Jonatan Berggren continued his excellent offensive play to help Grand Rapids win one out of three road games last week. The Griffins opened the week on Thursday morning with a 6-3 loss in Iowa. Berggren paced the Griffins with two power-play goals. Cross Hanas also scored for Grand Rapids. Both teams returned for a Friday evening tilt, with the Griffins pulling out a 5-4 OT win. Joel L’Esperance, Donovan Sebrango, and Givani Smith scored in the first period. Taro Hirose scored with under five minutes remaining in the third period to force overtime. Jonatan Berggren scored the game-winner on a penalty shot 1:16 into OT. On Saturday, the Griffins traveled to Rockford and came out on the short end of a 4-1 game. Cross Hanas scored his fifth goal of the season for Grand Rapids.
The Griffins now sit in fourth place in the Central Division with a 5-5-0 record.
Player Preview: Jonatan Berggren
Jonatan Berggren played all three games in three nights for the Griffins last week. On Thursday, Berggren scored two goals on the power play in a 6-3 loss in Iowa. On Friday, Berggren scored the game-winner on a penalty shot to give the Griffins a 5-4 victory. Berggren also picked up two assists and earned the game’s first star.
On the season, Berggren has four goals, three assists, seven points, and a -6 rating. All of Berggren’s points came during a five-game span in seven days.
Detroit Red Wings Prospects Update
Taro Hirose played all three games last week. Hirose picked up one assist on Thursday, and one goal on Friday before having his five-game point streak snapped on Saturday. Hirose now leads the Griffins with two goals, eight assists, and ten points in ten games.
Simon Edvinsson played all three games for the Griffins last week. He chipped in with two assists and continues to lead all Grand Rapids defensemen in scoring. Edvinsson has one goal, seven assists, eight points, and a -2 rating in nine games.
Cross Hanas played all three games last week. He scored two goals and continues to lead all Griffins rookies with five goals on the season. Hanas has also chipped in with two assists and has seven points in ten games to start his rookie season in the AHL.
Jared McIsaac played all three games last week. McIsaac picked up one assist during the week. In ten games this season, McIsaac has five assists and a +2 rating.
Steven Kampfer played all three games last week. He picked up one assist and has four assists in ten games for the Griffins.
Donovan Sebrango scored one goal in three games last week. Sebrango has two goals, one assist, three points, and an even +/- rating in seven games to start the season.
Pontus Andreasson picked up two assists and was the second star in Friday’s win in Iowa. In nine games to start his AHL career, Andreasson has three assists and leads the Griffins with a +5 rating.
Albert Johansson played all three games last week and is still searching for his first AHL points. In nine games, Johansson has a -2 rating and six shots on goal to start his AHL career.
Victor Brattstrom played 27 minutes in the Thursday matinee and recorded the win on Friday. Brattstrom made 40 saves on 45 shots during 89 minutes of playing time last week. Brattstrom has a 2-0-0 record in four games this season, a 3.79 GAA, and a .890 SV%.
Jussi Olkinuora lost both of his starts this week. He made 47 saves on 55 shots in just over 91 minutes of playing time. In six games this season, Olkinuora has a record of 2-4-0, a 4.11 GAA, and a .872 SV%.
Next Week
Grand Rapids play three games this week. They begin the trip traveling to Cleveland on Wednesday to play the Monsters. Game time is 7:00 PM ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. The Griffins will host the Toronto Marlies for a pair of games Friday and Saturday. Game time for both games is 7:00 PM ET at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI.
