Grizzlies Gameday: Playoffs Begin at Maverik Center

Grizzlies Gameday: Playoffs Begin at Maverik Center

#1 Utah Grizzlies (42-27-3) vs. #4 Tulsa Oilers (36-30-6)Game 1 – Friday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. MT Tulsa at Utah.Game 2 – Saturday, April 23 at 7:10 p.m. MT Tulsa at Utah.Game 3 – Tuesday, April 26 at 6:05 p.m. Utah at TulsaGame 4 – Wednesday, April 27 at 6:05 p.m. Utah at TulsaGame 5 – Thursday, April 28 at 6:05 p.m. Utah at Tulsa (If Necessary)Game 6 – Monday, May 2 at 7:10 p.m. Tulsa at Utah (If Necessary)Game 7 – Wednesday, May 4 at 7:10 p.m. Tulsa at Utah (If Necessary)

All Times Mountain.

The Grizz won their first ever division championship and finished with a bang as they won 4 of their last 5 games. Utah will have home ice advantage for the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. The winner of the Utah-Tulsa series will face the winner of the Rapid City-Allen set.

D’Astous Named League Defenseman of the Year

Charle-Edouard D’Astous won the ECHL Defenseman of the Year award. D’Astous led all league defenseman with 26 goals, 9 power play goals and 7 game winning goals. D’Astous was 2nd among league d-men with 57 points and 190 shots on goal. He is the 6th different defenseman in league history to score at least 26 goals in a single season and only the 2nd since 2000.

MOST GOALS, DEFENSEMAN, SEASON 

28 - Jay Neal (Toledo, 1994-95) 

27 - Chris Valicevic (Louisiana, 1999-2000) 

26 - Charle-Edouard D'Astous (Utah, 2021-22)

26 - Les Lancaster (Allen, 2020-21) 

26 - Rick Corriveau (Toledo, 1994-95)

26 - Joe Cook (Columbus, 1993-94) 

Grizzlies All-League Team  *ECHL era

Charle-Edouard D’Astous – 1st team all-ECHL – 2021-22.

Tim McGauley – 2nd team all-ECHL – 2019-20.

Caleb Herbert – 1st team all-ECHL – 2018-19.

Nick Tuzzolino – 2nd team all-ECHL – 2012-13.

Ryan Kinasewich – 1st team all-ECHL – 2009-10. Kinasewich was 2nd team all-ECHL in 2005-06.

Martin and Tardif Named to All-Rookie Team

Defenseman Luke Martin and Forward Ben Tardif were each named to the ECHL All-Rookie team on April 13. Martin ranks second among all league rookies with 32 assists and 42 points and is tied for seventh with 10 goals. Luke has produced on the power play as he has 13 power play points. Martin played his college hockey at the University of Michigan from 2016-2020. Last season he split time with Texas (AHL) and Greenville (ECHL) but kept his rookie status by playing in less than 25 pro games. Luke was a 2nd round pick (52nd overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Tardif leads all league rookies with 39 assists and is 2nd with 59 points. Tardif is 7th among rookies with 13 power play assists and is 8th with 182 shots on goal. Benjamin leads the Grizzlies with 19 multiple point games. He is 2nd in the league with 8 shorthanded points. Tardif was the QMJHL Playoff MVP in 2021, leading Victoriaville to the championship.

Season Series vs Tulsa

Utah went 4-3-1 vs Tulsa this season. Mason Mannek led Utah with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 8 games. Luke Martin had 1 goal and 7 assists vs Tulsa. Ben Tardif had 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games vs Tulsa. Charle-Edouard D’Astous had 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 games vs Tulsa. Utah went 1-2 at home vs Tulsa and 3-1-1 at BOK Center, the site of games 3-5. Trent Miner went 2-2 with a 2.42 GAA vs Tulsa this season. Utah was 6 for 27 (22.2 %) on the power play and 19 for 23 (82.6 %) on the penalty kill vs Tulsa.

The Oilers leading scorer vs Utah this season was Jack Doremus, who had 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists). Adam Pleskach had 5 assists vs Utah.

These May Be the Glory Days

Utah finished with a record of 42-27-2-1 this season. The 42 wins are the most since in team history since the 2001-02 Grizzlies went 40-29-6-5 in the first season of the AHL era.

Most Wins in Team History

1995-96: 49 (Turner Cup Champions).

1997-98: 47.

1999-2000: 45.

1996-97: 43.

2021-22: 42

2001-02: 40

Grizzlies Roster

Forwards: Kyle Betts,Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Nick Henry, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Dakota Raabe, Benjamin Tardif, Zach Tsekos, Johnny Walker.

Defenseman: Nate Clurman,Joey Colatarci, Austin Crossley, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Miles Gendron, Luke Martin, Connor McDonald, Kyle Pouncy, James Shearer.

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones,Trent Miner, Thomas Sigouin.

Team Leaders (2021-22 season)

Games: Mason Mannek/Tyler Penner (72).

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (26). – Most by Grizzlies defenseman in a single season.

Assists: Ben Tardif (39)

Points: Tardif (59)

Plus/Minus: Luke Martin (+23)

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (114) Mason Mannek led active Grizzlies with 102.

Power Play Points: D’Astous (23)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (9)

Power Play Assists: D’Astous (14).

Shorthanded Goals: Trey Bradley/Matthew Boucher/Tardif (4)

Shots on Goal: Brian Bowen (201)

Shooting Percentage: Bradley (18 for 113). 15.9 %. – Minimum 100 shots.

Game Winning Goals: D’Astous (7).

Wins: Peyton Jones (17).

Save %: Garrett Metcalf (.918).

Goals Against Average: Metcalf (2.63)

Shutouts: Trent Miner (7) – Broke Grizzlies Single Season Shutout Record.

Minutes: Jones (1729)

2021-2022 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 42-27-2-1

Home record: 23-13. Utah outscored opponents 130 to 107 at home.

Road record: 19-14-2-1. – Most Grizz road wins since the 2010-11 season.

Win percentage: .604. Mountain Division Champions.

Streak: Won 3.

Standings Points: 87. 

Last 10: 6-4.

Goals per game: 3.33 (Tied 9th) Goals for: 240.

Goals against per game: 3.13 (Tied 10th) Goals Against: 225.

Goal Differential: + 15. Best goal differential in the Mountain Division.

Shots per game: 31.86 (11th)

Shots against per game: 32.08 (16th)  

Power Play: 39 for 227 – 17.2 % (Tied 21st)

Penalty Kill: 217 for 279- 77.8 % (Tied 24th)

Penalty Minutes: 959. 13.32 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 20 – Led League.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 10.

Record When Scoring First: 22-9-0-1. Utah has scored first in 32 of 72 games this season. Utah went 20-18-2 when the opposition scores first.

Record in One Goal Games: 15-7-2-1. 25 of the 72 games were decided by 1. 20 games were decided by 2. Utah went 12-8 in 2 goal games. 

Grizzlies Ironmen

Forwards Mason Mannek and Tyler Penner were the only 2 players to appear in all 72 games for Utah. Mannek was 3rd on the team with 51 points (23 goals, 28 assists). Mannek was tied for 8th among all league rookies in points. Penner had 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) and led all current Grizzlies forwards in plus/minus (+22).

Grizzlies Winning Weekly/Monthly/Yearly Awards

Trent Miner – Goaltender of the Week (October 25-31, 2021)

Charle-Edouard D’Astous – Plus Performer of the Month (October 2021).

Brandon Cutler – Rookie of the Month (November 2021).

Charle-Edouard D’Astous – First Team All-ECHL (2021-2022 season)

Ben Tardif – All-Rookie Team Forward (2021-2022 season)

Luke Martin – All-Rookie Team Defenseman (2021-2022 season)

Bear Bites: Notable Team Stats

Utah was 29-1 when leading after 2 periods. They are 16-4 when leading after 1. Utah outscored the opposition 130 to 107 at home this season. Utah led the league with 20 shorthanded goals. The Grizz clinched a playoff spot for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons where a postseason was held. Utah outscored opponents 96 to 67 in the 2nd periods this season. Utah is 2nd in the league in wins when trailing after 1 period with 11. Utah is 22-10-0-1 when outshooting opponents.  The Grizz went 21-6 at home vs Mountain Division opponents.

Grizz Hung Out with the Shorties

Utah led the league with 20 shorthanded goals this season. Tulsa allowed 11 shorthanded goals this year.

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Goaltender Trent Miner led the league with 7 shutouts. No other goaltender in the league had more than 5. Ben Tardif led all league rookies with 39 assists and 8 shorthanded points. Tardif was tied for 2nd among rookies with 59 points. Charle-Edouard D’Astous led all league defenseman in goals (26), power play goals (9) and game winning goals (7). D’Astous was 2nd among d-men with 57 points and 190 shots on goal. Connor McDonald led all league defenseman with 4 shorthanded assists.

Grizzlies Pro Playoff Experience

There are 6 Grizzlies players with previous professional playoff experience.

Trey Bradley – 3 games with Utah in 2021. Bradley had 1 goal and 1 assist vs Allen.

Luka Burzan – 1 game with Colorado (AHL) in 2021.

Dylan Fitze – 9 games with Orlando in 2019. Fitze had 2 assists.

Miles Gendron – 3 games with Utah in 2021.

Nick Henry – 2 games with Colorado (AHL) in 2019.

Luke Martin – 8 games with Greenville in 2021. Martin had 2 assists.