It’s not the names on the Grand Rapids Griffins roster that makes their 23-1-0-1 record wildly unexpected.
It’s the names that are not there.
Coming into the 2025-26 season, coach Dan Watson knew that there was a chance Axel Sandin-Pellikka could start in the AHL and there was the possibility that he would stay with the Red Wings. But no one was predicting Emmitt Finnie would be in the NHL, and Nate Danielson was far from a lock. Defenseman Shai Buium was definitely going to be on the Griffins, along with Amadeus Lombardi and maybe Carter Mazur.