Grizzlies Gameday: Utah Tries to Put a Nail in Wheeling's 12 Game Win Streak

Grizzlies Gameday: Grizz Fight Cancer Weekend Begins at Maverik Center 

Wheeling Nailers (28-16-1-1, 58 points, .630 Win %) @ Utah Grizzlies (21-24-1, 43 points, .467 Win %) 

Date: February 16, 2024  Venue: Maverik Center

Game Time: 7:10 pm. 

Streaming/TV: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/11054943-2024-wheeling-nailers-vs-utah-grizzlies?nav_id=75  

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

Friday’s Matchup

It’s the first of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Nailers. It’s Wheeling’s first ever visit to the Salt Lake Valley. Utah has won 6 of their last 7 home games. The Grizz are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Brandon Cutler leads the Grizzlies in goals (21), power play goals (5), game winning goals (4) and shots on goal (175). Brett Stapley has 5 goals in his last 5 games. Kyle Mayhew had 4 assists in Utah’s 6-5 overtime victory over Idaho on February 10. Mayhew is 2^nd among all league rookie defenseman with 30 points (7 goals, 23 assists). The Nailers have won 12 straight games, which ties a Wheeling franchise record. Former Grizzlies forward Jordan Martel returns to Maverik Center as a member of the Nailers. 

Games This Week

Friday, February 16, 2024 – Wheeling at Utah. Maverik Center. 7:10 pm. AFCU Friday. Grizzlies Fight Cancer Weekend. 

Saturday, February 17, 2024 – Wheeling at Utah. Maverik Center. 7:10 pm. Grizzlies Fight Cancer Presented by Mountainland Supply Company

Monday, February 19, 2024 – Wheeling at Utah. Maverik Center. 3:10 pm. Marvel Super Hero Day. 

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

All Times Mountain. 

Games Last Week

February 9, 2024 – Idaho 4 Utah 1 – Josh Wesley scored Utah’s lone goal. Idaho got goals from 4 different players, including Ben Zloty, who was a +3 on the night. Idaho outshot Utah 26 to 17. Idaho was 1 for 4 on the power play. Utah was 0 for 1. 

February 10, 2024 – Utah 6 Idaho 5 (Overtime) – Kyle Mayhew had 4 assists for Utah. Brett Stapley led Utah with 2 goals and 1 assist. Nathan Burke scored the overtime game winner on the power play 6:17 in. Burke and Cutler each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Aaron Aragon and Adam Berg added goals. Idaho outshot Utah 50 to 28. Utah was 1 for 3 on the power play. Idaho was 2 for 2. 

Outstanding Home Crowds at Maverik Center 

On February 9^th the Grizzlies had a crowd of 8607, which is the second largest home crowd of the regular season. A season high crowd of 10,498 saw the Grizzlies Defeated Rapid City 4-2 on January 27. Utah has averaged 7,322 fans per game over their last 9 home games. For the season Utah is averaging 5,701 fans per game. 

Grizzlies Player Notes 

Kyle Mayhew is 2nd among league rookie defenseman with 30 points (7g, 23a). Mayhew had 4 assists and was a +4 on February 10 at Idaho. 

Brett Stapley has 5 goals in his last 5 games. He has a point in 16 of his last 21 games. Stapley leads Utah in assists (27) and points (41). Stapley leads Utah with 10 multiple point games. He is a +6 in 5 games in February. 

Cole Gallant leads Utah with 10 assists in 12 games in January. Gallant is 2^nd on the team with 23 assists. 

Brandon Cutler leads Utah in goals (20), PIM (59), Shots on Goal (175), Game Winning Goals (4) and power play goals (5). Cutler has a point in 4 straight games and 8 of his last 10 games. Cutler led Utah with 7 goals inthe month of January. He has 9 goals in his last 11 games. Cutler leads Utah with 2overtime 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 15 goals. Burke has a goal in 5 of his last 8 games. Burke scored the game winning goal 6:17 into overtime on Feb. 10 at Idaho.  

Mick Messner has 1 goal and 6 assists in his last 9 games. 

Dylan Fitze has 10 points (5g, 5a) in 13 games in January. Fitze was a +6 in January. 

Tyler Penner has a point in 6 of his last 10 games. Penner has 6 assists in his last 12 games. Penner has appeared in 190 straight regular season games, 214 straight including the playoffs for Utah since the start of the 2021-22 season. 

Adam Berg has 14 points (5g, 9a) in his last 16 games. 

Aaron Aragon scored 2 goals on January 19 at KC. Aragon scored 2 more goals on January 26 vs Rapid City. Jeremiah Addison scored his first goal in a Utah uniform on Feb. 4 at Tulsa. Addison had 1 goal and 1 assist that night. 

Dante Giannuzzi leads Utah with 10 wins this season. 

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Notes 

Utah is 14-6-1 over their last 20 games. Utah has won 6 of their last 7 home games. Utah is 14 -7 at home this season, outscoring opponents 72 to 58. Utah is averaging 7,322 fans per game over their last 9 home games. Utah has had at least 8500 fans in each of their last 3 home games. Utah is 4-1 in games past regulation this season. Utah is 14-3-1 when scoring first this season. Utah has scored 5 shorthanded goals this season. Utah is 12-2 when leading after 1 period and 12-2-1 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 8-0 at home when leading after 1 period. Utah is outscoring opponents 15 to 8 in the third periods over their last 10 games. The Grizz are 7-6-1 in their last 14 road games.

Recent Transactions: Beaucage, Corbett and Holm Join the Club 

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 releases forward J.C. Campagna. He had 1 goal and 4 assists in 12 games with the Grizz. 

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. 

February 9 – Defenseman Josh Wesley was recalled to Colorado (AHL). 

February 8 – Grizzlies acquire defenseman Robbie Stucker in a trade with Iowa for Dakota Raabe. Stucker played in both games last week vs Idaho. 

February 7 – Grizzlies sign forward Max Neill. 

February 1 – Grizzlies sign forward Jeremiah Addison. He had 1 goal and 1 assist at Tulsa on Feb. 4, 2024. 

Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Cody Corbett 

Corbett signed with Utah on Feb. 16, 2024. Corbett has appeared in 95 AHL games in his career with Lake Erie, San Antonio and Bakersfield. He also has 187 games of ECHL experience with Fort Wayne, Colorado, South Carolina, Idaho, Atlanta, Allen and Kalamazoo. He has played in 12 games against the Grizzlies over his career and he has 3 assists, all of them coming with Idaho in the 2017-18 season. In the WHL he was part of 2 WHL championship clubs with Edmonton (2012, 2014). He was also a member of the Oil Kings 2014 Memorial Cup championship club.

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 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 games with Utah this season. 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 to 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. 

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

Overall record: 21-24-1

Home record: 14-7

Road record: 7-17-1

Win percentage: .467

Streak: Won 1

Standings Points: 43

Last 10: 7-2-1

Goals per game: 3.11 (20^th) Goals for: 143

Goals against per game: 3.57 (20^th) Goals Against: 164

Shots per game: 31.37 (16^th)

Shots against per game: 34.46 (23^rd)

Power Play: 23 for 143 – 16.1 % (26^th)

Penalty Kill: 105 for 145 – 72.4 % (28^th)

Penalty Minutes: 504. 10.98 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 5. 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 5.   

Record When Scoring First: 14-3-1. 

Opposition Scores First: 7-21. 

Record in One Goal Games: 7-7-1. 

SCORING          1ST       2ND               3RD               OT/Shootout      TOTAL                      

Utah Grizzlies    37         52                   50                   4                               143

Opposition           50         62                   51                   1                               164

Team Leaders 

Goals: Brandon Cutler (21) 

Assists: Brett Stapley (26)

Points: Stapley (41)

Plus/Minus: Bryan Yoon (+11)

PIM: Cutler (59)

Power Play Points: Kyle Mayhew/Stapley (10)

Power Play Goals: Cutler (5) 

Power Play Assists: Mayhew (8) 

Shots on Goal: Cutler (175) 

Shooting Percentage: Adam Berg (15.9 %) - Minimum 40 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: Cutler (4) 

Wins: Dante Giannuzzi (10)

Save %: Trent Miner (.917) 

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.75) 

Shutouts: Giannuzzi/Metcalf (1)

Multiple Point Games 

10 – Brett Stapley

9 – Brandon Cutler. 

8 – Cole Gallant

7 – Nathan Burke. 

6 – 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: Aaron Aragon, Adam Berg, Nathan Burke, Brandon Cutler, Brett Stapley (1)

Assists: Cutler (2) Burke, Kyle Mayhew, Jacob Semik, Stapley, Quinn Wichers (1)

Points (2 or more) –Berg (5) Cutler (4)