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kipwinger

All Purpose Grand Rapids Griffins Thread

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So what's going on with sproul? Is he turning out to be a bust mow since he got benched again?

Has to be disappointing since he's a big body and I figured he'd be a good ppl guy for us for years

Least ouellet and marchenko will be nhl guys for sure

I'd give him time. He looked great last year. The Griffs have too many d-men with Lashoff in GR, so one guy rotates out usually. Been Sproul more of late because GR has been winning and Blash doesn't change winning line-ups.

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Wow, I don't usually gush over AHL goals but that Athanasiou goal GIF was amazing. He lets go of the puck (with opposition players trailing him), hits the guy in front of him, scoops up the puck again and just rifles it so hard straight at the goalie that I thought it shot THROUGH the goalie's body for a second. Nothing was stopping him on that goal. Color me excited for this kid.

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Can somebody explain how/why the series was scheduled the way it was? Starting a best of 5 on the road for 2 games doesn't seem like the best setup. Glad they won the remaining 3 but that seems to almost be a disadvantage in a best of 5 series

I get it they still got the 3 home games, but they had the possibility of only getting 1

Just wondering if there was a reason behind it

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I've watched a lot of Griffins this season (40-50 games) and I watched all 5 games of the first round against the Marlies, and one thing is for sure, this team is legit. Even with them being down 2-0 in the series, I had a strong feeling that they would come back to Grand Rapids and win the series. After they lost game 1, I made a bet with my two jackass Leafs friends that they would win the series. I ended up winning two cases of beer last night. :cool:

All of this talk about our center depth and no one has mentioned Tomas Nosek? He was without question, one of our best players in the first round. He's a big body, that protects the puck as well as anyone, and has very deceptive foot speed and hands. He flat out makes things happen in the offensive zone. Last night he split two defenders, dangled around a third man back, waited out the goaltender and feathered a beautiful pass over to Hoggan for the wide open net. Unfortunately Hoggan ended up hitting the post on the play, but nevertheless it was highlight reel material. I'm not saying he will do that at the NHL level but the skill is definitely there and the kid is still only 22 years old, in his first season of North American pro hockey. I think the potential of him making it as a 2nd/3rd line center is definitely there.

Pulkkinen has also been very good, but it kind of worries me a little that he still does his one go-to move; walks in over the blue line, puts on the breaks and winds up for the holy slapper. Sure, it works in the AHL but it clearly doesn't at the NHL level. I know he won't ever be the type of player that dangles past defenders but I think he needs a little more than that shot to make it in the NHL as anything more than a 3rd line winger / power-play specialist. In saying that, I don't think 15 goals on the power-play alone is out of reach next season if the Wings would actually use him correctly (ala Stamkos / Ovechkin, hovering around the left faceoff dot).

Despite Pulkkinen's huge numbers, I think the best player in Grand Rapids is Athanasiou. The kid is electrifying and is dangerous any time he's on the ice with that blazing speed. The comparison to Fedorov, although it may sound a little far fetched right now, I don't think it's out of the question either. Some of the similarities in their games are definitely there. The way they can take over a game with their speed, their hands, their size, etc. No, I don't think Andreas is going to put up 120 points in a season the way Sergei did, but I do think a few 80-90 point seasons at the NHL level could be within reach. People seem to forget that he is only 20 years old and in his first pro season. He has had a smoother transition from junior to pro than any prospect we've seen in our system in a looong time.

Bertuzzi is looking great as well, and although I thought he may max out as a 3rd or a very good 4th liner at the NHL level, I don't think the top 6 is out of the question. He's looking like he could potentially mature into a bigger Marchand type of player. I do still think 3rd/4th line duty is most likely, especially with our depth on the wings, but he continues to impress and exceed expectations at every level.

It is still mind boggling to me that Frk is once again out of the lineup. I thought he played great down the stretch in the regular season and in the first two games of the series (despite being losses). I guess it wasn't the worst decision to take him out, since the team rallied back and won the series but I do think he is an upgrade over a couple players in the lineup. One being Hirschfeld (the guy that got the game winner last night...) and the other one being Porter. It seems like he is getting the Weiss treatment, in that he can produce all he wants but he'll still be yanked from the lineup the first chance the coach gets...

Ouellet and Marchenko have looked very solid on the defensive side of the puck and are putting up some points as well, which is great to see. I found it to be extremely odd timing when Sproul was hauled from the lineup, as game 3 was by far his best performance of the 3 playoff games. I thought he had a very rough game 1, a solid game 2 and a great game 3. I would have much rather seen Lashoff or Evans out when Marchenko returned rather than Sproul, but again, they won, so you can't really complain with the result...

All in all, very impressive squad, and I think another Calder Cup could be going back to GR next month... :champs:

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