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Ken Holland hopes to see half of the current members of the Griffins in the NHL at some point.

(AP file photo)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The future of the Detroit Red Wings is on display at Van Andel Arena, and the brass likes what it sees.

“Success breeds confidence and that’s what we’re seeing,” said Ken Holland, the Red Wings general manager who watched the Grand Rapids Griffins defeat Syracuse 4-2 on Wednesday, June 12, to take a 3-0 lead in the Calder Cup Finals.

Holland has high hopes.

“We look at the age of this team and we’re hoping half of them end up in the National Hockey League, and lots of them are going to be in Detroit,” he said.

Seven current members of the Griffins played with the Red Wings this season, and five of them - forwards Gustav Nyquist, Joakim Andersson and Tomas Tatar, and defensemen Brian Lashoff and Danny DeKeyser - are strong candidates to stick with the parent club next season.

Related: What the Griffins contributed to the Red Wings this season

Two others who got their first, brief taste of the NHL, goalie Petr Mrazek and center Riley Sheahan, are prospects for the future. Tomas Jurco is also in the next wave.

Holland, assistant general manager Ryan Martin – both of whom attend numerous Griffins games throughout the season – along with Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, watched Wednesday’s convincing win before a near sellout crowd at Van Andel Arena.

Ryan Martin

As a measuring stick, the Griffins are way up there with three in a row against Syracuse, which was 11-1 in the playoffs coming into the series with 10 players who were apart of Norfolk’s team a year ago and torched through the playoffs en route to the title.

“This is an experience where there’s no other way to get it other than to experience it,” Holland said. “Look at our series with Chicago. There were players there who were on Rockford and we had players who had been here.”

Nyquist, Andersson and DeKeyser were with the Red Wings throughout the playoffs. After the Red Wings were eliminated by Chicago in seven games in the conference semifinals, the three were returned to Grand Rapids.

That experience is paying off for Grand Rapids.

“After what they’ve been through (in Detroit) and then playing in this, it speeds up the process,” Holland said. “Now, it’s not going to speed it up by a year or two, but it’s certainly going to help.”

Martin, who has been with the Red Wings’ front office eight years and recently succeeded Jim Nill as assistant general manager overseeing the Griffins, pointed to the careful integration of veterans with prospects. Calculated AHL contract signings this season of players such as journeymen Jeff Hoggan for leadership, Nathan Paetsch to help anchor the blueline and Triston Grant and Brennan Evans for strength and experience, have meant a great deal to the team.

“I think they have been just incredible character players in the locker room for us,” Martin said. “They have been a fabulous to the mix.”

Hoggan was even named captain.

Now the team is experiencing a playoff run for the first time in three years, and it could cap with a championship.

“We have a terrific group,” Holland said. “Experiences like these are invaluable and they breed confidence. And when you get to this level, where everyone is talented, having the confidence to succeed makes a big difference.”

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