The highlights begin when he was a senior at Canisius University in 2022-23. The school hired him as the athletic department’s multimedia reporter for basketball games. In that role, he produced a video series called Canisius Athletics and started a podcast. He also covered the school’s hockey team, which made the NCAA tournament that year.
He appeared on ESPN+ doing play-by-play and reporting from the sidelines. At Syracuse, he was the lead studio anchor for the school’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams on ACC Network Extra.
After that, he became the Director of Creative Content and Multimedia Correspondence for the Coastal Athletic Association, producing daily digital content for the mid-major conference.
Della Penna joined the Americans’ telecast team during the 2023-24 AHL season, working 10-12 home games per year as an on-rink reporter. It was his first time with the Americans and his first chance to meet Stevens.
That experience was one factor in Della Penna eventually getting the job, said Chad Buck, the team’s vice president of business operations.
“We were familiar with him, we knew what kind of person he was,” Buck said. “We knew what his work ethic was. We knew what he was like on the air from working with Don over the years.”
Buck said the Americans took Stevens’ wishes into account when searching for his replacement, and the consensus within the organization was in Della Penna’s favor.
“Griffin, throughout the process, just stood out in his persona, in the way he answered questions, through multiple interviews, even in the way he interacted with Don,” Buck said. “We thought it was really important to include Don in the process, knowing how important Don is to the franchise. He even spoiled Don too.”
