His first season as a pro in North America was delayed by injury. But Antti Tuomisto has made up for lost time.

The 6-4 Finnish defenseman, taken with the No. 35 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, spent last season in Finland (TPS Turku) after playing the previous two years at the University of Denver. A shoulder injury sustained in practice early in this season sidelined him until mid-December.

Since then, he has played in 45 games, with five goals and 12 assists and a plus-minus of +7, gaining the admiration of his teammates, and attention from the highest levels of the Red Wings organization.

The post Tuomisto GR Development Drawing Attention in Detroit (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

With the Grand Rapids Griffins firmly in the AHL playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings and their affiliate have made some moves with the future in mind.

The Griffins signed North Dakota forward Hunter Johannes to an amateur tryout contract for 2024 and standard American Hockey League player contract beginning next season on Wednesday. He joins forward Emmitt Finnie (No. 201, 2023) and goalie Carter Gylander (No. 191, 2019), who signed similar contracts with the Red Wings last month.

Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson says adding the trio now should give them a head start on next season.

“We want to make sure (they) come in and and sees what the American League is all about,” he said. “You can get these kids a head start into what’s expected, so they’re prepared for pro hockey. I think it’s a great step in the right direction for their development.”

Additions To Contribute Immediately

Finnie has already played in two games for the Griffins after a standout season at Kamloops of the WHL. He’s the second of the Red Wings’ 2023 draft picks to sign with Detroit. It’s not a given that an NHL team would sign a seventh-round pick, but the Red Wings liked the growth in Finnie’s game this season enough to give him a contract.

Gylander, 22, joins fellow 2019 draftees Antti Tuomisto, Albert Johansson and Elmer Soderblom on the Griffins roster. The 6-4, 165-pound goalie recently finished his college career at Colgate. He backstopped the Raiders to their first ECAC championship in more than 30 years in 2022-23. He was 14-14-4 with a 2.93 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season.

“Carter Gylander helped make Colgate a solid NCAA team,” said NHL draft analyst and NHLdraftbuzz.com owner Russ Cohen. “He stays on his knees a lot since he’s 6’5″. He has a very effective blocker and his leg saves are quick and he’s good at directing the puck to the corners to keep the play going. His glove is ok, it could be better. He has quick covers and he is rarely out of position. Gylander hugs the post well. Sometimes gives up the low goal when he has to move from post to post. I think he may be a future NHL backup.”

Johannes, 25, played in 31 games for North Dakota.This despite a lower-body injury that sidelined him for much of the second half of the season. The 6-3, 210-pound forward scored 12 goals with seven assists for North Dakota.

Watson said Johannes will add a size element to the Griffins.

“Our expectations are he’s going to come in, get some minutes, get some games and see how he does,” Watson said. “So we’re excited about it. We’re excited to have fresh faces in that locker room in the lineup. It does create some energy.”

For now, Johannes’ contract is owned by the Griffins. But the Red Wings will obviously be able to watch him, especially next season.

The post Griffins Bring in Prospects to Get A Taste of the AHL appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

GRAND RAPIDS — It didn’t take long for Sebastian Cossa to adjust to the American Hockey League.

After a slow start at the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects camp in Traverse City, Cossa has found his way in the AHL. He’s been a major factor in the Grand Rapids Griffins’ rise this season, including a seven-week stretch in which the Griffins went 18 games without a regulation loss.

He’s currently riding a 12-game points streak (7-0-5) and hasn’t had a regulation loss since Jan. 12. A GAA of 2.60 and a save percentage of .910 speak to a consistency that has impressed the Red Wings, including GM Steve Yzerman. “He’s getting much stronger as the season has gone on.”

The post Griffins Coach Sees Cossa in a ‘Groove’ Now (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It would be entirely incorrect to suggest that there isn’t a scenario in which the Detroit Red Wings would be moving forward Jonatan Berggren prior to today’s NHL trade deadline.

For instance, were Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland to call up Steve Yzerman and offer Connor McDavid straight up for Berggren, Stevie Y is gonna make that deal.

Don’t hold your breath, because that outcome isn’t happening.

On the other hand, are there realistic proposals that could involve Berggren finding himself in a new home by 3 p.m. ET today?

BerggrenAttention theres a leak in Iowa!!! Jonatan Berggren slips one pass Wallstedt!

Griffins up 1#GoGRG #LGRW pic.twitter.com/BSzCWzfDwJ

— Hockeytown West Podcast (@HockeytownWpod) March 2, 2024

That’s a scenario which is truly difficult to envision, because the fact of the matter is if you are the Red Wings brass, do you really want to be trading Berggren?

Everywhere he’s been since coming to North America in 2021, he’s put the puck in the net. He counted 21 goals for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins in 2021-22 and his 64 points were a club rookie record. Splitting last season between GR and Detroit, Berggren was good for 19 goals. This season, a campaign again split between the Red Wings and Griffins, Berggren’s stats sheet is showing 21 goals and 52 points through 51 games.

“He’s got some takeaway speed at this level.” Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson said of Berggren. “He sees the ice extremely well, he can make plays under pressure. He can make plays in tight areas. And he loves to have the puck on his stick.”

In 76 NHL games, Berggren is showing 17-16-33 totals. And that’s without getting significant time on top-six forward units or with the power play. What could Berggren produce in a more pronounced NHL role? Not finding out that answer before dealing Berggren could come back to haunt the Red Wings.

Berggren Loyal Soldier For Red Wings

Then there’s Berggren’s attitude, which has been nothing short of spectacular. After scoring 15 goals in 67 games for the Red Wings last season, he didn’t bat an eye when given a return assignment to Grand Rapids out of training camp.

“(Being sent down) can set guys back mentally (and) can get guys in a bad mindset,” Watson said. “But with (Berggren), he got sent down and played four games in four nights without complaint. He just went and did it. He just went to work.”

Jonatan Berggren gives the Grand Rapids Griffins the 1-0 lead over the Cleveland Monsters 3:53 into the game.

Pavel Cajan was just a bit slow with his reaction. #GoGRG #CLEMonsters @FPC_AHL pic.twitter.com/AZNI3JdTXU

— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) March 5, 2024

While pro sports is first and foremost a business, the fact that Berggren has done everything asked of him by the organization matters. There are other young prospects watching the example he’s setting. If his reward was a ticket out of town, it might make some of them have second thoughts about their own loyalty to the Red Wings cause.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Red Wings might trade Berggren today. But for that to happen, it’s going to take a pretty sweet deal.

The post What Would It Take For Red Wings To Move Berggren? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Marco Kasper got off to a slow start this season, as did the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Red Wings’ top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft scored a goal in his third game of the season, then went six weeks before lighting the lamp again. That goal was followed by a seven-game pointless streak.

But he didn’t quit working. And as he adjusted to a new league and a new life in North America, results began to show.

The post Marco Kasper Takes Development Leap in Griffins Streak (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

It’s been quite a renaissance for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

They have fully recovered from a slow start (losing nine of 11 games) to producing a points streak that has hit 18 games going into tonight’s game at Cleveland. The Griffins can tie the team record of points in 19 in a row tonight by picking up a point against the Columbus Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate.

Grand Rapids, a team brimming with prospects under first-year coach Dan Watson, is 13-0-3-2 in the streak, including three overtime losses and two in shootouts. It hasn’t suffered a regulation loss since Jan. 12.

“We’ve been meshing pretty well as a team and getting pretty close and I think it’s kind of translating to the ice as well,” forward Cross Hanas said. “And I think we’re just having a lot more fun together out there.”

Part of the reason for the slow start, Hanas said, was an influx of young players.  They needed time to adjust to hockey at the AHL level.

“At the beginning of (2024) we were starting to trend that way.  But some of the results were kind of not going our way,” he said. “But all those games are good for us as a team and as a unit throughout the season.  I think as of lately a lot of the results have been coming our way with the points and the wins.  We’ve been better in our D zone, which has been translating to the offensive zone. We’ve been putting the puck in the back of the net and winning games.”

Griffins Red Hot After Ice-Cold Start

The streak hit 18 when the Griffins lost 5-4 in overtime to Rockford on Saturday night. It snapped a six-game winning streak.

It’s the longest point streak for the Griffins since 2015, when Jeff Blashill was coach and the roster included the likes of Petr Mrazek, Teemu Pulkkinen, Andreas Athanasiou, Martin Frk and Anthony Mantha. That team had points in 19 consecutive games from Feb. 4 until March 20. Tyler Bertuzzi joined the Griffins in April after his Ontario Hockey League season was completed. Dylan Larkin was on that team for the playoffs after leaving the University of Michigan.

Mrazek was with the Red Wings and then was sent to Grand Rapids on Feb. 17.  He contributed to the streak by earning AHL Player of the Week honors for the week ending March 1. Mrazek posted three road wins in a row with a combined 0.67 goals-against average and .976 save percentage.

As part of that run, he had back-to-back road shutouts against the Milwaukee Admirals and Chicago Wolves. He kept rolling, recording three shutouts in four games. Mrazek gave up only two goals in a span of 247.21 minutes of playing time. He had a 0.49 GAA and .983 save percentage (117 saves on 119 shots) during his hot spell.

The Red Wings recalled him on March 9 while the Griffins points streak was still going on. Today, Mrazek is playing impressively as the Chicago Blackhawks’ starting goalie.

The Griffins, currently second in the AHL’s Central Division, will be tested tonight. They take on a Cleveland team sitting atop the AHL North. The Monsters are on a streak of their own, with points in nine of their last 10 games.

The Griffins haven’t lost to Cleveland in regulation this year, with  1-0-2-2 record against the Monsters.

The post Mrazek Was Hot Last Time The Griffins Racked Up Points Like This appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

After a slow start, the Grand Rapids Griffins are red-hot.

They ended the Milwaukee Admirals’ 19-game winning streak on Monday while extending their own points streak to 15 games (11-0-2-2) going into tonight’s home game against Iowa. This is the team’s best streak in eight years. The Griffins haven’t lost a game in regulation since Jan 12.

The Griffins have risen to second place in the Central Division during a hot streak which began during the holidays, when they were struggling in sixth place.

The post Why The Griffins Haven’t Lost in Regulation in 47 Days (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Sebastian Cossa is having the kind of season the Red Wings hoped he would have when they made him the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Monday, he was named the American Hockey League’s Player of the Week.

Last week, Cossa stopped 65 of 67 shots and recorded his first shutout as a Griffin a 1-0 blanking of Texas that lifted Grand Rapids into second place in the AHL’s Central Division.

For the season, Cossa has a 2.61 GAA and a .911 save percentage. He is 12-7-5 in 24 games, but 6-0-2 during a recent stretch that has seen Grand Rapids record at least a point in its last 15 games.

He’s the second Griffin to receive the honor this season. Marco Kasper was honored f0r the week of Jan. 21.

Routine Plays Key Role in Cossa Success

Overall, a good effort in his first season in the AHL.

“I’m pretty happy with it overall,” Cossa said last week. “I’ve definitely seen some ups and downs throughout the year. I want to finish the season strong and continue to develop here.”

Griffins coach Dan Watson says Cossa’s practice routine has played a role in his success this season, too.

“He’s into a groove now. You know, he’s got a detailed schedule of what has to be done for him to have success every single day. Working with (goaltending development coach) Roope Koistinen pretty closely here on a daily basis has really helped them. And it’s sticking with that process, even when he’s having success. It’s still sticking with what he’s doing to give him that success and not just throwing things by the wayside.”

Cossa and veteran Michael Hutchinson have provided a potent 1-2 punch in net for the Griffins, who struggled in net last season and missed the playoffs.

Their success, Watson said, helps his team’s overall confidence.

“I think it allows teams to play a little more free especially with the puck,” he said. “You know, you don’t have to worry all the time. ‘Well, you know, we can’t give up shots. We can’t give up a shot from this area of the ice. I just think it allows teams to play free with the puck.

“Good goaltending back there and it takes that pressure off,” he continued. “It allows our D to play a little more aggressively. If they get beat, they know they have someone there to stop the puck on the back end of it. So we trust our goaltenders immensely.”

The post Cossa Named AHL Player of the Week appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Cross Hanas’ first two years of pro hockey is a reminder that a young player’s journey is rarely a straight line. There are detours and sidetracks, due to injury or ineffectiveness or simple bad luck.

Hanas, drafted 55th overall in 2020, has been held back by injuries. He missed 42 games last year in Grand Rapids, including the last 30 contests.

The post Griffins Coach Dan Watson: Hanas ‘Getting Better Looks’ (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

GRAND RAPIDS — Jonatan Berggren is playing a waiting game this season.

He’s only played nine games in the NHL this season after spending most of last season in Detroit.

Disappointment naturally sets in after being set down, but if Berggren is bothered by it, he hasn’t shown in his play.The Swedish standout had a goal and two assists to help the Griffins down the Belleville Senators 6-4 Saturday for their fifth consecutive win. Berggren had six points in two weekend wins against the Senators.

The post Berggren Six-Point Weekend Keeps Griffins on Roll (+) appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.