Red Wings Prospect Cossa Delivering in Big Games

When it comes to helping the Grand Rapids Griffins prepare for the playoffs, Red Wings prospect goalie Sebastian Cossa is literally standing tall for his team.

The Red Wings 6-foot-7 first-round goalie pick in 2021 made 33 saves Wednesday to help the Griffins pull out a 2-1 win against the Hartford Wolfpack at Van Andel Arena.

“I just think he’s cool, he’s calm and he’s collected right now,” coach Dan Watson said. “He’s feeling good about himself, which is what we need.”

With the Red Wings promoting players such as Elmer Soderblom,  Dominik Shine and William Lagesson off the Griffins roster, the AHL team has sputtered a bit. But with Cossa going 3-0-2 in his last five decisions dating to Feb. 23, the Griffins are regaining their footing in the Central Division race.

Cossa has stopped 89 of 94 shots (.947 save percentage) in his past three outings. “He’s in a groove,” Watson said. “He’s feeling it.”

The Griffins, with 14 games remaining, are one point behind the Texas Stars (Dallas Stars) for second in the Central Division, and three points behind the first-place Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators). The Stars have four games in hand on Grand Rapids.

The Griffins have a critical home game against the Admirals Friday at Van Andel Arena.

Austin Watson, who recently re-upped for another season with Detroit, scored the game-winning power play goal with 2:03 remaining in regulation against Hartford. Amadeus Lombardi and Shai Buium assisted. Lombardi boasts eight points in his past eight games, and totals 24 points in 30 games for the season. Defenseman Buium now has 21 points on the season.

Hanas Streak

Cross Hanas, meanwhile, continues to play well, picking up an assist on Ondrej Becher’s goal to give him a four-game points streak.

“He’s been real good in the offensive zone,” Watson said. “Getting pucks to the net. He’s moving his feet…And just overall, his play has progressed and he’s gotten better the last 10 or 15 games.

The Griffins acquired Russian defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov from the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in exchange for future considerations. He’s 26 and has logged 81 games with the San Jose Sharks.

“He’s going to be a good addition to our team,” Watson said. “You can see how well he skates. He has some poise with the puck. He made a few nice plays with the puck that we havn’t seen in a little while here. To add a guy like that, at this time of year, to boost our team is a huge get. ”