Grizzlies Gameday: Weekend Series Opener in the Black Hills
ECHL Utah Grizzlies

Grizzlies Gameday: Weekend Series Opener in the Black Hills

Published on January 23, 2026 under ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


Utah Grizzlies (13-20-3, 29 points, .403 point %) @ Rapid City Rush (16-16-3, 35 points, .500 point %)

Date: January 23, 2026 Venue: The Monument Game Time: 7:05 pm

Streaming: FloHockey - https://www.flohockey.tv/events/14324451-2026-utah-grizzlies-vs-rapid-city-rush

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

Next Game: January 24, 2026, Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. The Monument.

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 first of 6 meetings this season between Utah and Rapid City. Utah is 60-40-14 all-time vs Rapid City. Utah has a .500 point percentage on the road with a 10-10-2 record and Rapid City has a .500-point percentage at home with a record of 8-8-1.

Watch out for Reed Lebster, who has 7 goals in his last 13 games. Lebster is tied for fourth in the league with 17 goals. Danny Dzhaniyev is second in the league with 146 shots on goal.

Games This Week

Friday - Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. The Monument.

Saturday, January 24, 2026 - Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. The Monument.

Sunday, January 25, 2026 - Utah at Rapid City. 4:05 pm. The Monument.

All Times Mountain.

Games This Week

Friday, January 16, 2026 - Kansas City 4 Utah 1 - Mikey Colella scored his first pro goal 9:28 into the second period. KC outshot Utah 34 to 22. Reed Lebster led Utah with 4 shots. Colella, Mike Gelatt and Mathieu Boislard each made their Grizzlies debuts. Dylan Wells stopped 30 of 33.

Saturday, January 17, 2026 - Kansas City 7 Utah 1 - Robbie Stucker scored Utah's lone goal 11:18 into the contest. KC outshot Utah 35 to 25. Danny Dzhaniyev led Utah with 5 shots on goal.

Sunday, January 18, 2026 - Kansas City 3 Utah 0 - Danny Dzhaniyev led Utah with 5 shots. Tyler Gratton had 4 shots. Dominic Basse saved 25 of 27. Kansas City got a 22 save shutout from Logan Terness.

Grizzlies Among League Leaders

Reed Lebster is tied for fourth in the league with 17 goals and tied for fourth in game winning goals (4). Danny Dzhaniyev is 2nd in the league in shots on goal (146). Dzhaniyev is third among all rookies in points (28) and is tied for 6th in assists (16). Aiden Hansen-Bukata is tied for fourth among rookies with 17 assists as well as tied for third 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.

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

The April 8, 2026 game vs Rapid City has been rescheduled to April 12, 2026.

Team Notes

Utah has taken 358 shots over their last 10 games (35.80 per game). Utah has a third period goal in 15 of their last 19 games. They have 24 third period goals in the last 19 games. There are four players who have appeared in all 36 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster. Utah is fifth in the league in shots per game at 33.03. Utah is 9-6-1 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.

Nine Grizzlies skaters have scored their first professional goals this season.

Grizzlies Ironmen

There are four players who have appeared in all 36 games this season: Danny Dzhaniyev, Evan Friesen, John Gelatt and Reed Lebster.

Danny Dzhaniyev Represented Utah in All Star Classic

Grizzlies forward Danny Dzhaniyev represented the Grizzlies in the 2026 league All-Star Classic. Danny had 1 goal and 1 assist for team Stars in a 17-12 loss to team Stripes. Dzhaniyev wore number 13 in the game, normally he wears number 26 for Utah.

Recent Transactions

January 22 - Grizzlies released defenseman Zach Plucinski.

January 21 - Grizzlies sign defenseman Luke Antonacci.

January 21 - Forward Jack Ricketts recalled to Tucson (AHL)

January 17 - Grizzlies sign defenseman Zach Plucinski.

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).

Grizzlies Sign Defenseman Luke Antonacci

The Utah Grizzlies have signed defenseman Luke Antonacci.

Antonacci played in 24 games with Lake Superior State University during the 2025-26 season, scoring 1 assist. Antonacci played at the University of Maine for three seasons from 2022-2025, scoring 5 goals, 16 assists and a combined +28 rating. He was part of the Hockey East All-Tournament team in 2025. He blocked 111 shots in three seasons at the U. of Maine. Antonacci majored in Finance.

2025-2026 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals

Overall record: 13-20-3

Home record: 3-10-1

Road record: 10-10-2

Win percentage: .403

Standings Points: 29

Last 10: 2-7-1

Streak: 0-7-1

Goals per game: 2.97 (15th) Goals for: 107

Goals against per game: 3.72 (28th) Goals Against: 134

Shots per game: 32.72 (5th) Total Shots: 1178

Shots against per game: 30.64 (19th) Total Shots: 1103

Power Play: 23 for 127- 18.1 % (17th)

Penalty Kill: 85 for 107 - 79.4 % (23rd)

Penalty Minutes: 339. 9.42 per game.

Shorthanded Goals: 4.

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 4.

Record When Scoring First: 9-6-1.

Opponent Scores First: 4-14-2.

Record in One Goal Games: 4-4-3

Games Decided Past Regulation: 1-0-3

Attendance per game: 4,095.

Team Leaders

Goals: Reed Lebster (17)

Assists: Aiden Hansen-Bukata (17)

Points: Dzhaniyev (28)

Plus/Minus: Stepan Timofeyev (+2)

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 (146)

Shooting Percentage: Griffin Ness (14.6 %) - Minimum 40 shots

Game Winning Goals: Lebster (4)

Wins: Dylan Wells (7)

Save %: Keyser (.910)

Goals Against Average: Keyser (2.46)

Shutouts: Kaskisuo, Keyser, Wells (1)

Check out the Utah Grizzlies Statistics

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ECHL Stories from January 23, 2026


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