Red Wings prospects, veterans powering Grand Rapids to reconrd-breaking AHL start

How long would you say it takes a team to lose two games in a season? Eight games? 10 games?

For the Grand Rapids Griffins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, it took them 13 games. However, since losing to the defending Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers on Nov. 21, the Griffins haven’t lost in regulation since.

That’s right. The team hasn’t lost a game in 60 minutes in a calendar month. Timing wise, they just lost last night in extra time, but that’s besides the point.

As we turn the calendar to 2026, Grand Rapids holds the best record of any pro hockey team in North America.

Everything about the first half of the Griffins’ 2025-26 season has been record-breaking, both in the team’s and the league’s history. The team won each of its first eight games, setting a new franchise record. Their 18-1-0-1 start marked the third-best in AHL history through 20 games. After beating the Cleveland Monsters on Dec. 21, Grand Rapids’ 27th game of the season, the Griffins became the fastest team in league history to reach 50 points, beating out the previous record by three games. The team also matched its franchise-record 15-game win streak last week, though it came to an end on New Year’s Eve.

GR has a record of 26-1-1-1, an insane winning percentage of .931, with their 54 points sitting seven ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the best record in the league, even though the Pens have played four more games.

Leading the group is third-year head coach Dan Watson. While the longtime minor-league blueliner has guided the Griffins to Calder Cup Playoff appearances in each of his first two seasons, there was no way he could’ve predicted the start this team has had.

“I don’t think any coach would think that their team would be this good,” Watson said in an interview with Daily Faceoff. “Now, I knew that we’d be good in terms of our leadership group, the veterans that we have. When those kids made the team in Detroit, you know, getting [Erik] Gustafson, getting [Justin] Holl, it presented a veteran issue…but they’ve handled that in a way I’ve never seen before, which is good on them. But you never think it would be this good.”

Captain Dominik Shine has recognized that the team has come prepared, whether for a game or practice.

“No one’s taking days off,” Shine said. “We obviously have our times where we get a little rest and things like that, but when the puck drops, you can tell every guy on the ice is dialed in and wants to win. So it’s been a huge reason why we’re so successful.”

Regardless of how good a team is, sometimes a coach’s message could grow stale. Yet Watson notes that he hasn’t had to worry about that thus far, adding that the locker room leadership group has helped keep his troops focused and ready each night.

“The message is simple,” Watson explained. “Let’s go do what we do. Let’s find our game as fast as we can. Then it’s on the players. I think right now, behind the scenes with the players, what we’re seeing is them holding themselves [accountable]. They’ve got to love each other enough to hold themselves accountable when it’s hard and when it’s easy. Pat guys on the back, but also give guys kicks in the butts when needed. They’re handling that in the room. I think that’s a recipe for success.”

There have been many on-ice contributors to the team’s success, especially goaltender Sebastian Cossa. The former first-round pick has been lights out through the first three months of the season, leading the AHL in wins (15), save percentage (.936), goals-against average (1.65) and shutouts (4).

Cossa notes that early success has been great, but keeping a level head will be important to keeping the good times rolling through the second half.

“It’s just being consistent,” Cossa said. “Not getting too high or low. I think it starts with practice. Obviously, it’s been a good start, but by the next game, it doesn’t really matter at that point. So, just making sure we’re feeling confident and going good into the next game. Haven’t had as much adversity this year yet. So, we’ll see how it goes when that does happen eventually.”

Another prospect that was having a great run in the early months was Amadeus Lombardi. The 2022 fourth-round pick had 14 points in the first 13 games of his season, including an eight-game point streak that almost lasted a whole month.

Unfortunately, an upper-body injury has kept him out of action since November, but Lombardi’s expected to return later in January. Cossa admits that, despite the ailment, the former Flint Firebird has the potential to come back even stronger.

“He’s having a lot of fun. … He’s been confident. I think that’s a big thing for him. Obviously, if he’s confident and feeling it, he’s going to be playing really well. Obviously, a tough setback here with the injury, but no doubt that he’s going to come back better.”

Other prospects like Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard and Antti Tuomisto have proven to be important pieces, with Brandsegg-Nygaard sitting fourth on the team in scoring with 20 points in 24 games. They have stepped up with the Griffins being without several up-and-comers, many expected to be on the team back in October. However, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Emmitt Finnie made the Red Wings out of training camp, with Nate Danielson getting called up in early November. On top of that, Carter Mazur is most likely out for the rest of the season due to an apparent lower-body injury.

Watson has been impressed with the cast of NHL hopefuls that have been on the roster for most of the first half of the season.

“It comes with habits, with details,” Watson stated. “What we feel can make them a good NHL player. That’s part of development. We want to develop players first. We want to win as well, and that’s a tough combo to measure and match, but they’ve done a really good job of continuing to fine-tune their on-ice game, but also learning to be pros off the ice.”

With so many young guns elsewhere, a number of veterans have contributed in significant ways. Forward John Leonard seemed to be scoring at will at one point. While he missed two weeks with the Griffins, filling in Patrick Kane’s spot in the Detroit lineup for a handful of games, Leonard is still tied for first in the AHL in goals (20), with his 30 points leading the Griffins.

Shine is also racking up the points. After having a career year in 2024-25, including making his NHL debut, the 32-year-old is well on his way to having an even better campaign, having posted 27 points in 24 contests.

While the team aims to maintain its “game-by-game” approach, there is a chance they could set another AHL record. In 1992-93, the Binghamton Rangers posted 124 points in an 80-game season, with a winning percentage of .775 that remains unmatched. Now, the AHL schedule consists of only 72 games per team, meaning they’d most likely have to win over 50 games and get some loser points to achieve the milestone.

Yet, Watson notes that the team isn’t focused on records or anything other than facing what’s right in front of them.

“We don’t talk about streaks,” Watson said. “We don’t talk about the starts. We don’t talk about where we sit right now. … We’ll worry about tomorrow when that comes. That’s our focus. That’s our mindset. I think that’s what’s helping us get through this.”

While there are still a few months to go in the season, there’s growing intrigue about whether the Griffins can go all the way and win the franchise’s third Calder Cup. Shine acknowledges that if the team stays healthy, adding another banner at Van Andel Arena is a possibility.

“I think it’s something that’s really achievable for us,” Shine said. “Because we’re missing a lot of guys still, but we kind of go on business as usual. We’ll get Lombardi back. We’ll get Shai Buium back. We have a lot of guys coming back, so I think it’s, we’re only gonna get better, but I think as long as we keep a positive attitude and keep going, we can do it.”