Bantle sets AHL career highs in physical, flexible role for Griffins

Carson Bantle did not force his way into the Griffins’ spotlight with big scoring totals. He did something harder to quantify and, in playoff hockey terms, often more useful: he made himself trusted. In 52 regular-season games with Grand Rapids, the 6-foot-5 winger posted seven points, 55 penalty minutes and an even plus-minus rating while setting AHL career highs in games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes.

That is the kind of line coaches notice. Bantle’s production, three goals and four assists, was modest on the surface, but the numbers point to a player who was asked to handle more shifts, more contact and more of the ugly work that fills out a bottom six. At 215 to 216 pounds, he has the frame to lean into that job, and Grand Rapids used him as the sort of forward who can survive board battles, absorb bumps and still chip in enough offense to stay in the lineup.

The development arc matters because Bantle has not been parked in one clean role. Grand Rapids moved him between the Griffins and the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye during the season, including a recall from Toledo on March 6, 2025. That kind of shuttle usually says a player is still sorting out his place. In Bantle’s case, it also says the organization wanted him close. Toledo was productive for him, too: he logged 29 points in 39 regular-season games there, then brought that momentum back to Grand Rapids.

Bantle’s season now looks like a baseline-setting year rather than a breakout. He made his AHL debut on Oct. 26, 2024, at Lehigh Valley, then scored his first AHL goal on Jan. 29, 2025, against Rockford. Those milestones matter because they map the steps of a player learning how to be effective against better, heavier competition. He also opened eyes at Wisconsin before turning pro, when the Big Ten named him Second Star of the Week on Dec. 12, 2023 after a hat trick weekend against Penn State.

The larger question for Grand Rapids and Detroit is whether Bantle becomes more than an energy piece. The profile is encouraging: born Jan. 22, 2002, in Onalaska, Wisconsin, drafted 142nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020, and built for the dirty minutes that keep a lineup functional. If he keeps turning size into trust and trust into regular NHL-adjacent responsibility, the Griffins have found something more valuable than a scorer. They may have found a role player with a real path.