Grizzlies Gameday: Friday Night Series Opener in Kansas City

Grizzlies Gameday: Friday Night Series Opener in Kansas City

Utah Grizzlies (23-25-1, 47 points, .480 Win %) @ Kansas City Mavericks (36-9-2-1, 75 points, .781 Win %) 

Date: February 23, 2024  Venue: Cable Dahmer Arena

Game Time: 6:35 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11055028-2024-utah-grizzlies-vs-kansas-city-mavericks?nav_id=75 

Audio/Radio: Utah Grizzlies YouTube channel. - https://www.youtube.com/@THEUTAHGRIZZLIES

Friday’s Matchup

It’s the opener of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Mavericks. The Grizz are 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. Brandon Cutler leads the Grizzlies in goals (22), power play goals (5), game winning goals (4) and shots on goal (184). Brett Stapley has 7 goals in 8 games in February. Stapley is a +8 in 8 games in February. Kyle Mayhew is 2^nd among all league rookie defenseman with 32 points (8 goals, 24 assists). Mick Messner has 1 goal and 5 assists in his last 3 games. Utah has outscored opponents 18 to 9 in the third periods over their last 13 games. The Grizz are 16-3-1 when scoring first this season.

The Mavericks have the best record in the league with 75 points and a .781 winning percentage. They are led by Patrick Curry, who is 2^nd in the league with 58 points (26 goals, 32 assists). Max Andreev is 3^rd in the league with 38 assists and Cade Borchardt is tied for 4^th with 36 assists. Nolan Walker has 24 goals and a 32.4 shooting percentage for KC this season. 

Games Last Series

Friday, February 16, 2024 – Wheeling 2 Utah 4 – Mick Messner had 4 assists. Nathan Burke, Brandon Cutler, Cole Gallant and Brett Stapley each scored a goal for Utah. Gallant got the game winner 6:50 into the third period. Wheeling got 2^nd period goals from Isaac Belliveau and Louie Roehl. Utah outshot Wheeling 43 to 31. 

Saturday, February 17, 2024 – Wheeling 1 Utah 2 – The two University of Denver products, Kyle Mayhew and Brett Stapley, scored Utah’s goals. Wheeling outshot Utah 33 to 21. Arvid Holm saved 32 of 33 in his Grizzlies debut. 

Monday, February 19, 2024 – Wheeling 4 Utah 2 – Utah got goals from Mick Messner and Alex Beaucage. Wheeling outshot Utah 34 to 24. Arvid Holm stopped 30 of 34 for the Grizz. Peter Laviolette scored 2 goals for the Nailers. 

Games This Road Trip 

Friday, February 23, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 6:35 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena. 

Saturday, February 24, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 5:05 pm. Calbe Dahmer Arena. 

Sunday, February 25, 2024 – Utah at Kansas City. 3:05 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena. 

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 – Utah at Idaho. 7:10 pm. Idaho Central Arena.

Friday, March 1, 2024 – Utah at Idaho. 7:10 pm. Idaho Central Arena.

Saturday, March 2, 2024 – Utah at Idaho. 7:10 pm. Idaho Central Arena.

Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.

All Times Mountain. 

Keoni Texeira Returns after Stint in AHL

Defenseman Keoni Texeira returns to the Grizzlies after spending 1 game with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Texeira has appeared in 31 games with the Grizzlies this season, scoring 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists) in 31 games. Texeira is in his sixth season as a professional, spending time in the AHL with Colorado and San Jose as well as in the ECHL with Wichita and Indy. 

Ryan Kinasewich Gets 100^th Win as Grizzlies Head Coach

Grizzlies Head Coach/General Manager Ryan Kinasewich earned his 100^th victory as Utah won 2-1 over Wheeling on February 17^th. Kinasewich became the 5^th coach in team history to get to 100 wins. 

Grizzlies Head Coaching Wins

Tim Branham – 284

Butch Goring – 178

Kevin Colley – 157

Don Hay – 104

Ryan Kinasewich – 100

Jason Christie - 90

Bob Bourne – 83

Pat Conacher - 23

The Captain is Back 

Grizzlies captain Josh Wesley returned to the club on February 19^th as he was reassigned from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Wesley leads all league defenseman with 12 goals. Wesley has a point in 12 of his last 16 games with Utah. He has appeared in 7 games with Colorado and has 1 assist and a +3 rating. 

Outstanding Home Crowds at Maverik Center 

On February 17^th a crowd of 8291 saw Utah win 2-1. A season high crowd of 10,498 saw the Grizzlies Defeated Rapid City 4-2 on January 27. Utah has averaged 7,159 fans per game over their last 12 home games. For the season Utah is averaging 5,823 fans per game. 

Grizzlies Player Notes 

Josh Wesley leads all league defensemen with 12 goals. Wesley is 3rd among league defenseman with 138 shots on goal. had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick vs Rapid City on January 27. Wesley has a point in 6 of his last 7 games. Wesley had 69 shots in his last 17 games. The captain has a point in 13 of his last 17 games (8 goals, 7 assists). 

Kyle Mayhew is 2nd among league rookie defenseman with 32 points (8g, 24a). Mayhew had 4 assists and was a +4 on February 10 at Idaho. Mayhew is a +5 in 8 games in February. 

Brett Stapley has 7 goals in his last 8 games. He has a point in 18 of his last 24 games. Stapley leads Utah in assists (28) and points (44). Stapley leads Utah with 11 multiple point games. He is a +8 in 8 games in February. 

Cole Gallant leads Utah with 10 assists in 12 games in January. Gallant is 3^rd on the team with 23 assists. Gallant scored the game winner 6:50 into the third period on February 16 vs Wheeling. 

Brandon Cutler leads Utah in goals (22), PIM (63), Shots on Goal (184), Game Winning Goals (4) and power playgoals (5). Cutler has a point in 6 of his last 7 games and 10 of his last 13 games. Cutler led Utah with 7 goals in the month of January. He has 10 goals in his last 15 games. Cutler leads Utah with 2 overtime game winning goals. He won the game 20 seconds into overtime on January 20 at Kansas City. He also got the OT GWG on a one-timer from the right circle on Utah’s lone power play at Tulsa on February 3^rd. 

Nathan Burke is 2nd on the Grizzlies with 16 goals. Burke has a goal in 6 of his last 11 games. Burke scored the game winning goal 6:17 into overtime on Feb. 10 at Idaho.  

Mick Messner has 2 goals and 11 assists in his last 12 games. Messner had 4 assists in Utah’s 4-2 win over Wheeling on Feb. 16. 

Tyler Penner has appeared in 193 straight regular season games, 217 straight including the playoffs for Utah since the start of the 2021-22 season. 

Adam Berg has 14 points (5g, 9a) in his last 18 games.  

Alex Beaucage has 35 shots on goal in 7 games with Utah. 

Aaron Aragon scored 2 goals on January 19 at KC. Aragon scored 2 more goals on January 26 vs Rapid City.

Dante Giannuzzi leads Utah with 11 wins this season. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes 

Ryan Kinasewich won his 100th game as Utah's head coach on Feb. 17. Utah is 15-8-1 over their last 24 games. Utah has won 8 of their last 10 home games. Utah is 16 -8 at home this season, outscoring opponents 80 to 65. Utah is averaging 7,159 fans per game over their last 12 home games. Utah has had 6 home games with over 7,600 fans.  Utah is 4-1 in games past regulation this season. Utah is 16-3-1 when scoring first this season. Utah has scored 5 shorthanded goals this season. Utah is 13-2 when leading after 1 period and 13-2-1 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 9-0 at home when leading after 1 period. Utah has outscored opponents 18 to 9 in the third periods over their last 12 games. The Grizz are 7-6-1 in their last 14 road games.

Recent Transactions: Texeira Returns to Club 

February 23 – Defenseman Keoni Texeira released from loan with San Jose (AHL), returns to Grizz. 

February 19 – Defenseman Josh Wesley reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL). 

February 19 – Grizzlies released defenseman Cody Corbett. 

February 16 – Goaltender Arvid Holm and Forward Alex Beaucage were reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL). Both Beaucage and Holm have NHL deals with the Colorado Avalanche. Beaucage has previously played in 4 games with Utah, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists. Beaucage had 20 shots on goal. Holm joins the Grizzlies for the first time. 

February 16 – Utah signs defenseman Cody Corbett. He last played with Kalamazoo in the 2021-2022 season. 

February 16 – Utah released forward J.C. Campagna. He had 1 goal and 4 assists in 12 games.

February 15 – Defenseman Keoni Texeira was loaned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Texeira has 1 goal and 10 assists in 31 games for Utah this season. Texeira does have previous AHL experience with San Jose (4 games in the 2021-22 season) and 1 game with the Colorado Eagles last year. 

Beaucage and Holm Reassigned to Grizzlies 

Forward Alex Beaucage and Goaltender Arvid Holm were each reassigned to the Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Beaucage has 2 goals and 3 assists in 7 games with Utah this season. Beaucage has 35 shots (5.00 shots per game) for Utah. Both players are in their 3^rd seasons as professionals in north America. 

Holm was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 6^th round (167^th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year NHL Entry contract with Winnipeg in the summer of 2020. Holm played with the Manitoba Moose for 2 seasons from 2021-2023. In 59 games with the Moose, he had a record of 30-21-6. Holm had a .911 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA in the 2022-23 season. At the conclusion of his entry-level contract with the Jets, Holm was not tendered a qualifying offer and was released as a free agent. On 1 July, 2023, Holm signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Colorado Avalanche. This season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles he has a 4-5 record with a 3.20 GAA and a .873 save percentage. 

Players Who Have Appeared in Every Game 

There are 3 players who have appeared in all 49 games for the Grizzlies this season. They include forwards Brandon Cutler, Mick Messner and Tyler Penner. 

2023-2024 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings) 

Overall record: 23-25-1

Home record: 16-8

Road record: 7-17-1

Win percentage: .480

Streak: Lost 1

Standings Points: 47

Last 10: 6-3-1

Goals per game: 3.08 (Tied 19^th) Goals for: 151

Goals against per game: 3.49 (19^th) Goals Against: 171

Shots per game: 31.24 (15^th)

Shots against per game: 34.35 (23^rd)

Power Play: 24 for 153 – 15.7 % (27^th)

Penalty Kill: 109 for 150 – 72.7 % (28^th)

Penalty Minutes: 523. 10.67 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 5. 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 5.   

Record When Scoring First: 16-3-1. 

Opposition Scores First: 7-22. 

Record in One Goal Games: 9-7-1. 

SCORING         1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies     40         54                   53                   4                              151

Opposition          53         65                   52                   1                               171

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (22) 

Assists: Brett Stapley (28)

Points: Stapley (44)

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+11)

PIM: Cutler (63)

Power Play Points: Kyle Mayhew (11)

Power Play Goals: Cutler (5) 

Power Play Assists: Mayhew (9) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (184) 

Shooting Percentage: Aaron Aragon (14.8 %) - Minimum 45 shots.   

Game Winning Goals: Cutler/Stapley (4) 

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (11)

Save %: Trent Miner (.917) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.75) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Metcalf (1)

Multiple Point Games 

11 – Brett Stapley

9 – Brandon Cutler. 

8 – Cole Gallant

7 – Nathan Burke, Mick Messner. 

3 – Adam Berg, Dylan Fitze, Kyle Mayhew, Dakota Raabe, Josh Wesley, Bryan Yoon. 

2- Aaron Aragon, Kyle Betts, Jordan Martel, Jacob Semik.  

1 – Jeremiah Addison, Alex Beaucage, J.C. Campagna, Gianni Fairbrother, Tyler Penner, Ryan Sandelin, Keoni Texeira, Dean Yakura.  

Streaks 

Goals: Alex Beaucage, Mick Messner (1)

Assists: Dylan Fitze, Kyle Mayhew, Robbie Stucker, Quinn Wichers (1)

Points (2 or more) –Messner (3) Mayhew (2)