Begging for Jonatan Berggren’s villain era for the Grand Rapids Griffins

The Grand Rapids Griffins played an okay period and a half of hockey, then dominated the second half of the game (plus most of overtime) Saturday night in Rockford, Illinois. 

There were many bright spots. The expected budding stars Jonatan Berggren, Sebastian Cossa, Albert Johansson, and Simon Edvinsson all played vital roles in the outcome. It was veteran forward Dominik Shine who got the gang back in it, though. Of course, it was a result of a tremendous play from Edvinsson, where Shine tucked the puck in the five-hole of the opposing goalie and cut the Grand Rapids Griffins' deficit in half.

These adjustments are necessary for the Grand Rapids Griffins to win game 2 of the series, as the opponent will only get nastier. 

While I hear the people asking for Lord Elmer Söderblom to join the mix, he’s still recovering from a long flu bug. The VP/Broadcaster of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Bob Kaser (@bkaser1), stated during Saturday’s game that Söderblom is focusing on conditioning and getting back into game shape after his illness. It’s a bummer for sure, but I’m just glad he’s okay. He will be good to go soon, but Wednesday’s game would be premature. 

Here are some adjustments and players who would help improve the Grand Rapids Griffins Wednesday night. 

Amadeus Lombardi to remain at the wing.

Last night, it seemed like Joel L’Esperance and Amadeus Lombardi might have shared center duties. When Lombardi was wheeling and dealing, looking the best I’ve seen him play, it was at wing. Maybe it’s fortuitous, as it might be the best way forward for Lombardi. His skill is allowed to dazzle at the wing as opposed to the center position. Whether it’s trying to do too much or something else, Lombardi seems miles ahead in development on the wing.

He played confidently, effectively, and thoughtfully at times.  Even finishing this beautiful play as Hockeytown West Podcast (@HockeytownWpod) posted on Twitter.com (X):

A topic for a longer discussion might be that Lombardi may be better suited to the wing full-time, as it works better for his game and possibly for the Detroit Red Wings organization. Although uncertainty is the only certainty in life, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, along with Dylan Larkin and JT Compher, seem to have strangleholds on the center positions now and in the near future. Our winger depth, however, is shallow and begging for help. Lombardi might be a missing piece for the wing position. It might expedite his development path, as well. 

Hunter Johannes should draw back into the fold

Former University of North Dakota forward Hunter Johannes signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins in early April 2023. I’m not sure if he drew Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson’s attention early on, but it seemed like Johannes logged quite a bit of ice time in his six-game stint to close out the regular season.  No points were recorded, but I thought he played well. 

He came in with confidence, hard-nosed, no-nonsense play that I think would be a welcomed addition to the forward group. The Grand Rapids Griffins opponent dished cross-checks and ran at players to their hearts’ content. 

The Grand Rapids Griffins should aim to match that physicality with a guy like Johannes, as he’s more than capable. He doesn’t back down, which is always helpful. 

It might be necessary to swap a guy like Tyler Spezia with Johannes, which wouldn’t be a huge change. Spezia has been the backbone of the Grand Rapids Griffins, so it’s hard to sit him. For a game or two, though, it might be interesting to see what Johannes can do in a higher-stakes game in this type of matchup.

Given the sting of an overtime loss on a play the opponent determined was a penalty against the Grand Rapids Griffins, they’ll likely be rabid. 

Wyatt Newpower could tap in too

Did someone ask for amped up physicality for the Grand Rapids Griffins?

I would feel bad if I didn’t mention Wyatt Newpower when I asked for more physical play from the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

With Johannes added up front, I think Wyatt Newpower may be a great defensive option for the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Newpower is a huge man, standing at 6’4,” he uses his size to his full advantage. He’s mean, delivers punishing hits, clears the net front, and keeps opponents honest, which may be just the ticket to a win in the second game of the series. 

Brogan Rafferty brings much-needed experience to the Grand Rapids Griffins; he went to the Calder Cup finals last season (with a different team). However, the Grand Rapids Griffins struggled to exit the zone at times when he and William Wallinder were on the ice together. 

I saw moments of brilliance from Rafferty. Far too often, though, I saw him pass to a covered teammate, opponents steal pucks from him, or fail to clear the zone. 

Wallinder struggled at times, but it seemed he didn’t as often as Rafferty. It might just be a matchup thing: Rafferty might work better against a different opponent, or maybe he needs time to adjust (the Grand Rapids Griffins had a layoff between games, so that could be part of it, too).

Newpower may be better suited for this particular series. He can match the physicality and toughness that the opponent demands. One thing that would concern me with Newpower is his discipline. For reference, in 34 games this season, Newpower clocked 58 penalty minutes (second only to Shine and tied with a mystery Grand Rapids Griffins player I’ll touch on later).

Shai Buium should enter the chat

Another backend change that could help the Grand Rapids Griffins is Shai Buium. 

If I were the Grand Rapids Griffins coaching staff, Buium would be a member of the top-six defensemen on this team.

In his first outing with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he played well. Now that he’s practiced with the team, he should play even better. 

Like Newpower, Buium can deliver big hits, but more importantly, he moves the puck out of the zone well, is smart with his positioning and decision-making, and skates well. He defends his goalie with all his might and enters the fray without question to help his teammates while possessing a mature two-way game. 

Impressively, Buium doesn’t take many penalties. In a world where specialty teams make or break games, his discipline balanced with physical play would be a welcomed sight.

I’m not sure if Newpower or Buium will draw into the lineup. It may be more likely that Coach Watson will make no changes for the second game in this series.

With Buium’s inexperience and the ever-increasing pressure, it might be a challenge to adjust to the playoffs. If anyone could do it and do it well, it is Buium. They brought him in for a reason and if he gets adjusted in this series, the Grand Rapids Griffins will reap the benefits throughout the rest of the playoffs. 

His style of play is a great fit for the Grand Rapids Griffins team both currently and in the future.

Once fully adjusted, Buium should be able to take on the opposing players' top forwards and defensemen—alleviating the likes of Edvinsson and Johansson for a few shifts each period to strut their stuff.

Buium also possesses incredible skill that could help the Grand Rapids Griffins in a matchup against the rough-and-tumble opponent.

Balanced lineup approach should continue

I will say that Coach Watson balanced his lines and defensive pairs well in the first game of the series. Seemingly, all night, he rolled all lines and pairs equally. It’s refreshing from the Detroit Red Wings coaching staff playing the same two forward lines and two defensive pairs. 

It paid off for the Grand Rapids Griffins and will likely continue throughout the series. This type of usage helps ward off injuries from overuse and exhausting the best players, breeds confidence among the entire lineup, and unexpected heroes emerge from the depths.

I would have never put money on Shine starting the comeback for the Grand Rapids Griffins, but that’s a “me” problem. It has nothing to do with Shine. Now, I have to rethink my perspective, and I’m grateful for the chance to do so. In Contrast, the Detroit Red Wings season lived and died with its top players.

If other lines and pairings struggle for the Grand Rapids Griffins, I imagine coach Watson has no trouble playing certain lines or pairs for more minutes. However, given the team's performance, it would be tough for coach Watson to make any drastic changes to lineup usage. 

Need s’more Carter Mazur-Marco Kasper-Jonatan Berggren line

I love Austin Czarnik. He’s a very competitive, determined player, but he’s no Marco Kasper. 

There were times when players ran Jonatan Berggren, but one in particular, Berggren, was sandwiched between an opponent and Czarnik. 

Berggren stood tall to take the hit and avoid hitting Czarnik. Meanwhile, Czarnik skated away after the puck. Coasting by Berggren, maybe he checked on his teammate; maybe he doesn’t. I’m not sure, but when any teammate is on the ground like that, I would rather see an overreaction than a didn’t underreaction. 

Also, I can tell that Kasper wouldn’t have skated after a puck while his teammate was lying on the ice from another cross-check. Heck, he might have made the opponent so mad beforehand that they might not have even tried going after Berggren.

The opponents know they can get away with whatever they want with Berggren. Referees and the AHL don’t seem to care about the rules of the game when it comes to Berggren. He can be cross-checked, tripped, head-locked, interfered with, hooked, and slashed without any repercussions. So, why wouldn’t opponents use this to their advantage?

At times, I think Carter Mazur attempts to alleviate these instances or provide another distraction for the opposition, but it’s not consistent in terms of results. 

The only thing the opponent loves more than targeting Berggren?

Going after Kasper after he pokes the hornets’ nest.

He knows how to get under their skin, drive them crazy, and minimize the bully effect in a lot of ways. 

The way this series is going, if Berggren doesn’t get some help protecting himself, things will go south for Berggren and the Grand Rapids Griffins. I’m not talking “Sweet Home Alabama” south, either.