What’s the correct way to look at the Grand Rapids Griffins? Are they coming off a historic year, and the future is bright? Or are they a team that stumbled down the stretch, going 10-8-1 in the final two months, and showed that they had no response when the games got tough?

Are the Griffins the team that will develop more prospects for the Detroit Red Wings? Or is the end of the Yzerplan throwing a wrench into everything, and a new general manager will bring a new vision for the farm system? 

This team became one of the big mysteries in the American Hockey League thanks to the offseason. The summer of turnover has many wondering what the Griffins will look like. They can win the Calder Cup or miss the playoffs, and it wouldn’t be a surprise. 

The Griffins, in many ways, are an embodiment of the AHL and why it’s a fascinating league. They are in flux along with their NHL affiliate, leaving any path available in front of them. 

Stats from 2025-26:

Record: 51-16-4-1 (1st in the Central Division, 1st in the Western Conference & 2nd in the AHL)

Offense: 3.54 goals per game (2nd in the AHL)

Defense: 2.20 goals per game (1st in the AHL)

The Burning Question: Can This Version Of The Griffins Get Over The Hump?

The story last season was coming up short, losing to the Chicago Wolves in four games of the Central Division Final. It’s the story of recent seasons as well. Since winning the Calder Cup in 2017, they’ve only made it to the Central Division twice. 

The 2026-27 Griffins are different. Not better or worse but different. Sebastian Cossa is gone, traded to the Utah Mammoth after years of developing in the Red Wings system. Michal Postava and Trey Augustine are the tandem in the net. They lost some vets, including Eduards Tralmaks, Amadeus Lombardi, and Erik Gustafsson, while also adding some vets, including Wilmer Skoog, Chase Stillman, and Ronnie Attard.

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What will make or break this team is the prospect group. The Griffins have a few names to watch, some of whom might be on the Red Wings halfway through the season. The key is for those prospects to become difference-makers and for the NHL team to prove they can go on a playoff run. 

That said, the other interesting layer to this season is the plan from the Red Wings. A new GM might want to rebuild and have the young players on the NHL team, or make a push for the playoffs and keep the prospects in Grand Rapids. 

Why The Griffins Are Optimistic

The Griffins have plenty of breakout candidates on their roster. Even if the Red Wings call up one or two of them, the rest will step up in the Griffins and become the star players to carry them. 

The Griffins also might have the best goaltending tandem in the league. After relying on Cossa as the workhorse in recent years, they have the Augustine and Postava duo that might be dominant. 

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The veterans they brought in will also help. Dan Watson is one of the better coaches in the AHL, and with established vets like Skoog joining core players like Dominick Shine and John Leonard, it will be easy for him to get his message across. 

All in all, the Griffins should be back in the playoffs. They won’t be the dominant team that won 51 games last season and had the best record in the conference. That said, they can make a run come playoff time, especially with the returning players playing with extra motivation. 

Prospects To Watch

As mentioned throughout this preview, the two big names are in the net. The Augustine-Postava tandem can be fun to watch and, more importantly, lead the Griffins to a successful season and a deep playoff run.

Augustine is coming over as a rookie after spending the previous seasons at Michigan State. He has the highest upside and can become a star, which makes him the Red Wings' goaltender of the future. 

Postava is the more consistent option. In his rookie season, he had a .937 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.71 goals-against average (GAA) while posting four shutouts. He eventually took over as the starter and enters this season poised to take on the majority of the workload. 

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The forward to watch is Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who burst on the scene as a rookie. His 44 points and a team-leading eight in the playoffs turned heads, and he’ll make a great case to be on the Red Wings to start the season. 

Anton Johansson is the defenseman to watch. After spending last season in Sweden, he’ll be with the Griffins and can become a top-pair defenseman by the end of the season, with many wondering if he’s in line as the next great Swedish defenseman in Red Wings history)

The rookie to follow is Carter Bear, who stood out with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League with 77 points on a Memorial Cup finalist. Now, Bear will look to make noise on the Griffins and turn himself into the top winger in the system.