As I alluded to in my last post, I did see the Griffins play on Saturday, against Peoria coincidentally, as Detroit took on St. Louis just hours earlier. Grand Rapids also played Peoria the night before, winning by a score of 4-1.
That is interesting because, believe it or not, Manny Legace is still toiling in the minors after he was pulled against Detroit and waived the next day. It was clear from warmups he wasn’t going to start today, but it was still grimly humorous to watch him. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked Manny, probably the only Red Wing goalie in recent history I can’t say I’ve “hated” for any period of time, and I wish dearly that someone would pick him up because he isn’t done. But in the warmup, he looked really depressed. When Peoria’s other goalie, Chris Holt, was warming up, Legace was slouched against the boards. When he was taking pucks in warmups, he just waved at everything and stopped nothing. I know how it works, most goalies don’t really try in warmups because they’ll tire themselves out, but there was something about it that was so funny. He’d drop to his knees eventually and then just wave at everything
Anyway, that’s a terrible story, you really had to be there — moving on. Overall, disappointing game. Individually, this one was a lot better than the last game I attended, but the result was virtually the same. A 3-1 loss. Shots, chances, and possession were about even, good for entertainment value, but bad when you break it down. Peoria isn’t that interesting as an AHL team. There’s Legace, and then Ivan Vishnevsky (Dallas 2006 1st rounder, on loan to Peoria), and Jonas Junland, who I think is going to be a tremendous player, and Chris Holt isn’t that bad but he’s a little slow, but other than that Peoria is a lot of career minor league types. Not a whole lot of young prospects with impressive skill sets, a lot of 23-26 year olds who may or may not have NHL contracts, and for the most part either have one or two more years to make a serious push at the NHL, or otherwise reconsider their hockey options. There’s not even any real dominant AHLers down there; the top scorer, Julian Talbot, has 34 points. Eight Griffins have more than that.
So it’s a little frustrating to see a team like that give a team with a lot of young talent a good game. But, the breaks weren’t really going the Griffins way (as you’ll soon find out) and the officiating was atrocious. Peoria has eight players who draw about one penalty minute per game, and are definitely all big physical guys, and boast one of the higher PIM totals in the league — and definitely played like it — somehow only drew one Griffin powerplay. It was terrible. The two worst instances were once where Yan Stastny held Darren Helm up behind the play, pinned against the Peoria bench. Helm started swinging his arms wildly — not making contact with Stastny at all — and moving his legs to wiggle out and escape. The ref sees the arm swinging and calls Helm for a rough, along with Stastny for interference.
Secondly, in front of the Peoria net, a defenseman laid a thick crosscheck to Justin Abdelkader’s back. He was phased and pleaded at the ref, who was in clear view of the incident, as he got up. The ref actually gave him the “diving” sign, and Abdelkader looked skyward as he went off towards the bench. He even missed a couple of shifts. It was just way too strange. From my angle, it was a clear easy call — but not once have I ever seen the ref give a dive sign to a player like that. I’m sure it’s happened before, but it plays really well into the theory I had that this was biased reffing. Grand Rapids is the least penalized team in the league, and all of their calls were questionable — Leino bumped by a defenseman into the goalie, chinsy hook on the backcheck by Oulahen, etc. Meanwhile Peoria was doing these same things but also giving it to Grand Rapids after whistles, running crazy interference, leaving feet on hits, throwing ‘bows, etc. They’re a big, mean, team and they play that sort of style. It’s just strange to me that they got away with so much. I really feel that the Griffins played well enough where they would have won if they had a couple powerplays to work with, and weren’t so busy complaining to the ref at every break. It was ridiculous, Van Andel really got on the officiating team.
Anyway, on to individual performances. I’ll be brief.
Jimmy Howard – Once again, good but not spectacular, and that’s what’s starting to bother me about him. I was actually hoping to get my first live look at Daniel Larsson today, since Howard had played Friday night, his first game coming off of a concussion. He didn’t face too many great scoring chances, but made 24 saves. The first goal came off a goalmouth scramble where he made an insane desperation blocker save, only to have the rebound tapped in. The second was a breakaway that just dribbled through his pad. And the third was the classic “puck hits a stantion on a dump in and bounces in front while the goalie is behind the net.” I only fault him on the breakaway, because the Peoria forward didn’t really make a move, and Howard didn’t squeeze his pads.
Jakub Kindl – His game has taken a statistical nosedive since the last time I saw him, but in the absense of Jonathan Ericsson, he still played big minutes. He was not much of a factor. As I said, Grand Rapids had just one powerplay so I didn’t get to see him for extended time in the strength of his game. He took a hooking penalty after he was beat wide, but that was really the only time I saw him get beat. His defensive partner was ECHL call up P.J. Atherton, who I last saw in the Red Wings/Bruins pre-season game I attended, and noted that I thought he would actually be a solid AHL contributor. I was wrong, Atherton was terrifyingly bad defensively, and I can only assume the fact that the duo conceeded no goals is a compliment to Kindl more than anything else.
Garrett Stafford – I really ripped into him in the last post, and even though he’s contracted to Dallas so Detroit has nothing to do with him anymore, I feel compelled to note that he was on the ice for all 3 goals against. I wondered to myself during the game how long this guy has actually played hockey, because he has no idea where he should be.
Sergei Kolosov – I noticed him in really bad ways last game, and this game I didn’t really notice much of him at all, which I can only assume is a good thing for a guy who’s supposed to be a defensive defenseman. He did jump up in the slot for a pass on several occassions, which is nice to see a player of his type do every once in a while. He’s still an ugly looking skater, but he gets a passing grade from me this time around.
Cory Emmerton – He played more minutes this game than last game, which is surprising because Darren Helm and Ville Leino were not in Grand Rapids last game. Unfortunately, where last game he made much out of his few minutes, this game he played big minutes and was not all that involved. I’m not sure what happened to him, as I know he started the game and played a lot in the 1st, but I don’t remember much of him in the 3rd. Benched or injured, I’m not sure, but he didn’t play Sunday either.
Evan McGrath – McGrath still centers the successful Lemieux/McGrath/Pare line, and was a factor on the Griffins lone goal. I came away impressed with his performance. He’s a smart player and the offensive instincts that made him an 100-point player in junior are definitely visible, but he’s also a better two-way player than he ever was. McGrath is on pace to surpass all his numbers from last season, despite missing a good chunk of games. He’s probably the next most NHL-ready forward after Leino, Helm, and Abdelkader (edit: probably Ritola too) but that means he could be waiting a while until he ever gets a chance with Detroit (see also: Ryan Oulahen).
Ville Leino – Leino was a big let down on this night. I came away thinking he was trying to do way too much, having seen how well he plays when his game is simple on Detroit’s 3rd or 4th line. He made a couple jaw-dropping moves with spins and between the leg dekes, but rarely created a quality chance from any of it. He hesitated way too much when the Griffins pulled the goalie in the last 90 seconds, he guilty of overhandling the puck, trying to make a move, instead of just getting it to the open guy for a shot. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was selfish, because he’s clearly the most offensively talented player on the team, but it did draw some booing from the crowd. They’re coming to expect a lot from him, it seemed like everyone around me, everyone I was in line with, and even one person in the stall next to me in the bathroom (true story), was talking about Leino. The sooner he gets back up to Detroit the better, in my opinion, because if he spends much longer in Grand Rapids trying to be a one man team he’s going to develop some nasty habits.
Darren Helm – Helm was a disappointment as well, but not in the same vein as Leino. The effort was there, but Helm was the victim of a lot of interference and some of the worst non-calls of the game and it really seemed to get in his head. He was pissed off for a majority of the game, made sure to finish all his hits and mixed it up after the whistle more than I’d seen him do in Detroit. As I mentioned earlier, he got screwed when he was held up against the Peoria bench and took a roughing penalty when the referee saw him swinging his arms, trying to escape. He slammed his stick in frustration. I did enjoy seeing the way Grand Rapids incorporates them into their offense, the defense is always looking to bank clears off the boards and try to catch Helm who’s mach-fiving his way through the defense. However, although Helm did get behind one defenseman on several occasions, he never really had any great shooting angles and found the glass and Chris Holt’s glove on his strongest chances.
Ryan Oulahen – Oulahen continues to mystify me, as I loved him last year, but thought he was invisible the last game I was at, right after he said he wants to be called up to Detroit. Silently, he’s fourth on the team in goals with 18, so I made a point to really watch him more closely than anyone else. He played a steady game, but definitely did not wow me. He’s a good forechecker, he finishes his hits, he backchecks hard, and he’s a big penalty killer. He didn’t show much offensive touch but he’s smart enough to throw the puck at the net if he has it in the offensive zone. Unfortunately it’s these things that I think are hurting his chances at an NHL recall. In terms of potential checkers the Wings have in the ranks, Oulahen comes nowhere near Helm or Abdelkader in speed, or McGrath or Abdelkader in offensive ability, or Ritola or Abdelkader in physical play. I wouldn’t be upset if he ever got a game or two to properly audition himself, but I think it’s the “good at everything, great at nothing” aspect to him that might see him let go this offseason.
Francis Pare – Not a Detroit prospect, persay, but definitely a prospective Detroit prospect, as you might recall. Pare is the highest scoring player on the team who does not have an NHL contract, and seeing as he’s 21, makes him a good candidate for Detroit to pick up this offseason. He scored the lone Griffins goal, off somewhat of a goalmouth scramble, but I never did catch the replay of how exactly he put it in. He’s effective but not dominant. His skillset is most similar to Hudler’s, with considerably worse stickhandling, but still overall good, so it makes it hard for him to really take over a game. But he’s very strong on the cycle, he’s a very smart player, and he’s made an easy transition from a scoring juggernaut in the QMJHL to a reliable two-way player in the AHL, and that’s why he’s had so much offensive success (if that makes any sense). I don’t see him as anything more than a longshot, but he plays the style Detroit likes, so I’d like to see Detroit take a shot before anyone else.
Mattias Ritola – Ritola was hurt the last game I attended, so this was my first viewing of him since the pre-season. He was drafted as an all-skills, no work sort of forward, but in the few viewings I’ve had of him as a professional in the past two seasons, I feel he’s the opposite. He’s still definitely got good skills, but that’s not what his game is tailored for anymore. He works hard and is a good two-way player, and he’s pretty physical for a guy who was drafted at 5′10″ but has since bulked up to a solid 6′0″. By that I don’t mean that he just finishes his hits, but he can really leave an impact on a guy when he wants to, and I did even see him lose his temper and throw a Peoria player to the ice in an after-the-whistle scrum. Ritola is one big AHL season away from being a legitimate NHL player. He’ll probably score 20 goals this year, but I think if he can get hot and exceed that next year, that confidence will really help him make that next step in his development.
Justin Abdelkader – I thought Abdelkader was the best player on either team all night. I’m feeling more and more that he’s going to be a very good NHL player. So far in the NHL, he’s just shown a strong forechecking and grinding ability, but he’s a legitimate scoring threat in the AHL, and I think he’s yet to have a chance to showcase that ability in the NHL. He’s a force on the ice. He had the three biggest hits of the game all to himself, and they seemingly all came after he had a few scoring chances too, leading to some very impressive shifts. He’s really the element that Detroit’s missing in their roster, and I’d love to see him in the NHL next year, but I don’t know how that would work logistically. He will dominate the AHL next season, if nothing else.
Darren McCarty – As it turns out, Detroit didn’t send him to the AHL on a conditioning stint, they just sent him to the AHL. It’s strange because most of Detroit’s beat writers and all of the bloggers, myself included, reported that it was just for conditioning. I don’t recall any word on him being on or off waivers, but I guess it isn’t shocking that he cleared. He played on the top line with Leino and Abdelkader, and didn’t look out of place. I noted this last year, that he is just much smarter than most players in the AHL. I don’t know that he’s worth recalling this time around, the younger players are just much too good. I think McCarty might have finally (again) played his last game as a Red Wing, but he seems content in Grand Rapids and the rumor seems to be he wouldn’t be too upset to start next season in Grand Rapids, on Detroit or Grand Rapids contract remains to be seen. It’s reasonable to suggest he could still play in the NHL, but the problem is he only wants to play on Detroit, and right now there are just too many forwards vying for too few spots.
Rookies Logan Pyett and Jan Mursak were healthy scratches, as was Aaron Downey. Jamie Tardif is likely going to miss the rest of the season with an injury.
So that’s that. The Griffins don’t have many home games left so I’m hoping to get out to a couple more, but definitely some playoff action since the Griffins have all but clinched. The last object I wanted to mention was that the AHL Clear Day rosters were due, and Grand Rapids’ looks something like this. Babcock commented a few weeks ago that the Griffins shouldn’t bother putting Leino or Helm on this list, but both appear. From what I understand, don’t read too much into this, as although the list is a list of players that AHL teams are allowed to use from that point on (which basically prevents NHL teams from sending AHL-eligible players, who might have played the whole year in the NHL, back after they’re bounced from the playoffs), edits can be made if players are called up to NHL clubs. This article provides very good insight into some of what Grand Rapids can do. Right now rookie Jan Mursak doesn’t appear on the list, but likely will once a forward is called up. Grand Rapids can also sign CHL prospects like Zack Torquato, Brent Raedeke, and Brian Lashoff to AHL deals should their teams fall early in the playoffs (as most are expected to), or possibly even drag Dick Axelsson or Johan Ryno over from Sweden, which I’m not exactly sure how that would work, but it seems possible as both are under NHL contracts. Either way, Axelsson is poised for a long SEL playoff run. This is all interesting as Detroit will probably call up Helm and one of McCarty/Downey at the very least, but could theoretically screw Grand Rapids’ playoff chances over and hang onto Helm, Leino, McCarty, Downey, Ericsson, and Abdelkader if they wanted to.
Also, NHL Network is televising one AHL game per week and Grand Rapids will play Lake Erie on Sunday. I don’t have NHL Network so I’ll be looking for a stream, if anyone has one please do share it!
