Grizzlies Gameday: Opening Night at Maverik Center

Grizzlies Gameday: Opening Night at Maverik Center

Rapid City Rush (36-25-6-5, 83 points, .576 Win % in 2021-2022) at Utah Grizzlies (42-27-2-1, 604 Win %, 87 points in 2021-2022).

Friday, October 21, 2022. 7:10 pm. Arena: Maverik Center. 

Video Broadcast: https://www.flohockey.tv/events/7759408-2022-rapid-city-rush-vs-utah-grizzlies

Audio Broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/THEUTAHGRIZZLIES

Games This Week

Friday, October 21, 2022 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center.

Saturday, October 22, 2022 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. Hispanic Heritage Night.

Match-Up of 2 Good Teams

It’s opening night of the 2022-2023 season. The Grizzlies are taking on their division rivals, the Rapid City Rush. Last season Utah won the Mountain Division title for the first time in club history with a .604 Winning %. The Rush finished in second place at .576 %.

So Many Returning Players From Division Championship Club

20 of the 25 players have previous regular season or playoff experience with the Grizzlies, including 19 from last season’s club. It’s the most returning players from one season to the next in Grizzlies ECHL era history. Last season the Grizzlies won the division title for the first time in team history. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the third time in club history and the first time since 2008. Ben Tardif is back for his second season in Utah. Tardif led Utah with 39 assists and 59 points last year. There are 11 forwards back from last season.

Grizzlies Leadership

Connor McDonald has been named captain of the Grizzlies. Last season Trey Bradley wore the “C” for Utah. James Shearer and Dylan Fitze are the assistant captains and will wear the “A” on their jersey this season.

Winning Organization

In 4 seasons since joining the AHL the Colorado Eagles have a .593 winning percentage. In 4 seasons as an affiliate with the Avalanche and Eagles the Grizzlies have a .593 points percentage. In the last 2 seasons the Avalanche have a .726 winning % or better each year.

Victor Bartley Signs Contract for 2022-2023 Season

Defenseman Victor Bartley signs with Utah for this season. He was with Utah on a tryout deal for training camp. Bartley played in 21 games with the 2009-2010 Grizzlies, where he was a teammate with current Grizzlies head coach Ryan Kinasewich. Bartley went on to play 121 games in the NHL. He enters his 12th pro season. Victor was in the KHL the past 3 years.

Goaltenders

Goaltending should be solid again this season. Trent Miner was reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Miner led the league with 7 shutouts last season, which also broke a Grizzlies single season record. Last season Miner had a record of 16-12 with a 2.72 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Miner was part of the Colorado Avalanche extended roster for the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals run.

Good to have Lukas Parik in Utah this season. Parik was the starting goaltender for the Rapid City Rush last season, where he went 14-8-8 with a .915 save percentage and a 2.69 Goals Against Average. In 7 regular season games against Utah, the 21-year-old went 3-2-1-1 with a .919 save % and a 3.14 GAA. Parik earned a 46 save shutout vs Utah on December 27, 2021. He also got a shutout vs Utah in game 5 of the 2022 Mountain Division Finals, saving all 43 shots to extend the series to a 6th game.

Garrett Metcalf returns to Utah for his 3rd pro season. In 2 years with Utah, the 6’4” goaltender has a 9-7-1 record with a 2.48 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Metcalf appeared in 4 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the 2021-2022 season and had a 2-1-1 record.

Utah Grizzlies 2022-2023 Roster

Forwards (13): Kyle Betts, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Keaton Jameson, Tyler Penner, Dakota Raabe, Neil Robinson, Christian Simeone, Cam Strong, Ben Tardif, 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 (3): Garrett Metcalf, Trent Miner, Lukas Parik.

Staff for 2022-2023 Season

Ryan Kinasewich enters his second season as Grizzlies Head Coach/General Manager. Kinasewich led the Grizzlies to a 42-27-2-1 record, winning the Mountain Division title for the first time in team history. Jared Pike is the new Grizzlies assistant coach. The Sandy, Utah native was a player with Utah in the 2020-2021 season. Mason Weyland enters his second season as the Grizzlies Head Equipment Manager. Collin Lee will be in his third year as Grizzlies Athletic Trainer. Tyson Whiting begins his fifth season as the “Voice of the Grizzlies”.