Griffins Power Play with Ian Mitchel

Griffins Power Play with Ian Mitchel

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We have a first timer in the power play. This
is Wes Michigan's Morning News Steve Kelly, Bread, Kata, Laurence Smith,
Ladies and gentlemen, Grand Rapid Griffin Ian Mitchell, thank you
so much for doing this this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, no problem, Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
Number fifty five of your program. Plays defense for the
Grand Rapids Griffins and Ian. Before I get to the
real tough questions about you know, growing up as a
kid and cannon and all that stuff, let me ask
you this. I mean, the Griffins are off to a
historic start. As you know, there's been a lot of
first time Griffins that have made up this roster. Have
you played with as good a roster as you have
right now? I mean, you guys are on fire.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, it's been a ton of fun. You know, I
really did think coming into the season that we had
a really good team, but I probably wouldn't have believed
you if you said we'd be sixteen one and one.
But yeah, we just have a ton of talent on
the roster. Great goaltending, strong defense corps, and the forwards
are putting in the net all the time. So it's
been a ton of fun.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Well, welcome to Grand Rapids and West Michigan. Hope you're
enjoying your time when you get a chance to get
out and check the city in the area. And I'll
ask you because we always get an early snowstorm. Now,
you're from Alberta, Canada, near Edmonton, where you grew up
and where you were born. So is this anything for you?
I mean, how cold do you remember it being growing up,
maybe playing some hockey, going outside, or maybe how much

(01:16):
snow you guys got compared to I mean we're complaining
about eight to ten inches.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, actually I did. The snow is pretty comparable. I
think when you're around the lake, I think you do
get a lot of snow. But at home it definitely
gets colder. I think right now maybe around minus twenty
during the night celsias, So I'm not sure what that
is in Fahrenheits, but it gets really cold. So those
knights from the outdire rink, he'd be hoping that they

(01:41):
had a warming shock so you could warm your toes
a bit. But you know, just some of my fondest
memories being outside on those rinks and the cold.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, kudos to you, by the way, and that exchange
always gets me too fair kneight to Celsius. But you
have over one hundred NHL games under your belt. You
got drafted in the second round back in twenty seventeen,
umber fifty seven overall, by the way, by the Chicago
black Hawks. Then you get traded to Boston and then
now signed with Detroit. So you're an original sixer, I

(02:08):
mean wherever you go, right, you're one of the original
six teams. But I got to ask you, what does
it feel like, honestly when you find out as a
player you get traded. I mean cause, right, I mean,
we all can change jobs if we want to, but
you get traded to another team, you have nothing to
say about it, right.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, I know, it's completely out of your control. So
I was actually sitting on the couch in the summer,
I think it was at the end of June, and
my wife actually was just you know, scrolling through Twitter
and saw that, oh, it looks like there was a
trade between Boston and Chicago, and then within like ten seconds,
my phone rang, and so yeah, it was I mean,

(02:45):
it's a shock for sure that you're thinking one place
you're going to somewhere completely different. But it's kind of
what comes with the job, so you kind of got
to roll with it.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
So now you make the decision, you sign a deal
with Detroit, you're playing with the Griffins. What do you
think of your experience so far? I know it hasn't
been a ton of time, but just with the Detroit
organization compared to maybe a Boston or where you started
with Chicago.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, I mean namely just being in ground rapids the city.
We've absolutely loved it so far. It feels a lot
like home. We love having all the snow around it.
It's definitely start to kind of seel like Christmas time
around this time of year. So the whole organizations are
nothing but first class. Since we got to Detroit for
training camp and now getting settled in and ground Rapid,
So yeah, we've loved it, and yeah we'd love to,

(03:28):
you know, stick around here for you know, many more years.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
You mentioned your wife, so I got to ask these
are the tough questions. Now, how does a professional hockey
player find time to go gift shopping for the holidays
with that busy schedule?

Speaker 1 (03:41):
You have a good question.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
A lot of it is online shopping, i'd say, And
now we Uh, we have a newborn at home too,
so that complicates. We'd have been more time. So uh yeah,
try to get her, get her something extra special this
year for you know, the great job she just said
last week.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
Oh congratulations, and by the way, baby shout outs, we
love that, so give us the name and also how old?

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yeah, her name is Ella and she's a week old today.
Oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
They why did they stick you with a power play interview?
You should be home doing something right.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
I mean, have you even slept yet tonight?

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Oh I'm still got to make it a practice on time,
so I gotta get out there. Well, he is a problem.

Speaker 3 (04:25):
He is Ian Mitchell, and make sure you give him
a shout out. Maybe one of those teddy bears they
tossed on a fridaynight should go to your daughter. By
the way, but congratulations to you and your wife, and
welcome to Grand Rapids and we're so happy to have you.
Thanks for joining us, by the way, a week after
your daughter was born.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yeah, thank you very much. We're really excited to be here,
so appreciate you having me.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
On another winning Wednesday. Tomorrow night. They then host That's
the Cleveland Monsters. Then they're on the road for two
Friday and Saturday,