Grand Rapids Griffins Scoring Records

The Grand Rapids Griffins professional hockey franchise was established for the 1996-97 IHL season. The Griffins played in the IHL from 1996-97 to 2000-01 before moving to the American Hockey League. Grand Rapids currently remains in the AHL. The Griffins are affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.

The individual single season scoring records of the team are decent, considering the team was born at the end of the era of offense in North American pro hockey. The following records include both the years the Griffins spent in the IHL and AHL.

Goals – Donald MacLean

MacLean scored 56 goals in 76 games for the Griffins in 2005-06. He also assisted on 32 for 88 points. The goal total tied him with Denis Hamel of the Binghamton Senators for the AHL lead. Both have their name on the Willlie Marshall Award. However, MacLean gets the edge for playing one less game than Hamel. In 2005-06, Donald was also awarded the Les Cunningham Award as AHL most valuable player. In addition, he had a three game stint with the Red Wings.

Donald was originally a second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 1995. He appeared in a total of 41 regular season NHL games over his career with the Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit and the Phoenix Coyotes.

MacLean won a scoring title in the AHL in 2001-02. He was awarded the John B. Sollenberger Trophy with 87 points in 75 games for the St. John’s Maple Leafs. Donald finished off his pro career in Europe from 2007-08 to 2010-11, playing in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. He is currently the assistant coach of Medvescak Zagreb of Austria’s EBEL. Zagreb was the last team he played for.

Assists – Jiri Hudler

The same year Donald MacLean was setting the Griffins record for goals, Jiri Hudler set the mark for assists in a season. Hudler assisted on 60 while scoring 36 of his own for 96 points in 76 games. Jiri finished third in the AHL for assists that year.

Hudler was a second round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. He has just passed the 450 game mark in his NHL career while playing for the Red Wings and Calgary Flames. 2014-15 will be his third year with Calgary.

Points – Michel Picard

In the first year of existence for the Griffins, 1996-97, Michel Picard set the team record for points that currently stands today. In 82 games for the IHL Griffins, Picard totalled 101 points on 46 goals and 55 assists. His point total placed him fourth in the IHL that season.

Picard was a ninth round pick of the Hartford Whalers in 1989. Over his career, he played in 166 regular season NHL games with the Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. Michel led the American Hockey League for goals in 1990-91, scoring 56 as a member of the Springfield Indians. He retired from hockey in 2008-09 after five years in Quebec’s LNAH.