Grizzlies Announce 2022-2023 Training Camp Roster

Grizzlies Announce 2022-2023 Training Camp Roster                

West Valley City, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies have announced their training camp roster as they prepare for the 2022-2023 season. Last season the Grizzlies won the Mountain Division for the first time in team history and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2008.

18 of the 23 players have previous regular season or playoff experience with the Grizzlies. Ryan Kinasewich enters his 2nd season as Head Coach and General Manager. Jared Pike is the new Grizzlies assistant coach. He was a player with Utah in the 2020-2021 season.

5 players were reassigned to Utah from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on October 8. Forwards Tarun Fizer and Zach Tsekos were part of last season’s playoff run. Cameron Wright won a national championship with the University of Denver last season. Wright scored 23 goals and 11 assists in 41 games for Denver. Defenseman Nate Clurman returns to Utah for his second pro season. Clurman was a +16 in 54 games with Utah last season. Goaltender Lukas Parik is a former 3rd round pick of the LA Kings back in 2019. Last season with Rapid City, Parik went 14-8-8 with a .915 save % and a 2.69 Goals Against Average.

Andrew Nielsen scored 27 points in 36 games with Utah last season (8 goals, 19 assists). Nielsen has 6 years of experience in the AHL with Toronto, Stockton, Hersey and Tucson. Connor McDonald was a key piece to the Grizzlies blue line last season, scoring 3 goals and 10 assists in 57 regular season games. McDonald has AHL experience with Indy and San Jose.

There are 6 players who were acquired by Utah in March 2022, late in the 2021-2022 regular season who are back for another season, including forwards Kyle Betts, Dylan Fitze, Keaton Jameson, Dakota Raabe, Johnny Walker and defenseman James Shearer.

Among the new players, Defenseman Brycen Martin played with Maine and Indy last season. In 39 games with Indy, Martin had 4 goals and 19 assists. Forward Cam Strong played last season with Reading and South Carolina.

Forwards Neil Robinson and Christian Simeone and defenseman Joey Colatarci, Kyle Pouncy and Jordon Stone are back with the club for a second season. Goaltender Garrett Metcalf is back for his 3rd season in Utah. In 2 seasons with the Grizzlies, Metcalf has an 8-7-1 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.48 goals against average.

Forward Joey Strada and defenseman Victor Bartley each signed a tryout deal with Utah. Strada was with the Grizzlies in training camp prior to last season. 

Forward Tyler Penner is currently in AHL camp with the Manitoba Moose. Penner appeared in every game for Utah last season. The Grizzlies hold his ECHL rights for the 2022-2023 season.

Utah Grizzlies 2022-2023 Training Camp Roster

Forwards (12): Kyle Betts, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Keaton Jameson, Dakota Raabe, Neil Robinson, Christian Simeone, Joey Strada, Cam Strong, Zach Tsekos, Johnny Walker, Cameron Wright.

Defenseman (9): Victor Bartley, Nate Clurman, Joey Colatarci, Brycen Martin, Connor McDonald, Andrew Nielsen, Kyle Pouncy, James Shearer, Jordon Stone.

Goaltenders (2): Garrett Metcalf, Lukas Parik.

The roster is subject to change leading up to the regular season.

Fun Facts: Tyler Penner and Cam Strong were each teammates with the SPHL’s Birmingham Bulls in the 2020-2021 season. Victor Bartley signed a tryout deal with Utah. Bartley played in 121 NHL games over a 4 year from 2013-2016 with Nashville and Montreal. Bartley played in 21 games with the Grizzlies in the 2009-2010 season, where he scored 13 points (2g, 11a) and had a +12 rating. Bartley was a teammate with current Grizzlies Head Coach Ryan Kinasewich in the 2009-10 season. In 4 seasons as an affiliate with the Colorado Avalanche, the Grizzlies have a .593 points percentage. The Grizzlies AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles have the same points percentage over the last 4 years.

Tickets are available for the upcoming season at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000. The Grizzlies have 2 preseason games. They are at Idaho on Friday, October 14th at 7:10 pm. Utah hosts Idaho at the Weber County Ice Sheet in Ogden on Saturday, October 15th at 7:10 pm. Tickets for the game in Ogden go through the Ice Sheet and the Ogden Mustangs Hockey club. https://tickets.ogdenmustangs.com/events/23108-mustangs-grizzlies-2-game-package

Catch every Grizzlies regular season game on FloHockey. Audio streaming this season will be on the Utah Grizzlies YouTube page. https://www.youtube.com/c/THEUTAHGRIZZLIES