The Grand Rapids Griffins will open defense of its Calder Cup championship on Oct. 6 against Manitoba at Van Andel Arena.
That's what the Griffins' 2017-18 scheduled revealed when it was released Tuesday, July 11. It is Grand Rapids' 22nd season as a franchise.
Check out the following highlights along with the entire 76-game schedule.
* Oct. 21, when the Hershey Bears will visit West Michigan for the first time in nearly 12 years (Dec. 22, 2005). Grand Rapids will make the return trip to Hershey on March 11. The Griffins are 6-0 all time against Hershey, which began play in the AHL in 1938-39 and is the oldest franchise on the circuit;
* March 2, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, whose parent club in Pittsburgh has won the last two Stanley Cups, will visit Van Andel Arena for the first time since Nov.