In back to back victories over the Sarnia Sting last week he registered 3 goals and 3 assists, good enough to earn first star in my 3 stars of the week.
So what's changed for Griffith? Confidence for one. He's getting more quality minutes now and taking to the ice more on the power play. He's also getting duty playing alongside Jared Knight who has been on fire himself with 13 points in his last 5 games.
Speaking about his recent play to the London Free Press yesterday Griffith had this to say: “After the break, I got a lot of rest and just feel refreshed out there.”
He now ranks second in team stats in goals and fourth in points. He is also tied for second in power play goals.
His background in Lacrosse has also been beneficial to Griffith in that, he's not afraid of the dirty areas and has no fear in taking a hit to make a play. He'll do whatever it takes to help his team win.
Like a lot of junior players though, his defensive game could use some work. He's a plus 3 on the season. His size, or lack thereof, means that he has to work twice as hard in his own end and when he learns that he can be a very effective two way player. Of course he's in a good situation with Coach Hunter in London, and it's coming along. But it'll take showing the same effort in his own end that he shows 200 feet away.
There is no doubt in my mind that Griffith will be a project for an NHL team, and he has time on his side. But if he can continue to show improvement and work hard in his own end, he could make an NHL team look hard at him in the third round come June.
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