Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
After a disappointing postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins are back to their old ways.
Last night’s 4-2 win over Milwaukee was their fourth in a row, and their 10-1-1-1 record has the Griffins atop the AHL heading into visiting Rockford tonight.
It’s a familiar feeling for Grand Rapids, which lost just once in regulation in its first 32 games of the 2025-26 season. Their October record is 19-2-2-1 over the past three seasons.
The captain was the leader Dominic Shinecoming off a career-high 21-goal season. Schein’s four-goal night, the first on Wednesday, propelled the Griffins to a 6-2 victory against Texas, and he added his 10th goal of the season in Friday’s win.
Schein, in the 10th season of his professional career, spent all of it in Grand Rapids, was a long-time reliable two-way forward in Grand Rapids, but he exploded offensively in the second half of his career. His 21 goals last year came in just 40 games, and in 2024/25 he collected a personal best 46 points. He is currently tied atop the AHL standings with Toronto Brendan Brisson and Rochester Matthew Peka.
Shine became the franchise’s leading scorer in AHL history with 240 points.
“Being a part of this organization for so long and even being in that conversation with some of the guys.” Shine said after Wednesday’s win. “There are so many great players who have played here. I’m really grateful.”
Last season, Grand Rapids’ torrid pace evened out and they ended up finishing second in the overall league standings behind Providence. Despite that, their 51-16-4-1 mark gave them a franchise-record .743 hitting percentage. Their 27-7-1-1 performance on the road also set a new franchise best.
But a division final loss to Chicago kept the Griffins short of their goal, and a flurry of offseason changes followed.
A number of new faces arrived for the head coach’s return Dan Watson integrate. There is Trey AugustineMichigan was named the Big Ten’s top goaltender for the past two seasons; he’s just 21 years old, a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season and a 2023 second-rounder. Forward Carter BearThe 20-year-old on Wednesday is the 13th pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Dylan Jamesanother forward, comes in as a 2022 second-round pick who had four productive seasons at the University of North Dakota. Two more young attackers. Noah Dower Nilsson and: Jesse Kiskinencame with high level European experience. They are new on the back Jacob Bryson and along with his 304 NHL games Ronnie Attard. New signer Wilmer Skoog In 2025-2026, he scored 18 goals for the Charlotte Shakers. Free agents Cameron Butler and: Chase Stillman prioritize additional assistance.
Of course, no AHL team operates free of what’s going on with its NHL parent club. Everything an NHL team goes through inevitably has some effect, good or bad, on the AHL affiliate.
And right now, it’s hardly a secret that the Detroit Red Wings are navigating their own challenges.
Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman On July 15, he left the position of general director. Someone who has taken a close interest in Grand Rapids since returning to the organization in 2019, Yzerman has moved into a senior advisor role. That decision, of course, left a huge hole in the front office. Sean HorcoffGrand Rapids’ general manager since February 2022, took over for Yzerman as interim executive vice president and general manager on Sept. 15 in Detroit. Dylan Larkin lost his Red Wings captain and has since been suspended by the team as the sides try to work out a deal.
With so much change for the organization since May of last year, the last thing the Red Wings need is any disruption to their development plans. And on a day-to-day basis in Grand Rapids, Watson and his Griffins need a consistent captain like Shine. After all, last season provided the hard lesson that even the most dominant seasons will inevitably struggle with games, months, injuries and memory accumulation. Sometimes even the most impressive of Calder Cup contenders can see their hopes dashed after the postseason.
They have someone who can find the network.
“Those are opportunities for him,” Watson said of his captain, “and he sees the opportunity … and that’s what I love about him. He comes to work, he knows his role, he does it, he does it well. He’s captain for a reason and he’s being rewarded for the work he’s done.”
Shine received his first NHL contract on January 27, 2025, nearly eight years after turning pro. He played 18 games with Detroit last season, scored his first three NHL goals and signed a two-year contract extension.
In Shine, the organization has someone who can guide its prospects through the ups, downs and doubts of the season. Detroit has long overpaid to have top veterans in Grand Rapids to guide their prospects. Brian Lashoffwho is now Watson’s assistant, has been the face of the Griffins for years. Jeff Hogan and: Nathan Paetsch each of them won titles from the Griffins to the Calder Cup. Those players, and many more, have all earned respect for their knowledge throughout the organization and around the AHL.
So while Shine has proven to be more than capable of stepping into Detroit’s lineup when needed, some of his most important responsibilities are in Grand Rapids. That’s one down for Horkoff, the Detroit front office and Watson.
“I think every young guy’s dream is to go on to make it to the NHL,” Watson said. “Maybe later in his career, but he still got there. It’s just the tenacity, the work ethic, the care and passion you have for the organization, the team.
“He’s gone out and he’s being rewarded for it. And I think that just shows the young guys. We are blessed to have him here.”
With more than two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was awarded the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding league coverage in 2015-16.