Grizzlies Gameday: Star Wars Night at Maverik Center

Wichita Thunder (25-30-6-4, 60 points, .462 point %) @ Utah Grizzlies (26-32-8-1, 61 points, .455 point %)

Date: April 4, 2026  Venue: Maverik Center Game Time: 7:10 pm

Streaming: FloHockey – https://www.flohockey.tv/events/14334460-2026-wichita-thunder-vs-utah-grizzlies  

Audio: Grizzlies YouTube channel. – https://www.youtube.com/@THEUTAHGRIZZLIES

Next Game: April 7, 2026. Idaho at Utah. 7:10 pm. 

Every Grizzlies game can be streamed on FloHockey and audio coverage is available on the Grizzlies YouTube channel. Tickets for every Grizzlies home game are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.  

Saturday’s Matchup 

It’s the last of a three-game series between the Grizzlies and Thunder. It’s the eighth and final meeting this season between the clubs. Utah is 4-2-1 vs Wichita this season. The Grizzlies are 41-18-7 all-time vs Wichita. Evan Friesen has 3 goals in his last 3 games. Andrew Noel is a +4 in his last 4 games. Marek Hejduk has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 2 games. 

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Danny Dzhaniyev has 17 points (7g, 10a) in his last 13 games. Dzhaniyev leads Utah with 19 multiple point games. Dzhaniyev is 2^nd in the league lead with 264 shots on goal. Danny is 2^nd in the league with 68 points and is 4th with 44 assists. Reed Lebster is tied for 3^rd in the league with 31 goals and is tied for 17^th with 56 points. Lebster is 4th in the league with 218 shots on goal. Aiden Hansen-Bukata is third among rookies with 37 assists, second among rookies with 19 power play assists and third with 21 power play points. 

Games Remaining in the 2025-26 Regular Season 

April 4, 2026 – Wichita at Utah. 7:10 pm. Star Wars Night. 

April 7, 2026 – Idaho at Utah. 7:10 pm. 

April 10, 2026 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. 

April 11, 2026 – Rapid City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Fan Appreciation Night. 

April 12, 2026 – Rapid City at Utah. 3:10 pm. Final regular season game in Grizzlies history. All Times Mountain. 

Grizzlies Series vs Wichita

April 1, 2026 – Wichita 3 Utah 6 – Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Cy LeClerc and Nicholas Niemo each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Dylan Gratton had 2 assists and was a +2. Mikey Colella and Evan Friesen each added a goal. Danny Dzhaniyev had 1 assist and led Utah with 4 shots on goal. Utah outshot Wichita 32 to 24. Grizzlies went 1 for 2 on the power play and 2 for 2 on the penalty kill. 

April 3, 2026 – Wichita 2 Utah 5 – Marek Hejduk scored 2 goals and 1 assist. Danny Dzhaniyev and Luc Salem each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Evan Friesen had 2 assists. Aiden Hansen-Bukata had 1 goal. Isak Posch stopped 19 of 21 to earn his first win as a Grizzly. Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play. 

The Rookies are Stepping Up

15 of the 20 players in Uniform for Utah on both April 1^st and 3^rd are first year pros. Many of them have stepped up and played good hockey. Four players in the last 3 games have scored their first professional goals. Marek Hejduk was the number 1 star on April 3^rd as he scored 2 goals, 1 assist and was a +3. Danny Dzhaniyev, the favorite for the league’s Rookie of the Year award, had 1 goal and 1 assist as he earned his 19^th multiple point game of the season. Evan Friesen has had a solid rookie campaign. Friesen had 2 assists and was a +2 on April 3^rd. Friesen has 23 goals and 19 assists on the season. Cy LeClerc had 1 goal and 1 assist and Nicholas Niemo and Ryan Rosborough each scored their first pro goals on April 1. 

There have been 17 Grizzlies skaters who have scored their first ECHL goals this season, including 4 players scoring their first a pro in the last 3 games. 7 of the 17 players to score their first pro goals this season have been defensemen.

October 18 – Jack Ricketts. 

October 19 – Christian Felton. 

October 25 – John Gelatt. 

October 30 – Danny Dzhaniyev. 

November 22 – Christophe Fillion. 

November 28 – Connor Kelley.

November 29 – Colby Enns. 

December 6 – Aiden Hansen-Bukata. 

January 16, 2026 – Mikey Colella. 

January 24 – Luke Antonacci 

February 4 – Mike Gelatt

March 6 – Dylan Gratton. 

March 20 – Mathieu Boislard. 

March 29 – Cy LeClerc 

April 1 – Nicholas Niemo, Ryan Rosborough.

April 3 – Marek Hejduk 

Danny Dzhaniyev Named League Rookie of the Month for March 2026 

SHREWSBURY, N.J. – Utah Grizzlies’ forward Danny Dzhaniyev has been named the Howies Hockey Tape ECHL Rookie of the Month for March. Dzhaniyev scored six goals and added eight assists for 14 points in 11 games during the month.

The 23-year-old had at least one point in eight of his 11 games, while posting multiple points five times. He had three assists on March 7 at Cincinnati and notched his second hat trick of the season on March 15 against Tulsa. Dzhaniyev was named ECHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 15 after recording seven points (6g-1a) in three games.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dzhaniyev leads ECHL rookies with 44 assists and 68 points, which are tied for third and tied for second overall in the league respectively, while his 260 shots on goal are tied for the most in the league.

Prior to turning pro, Dzhaniyev recorded 93 points (34g-59a) in 146 career games at Penn State University and 47 points (24g-23a) in 98 career games in the United States Hockey League with Dubuque and the U.S National Under-17 and Under 18 Teams. It’s the second straight month where a Grizzlies forward has won the ECHL Rookie of the Month award. Reilly Connors was the winner for February 2026. Dzhaniyev is the ninth Grizzlies skater to win the league’s Rookie of the Month award. 

Grizzlies Rookie of the Month Winners

Danny Dzhaniyev – March 2026. 

Reilly Connors – February 2026. 

Brandon Cutler – November 2021.

Matthew Boucher – March 2021. 

J.T. Henke – December 2018. 

Austin Ortega – February 2018. 

Ralph Cuddemi – January 2017. 

Rob Hennigar – March 2009. 

Tyler Haskins – February 2008. 

Hank Kempf Reassigned to Utah from Colorado

Defenseman Hank Kempf was reassigned to the Utah Grizzlies from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.

Kempf was selected in the seventh round, 208^th overall, by the New York Rangers in the 2021 NHL Draft. Kempf played at Cornell University for four seasons from 2021-2025, scoring 4 goals and 21 assists. Kempf was a combined +38 in four college seasons. Hank signed a two-year AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles on April 5, 2025. He appeared in 4 games with Colorado during the 2024-25 season and played in 2 games during the 2025 AHL Playoffs, scoring 1 assist. Kempf has played in 6 games with Colorado during the 2025-26 campaign, scoring 1 assist and a +1 rating.

2025-2026 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals  

Overall record: 26-32-8-1

Home record: 9-17-5 

Road record: 17-15-3-1

Win percentage: .455

Standings Points: 61

Last 10: 5-4-1

Streak: 2-0

Goals per game: 3.27 (8^th) Goals for: 219

Goals against per game: 3.61 (29^th) Goals Against: 242

Shots per game: 31.43 (12^th) Total Shots: 2106

Shots against per game: 31.16 (21^st) Total Shots: 2088

Power Play: 47 for 226– 20.8 % (8^th)

Penalty Kill: 160 for 201 – 79.6 % (Tied 19^th)  

Penalty Minutes: 672. 10.03 per game.  

Shorthanded Goals: 5.  

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 7. 

Record When Scoring First: 19-9-3. 

Opponent Scores First: 7-23-5-1.  

Record in One Goal Games: 6-6-8-1 

Games Decided Past Regulation: 2-0-8-1

Attendance per game: 4,418.   

Team Leaders  

Goals: Reed Lebster (31) 

Assists: Danny Dzhaniyev (44)

Points: Dzhaniyev (68)   

Plus/Minus: Maxim Barbashev (+8)

PIM: Mathieu Boislard (62)  

Power Play Points: Danny Dzhaniyev (23)

Power Play Goals: Tyler Gratton (10) 

Power Play Assists: Dzhaniyev (21)  

Shots on Goal: Danny Dzhaniyev (264) 

Shooting Percentage: Evan Friesen (16.0 %) – Minimum 60 shots 

Game Winning Goals: Lebster (6) 

Wins: Dylan Wells (7)

Save %: Kyle Keyser (.917) - Minimum 2 games. 

Goals Against Average: Kyle Keyser (2.43) – Minimum 2 games. 

Shutouts: Kaskisuo, Keyser, Miska, Wells (1)   

Streaks 

Goals: Aiden Hansen-Bukata (2) Danny Dzhaniyev, Marek Hejduk, Luc Salem (1)

Assists: Danny Dzhaniyev (4) Marek Hejduk (2) Evan Friesen, John Gelatt, Luke Manning, Salem, Ryan Taylor (1). 

Points (2 or more): Dzhaniyev (4) Friesen (3) Hansen-Bukata, Hejduk (2)

Multiple Point Games 

Danny Dzhaniyev – 19

Reed Lebster – 11 

Tyler Gratton – 10

Aiden Hansen-Bukata - 9 

Evan Friesen – 8 

Reilly Connors, Luke Manning, Stepan Timofeyev – 6 

Griffin Ness – 5  

Maxim Barbashev – 4 

Noah Ganske, John Gelatt, Garrett Pyke, Neil Shea – 2 

Dylan Gratton, Mike Gelatt, Marek Hejduk, Shawn Kennedy, Cy LeClerc, Nicholas Niemo, Jack Ricketts, Luc Salem, Henri Schreifels, Robbie Stucker – 1