Utah Grizzlies Roster Full Of Veteran Experience, Young Talent

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Utah Grizzlies will begin their 2019-20 season on Friday at the Maverik Center and the team brings back a lot of experienced veterans along with young and talented hockey players.

Last season, they finished in third place in the mountain division in the ECHL with 37 wins and 26 losses. They lost to the Idaho Steelheads in five games in the first round of the playoffs last season after dealing with a lot of injuries at the end of the season. Head coach Tim Branham believes that this year’s team will be very talented.

“We had a really talented team last year, Branham said. “We are going to be very similar to that, fast paced, skilled, tenacious, tough defensively and obviously our goalies this year are really good and have a lot of experience. We are really excited for what we have. We have every box checked off and we just have some really gritty and relentless players that also have talent, so I am excited to get going on Friday.”

Grizzlies with a BIG win in the preseason against the Idaho Steelheads!

Utah 5 | Idaho 2#WeTheGrizz #GoGrizzGo 🐻🏒 pic.twitter.com/OeV9OrfC1q

— Utah Grizzlies (@UtahGrizzlies) October 5, 2019

Bringing in some new and young players to the team, Branham has had to get the team to create chemistry and that has turned into a team with depth.

“We know we are going to have a really deep team,” Branham stated. “I am excited to see them all mesh together.”

If Hockey fans are curious what a game at the Maverik Center is like and what they can expect, Branham believes they will see a team with a lot of skill.

“Passion, relentless pace, we want to play fast and skilled,” said Branham. “When you don’t have the puck or when you do have the puck, we want to play with energy, passion and grit. That’s what we want our fans to see and that’s what we are preaching on the ice and that’s the kind of team that we built.”

The fans who do attend games regularly and the booster club and sponsors that support the team, the organization doesn’t take that for granted.

“Everything,” Branham mentioned. “You can’t have a team without fans and a good fanbase. Our fans, our booster club, our corporate partners, they mean everything to us. To be able to go out each and every night and perform for them and for ourselves as a team and teammates, it’s definitely a blessing and something that we don’t take for granted.”

The Grizzlies will begin their season on Friday against the Steelheads at the Maverik Center. The game will begin at 7:10 p.m. as well as a rematch on Saturday at the same time.