Sandin-Pellikka will fit in nicely on the second defensive pairing with Buium over this playoff run.
Brandsegg-Nygård’s new linemates include ever-growing fan favorite Emmitt Finnie and Ondřej Becher. Finnie is a seventh-round pick who is always ready to go. On the other hand, Becher is a third-round pick who has started to come on strong throughout the last stretch of the season. These two players seem to complement Brandsegg-Nygård’s playing style well and should make an interesting third line.
Fortunately, the banged-up Grand Rapids Griffins don’t play again until April 29, when they host the Texas Stars at the infamous Van Andel Arena.
I highly recommend Red Wings fans attend, just make sure you press the right button on the elevator. Or, if you are able to, just take the stairs. It’s easier to find the down option.