Griffins visit Iowa aiming to extend dominant season series advantage

Grand Rapids arrived in Iowa with the kind of profile that makes every late-season trip feel like more than a stopover. At 49-15-4-1 and 103 points, the Griffins led the Central Division, had already clinched a 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs berth on Feb. 27 and had done it before any other AHL club, and were still building toward the kind of resume that suggests a team more complete than merely hot.

The trip to Casey’s Center also came with a familiar edge. Grand Rapids had won 17 of the previous 23 meetings with Iowa and outscored the Wild by 26 goals in that stretch. Since 2021-22, the Griffins were 25-12-2-2 against Iowa and 13-6-0-1 in Iowa, a road mark that underlined how comfortable this matchup had become for one of the league’s best traveling teams.

That road strength is part of the larger argument for Grand Rapids as a serious playoff contender. The Griffins entered at 25-6-1-1 away from Van Andel Arena, the best road record in franchise history, and 24-9-3-0 at home. They were not simply piling up wins in one building or on one favorable run. They were winning everywhere, and doing it with a balance that matters once the games tighten in the spring.

The most useful test in Iowa was not whether Grand Rapids could beat a last-place opponent. Iowa entered at 26-34-6-3 and 10-18-2-3 at home. The question was whether the Griffins could carry over the habits that have defined their season, especially after a 5-2 loss to Rockford in their final home game. Even in that defeat, John Leonard extended his point streak to five games, Jesse Kiiskinen made his AHL debut and picked up his first point, Sheldon Dries scored his 23rd goal, and Alex Doucet tied his AHL career high with his seventh.

That mix of veteran production and fast-tracked depth is what separates a team finishing strong from one built for May. Dan Watson, in his third straight postseason with Grand Rapids, had guided the club to its first division title of 2025-26 while continuing a playoff run that had already produced a 5-7 record with the Griffins. With two Calder Cups in the trophy case, from 2013 and 2017, Grand Rapids has the kind of organizational standard that turns a game in Iowa into a meaningful measuring stick for what comes next.