Shawn Horcoff, Griffins looking ahead to 2023-24

GRAND RAPIDS -- The Grand Rapids Griffins are looking for several new voices behind the bench.

Speaking to the media during his end-of-season session on April 17, general manager Shawn Horcoff said the Detroit Red Wings' American Hockey League affiliate would not renew the contracts of head coach Ben Simon, assistant coaches Matt Macdonald and Todd Krygier, or goaltending coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson.
"They're very hard workers," said Horcoff, who also serves as the Red Wings' assistant general manager. "They've faced some tough situations over the last couple of years. The last couple of years haven't been great. You have to look at the entire organization and start from scratch."
Grand Rapids compiled a 28-36-4-4 (64 points) record in 2022-23, finishing seventh in the Central Division and missing the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive campaign.
"I think the injuries had a big reason," Horcoff said. "It was a tough thing for the coaches to go through. We had some struggles in net which a lot went into, not just the goalies themselves. I think some play and some injuries like that have to do with that as well. When you have young guys, it's tough. "You have to be able to survive some ups and downs. It's difficult. It takes these young guys a while sometimes to find their stride. And frankly, they're gonna find it at different times."

Horcoff said it was a difficult decision not to retain Simon, but felt it was time to move a different direction.
"Ben has been with the organization for a long time," Horcoff said. "Just given the way the year went, it's obviously not the way we wanted to end the season. We'd much rather be playing right now. Frankly, we do have a young team down there and that was taken into account as well. We wanted to wait the entirety of the season to see it through and how it went."
As the search for a new head coach begins, Horcoff said he and his staff will be looking for a candidate who can find the right balance between player development and winning in the AHL.
"It's a little bit of a balancing act," Horcoff said. "It can be difficult for the coaches at times. You want the young players to play but at the same time, you want them to win. You have to be able to live with mistakes but you also wanna see growth."
From a roster improvement standpoint, Horcoff hopes to add skilled depth veterans this summer via free agency.
"The past years we've accumulated all these draft picks and (they) are starting to come to a head for us," Horcoff said. "We're starting to see many of these young players now turning pro. It's obviously important for us in the offseason, and something I'm really gonna focus on, to try to get the proper veterans in there. Not only help the players on the ice, but also off the ice to teach them how to do the right things."

And after the retirement of longtime veteran defenseman Brian Lashoff, who played 14 seasons with the Griffins, Horcoff emphasized current players will need to step up to fill the void.
"We had a lot of youth in the lineup," Horcoff said. "On a lot of nights this year, we had four or five guys who were 21 years or younger. That can be difficult. It's a hard league, a very good league. Our division is very competitive. There are no easy games any night, especially on defense. If you're off even a little bit, it can make for a long night. It's gonna be important for us to find those couple veterans to come in, really solidify and be stable for our young guys."