2022 Grand Rapids Griffins Offseason Player Tracker

SEASON SYNOPSIS

The Grand Rapids Griffins didn’t quite have the season they were expecting to have this season. Loaded with talent like Jonatan Berggren, Riley Barber, Turner Elson, Kyle Criscuolo, and Taro Hirose, the Griffins were expected to (at the very least) make the Calder Cup Playoffs. 

Unfortunately, Grand Rapids didn’t make the playoffs, and the biggest highlight of their season came when they won six of nine games from December 31, 2021 to January 18, 2022. Due to injuries, COVID-19 protocols, and the NHL Taxi Squad, winning those games was impressive because most of them were played with a short bench. Plus, the Griffins still managed to give some of the best teams in the league fits. 

However, it just wasn’t enough to put Grand Rapids on the path towards success. Not only did they miss the playoffs, they placed last in the Central Division, 13th in the West, and 26th in the league. Despite having glimpses of light with their special teams, the Griffins ended up last in the Central with both their power play (16.7%) and their penalty kill (75.4%). Their 33-35-6-2 record and 48.7% win percentage wasn’t something Grand Rapids wanted to hang their hats on at the end of the season.

On the plus side, there were multiple players who had point streaks spanning 10 games or more in 2021-22. Criscuolo road a 10-game point streak that produced 18 points (7g, 11a) from November 20, 2021 to January 5, 2022. Both Barber and Berggren are riding regular season point streaks into the 2022-23 season. Barber’s 17-game point streak started on March 22 and Berggren’s 11-game point streak started on April 6. Their consistency helped power the Griffins to the end of the season. 

(List accurate as of December 16th at 5:00pm CT)

UNDER CONTRACT AND RE-SIGNINGS

Affiliation

• Grand Rapids Griffins – Signed five-year extension on their affiliate agreement with the Detroit Red Wings on July 25, 2022

Forwards

• Jonatan Berggren – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract
• Kyle Criscuolo – Last year of two-year, two-way NHL contract
• Joseph Veleno – Last year of entry-level contract
• Taro Hirose – Signed two-year, two-way NHL contract extension on May 21
• Trenton Bliss – Signed AHL contract for the rest of 2021-22 and 2022-23 on March 30
• Drew Worrad – Signed AHL contract for the rest of 2021-22 and 2022-23 on March 30
• Dominik Shine – Signed two-year AHL contract extension on May 26
• Tyler Spezia – Signed two-year AHL contract extension on May 26
• Kirill Tyutyayev – Signed one-year AHL contract extension on June 16
• Chase Pearson – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on July 20
• Brett McKenzie – Signed an ECHL contract with the Toledo Walleye on August 16 (played 44 games for Grand Rapids in 2021-22)

Defensemen

• Seth Barton – Last year of entry-level contract
• Jared McIsaac – Last year of entry-level contract
• Wyatt Newpower – Last year of two-year, two-way NHL contract
• Donovan Sebrango – First year of entry-level contract
• Brian Lashoff – Signed one-year AHL contract extension on May 25

Goaltenders

• Victor Brattstrom – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on June 24

NEW ADDITIONS

Forwards

• Elmer Soderblom – First year of entry-level contract (played for Frolunda HC of SHL in 2021-22)
• Cross Hanas – Signed a three-year, entry-level contract on March 16 (played for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL in 2021-22)
• Pontus Andreasson – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract on May 16 (played for Lulea HF of SHL in 2021-22)
• Cedric Lacroix – Signed one-year AHL contract on July 11 (played for the Chicago Wolves & Tucson Roadrunners and the ECHL’s Indy Fuel in 2021-22)
• Austin Czarnik – Signed two-year, two-way NHL contract on July 13 (played for Bridgeport Islanders of AHL in 2021-22)
• Joel L’Esperance – Signed two-year AHL contract on July 13  (played for Texas Stars of AHL in 2021-22)
• Matt Luff – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 13 (played for Milwaukee Admirals of AHL in 2021-22)

Defensemen

• Eemil Viro – First year of entry-level contract (played for TPS of Liiga in 2021-22)
• Albert Johansson – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract (played for Färjestad BK of the SHL in 2021-22)
• Simon Edvinsson – Signed three-year, entry-level contract on April 24 (played for Frölunda HC of the SHL in 2021-22)
• Robert Hägg – Signed a one-year, one-way NHL contract on July 25 (played for Buffalo and Florida in 2021-22)

Goaltenders

• Jussi Olkinuora – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract on June 15 (played for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL in 2021-22)
• John Lethemon – Signed one-year AHL contract on July 2 (played for Ontario Reign and ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits in 2021-22)

DEPARTURES

Forwards

• Hayden Verbeek – Signed one-year contract with HK Spisska Nova Ves of Slovakia on May 24
• Dennis Yan – Signed one-year contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of KHL on July 4
• Riley Barber – Signed one-year, two-way NHL contract with Dallas Stars on July 14
• Turner Elson – Signed two-year, two-way NHL contract with New York Rangers on July 14
• Patrick Curry – Signed one-year, two-way AHL contract with Iowa Wild of AHL on July 19
• Josh Dickinson – Signed a one-year contract with MoDo Hockey of HockeyAllsvenskan on August 20
• Jonathon Martin – Signed a one-year, two-way AHL contract with the Calgary Wranglers on October 3

Defensemen

• Ryan Murphy – Signed one-year contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL on June 29
• Dan Renouf – Signed two-year, two-way NHL contract with Boston Bruins on July 13

Goaltenders

• Calvin Pickard – Signed two-year, two-way NHL contract with Edmonton Oilers on July 13
• Kaden Fulcher – Signed with the ECHL’s Reading Royals on December 16; not extended qualifying offer on July 11

FREE AGENTS

Defensemen

• Butrus Ghafari – UFA

(Special thanks to CapFriendly and Elite Prospects for all the contract terms and definitions for this offseason player tracker!)

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Other 2022 AHL Off Season Trackers :

Pacific

• Abbotsford Canucks

• Bakersfield Condors

• Calgary Wranglers

• Coachella Valley Firebirds

• Colorado Eagles

• Henderson Silver Knights

• Ontario Reign

• San Diego Gulls

• San Jose Barracuda

• Tucson Roadrunners

 

Central

• Chicago Wolves

• Grand Rapids Griffins

• Iowa Wild

• Manitoba Moose

• Milwaukee Admirals

• Rockford IceHogs

• Texas Stars

 

North

• Belleville Senators

• Cleveland Monsters

• Laval Rocket

• Rochester Americans

• Syracuse Crunch

• Toronto Marlies

• Utica Comets

 

Atlantic

• Bridgeport Islanders

• Charlotte Checkers

• Hartford Wolf Pack

• Hershey Bears

• Lehigh Valley Phantoms

• Providence Bruins

• Springfield Thunderbirds
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins