GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The 2023/24 season was a landmark one for the Grand Rapids Griffins. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic with back-to-back finishes at the bottom of the Central Division, the Griffins turned the ship around in a hurry. Rookie head coach Dan Watson and the Griffins established an identity and a culture that saw a return to playoff form.
Following a quality playoff run that saw the Griffins knock off Rockford in four games and push division champion Milwaukee to the brink, the foundations of success were laid for 2024/25. The Griffins will have to do so without some of their biggest contributors from last season. Leading scorer Jonatan Berggren and top-line defenders Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson are expected to make the jump to Detroit, while veterans such as Taro Hirose and Austin Czarnik followed contract offers overseas.
While Detroit has added veteran help (Sheldon Dries and Joe Snively to name a couple), it will take growth from players within to help the Griffins build upon last season’s success. For some players, these opportunities will give them a chance to show what they can bring to the Griffins and – hopefully soon – the Red Wings. For others, it may be their last chance to feature themselves as future pieces of the organization going forward.
Here are a few names that Griffins (and by extension Red Wing) fans should keep an eye on as we near opening night:
Jakub Rychlovsky
One of the more intriguing names the Red Wings signed over the summer, 23-year old Czech forward Jakub Rychlovsky will be leaned on to replace some of that goal production that will be going up to Detroit with Berggren. Last year in the Czech Pro League, Rychlovsky led the league in goal scoring with 26 markers in 51 games. There’s little to hide about what the Red Wings want to see him do in Grand Rapids: fill the net with pucks.
Fans got their first looks at Rychlovsky during the Traverse City Prospect Tournament earlier this month, where he spent much of his time on Detroit’s top line alongside 2023 first-round pick Nate Danielson. His nose for the net allowed him to scoop in a rebound goal on the power-play – where Grand Rapids famously failed to convert for much of the postseason.
Rychlovsky will be kicking off the first of a two-year deal this October. He’s certainly not the first attempt by Detroit at filling up depth with high-powered scorers from Europe (Pontus Andreasson comes to mind). The two-year deal allows the young Czech forward to acclimate himself with the organization, establish his role, and make a possible push for a roster spot down the line. If he can prove himself an asset, especially on the man advantage, he can be a potential X-Factor for the Griffins in 24/25.
There is depth on the left wing side in Grand Rapids to contend with, but the possibilities should remain for Rychlovsky to make a name for himself – and early – on the Griffins.
Elmer Soderblom
Speaking of left wing depth. Just two years ago, Elmer Soderblom was blowing down the doors to Little Caesar’s Arena with his massive 6’8 frame and otherworldly hands for a man of his size. He opened the 22/23 season not only with a spot in Detroit on opening night but kicked off the Red Wings’ season with its first goal. At the time, he seemed like he was on his way to becoming another name in a CVS receipt of late-round gems draft gems by Detroit.
Those 21 games feel like a lifetime ago for Soderblom, who has faced his fair share of challenges in Grand Rapids. A few poorly-timed injuries didn’t help his case, but the first half of 2023/24 saw Soderblom struggle to establish himself in the lineup. When the big man was slotted in, he struggled to make consistent plays and be noticeable on the ice – a feat for his height.
Once the calendar hit January, however, Soderblom’s game turned on and didn’t really look back. He started skating with more confidence both with and without the puck – a feature of his game that needed and showed drastic improvement. The goals started to come with the floodgates breaking open. In the playoffs, he showcased another element of his game: physicality – something he wasn’t known much for that made his impact felt on the ice by players and fans alike.
Soderblom has always been an enigma – one of the great what-ifs of all-time. After his debut in a Red Wing sweater, it’s been difficult for the big man to consistently bring all those elements of his game together that show flashes of an NHL player. With one year left on his contract and a more competitive Red Wings team piling up depth in front of him, Soderblom’s going to need to bring it night in and night out in Grand Rapids to prove that he’s a future piece in the organization. He’s got the tools. Can he pull it all together in 24/25?
Cross Hanas
There is never a well-timed injury, but when you’re having a breakout rookie season cut short by a major injury, bad luck doesn’t even begin to cover it. Cross Hanas was one of the few bright spots of an objectively rough period of hockey for the Griffins in 2022/23. The 2020 second-round pick opened up the season with 7 goals in his first 13 games before the aforementioned shoulder injury in January sidelined him for the rest of the season.
In 2023/24, Hanas found himself falling down the lineup compared to the squad the year before. Power play minutes that he used to see were now being eaten by names like Berggren or Carter Mazur. With a decrease in minutes came a decrease in production and, like Soderblom, less opportunity to consistently put good games together. In 58 appearances, Hanas had less points (17) than he did in his rookie 30 game season (18).
Like Soderblom, the tools are there for Hanas as we saw in his rookie season. Also like Soderblom, Hanas is on the last year of his entry-level contract. It won’t be easy for Hanas to bring the attention in the lineup back upon himself, as the depth with the left wing side remains as stout as ever. Based on training camp numbers, Hanas has added weight to go along with an antagonistic play style that he hopes can get the gears turning. It would go a long way to resetting the clock for his role as a regular contributor in the lineup.
Antti Tuomisto
In an age where right-handed shooting defensemen are treated like gold, this 2019 second-rounder flies a bit under the radar. That could have been with the majority of minutes in all situations being taken up by Edvinsson and Johansson. Understandable, but with their graduation the spotlight turns to Antti Tuomisto. The 23 year-old Finn is expected to pair up with another high draft pick in William Wallinder to play some big minutes for the Griffins this coming season.
It took Tuomisto some time to establish himself solidly on Grand Rapids’ blue line last season, but once he was settled in the defender turned in a solid rookie campaign that he’ll look to build upon – similar to Albert Johansson’s role heading into last season.
This is by no means a make-or-break year for the Finn, though like Soderblom and Hanas he comes into this season on the last year of his contract. Unlike the previous two names, Tuomisto will be arbitration-eligible in the summer of 2025. It’s worth noting that Tuomisto is one of two players in the first 41 picks of the 2019 Draft that has yet to play an NHL game. The other name being the oft-injured Ryan Suzuki of Carolina. Other defenders taken around the same position such as Vegas’ Kaeden Korczak and Chicago’s Alex Vlasic have established themselves as core defenders in their respective franchises. This season, Tuomisto will be expected to play himself into that conversation.
That establishment begins with a strong showing and big minutes this year in Grand Rapids.
Sebastian Cossa
I can hear the discourse already: “Cossa?! But Andrew, he was incredible last year! How can he have any more to prove?!”
Sebastian Cossa has been a hot ticket amongst Red Wings fans from the moment his name was called on draft day. It’s been a patient approach for the 6’6 goaltender, as has been the expectation for him since he was taken 15th overall in 2021. He began last season in tandem with Michael Hutchinson but by January had become the unquestioned workhorse in net. Cossa led the second-half resurgence for the Griffins that saw them surge to the second spot in the Central Division and his numbers reflected the elite level of play he brought to the net.
So what else is there to prove? It’s less so proving anything more to Grand Rapids or Detroit than proving his place among the top names of promising young goaltenders on the cusp of an NHL job. Despite Detroit bringing in another capable vet in Jack Campbell, Cossa should be leaned on for the lion’s share of games as he continues his patient development into a future Red Wing. If he can take that second half of last season and turn it into a full calendar year, the Griffins will be in prime position for a deep playoff run.
With Yaroslav Askarov being traded out and Jesper Wallstedt expecting to see more time in the NHL, Cossa becomes the premier young goaltender in the division. Can he continue his stellar play to establish himself as the best in the American Hockey League this year? The talent, coaching, and teammates are all there for the mixings of a special season for “Seabass” and the Griffins this 2024/2025 season.
