Grizzlies Were a Consistent Winner in the 2010s

Decade Recap: Grizzlies Were a Consistent Winner

December 30th, 2019

West Valley City, Utah – The decade of the 2010s comes to an end with the Utah Grizzlies playing their final game of the decade on December 30th vs Tulsa. It was a decade that saw some great individual performances as well as one of the most consistent winning teams in the league.

In the 10 years from 2010-2019 the Grizzlies had a winning percentage of .500 or better 8 times. The 2 times the Grizzlies had a winning percentage of less than .500 saw the same percentage, which was .493. There wasn’t a season where the winning percentage was below .493. The Grizzlies made the playoffs in 9 of the 10 seasons in the decade. Michael Pelech had the most points by a Grizzlies skater with 189 (72 goals, 117 assists). Pelech played in the most games this decade with 224. Defenseman Taylor Richart will finish the decade with 221 games, leading all defenseman. Richart’s 40 goals were the most by a Grizzlies defenseman in the 10 year stretch. Danick Paquette led the Grizzlies in penalty minutes with 561. He played in 2012, 2014-15 for Utah.

5 Grizzlies skaters had over 100 points in the decade. Michael Pelech (189), Mattieu Aubin (159), Ryan Walters (152), Alex Krushelnyski (117) and Taylor Richart (112).

Goaltender Andrew Engelage played in 108 games, the most by a Utah goaltender in the decade. He won 53 games. Ryan Faragher played in 103 games and won 51 for the Grizz from 2015-2017. Igor Bobkov won 36 games for Utah in 2 seasons, from 2014-2015. Aaron Dell won 19 games for the Grizzlies in the 2013-14 season. He had a save percentage of .920 and a 2.14 Goals Against Average for the Grizz. Dell is currently in his 4th season in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks.

Grizzlies goaltenders won ECHL Goaltender of the Month honors in 3 straight months. Aaron Dell won the award for January 2014 and Igor Bobkov won in back to back months in February and March 2014. Grizzlies allowed only 174 goals in the 2013-14 season, best for the club this decade. Bobkov in the 2014-15 season and Joe Cannata last season led the league in shutouts for a single season with 4 each. Cannata and Kevin Carr combined for 7 shutouts in the 2018-19 season, the most combined shutouts by Grizzlies goaltenders for a single season in the 2010s.   

Drew MacKenzie won the October 2012 Plus Performer of the Month (Best +/- in the league). Ralph Cuddemi was named January 2017 ECHL Rookie of the Month. Austin Ortega won February 2018 ECHL Rookie of the Month. Caleb Herbert and Cole Ully were named Co-ECHL Players of the Month for November 2018. Both players had 21 points for the month. JT Henke won Rookie of the Month honors for December 2018 after he had 4 straight 2 goal games.

Forward Caleb Herbert was named first team all ECHL in the 2018-19 season. Herbert had the most goals for a full season in the decade with 32. Ryan Kinasewich had 48 goals in the 2009-2010 season, which started the decade in style. Defenseman Nick Tuzzolino was named second team all ECHL for the 2012-13 season. Forward Ryan Kinasewich started the decade by being named first team all ECHL for the 2009-10 season. Forward Paul McIlveen had a stellar 30 goal, 37 assist, 67 point season in 2011-12. Ryan Walters, Colin Vock and Barry Almeida each had a 29 goal season for Utah this decade. Defenseman Taylor Richart tied for the league lead for goals by a defenseman in the 2017-18 season with 17.

Head Coach Tim Branham broke the franchise record for wins by a Utah Grizzlies coach. Branham has a record of 231-171-59. He is in his seventh season with the club, which makes him the longest tenured coach in team history. Kevin Colley started the decade as the team's coach. Colley won 157 games in 5 seasons behind the bench from 2009-2013. 

Grizzlies saw increases in attendance for 9 straight seasons from 2010-2018, with a total of 203,990 fans showing up to Maverik Center in the 2017-18 season. The most fans for a single game was 10,700 patrons on April 1st, 2011 vs Bakersfield. The team has been celebrating the 50 year anniversary of professional hockey in the state of Utah. The Salt Lake Golden Eagles played from 1969-1994 and the Grizzlies moved from Denver to the Salt Lake valley for the 1995-96 season, a year where the Grizzlies won the Turner Cup in the old IHL.

The start of the 2020s begins with a 3 game series against the Rapid City Rush on January 3rd, 4th and 5th. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.