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ECHL Utah Grizzlies

Utah Grizzlies Release 2018-19 Training Camp Roster

October 1, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Utah Grizzlies News Release


West Valley City, Utah - The Utah Grizzlies have announced their Training Camp roster for the 2018-19 season.

The Grizzlies look to reach the postseason for the 11th time in their last 12 seasons. Opening weekend of the regular season is October 12th and 13th against the Rapid City Rush. The Grizzlies have 2 preseason games. Utah hosts the Idaho Steelheads on October 5th for the preseason opener. Both teams will play in Boise on October 6th. As Training Camp develops, the roster is subject to change.

Forwards: Josh Winquist, Ryan Misiak, Cole Ully, Ryan Walters, Josh Dangel, Joey Ratelle, Matt Berry, Austin Carroll, Tim McGauley, Brendan Harms, RT Rice, Thanvir Singh, Tommy Anderson.

Defensemen: Kevin Davis, Taylor Richart, Gage Ausmus, Matthew Pufahl, Joey Raats, Erik Soderlund, David Higgs, Teigan Zahn.

Goaltenders: Kevin Carr, Brandon Wildung, Christian Frye, Chris Komma.

Avalanche Affiliation

The Grizzlies have a new affiliation with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche' previous ECHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles are now in the AHL, after winning back to back Kelly Cup Championships in 2017-2018.

Returning Forwards

Ryan Walters leads the returning players this year. He was last year's leading scorer with 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points, leading the team in all 3 categories. Walters was team captain last year. Ryan Misiak also returns to the lineup. He was the only Grizzly to play in all 72 games last year. He finished the year as the 5th leading goal scorer on the team with 15. Brendan Harms was outstanding in the 2nd half of last season as he was the team's 3rd leading scorer after Christmans with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points and 42 games. Harms had 13 goals and 25 assists in 62 games last year. Harms was the winner of the 2017 Senior Award as a student-athlete at Bemidji State.

Returning Defenseman

Taylor Richart returns for his 3rd season with the Grizzlies. Richart tied for the league lead by scoring 17 goals by a defenseman. Richart has 24 goals in a Grizzlies uniform, after scoring only 3 in 4 years at Miami (Ohio). Gage Ausmus played in 22 games last year after a trade with Colorado and played solid hockey for Utah.

Goaltenders Look Strong

Kevin Carr comes back to the Grizzlies squad for the 2018-19 season. Carr led Utah with 12 wins on the season with a .909 Save % and a 2.71 GAA. In 174 ECHL games, Carr is 81-71-9-8 with a 2.70 GAA and a .909 Save %. Brandon Wildung made an impression in his short stint with the Grizzlies in the latter point of last season. Wildung played his college hockey at Mercyhurst College. Wildung got the win on March 24th against the eventual Kelly Cup Champions, the Colorado Eagles at Maverik Center. Christian Frey played last season with the Rapid City Rush. 2 of Frey's 7 wins last year for the Rush came against the Grizzlies, including stopping 32 of 33 shots against Utah on January 6th for his first professional win.

New Forwards

Joey Ratelle was acquired to complete future considerations on a Feb.14 trade that brought Jake Marchment and Gage Ausmus to Utah. Ratelle was 3rd on the Colorado Eagles with 23 goals and had 47 points in 70 games. Ratelle had 5 goals and 3 assists in 19 playoff games for Colorado in their 2018 championship run. Ratelle was good against Utah last year with 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 13 games.

Forward Josh Winquist had 53 points in 55 games with the Orlando Solar Bears last season (18 G, 35 A). Winquist has 137 gaes of AHL experience over the last 5 seasons. Cole Ully has 121 AHL games of experience over the last 4 seasons. Ully scored 19 goals and added 21 assists for the Idaho Steelheads in 39 games in the 2017-18 season. Austin Carroll spent the last 3 seasons playing for the AHL's Stockton Heat. Tim McGauley had 36 points in 48 games for the South Carolina Stingrays last year. RT Rice played with the U of Prince Edward Island the past 2 seasons.

New Defenseman

Kevin Davis spent the last 6 seasons with the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Davis is 21 years old and tallied 105 assists in the last 2 seasons, including 55 assists and 10 goals in 71 games last year. Davis has proven to be a durable player, as he's played in at least 64 games in each of his last 5 seasons. Joey Raats played for Arizona State University for the past 3 seasons. Matthew Pufahl is a big 6'2" 209 pound defenseman who played for Acadia University over the last 4 years. Erik Soderlund and David Higgs both played some college hockey in the state of Utah. Soderlund played for Weber State during the 2014-15 season and with the University of Utah in the 2015-16 season. Higgs played the last 3 seasons for Utah State University.

Welcome Back

The Grizzlies welcome back Defenseman Teigan Zahn, who will be a Player/Assistant Coach with the team. Zahn spend the 2013-14 season with the Grizzlies, where he had 18 points on 7 goals and 11 assists. Zahn has played in 352 professional games as he enters his 7th pro season.

Matt Berry was with the Grizzlies for the 2015-16 season. He had 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 38 games during the regular season. That year, Berry had 4 goals and 4 assists in 10 playoff games. Berry is a consistent player with scoring ability. He had 14 goals and 24 assists in 42 games for the Florida Everblades last season.

Kevin Carr is entering his 5th year in the ECHL and has been as solid as they come.

Coaching Staff

Tim Branham returns for his 6th season as Head coach and General Manager of the Grizzles. He has led the club to a 178-136-45 record in 5 seasons. Branham is still one of the youngest coaches in the league at 37 years old. Branham was a 3rd round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2000 draft. With his next regular season win, coach Branham will break the Utah Grizzlies record for wins by a coach. He's currently tied with Butch Goring.

All Time Grizzlies point leader Ryan Kinasewich returns as Assistant Coach. He joined the team as an assistant at the midway point of last season. Teigan Zahn joins the staff as a Player/Coach. Bryan Erspamer joins the club for his first year as Head Athletic Trainer. Chris Schornack returns for his 2nd year as the Equipment Manager.

Everett Silvertips Connections

Josh Winquist played with Everett from 2010-2014. Kevin Davis played with Everett from 2013-2018. Matthew Pufahl was with Everett in the 2013-14 season.

Great Crowds at Maverik Center

The Grizzlies drew a modern day record of 203,990 fans to Maverik Center in 2017-2018 with two sellout crowds of over 10,000 fans and nine crowds of over 7,000 fans as they ranked 5th in the 27-team ECHL in attendance for a second-straight year with an average of nearly 6,000 fans-per-game.

Local Connections

Forward Josh Dangel, Defenseman Erik Soderlund and Goaltender Chris Komma each played for the University of Utah. Dangel played for the Utes from 2013-2017. He played in 127 games and ranks 6th all-time in points scored in club history. Soderlund played for the Utes in the 2015-16 season. Komma is their all-time leader in wins, minutes and shutouts. Defenseman David Higgs spent 3 seasons with Utah State University, scoring 16 goals and 35 assists for 51 points in 38 games in the 2017-18 season.

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