The Grand Rapids Griffins are having a truly memorable season, marked by outstanding results that have already shattered some historical AHL records. Equality and fierce competition are hallmarks of this league, which is why feats like those achieved by the Griffins command so much attention. In this article, we’ll leverage the glorious run of this Detroit Red Wings-affiliated franchise to revisit other teams throughout AHL history that also had dream seasons. First, we’ll examine the Griffins’ current records and review their roster to fully appreciate the magnitude of their impressive season, before delving into some of the best historical records.
The regular season is incredibly long, spanning 72 games, and it would be normal for the Griffins to ease up, which they are already doing. It’s worth remembering that the all-time best record is held by the Binghamton Rangers, who achieved a 77.5% scoring percentage with a 57-13-10 record in the 1992-93 season. To better contextualize the data we’re discussing, here are the scoring percentages achieved by the top regular-season teams over the last ten seasons:
- 2015-16: Toronto Marlies (75%)
- 2016-17: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (70.4%)
- 2017-18: Toronto Marlies (73.7%)
- 2018-19: Charlotte Checkers (72.4%)
- 2019-20: Milwaukee Admirals (71.4%)
- 2020-21: Hershey Bears (75.8%)
- 2021-22: Chicago Wolves (72.4%)
- 2022-23: Calgary Wranglers (73.6%)
- 2023-24: Hershey Bears (77.1%)
- 2024-25: Laval Rocket (70.1%).
As we can see, the 2023-24 Hershey Bears, who ultimately lifted the Calder Cup, came very close to matching the Rangers’ record.
The Griffins’ Stellar Performance in the 2025-26 Season
The Griffins’ season has been magnificent and can be compared to other franchises that also had memorable starts to their regular seasons. Specifically, if we focus on the first 25 games of competition, the Griffins posted a record of 23-1-1 (94%). Let’s look at other dazzling starts in history:
- 2005-06: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (21-1-3, 90%).
- 1992-93: Binghamton Rangers (20-2-3, 86%).
- 2004-05: Manchester Monarchs (21-3-1, 86%).
In their first 31 regular-season games, the Griffins held a record of 28-1-2, meaning their scoring percentage was an incredible 93.5%. No team in AHL history had ever reached such levels of success. As of the writing of this article, their results have naturally worsened, with a record of 4-5-1 in their last 10 matchups, bringing their overall percentage down to 81.7%, which is still excellent in itself.
Specifically, on January 23, 2026, the Griffins set a new historical record for consecutive road games with points, extending it to 17 (15-0-2) after their 2-1 victory over the Manitoba Moose. The previous record was held by the Milwaukee Admirals from the 2010-11 season with 16 consecutive games (10-0-6).
A Look at the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 2025-26 Roster
Goaltending
Starting with goaltending, we find one of the team’s cornerstones: Sebastian Cossa (born November 2002 in Hamilton), a first-round draft pick chosen by the Red Wings 15th overall in 2021. In the 2025-26 season, he boasts an impressive 92.6% save percentage. Cossa’s NHL debut with the Red Wings was on December 9, 2024, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, securing a historic 5-6 shootout victory. This was the first time in NHL history that a rookie goaltender achieved a shootout win after entering the game from the bench.
Defensive Line
The Griffins are tied with the Providence Bruins for the best team in goals allowed. On the defensive line, veteran Erik Gustafsson (born March 1992 in Nynäshamn, Sweden), drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (92nd overall) in 2012, stands out. In the 22 games he has played so far, he has achieved 18 assists and 2 goals, truly outstanding figures. Alongside him, the Finnish Antti Tuomisto (born January 2001 in Pori), drafted by the Red Wings in the second round (35th overall) in 2019, has played all games with a record of 6 goals and 12 assists.
Continuing along the blue line, we must mention another Swede, William Wallinder (born July 2002 in Solleftea), drafted in the second round (32nd overall) in 2020. Canadian Ian Mitchell (born January 1999 in St. Albert) has also played a prominent role on the defensive line; he was drafted in the second round (57th overall) in 2017 by the Chicago Blackhawks. Adding an exotic note to the Griffins’ defense is Alex Kannok Leipert, born in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, in July 2000, and drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2018 in the sixth round (161st overall). Leipert’s father, an English teacher in Thailand, married there, and the family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, when Alex was five; the youngster fell in love with ice hockey attending Regina Pats games. We’ll conclude this tour of the Griffins’ blue line by mentioning a veteran like Justin Holl (born January 1992 in Tonka Bay), drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 in the second round (54th overall); he is a defenseman with proven NHL experience, having played 421 games divided between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.
Offensive Line
Consistent with their excellent results, the Griffins are the best team in the league in goals scored per game with 3.47. The player with the highest number of points is John Leonard, who in 32 games has accumulated 40 points (26 goals and 14 assists). Leonard, born in August 1998, is a left winger currently in the prime of his career, with previous NHL experience playing 79 games for the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, and Detroit Red Wings. Another attacking pillar for these Griffins is Sheldon Dries, a center born in April 1994, who has played 122 NHL games for the Colorado Avalanche and Vancouver Canucks. Right winger Dominik Shine is another offensive reference; born in April 1993 in Detroit, Shine has brief NHL experience with only 9 games but is one of the franchise’s important players, having been with them since the 2016-17 season after finishing his collegiate career competing in the WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) for Northern Michigan University.
One of the best pieces of news for the Michigan franchise is the strong performance of Norwegian rookie right winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, drafted by the Red Wings in the first round (15th overall) in 2024. Born in Oslo in October 2005, and developed in Swedish hockey with Skelleftea, he has already played 9 games with the Red Wings. Brandsegg-Nygard is the Griffins’ leading assistant. Another Nordic forward, Latvian Eduards Tralmaks, born in Riga in February 1997, plays a significant role in the offense, being the second-highest goal scorer after Leonard and also boasting the team’s highest +/- rating. Amadeus Lombardi, a center with several seasons of AHL experience (always with the Griffins, having come from the Flint Firebirds of the OHL), is one of the team’s best assistants.
Among the remaining forwards on the roster, veteran Austin Watson deserves special mention. The former Senator, one of the most frequent visitors to the penalty box, has an impressive 573 NHL games played with various franchises: Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings. It’s worth remembering that Watson was a first-round draft pick in 2010, selected 18th overall by the Predators.
Head Coach
Turning to the excellent Griffins’ coaching staff, we find that the head coach is Canadian Dan Watson. Born in Glencoe, Ontario, in March 1979, Watson was a defenseman with a long career in minor leagues after developing in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting. Interestingly, he played in the now-defunct United Hockey League (UHL) for the Columbus Stars and Kalamazoo Wings. His coaching career has developed entirely within the Red Wings organization. When Watson joined the team as an assistant coach in the 2009-10 season, it was the first season for the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL after changing their previous name, Toledo Storm – the very franchise where Watson hung up his skates in the 2006-07 season. After seven seasons as an assistant coach, he was promoted to head coach of the Walleye in the 2016-17 season, a position he held for six seasons. This means Watson spent no less than thirteen seasons honing his coaching skills to eventually lead the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL starting in the 2023-24 season, successfully guiding the team to the Calder Cup playoffs ever since.
A Look Back: The Binghamton Rangers (1992-93)
The Binghamton Rangers were a franchise located in the eponymous city in New York State, active from 1990 to 1997. As their name suggests, they were the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. After their disbandment, their league spot was taken by the Hartford Wolf Pack, who continue to operate today. The 1992-93 Rangers were coached by Ron Smith, who was promoted to head coach of the New York Rangers on January 4, 1993, after Roger Neilson was fired due to poor results and internal locker room tensions. In Binghamton, Smith was replaced by Colin Campbell, Roger Neilson’s assistant coach, who already had experience managing minor league teams, for the remainder of the season. When Smith was relieved, the Rangers’ record was 28-5-5 (an 80.26% scoring percentage). In the playoffs, the Rangers fell in the second round in a grueling Game 7 against the Rochester Americans, having previously eliminated the Baltimore Skipjacks in an equally tough first-round series that also went to seven games. On May 17, 1993, in front of 4,800 spectators, the Rangers lost 2-3 at home to the Americans thanks to a decisive goal by Greg Brown.
The goaltending for those Rangers was handled by Corey Hirsch, who won three prestigious trophies that season: the Aldege Bastien Memorial Award (best goaltender of the season according to the AHL Broadcasters and Writers Association), the Dudley Garrett Memorial Award (best rookie of the season), and the Harry Holmes Memorial Award (goaltender with the lowest goals-against percentage having played a minimum of 25 games).
On the Rangers’ blue line, Swedish defenseman Par Djoos stood out, going on to play 82 NHL games for the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks. Other notable defensemen included Russian Sergei Zubov (a Stanley Cup winner with the New York Rangers in 1994 and a Dallas Stars legend, whose jersey is retired, with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 1999) and Canadian Brad Tiley (winner of the Eddie Shore Award for best AHL defenseman in the 1999-2000 season).
On the offensive line, four players shone: Don Biggs, winner of the Les Cunningham Award (season’s most valuable player) and the John B. Sollenberger Trophy (player with the most points in the regular season); Brian McReynolds; Craig Duncanson (a 1985 first-round draft pick, 9th overall by the Los Angeles Kings); and Mike Stevens.
A Look Back: The Manchester Monarchs (2004-05)
The city of Manchester, New Hampshire, hosted a franchise that competed in the AHL between 2001 and 2015. Starting in the 2015-16 season, it relocated to Ontario, California, to become the current Ontario Reign, an affiliate franchise of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The 2004-05 Monarchs were coached by Bruce Boudreau, who, during his playing career, appeared in 150 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks. Curiously, after that 2004-05 season, Boudreau was relieved of his duties and replaced by Jim Hughes.
The goaltending for those Monarchs was defended by Mathieu Garon, a goaltender who later had a lengthy NHL career, playing 343 games for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins (with whom he won the Stanley Cup in 2009), Columbus Blue Jackets, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Monarchs’ blue line featured Denis Grebeshkov as a prominent player. Drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2002 draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Grebeshkov had a good NHL career, notably with the Edmonton Oilers. This left-handed defenseman excelled as an excellent assist man, with 44 assists in 75 games.
On the offensive line, three players stood out: Mike Cammalleri, Dustin Brown, and Tom Kostopoulos. Cammalleri was a legendary NHL left winger, playing 938 games for various franchises: the Los Angeles Kings (who drafted him 49th overall in the second round in 2001), Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Edmonton Oilers, the team where he retired in the 2017-18 season. In the season we’re discussing, 2004-05, he won the Willie Marshall Award, a trophy recognizing the regular season’s leading goal scorer, for his 46 goals in 79 games.
Dustin Brown is a legend of the Los Angeles Kings, the only NHL club he played for during the 1,388 games he appeared in over 18 seasons, winning the Stanley Cup twice in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons. It was precisely in that latter season that Brown was awarded the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, a trophy recognizing leadership on the ice. Dustin Brown has his number 23 jersey retired at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and a statue erected in his honor around the arena.
Tom Kostopoulos was also a legend in North American ice hockey but, unlike his two linemates on those Monarchs, he didn’t have as significant an impact in the NHL as he did in the AHL. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Kostopoulos left an indelible mark in the AHL as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He joined the franchise in 1999 and remained there for 11 seasons. His entire AHL career was with the Penguins, except for the 2004-05 season when he was in Manchester. Kostopoulos’s game totals in both the AHL and NHL are staggering: 822 games played in the AHL and 646 in the NHL. These are figures achieved by very few.
A Look Back: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2005-06)
The Pennsylvania franchise, affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has had three seasons in its history where it achieved over a 70% scoring percentage: the one we will recall here, and the 2010-11 (73.1%) and 2016-17 (70.4%) seasons.
In the 2005-06 season, the Penguins experienced a change behind the bench with their head coach. They started the season overwhelmingly under the direction of Michel Therrien, achieving a fabulous record of 21-1-2 (90%). The NHL parent club decided to promote him to head coach due to the poor dynamics of the Pittsburgh team, then led by Eddie Olczyk. It’s worth remembering that this was the season of the great Sidney Crosby’s debut with Pittsburgh. After a 3-game interim period where Rick Kehoe took charge of the AHL franchise, Therrien’s replacement was Joe Mullen, who until then had served as Olczyk’s assistant coach in Pittsburgh. Mullen led the team to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, where they had the misfortune of facing the formidable Hershey Bears, who went on to become champions. The series against the Bears was decided by a decisive 4-0 sweep.
The Penguins’ goaltending was handled by Danny Sabourin, a goaltender with a limited NHL career who spent most of his time in the AHL. His final active seasons were spent in Europe, specifically in Austria and France, where he retired in the 2016-17 season after winning the French league with Rouen.
The blue line of those Penguins featured a pair who had a great season: Chris Kelleher and Noah Welch. Unable to secure a stable spot in the NHL, Kelleher retired at 32 to join the Minnesota Wild’s scouting structure. Welch, for his part, played 75 NHL games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers, the franchise with which he played his last North American hockey games in the 2010-11 season. After that, Welch moved to Sweden, where he stayed until his retirement in the 2017-18 season as a champion with Växjö HC.
The team’s offensive production included two players who went on to have NHL careers: center Maxime Talbot, a Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and with a total of 788 NHL games played, and center Erik Christensen, who played 404 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, and Minnesota Wild. After his North American career, Christensen crossed the Atlantic to compete first in the Russian KHL and finally in the Swedish SHL, where he was a champion in his final active season with HV71.
With this humble historical tribute, we conclude the present article, in which we wanted to emphasize how difficult it is to achieve such excellent results in a competition as tough and balanced as the American Hockey League usually is.
