Grizzlies Gameday: First Home Game in 34 Days - Kansas City at Utah - January 16, 2026
ECHL Utah Grizzlies

Grizzlies Gameday: First Home Game in 34 Days - Kansas City at Utah - January 16, 2026

Published on January 16, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


Kansas City Mavericks (24-7-1-1, 50 points, .758 point %) @ Utah Grizzlies (13-17-3, 29 points, .439 point %)

Date: January 16, 2026 Venue: Maverik Center Game Time: 7:10 pm

Streaming: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/14324019-2026-kansas-city-mavericks-vs-utah-grizzlies

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

Next Game: January 17, 2026, Kansas City at Utah. Maverik Center. 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.

Friday's Matchup

It's the opener of a three-game series between Utah and Kansas City. It's the third of five meetings this season between the clubs. Utah has taken 289 shots over their last 7 games (41.28 per game). Watch out for Reed Lebster, who has 7 goals in his last 10 games. Lebster is tied for third in the league with 17 goals. Danny Dzhaniyev leads the league with 135 shots on goal.

Games This Week

Friday - Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center. FOX Night at the Rink.

Saturday, January 17, 2026 - Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center

Sunday, January 18, 2026 - Kansas City at Utah. 3:10 pm. Maverik Center.

Taking the Long Way Home

It's been 34 days since the Grizzlies last played a home game. December 13, 2025 was the Grizzlies last home game, where they defeated Atlanta 4-0 on Teddy Bear Toss Night. A team record 5,770 Teddy Bears were tossed after Evan Friesen scored a late first period goal. In that game Utah got goals from Friesen, Reed Lebster, Luke Manning and Neil Shea. The highlight of the night was Lebster scoring with 0.3 seconds left in the second period. Kasimir Kaskisuo picked up a shutout in what turned out to be his only game with Utah.

Games Last Week

Friday, January 9, 2026 - Utah 3 Tahoe 6 - Danny Dzhaniyev, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster each scored a goal for Utah. The Grizz were 1 for 3 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill. Utah outshot Tahoe 34-23. Devon Paliani had 2 goals and 1 assist for Tahoe.

Saturday, January 10, 2026 - Utah 2 Tahoe 6 - Colby Enns and Reed Lebster each tallied a goal for Utah. Grizz outshot Taho 53 to 25. Utah was 0 for 2 on the power play and they didn't commit a single penalty. Danny Dzhaniyev had 11 shots on goal. Tyler Gratton and Lebster each had 6 shots. Noah Ganske had 1 assist and was a +1. Nate Kallen had 2 goals and 2 assists and Jordan Papirny saved 51 of 53 to lead Tahoe.

Sunday, January 11, 2026 - Utah 2 Tahoe 3 - Utah got goals from Noah Ganske and Evan Friesen. Utah outshot Tahoe 37 to 22. Utah was 0 for 2 on the power play and 1 for 1 on the penalty kill. Reed Lebster had 2 assists and was a +2. Ganske had 1 goal and 1 assist.

All Times Mountain.

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Reed Lebster is tied for third in the league with 17 goals and tied for fourth in game winning goals (4). Danny Dzhaniyev leads the league in shots on goal (135). Dzhaniyev is tied for first all rookies in points (28) and is tied for fifth in assists (16). Aiden Hansen-Bukata is fourth among rookies with 17 assists as well as tied for second among first year pros with 8 power play assists.

Rescheduled Games

The Utah Grizzlies have three home games that are rescheduled.

The December 26, 2025 game vs Idaho has been rescheduled to February 10, 2026 at 7:10 pm.

The December 27, 2025 game vs Idaho has been rescheduled to April 7, 2026 at 7:10 pm.

The April 8, 2026 game vs Rapid City has been rescheduled to April 12, 2026 at 3:10 pm.

April 12, 2026 vs Rapid City is the last scheduled regular season game in Grizzlies history.

Road Trip Recap

The Grizzlies went 3-5-1 on the nine-game road trip. Before the Christmas break the Grizzlies split a two-game series at Kansas City on December 19-20. Utah scored 6 goals in the third period in a 7-4 win at Tulsa on December 21. Utah defeated Wichita 4-3 in overtime on December 31 as Maxim Barbashev scored two goals, including the overtime game winner. Utah lost the next two games at Wichita on January 2-3 and were swept in Tahoe on January 9-11.

Reed Lebster led Utah with 10 points on the road trip (6 goals, 4 assists). Danny Dzhaniyev had 7 goals and 1 assist and led Utah with 55 shots over the 9 road games. Stepan Timofeyev led Utah with 6 assists on the trip. Evan Friesen had 4 goals and 3 assists and Maxim Barbashev had 3 goals and 4 assists.

Team Notes

Utah has taken 289 shots over their last 7 games (41.28 per game). Utah has a third period goal in 15 of their last 16 games. They have 24 third period goals in the last 16 games. There are four players who have appeared in all 32 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster. Utah is 38 for 45 on the penalty kill over their last 15 games. Utah is averaging 36.61 shots per game in their last 18 games (659). Utah is 9-5-1 when scoring first and 8-0-2 when leading after 2 periods. Utah is 10-10-2 on the road this season. Utah is 11-2-3 when leading or tied after 2 periods. Utah is 12-5-1 when scoring 3 or more goals.

Utah scored 6 goals in the third period at Tulsa on December 21. That's the most Utah has scored in the third period of a game in team history. Utah has shutouts from 3 different goaltenders (Dylan Wells, Kyle Keyser, Kasimir Kaskisuo). The last time the Grizzlies had 3 goalies get a shutout in the same season was the 2015-16 season. It's the third time in Utah's ECHL era where they have had a season where 3 goalies each got a shutout.

Grizzlies Ironmen

There are four players who have appeared in all 33 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster.

Utah vs Kansas City This Season

December 19, 2025 - Utah 7 Kansas City 4 - Reed Lebster had 2 goals and 1 assist. Robbie Stucker had 1 goal and 2 assists. Maxim Barbashev had 1 goal and 1 assist. Noah Ganske and Luke Manning each had 2 assists. Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen and Neil Shea each scored a goal. Ganske and Stucker were each a +4. KC outshot Utah 41 to 30. Dylan Wells stopped 37 of 41 as he earned his 6th win of the season. Utah scored a season high 7 goals.

December 20, 2025 - Utah 2 Kansas City 3 - Tyler Gratton and Evan Friesen scored goals 26 seconds apart late in the third period. Friesen led Utah with 5 shots on goal. KC outshot Utah 42 to 26. Utah was 1 for 3 on the power play and 2 for 2 on the penalty kill. Dylan Wells saved 39 for 42.

January 16, 2026 - Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center.

January 17, 2026 - Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Maverik Center.

January 18, 2026 - Kansas City at Utah. 3:10 pm. Maverik Center.

KC defenseman Luke LaMaster played in 16 games with Utah during the 2024-25 season, scoring 1 goal and 2 assist. LaMaster played in 1 game and scoring 1 assist with Utah early in the 2025-26 season before getting traded to KC.

Kansas City has a record of 127-60-9-4 since the start of the 2023-24 season.

Grizzlies Sign Forwards Michael Colella and Mike Gelatt

The Utah Grizzlies have signed forwards Michael Colella and Mike Gelatt.

Colella played the 2024-25 season at Canisius College, scoring 4 goals and 8 assists in 36 games. He was one of five Canisius players to appear in every game in the 2024-25 season. Colella played at Northern Michigan University from 2020-2024, appearing in 132 games for the Wildcats, scoring 31 goals and 34 assists. He was a Two-time CCHA All-Academic Team selection at Northern Michigan. He was a college teammate with Grizzlies defenseman Colby Enns for four seasons. Colella played in one game for the SPHL's Peoria Rivermen on October 18, 2025. Colella will wear number 96 for Utah.

Mike Gelatt's younger brother, John Gelatt is a current Grizzlies forward. Gelatt has appeared in 84 games with the SPHL's Peoria Rivermen from 2022-2026, scoring 28 goals and 42 assists. Gelatt also has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 16 playoff games with Peoria, including 7 postseason games during Peoria's 2024 championship campaign. Gelatt played at Skidmore College from 2018-2022 and the University of Wisconsin River Falls during the 2022-23 season. Gelatt will wear number 91 for Utah.

Gelatt Brothers Reunite in Utah

John and Mike Gelatt are only the second pair of brothers to be teammates in Grizzlies history. Paul and Tim Crowder each played for Utah during the 2010-11 season.

Grizzlies Claim Defenseman Mathieu Boislard off Waivers from Adirondack

The Utah Grizzlies have claimed defenseman Mathieu Boislard off waivers from the Adirondack Thunder.

Boislard had appeared in 15 games with Adirondack during the 2025-26 season. Last year he played in 27 games with the Trois-Rivieres Lions and 30 games with the SPHL's Knoxville Ice Bears. Boislard has good size at 6'2" and 225 pounds. Boislard will wear number 27 for Utah.

Recent Transactions

January 16 - Defenseman Christian Felton signs a PTO with the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks.

January 15 - Grizzlies sign forwards Mike Gelatt and Michael Colella.

January 11 - Grizzlies claim defenseman Mathiew Boislard off waivers from Adirondack.

January 10 - Defenseman Saige Weinstein Recalled to Colorado (AHL).

January 8 - Grizzlies sign forward Shawn Kennedy.

January 3 - Goaltender Dylan Wells reassigned to Utah from Tucson (AHL).

January 2 - Grizzlies Sign Goaltender Dominic Basse.

January 2 - Goaltender Kyle Keyser recalled to Colorado (AHL).

2025-2026 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals

Overall record: 13-17-3

Home record: 3-7-1

Road record: 10-10-2

Win percentage: .439

Standings Points: 29

Last 10: 4-5-1

Streak: 0-4-1

Goals per game: 3.18 (9th) Goals for: 105

Goals against per game: 3.64 (27th) Goals Against: 120

Shots per game: 33.61 (3rd) Total Shots: 1109

Shots against per game: 30.48 (18th) Total Shots: 1006

Power Play: 23 for 120- 19.2 % (13th)

Penalty Kill: 82 for 101 - 81.2 % (20th)

Penalty Minutes: 309. 9.36 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 4.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.

Record When Scoring First: 9-5-1.

Opponent Scores First: 4-12-2.

Record in One Goal Games: 4-4-3

Games Decided Past Regulation: 1-0-3

Attendance per game: 3,829.

Team Leaders

Goals: Reed Lebster (17)

Assists: Aiden Hansen-Bukata (17)

Points: Dzhaniyev (28)

Plus/Minus: Colby Enns (+3)

PIM: Rilen Kovacevic (37)

Power Play Points: Dzhaniyev/Tyler Gratton (8)

Power Play Goals: Neil Shea (4)

Power Play Assists: Aiden Hansen-Bukata (8)

Shots on Goal: Danny Dzhaniyev (135) - Leads the league.

Shooting Percentage: Reed Lebster (15.3 %) - Minimum 30 shots

Game Winning Goals: Lebster (4)

Wins: Dylan Wells (7)

Save %: Keyser (.910)

Goals Against Average: Keyser (2.46)

Shutouts: Kaskisuo, Keyser, Wells (1)

Streaks

Goals: Evan Friesen, Noah Ganske (1)

Assists: Noah Ganske, Luke Manning (2) Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Reed Lebster (1)

Points (2 or more): Lebster (3), Ganske, Manning (2)

Check out the Utah Grizzlies Statistics

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ECHL Stories from January 16, 2026


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