Photo: Christian Bonin/TSGphoto.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Grand Rapids Griffins forward Marco Kasper has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 21, 2024.
Kasper recorded three goals and two assists to lead his team to a pair of come-from-behind victories over the weekend.
The Griffins headed to Winnipeg for a two-game visit with the Manitoba Moose, beginning with a Friday night tilt at Canada Life Centre. Kasper picked up an assist on the opening goal of the game before capping Grand Rapids’ comeback from 4-1 down by scoring the overtime winner to give the Griffins a 5-4 victory. Then on Saturday, Grand Rapids trailed by three goals entering the third period, but Kasper scored twice early in the final frame and then assisted on the decisive goal with 11.4 seconds remaining as the Griffins pulled out a 4-3 win over the Moose.
The 19-year-old Kasper has totaled six goals and 13 assists for 19 points and is the only Griffins skater to appear in all 36 games so far this season. A native of Innsbruck, Austria, Kasper played 108 games in the Swedish Hockey League with Rogle BK and won the Champions Hockey League title in 2022. He was the eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2022 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut with the Red Wings last season, skating in one game.
