A two-week gap in any schedule presents challenges, no matter the time of the season. However, it’s the reality that the Grand Rapids Griffins face right before playoffs.
Head coach of the Griffins, Dan Watson, is diligently preparing his players for their upcoming hunting trip. Tracking Moose in Manitoba can’t be easy. Hunting is something that is ingrained in Michiganders from an early age. Although the circumstances are different, it reminds me of a story.
Crunching through the snow as quietly as they could, my cousin stops and squats. He’s positioned over this small pile of little round, brown balls. He picks up a piece to sniff it, and he describes it as deer droppings. Then, he does the unthinkable. He proceeds to eat it sending his audience reeling.
We’re in full disgust until the end of the video. There’s a visible box of Raisinets foiling his masterfully crafted home movie. The crowd (our family gathering at The Cabin--a gem of a place that my aunt owns) roars with laughter.
It’s just one of many favorite hunting home movies (long before YouTube or social media), now long lost to a storage unit. Something that isn’t lost is the Griffins’ game plan for their upcoming series against the Manitoba Moose, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate to the Winnipeg Jets.
Sizing up the Manitoba Moose
Instead of searching for deer signs, Grand Rapids players and staff are watching video on both their own team and the Moose—their sworn enemy from this point forward. Instead of channeling their inner wilderness survival (or lack thereof), the Griffins are practicing as much as they can, likely hosting scrimmages with their influx of new players.
While the Griffins had a long layoff, the Moose fought for their lives. They won an impossible match up against the Milwaukee Admirals—the AHL affiliate to the Nashville Predators.
The Griffins may seem like a star-studded roster (they are) that is capable of facing any team head on (they can), but Manitoba can give any team plenty of headaches. Fortunately, the Griffins have had plenty of time to prepare for their Moose hunt.
Like any good hunt it’s important to understand the game—in this case the Manitoba Moose. Not quite the formidable animal that my mom adores, but a challenging team to play against.
Per Elite Prospects, the highest scoring players for the Moose in the regular season were as follows:
Player | Position | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mason Shaw | Center/Left Wing | 71 | 15 | 29 | 44 |
Jaret Anderson-Dolan | Forward | 72 | 13 | 23 | 36 |
Samuel Fagemo | Wing | 72 | 19 | 15 | 35 |
Phil Di Giuseppe | Winger | 72 | 15 | 20 | 35 |
Walker Dueler | Right Wing | 62 | 17 | 17 | 34 |
In the previous series, the scoring leaders included:
Player | Position | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Gustafsson | Center | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Parker Ford | Center/Right Wing | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Walker Duehr | Right Wing | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
An additional seven players had a point in the series as well.
In net the Moose have:
Isaac Poulter
Domenic DiVincentiis
Thomas Milic
Domenic DiVincentiis played in two games against the Admirals and posted a stingy 1.00 goals against average (GAA) with a .962 save percentage (SV%). Thomas Milic played in a game, but with a 3.12 GAA and a SV% at .870, it might be a tall ask. Considering there are possibly two back-to-back games in this series, though, playing two goalies may be a requirement.
Although DiVincentiis was stingy in the Manitoba’s first playoff series, as the guys from The Hockeytown West Podcast shared, the Griffins have performed well against the Moose’s goalies.
Other notable playes to watch out for
Some other notable young players to watch on the Moose:
- Brad Lambert: Center/Right Wing
- Brayden Yager: Center/Right Wing
- Danny Zhilkin: Center
- Kevin He: Left Wing
- Elias Salomonsson: Defense
- Chase Yoder: Forward
- Fabian Wagner: Center/Right Wing
- Tyrel Bauer: Defense
It should be noted that players like Kevin He and Fabian Wagner may not draw into this series, however, they may be fun to watch in upcoming seasons.
Per, “The Wait is Almost Over” by Andrew Streitel on the Griffins’ website, here’s a breakdown of wins-losses-over time losses-shootout losses for the Griffins and Moose:
In regular season play, this year: 6-1-1-0
We’re not going to talk about the all-time playoff series (9-14) record, as it doesn’t support our narrative.
What the Griffins need to do to have success against the Moose
There’s that old saying: hard work beats skill when skill doesn’t work hard.
To make sure that the Griffins aren’t cast off like the Admirals, they will have to play their game. A hard-working, quick, and skilled game.
As Watson (and The Hockeytown West Podcast emphasized and underlined in their most recent episode linked above), Grand Rapids must play with emotion—not emotional.
It’s important that the team has fun—just as my cousin and dad did making their infamous Raisinets home movie. Just be sure that they leave the candy box out of the video.
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