Grand Rapids Griffins 2025-26 Season Preview

John Leonard joined the Red Wings organization in the offseason and is set to bring some serious offense to the Griffins’ lineup. The 27-year-old forward is coming off of a season where he had 36 goals and 61 points in 72 games for the Charlotte Checkers, so expect him to be a key fixture on the Griffins’ power play.

Buium & Wallinder Provide Youth on ‘D’

The biggest source of intrigue on the Griffins’s blue line was going to be how Axel Sandin Pellikka adapted to life in North America and the AHL. While he’ll still need to adapt to North America, he begins that process in Detroit instead of Grand Rapids.

Instead, the focus now shifts to which Griffins defenders can take a significant step forward in their development. Walliam Wallinder, a second round pick in the 2020 draft, has already received his first NHL call up, but he has yet to play his first NHL game. He moves very well for someone that stands at 6-foot-4, and his game has become more well-rounded since joining the Griffins back in 2023.

Wallinder should be a mainstay in the Griffins’ top four this season, but you’d like to see him assert himself as one of the team’s go-to guys on the back end. If he can do that, he may join his fellow 2020 draftee Lucas Raymond over in Detroit.

The 2024-25 season was Shai Buium’s first in the AHL, and he got better and better the more he played. A second round pick in the 2021 draft, the two-way defenseman had 25 points in 67 games and earned more responsibility as the season went on. He is in direct competition with Wallinder not only for a spot atop the Griffins’ depth chart, but also within the Red Wings organization as a whole.

Buium is the type of defender that may never put up garrish offensive numbers at the next level, but if he continues to progress, he’ll earn a ton of playing time because he moves the puck well and he makes smart decisions with and without the puck. Development is rarely linear, but this is a player to keep an eye on throughout this season if he continues on his current trajectory.

After clearing waivers, veteran Justin Holl is expected to begin the season with the Griffins in the final year of the three-year contract he signed with the Red Wings. With almost 400 NHL regular season games under his belt, he should be a source of knowledge for the organization’s young defensemen. William Lagesson spent most of last season bouncing between Grand Rapids and Detroit, but he should be another veteran presence for the Griffins this season.

Antti Tuomisto, Ian Mitchell and Jacob Truscott round out an intriguing blue line group in Grand Rapids.

Cossa & Postava in Goal

There’s no question about it: this season is a big one for Sebastian Cossa.

Drafted 15th overall back in 2021, the soon-to-be 23-year-old enters his third AHL season with his eyes set on breaking through as a legitimate option for the Red Wings. Lovingly referred to as “The Big Man” in Grand Rapids, Cossa has appeared in 84 games with the Griffins and should finish this season in the top-five in both games played and wins in franchise history.

While Cossa has proven himself to be a capable goaltender at the AHL level, there is another level of consistency he needs to find before he makes the jump to the NHL level. in seasons past, he was joined on the Griffins’ depth chart by a veteran who was meant to stabilize things and offer support as he worked his way through the learning curve. This season, however, he will be challenged for playing time by other talented young goaltenders looking to work their way up the depth chart.

Michal Postava signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings during the offseason and will begin the season in a tandem with Cossa in Grand Rapids. The Czech goaltender is nine months older than Cossa and is coming off of a strong season in the top leage over in Czechia. That carried over to training camp and the preseason as he showed well for himself whenever he received the opportunity.

Over the course of the season, head coach Dan Watson will be able to alternate goaltenders or ride the hot hand as he sees fit. Ideally, Cossa and Postava will bring out the best in each other as they compete for consistent playing time with the Griffins. Both are young, both are talented, and both have NHL aspirations this season.

It will be interesting to see how many starts Cossa and Postava receive over the course of the season. Will it be a 50/50 split, or will one of them assert themselves as the clear starter? To throw another wrench into things, Trey Augustine may join the Griffins after his season with Michigan State University comes to an end.

Griffins Looking to Contend in 2025-26

The Griffins have won just one playoff series since they won the Calder Cup back in 2017. For a franchise that considers itself one of the premier programs in the AHL, the results have rarely matched the hype in recent seasons. With their mix of veteran and burgeoning talent, they hope to change that this season.

They’ll need consistent efforts up and down and throughout their lineup to pull it off, but the ingredients are there. Their roster features fan favorites, future favorites, and everything in between, so fans should have plenty to cheer for throughout the frachise’s 30th season.

If the team can reach their potential, they’ll celebrate 30 years with their third Calder Cup championship.