Griffins taking lessons learned into next season

The Grand Rapids Griffins' season may have ended earlier than they had hoped, but coach Ben Simon heads into the offseason confident his players gained valuable experience that will serve them well.

The Griffins (33-35-6, 74 points) finished seventh in the Central Division in 2021-22, missing the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time in seven years. There were no Calder Cup recipients the previous two seasons due to COVID-19.
"We've done some good things this year for sure," Simon said in his end-of-season media session. "But we gotta obviously continue to evolve and continue to become better so that this doesn't happen again. We use this as motivation to come back next year better, stronger and hungrier."
Watch: Media Availability 5-3-22 | Ben Simon
Simon didn't want to make excuses but acknowledged the injury bug did have an impact on Detroit's AHL affiliate.
"Injuries were definitely a big part of it," Simon said. "I think depth caught up with us a little bit. Credit to the guys that did dig in and were here. I don't want to take anything away from that."
A player who emerged as a major contributor for the Griffins was rookie winger Jonatan Berggren, the Red Wings' 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
"It was great to see his maturity," Simon said. "As a kid, as a person, which also correlated to on the ice."
Berggren set Grand Rapids' all-time rookie scoring record with 64 points in 70 games. The 21-year-old also became the first rookie to lead the Griffins in assists (43).

"We're proud of his development," Simon said. "I thought that Jonatan as a new kid coming into a foreign country for the first time, adjusting to a different culture, a different city, a different coach, a different organization, a lot of firsts. He had a heck of a year. He should be proud of that."
Simon also commended winger Riley Barber, who had 28 goals and 25 assists in 49 games. Barber ended the season with a career-high 17-game point streak, marking the longest run since former Griffin Donald MacLean's franchise-record 19-game point streak in 2005-06.
"Overall, Riley Barber did what he was supposed to do, which is score goals," Simon said.
Forward Taro Hirose also played a key role offensively, finishing second in assists (38) and tying Barber for the second-most points (53) in 59 games.

"He wants to be one of those guys in the same breath as (Andrew) Paoturalski and (T.J.) Tynan," Simon said. "If he's going to be in Grand Rapids or in the American League, he wants to be one of those go-to guys who are significantly producing at those levels. He's going to challenge himself this summer to come back and do that."
Simon and his staff are already looking ahead to next season, with player development continuing to be the top priority.
"You're always thinking about next season," Simon said. "Shawn (Horcoff) came in with Danny Cleary the other day and did exit interviews with the players. We met with the players after as well. We'll probably take a couple of days and digest the feedback that they got, the feedback we'll get and take that feedback and apply it to how we can be better."
The Griffins will begin the 2022-23 season on Friday, Oct. 14 at Van Andel Arena, one of six home dates that have been confirmed by the AHL. Future opponents and start times will be revealed later this summer by the league.
The 2022-23 campaign will mark Grand Rapids' 22nd year in the AHL.