The Utah Grizzlies are a professional
ice hockey team in the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
. They play their home games at the
Maverik Center
The Maverik Center, originally known as the E Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in West Valley City, Utah, United States. Construction on the arena started in 1996 and was completed in time to hold its first event on September ...
in
West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 census,
making it the second-largest city in Utah. The city incorporated in 1980 from a large, quic ...
.
Franchise history
The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the
Nashville South Stars
The Nashville South Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) for the 1981–82 season. They then played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) for the 1982–83 season and part of the 1983–84 s ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee, in the
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which oper ...
.
Henry Brabham
Henry Brabham IV (April 29, 1929 – March 30, 2020) was a founder of the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the ECHL Hall of Fame. The Brabham Cup, first awarded in 1989, ...
then took over the team in 1983 and relocated them to
Vinton, Virginia mid-season, to become the
Virginia Lancers
The Virginia Lancers were a minor league hockey team that played in several leagues from 1983 until 1990. Their home ice was the Vinton Sports Complex, which held 3400 people.
Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1983–1987)
The Virginia Lancers w ...
. Brabham and the Lancers were then one of the founding members of the
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1988. The franchise was sold and relocated several times until it went dormant after the
2002–03 season. After the
American Hockey League (AHL) incarnation of the
Grizzlies suspended operations, David Elmore and Donna Tuttle bought the rights to the dormant ECHL franchise and moved the team to the
E Center
The Maverik Center, originally known as the E Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in West Valley City, Utah, United States. Construction on the arena started in 1996 and was completed in time to hold its first event on September ...
to replace the previous Grizzlies franchise.
Prior to the
2013–14 season, their NHL affiliate
Calgary Flames changed their affiliation to the
Alaska Aces. Incoming head coach and general manager Tim Branham announced a three-year agreement with the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Divis ...
on August 7, 2013.
After the Grizzlies made the post-season in every season within the Ducks organization, the Grizzlies and Ducks agreed to a multi-year extension during the
2015–16 season.
Following the
2017–18 season, the Grizzlies missed the post-season for the first time in 11 years. At that time, their ECHL rival, the
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...
, joined the American Hockey League as an affiliate of the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play the ...
after previously serving as the Avalanche affiliate in the ECHL. The Grizzlies ended their agreement with the Ducks and affiliated with the Avalanche, their closest geographical NHL club.
The market was previously served by:
*
Utah Grizzlies of the
IHL and
AHL (1995–2005)
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL= Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalty infraction minutes''
Players
Current roster
Updated December 14, 2022.
References
External links
Official website of the Utah GrizzliesOfficial website of the ECHL
{{Utahsports
ECHL teams
Ice hockey teams in Utah
Sports in Salt Lake City
Grizzlies
Ice hockey clubs established in 2005
Anaheim Ducks minor league affiliates
Calgary Flames minor league affiliates
Colorado Avalanche minor league affiliates
New York Islanders minor league affiliates
2005 establishments in Utah