Another beaming goaltending report

The Grizzlies have had an amazing season so far, and it would be hard to pick the biggest factor to this, but might we suggest the goaltending? Andrew Engelage was again named as goaltender of the week in the ECHL for January 31-February 6. He earned this nomination earlier in January as well. He is currently tied for 3rd in the league with 17 wins. Last week he only allowed 8 goals in 4 games. (Photo from the Salt Lake Tribune)

Former Grizz goaltender, Mikko Koskinen, was called up to the NHL to play with the Islanders. This is the second former Grizzlies goaltender called up to the NHL this season. Here is a great stat for your enjoyment: Koskinen was 6-0-0 in his games with the Grizzlies. Maybe he didn't play here long, but let's at least assume that his time playing here helped his development. J.P. Lamoureux played with the Grizzlies and was named the goaltender of the week before being called up to the Abbotsford Heat. Go ahead, count how many that is. Yup, 3 goaltenders called up from our team, and another with 2 goaltender of the week honors in 1 month.

Speaking of being called up and re-assigned back to a team, the ECHL posted an article about this very thing. The first point is that it is a way of life for professional hockey players. A player might be called up to fill a spot due to injury or illness, then often re-assigned back down. What does he get from this? Experience. That is an important part of the process, and it can be very beneficial to his "home" team.

Often overlooked is the fact that many players recalled often return to bolster ECHL rosters, particularly come playoff time, allowing fans the opportunity to witness great talent at a critical time of year.

Plus it keeps things interesting.

A look at the NHL draft

We realize this is super late - we're blaming a combination of technical difficulties and travel. At least one of us needs to get our computer fixed this summer. Not saying which one.

The NHL Entry Draft took place last weekend (June 25-26) in Los Angeles. Hockey's future stars waited anxiously to see where they'd start their careers, who was interested, and what round they'd be picked in. Some would be pleasantly surprised. Others, disappointed. The memories will last forever. Just ask Ryan Smyth, Jonathan Bernier, and and Alyn McCauley.

But the players aren't the only ones under pressure. Each General Manager has to look into his crystal ball and try to guess where these guys might be in a year, three years, or five years and see how they fit into a master plan, all focused on winning hockey's ultimate prize - the Stanley Cup.

Here's how the Grizzlies affiliate teams did in the draft:

New York Islanders


The Islanders picked twice in the first round, twice in the third, and once in the fifth and seventh rounds for a total of 6 picks.

• Nino Niederreiter - right wing - #5 overall
• Brock Nelson - center - #30 overall
• Kirill Kabanov - left wing - #65 overall
• Jason Clark - center/left wing - #82 overall
• Tony Dehart - defense - #125 overall
• Cody Rosen - goal - #185 overall

Niederreiter (fitting that on a jersey will be fun) was not expected to be taken that high in the draft, even by himself, but Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said, "Nino was extremely impressive in the World Junior Championships playing for Team Switzerland, using his size to create space. He is a big power-foward who will add size to our lineup for years to come." Also, "He's a really great kid." And he's been dubbed "El Nino" - bonus. A surprised Niederreiter commented, "This is just a great team. I couldn't be happier to be with the Islanders." He also let slip during his interview that he figured the Islanders were going to pick Cam Fowler, who went at #12 to the Anaheim Ducks. "El Nino" is the highest drafted Swiss-born player ever. [More on the Niederreiter pick.] (Thanks to Canadian Press for the picture - couldn't find his draft portrait for some reason.)

Also picked in the first round was center Brock Nelson. The Islanders traded up a few spots to get to 30 so they could select him. But the biggest story of the Islanders' draft was the 65th overall pick - Kirill Kabanov. Billed as a player with tons of talent, he could have gone in the first round, but slipped to the third because of some behavioral issues. The Islanders were the team brave enough to give him a shot. Kabanov seemed happy to get a second chance to prove himself. "It's a new book," he said, smiling. For more on the Kabanov pick, read here.

Calgary Flames

Due to trades, the Flames didn't have any picks until the third round. They picked twice in the third, twice in the fourth, and once each in the fifth and seventh rounds.

• Maxwell Reinhart - center - #64 overall
• Joey Leach - defense - #73 overall
• John Ramage - defense - #102 overall
• Bill Arnold - center - #108 overall
• Michael Ferland - left wing - #133 overall
• Patrick Holland - right wing - #193 overall

Four of the Flames' newest members visited the Saddledome on Wednesday, June 30 to meet with the Calgary media. Funny thing - all four of them had been there before. For Ferland, at least, this time was more fun - the last time he was in the building, his team was beat by the Hitmen. Read a little more about their press conference here.


General consensus seems to be that the Islanders did pretty well for themselves in the draft this year. Because of Calgary's odd distribution of picks, there wasn't a lot of talk about their draft. Of course, nobody will know for a few years who really had a successful draft and who didn't. While the hope is that all of these guys will end up in the NHL, we wouldn't complain if they did a little time in the ECHL first... just so we could get a preview of what's coming. We got a pretty good glimpse of Mikko Koskinen (drafted #31 overall by the Islanders, 2009) last season when he was assigned to the Grizzlies after an injury to get some ice time, so it's possible we could see some of the new guys in Utah at some point too. (Koskinen picture from Islanders Point Blank.)

Some other interesting facts about the draft...

• The US had 59 players selected in this year's draft. That's the highest number yet. Canada had 99 players selected.


• Four of those draftees were born and raised in California.


• 22 players drafted were developed in the United States high school systems.

Hockey is getting bigger down here in middle North America, and the caliber of players the US is producing is improving every year. The development programs are improving here, and scouts are liking what they see. That means our young hockey players have a better chance of making it to the NHL, even from a non-hockey market, as long as they are dedicated and work hard. You don't have to move to Canada anymore to have a shot. Of course, there's still that little matter of Olympic gold...

Next time, Canada.

Game 5: Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 1

The Grizzlies needed this win to advance, and they deserved every moment of their victory. 12 more wins to the Cup, indeed!

Utah started the scoring 7:36 into the 1st with a goal from Captain Kinasewich. They never looked back. In the 2nd, The Grizzlies tacked on 3 goals in a 2 1/2 minute time span to increase their lead over the Wranglers, 4-0.

James Sixsmith picked up a goal 6:50 into the 3rd, and Las Vegas grabbed their first and only goal of the night on the power play to end the game 5-1 in the Grizzlies favor.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers 5-1 Tuesday night at the E-Center to win the best-of-five quarterfinal series three games to two. Utah advances to the second round where they will face the Idaho Steelheads in a best-of-seven series that will begin Friday in Boise. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Advance With 5-1 Win Over Las Vegas
highlights || Game Highlights 4/13/10 vs Las Vegas
gamesheet || Las Vegas at Utah - 4/13/10
photos || 4/13/10 - Utah Grizzlies vs Las Vegas Wranglers
interview || Kevin Colley 4/13/10 post game
interview || Justin Suda 4/13/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Photo of the Game:

2nd period - Ryan Kinasewich congratulates his teammates on their goal.

Additional Photos: [Flickr]



Video: [YouTube]

Lance Galbraith vs John Schwartz:




Scoring Summary:

UTA R. Kinasewich (4), 7:36 1st period (Perry, Suda); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
UTA A. Perry (2), 2:57 2nd period (Gannon, Suda); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 0
UTA T. Crowder (4), 3:11 2nd period (Gannon, Galbraith); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (5), 5:05 2nd period (Sixsmith, Perry); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 0
UTA J. Sixsmith (2), 6:50 3rd period (Perry, Crowder); Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 0
LV M. Lawrence (1), 8:45 3rd period (Krischuk, Pollastrone); Grizzlies 5, Wranglers 1


What Worked Well: You name it
Too much worked well in this game to single out anything in particular. Defense was kick ass, goaltending was beyond steller, offense pushed it to the limit, special teams were on the ball, and the boys stuck up for each other. Ah, the fights. Overall, a game of epic proportions.

What Could Have Worked Better: Pfft . . .
Not even gonna bother with this one today.

Who Made the Difference: Jake Gannon
All of the boys worked their guts out this game and we definitely want to give special attention to AJ Perry for his work on 4 of the 5 Grizzlies' goals and Mikko Koskinen for his astounding 38 saves. But Jake Gannon really set the tone for the team in the 1st by putting the pressure on the Wranglers and not letting up. And that made all the difference in the world. Nicely done.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - A. Perry
2. UTA - M. Koskinen
3. UTA - R. Kinasewich


Additional Notes:

> Six Grizzlies had multiple point games: Ryan Kinasewich (2g), AJ Perry (1g, 3a), Tim Crowder (1g, 1a), James Sixsmith (1g, 1a), Jake Gannon (2a), and Justin Suda (2a).
> Mikko Koskinen stopped 38 of 39 for the win.
> Matt Clarke led the team with 6 SOG. Sixsmith and Kinasewich tied for second with 5 SOG a piece.

Game 1: Wranglers 6, Grizzlies 4

It was said last night that every goalie has a bad game, and Mikko sure picked a bad time to have his. While we agree, with this, we can't heap the loss solely on Koskinen. Outside of some random officiating, the team we saw in the 3rd period was not the same team we saw in the 1st.

The Grizzlies dominated the 1st, starting the scoring just 0:35 into the period with a goal from MacMillan. The Wranglers tied things up later to end the initial frame 1-1. Utah gained the lead in the 2nd with two quick goals to make it 3-1, but Las Vegas responded with 4 straight of their own, which ended with Mikko being replaced by Morrison in net. Morrison stopped a penalty shot and ended the period without allowing another goal, 5-3.

In the 3rd, the Grizzlies attempted to decrease the deficit with an early goal, but it was waved off for high sticking. Morrison stopped another penalty shot allotted to the Wranglers, but later Vegas increased their lead to 6-3. Utah added one more goal to stop the bleeding, but the game still ended in the Wrangler's favor, 6-4.

From the official post game:

The Grizzlies made it 3-1 just 1:23 later at 1:43 as Sixsmith fed Matt Clarke in the circle again. Clarke’s shot was redirected home by Tim Crowder and Utah had a 3-1 lead. However, starting at the 5:16 mark, Las Vegas rattled off four-straight scores to take a 5-3 lead. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Las Vegas Takes Game One 6-4
highlights || Game Highlights 4/6/10 at Las Vegas
gamesheet || Utah at Las Vegas 4/6/10
interview || Dylan Hunter 4/6/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

UTA M. MacMillan (1), 0:35 1st period (McJannet); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 0
LV A. Bourret (1), 5:25 1st period (Lawrence, Miller); Grizzlies 1, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Maxwell (1), 0:20 2nd period (Sixsmith, Hunter); Grizzlies 2, Wranglers 1
UTA T. Crowder (1), 1:43 2nd period (Clarke, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 1
LV K. Hagel (1), 5:16 2nd period; Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 2
LV C. Neiszner (1), 5:27 2nd period (Hagel, Goers); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 3
LV K. Hagel (2), 9:55 2nd period (Frank); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 4
LV J. Prudden (1), 12:11 2nd period (Madill, Switzer); Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 5
LV R. Weston (1), 10:18 3rd period; Grizzlies 3, Wranglers 6
UTA T. Maxwell (2), 11:32 3rd period (May, Sixsmith); Grizzlies 4, Wranglers 6


What Worked Well: 1st period
The Grizzlies absolutely dominated the first period. The boys played strong and kept control of the puck; they were playing to win. If they could have kept up this pace for the full 60, we would have seen a very different game.

What Could Have Worked Better: Staying out of the box
Yes, we agree that the officiating was not the best, but really. The Grizzlies racked up 8 penalties to the Wranglers' 4. While the PK took care of business, the 16 minutes of of penalty time didn't help Utah when it came to adding on their lead.

Who Made the Difference: James Sixsmith
While we do want to comment on the the great game that Tim Maxwell had, James Sixsmith showed up to win all three periods. Setting up some great goals, Sixer ended the game with 3 assists and looked alive out there for the full 60 minutes. Nicely done.


Stars of the Game:

1. LV - K. Hagel
2. LV - R. Weston
3. UTA - T. Maxwell


Additional Notes:

> Two Grizzlies had multiple point games tonight: Tim Maxwell (2g) and James Sixsmith (3a).
> Dylan Hunter continues his scoring streak from the regular season.
> Mike Morrison stopped 8 of 9 shots as well as both penalty shots that he saw.
> While we don't mean to pick on anyone in particular, we just have to say: Kinasewich, the next time you have 0:26 left in a power play, please don't waste 0:10 of that dilly-dallying in your own end. You had open ice and you have the speed (not to mention a wicked shot), please use it.

Post Game: Grizzlies 2, Salmon Kings 1

Woo for making the playoffs! The Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot with their regulation win over Victoria. And no, it's not an April Fool's joke.

The Salmon Kings opened up the scoring just over a minute into the 1st period on the power play. Utah was held scoreless during the initial frame, but Captain Kinasewich tied things up with a power play goal of his own early in the 2nd, 1-1.

The defensive battle continued into the 3rd until the Grizzlies, via Matt Sorteberg, knocked one in to take the lead at 8:40 of the period, 2-1. Though Victoria battled back, Utah's defensive play kept them at bay until time expired.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (33-28-4-5) defeated the Victoria Salmon Kings 2-1 in regulation Wednesday night in Victoria. The win officially clinches a Utah playoff berth for the fourth time in five years.

Utah took a 2-1 lead as Ryan Kinasewich eluded four Victoria defenders against the wall and fed Matt Sorteberg who walked into the right-wing circle and buried his second goal of the year 8:40 into the third period. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Clinch Playoff Berth With 2-1 Win In Victoria
highlights || Game Highlights 3/31/10 at Victoria
gamesheet || Utah at Victoria - 3/31/10
interview || Lance Galbraith 3/31/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

VIC M. Siddall (19), 1:15 1st period (Roach, Southern); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 0
UTA R. Kinasewich (46), 2:56 2nd period (Sixsmith, Hunter); Salmon Kings 1, Grizzlies 1
UTA M. Sorteberg (2), 8:40 3rd period (Kinasewich, Hunter); Salmon Kings 1 Grizzlies 2


What Worked Well: Defense
The only goal that the Grizzlies allowed during this game was when they were shorthanded. For 60 minutes, that means a lot of kick ass defense. Koshkinen, while on his game, only saw 24 shots during the contest which shows just how vital the defensive play was to this game. Nicely played, boys.

What Could Have Worked Better: Erm . . .
Well, we're sure there was something. But honestly we love watching these two teams battle it out, so we decided to sit back and enjoy rather than analyze. Anyone wants to pipe in on this, feel free to comment or email.

Who Made the Difference: Matt Sorteberg
We were debating between two defensemen for this: Tim Maxwell and Matt Sorteberg. While Maxwell was all over the defensive end, we decided on Sorteberg for both offensive and defensive contributions. Sorteberg picked up the game winner, played solid in the Grizzlies own end, added to the overall hustle and drive by Utah, and picked up the 3rd star of the game. Awesome.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - R. Kinasewich
2. VIC - M. Keetley
3. UTA - M. Sorteberg


Additional Notes:

> Both Ryan Kinasewich (1g, 1a) and Dylan Hunter (2a) had multiple point games.
> Captain Kinasewich tied the record for most goals in a season with his 46th.
> James Sixsmith reached a 9 game scoring streak. Dylan Hunter extended his scoring streak to 11 games.
> This win guarenteed Utah a spot in the playoffs. Isn't it great to see that little x?

Post Game: Grizzlies 5, Thunder 2

Utah collected 4 of the 6 points possible from the weekend series which was barely enough to hold onto the 7th and final playoff spot.

Stockton struck first once again to take the early lead over the Grizzlies, but Utah was able to tie things up before the end of the period, 1-1. Also by the end of the 1st, Simon Ferguson had racked up more time in PIM than had just been played (22 minutes) with 2 game misconducts and a minor. Wow. Utah took over in the 2nd, scoring twice on the power play including a Hunter goal at 19:59 of the period to gain the lead, 3-1.

The Thunder grabbed a goal just before the midpoint of the 3rd, but the Grizzlies responded with 2 of their own to end the game 5-2 in Utah's favor.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies (30-28-3-5) defeated the Stockton Thunder 5-2 Sunday night at the Stockton Arena to take two of three games from the Thunder on the weekend series. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Grizzlies Leave Stockton With 5-2 Win
highlights || Game Highlights 3/21/10 at Stockton
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 3/21/10
interview || Brock Wilson 3/21/10 intermission
interview || Kevin Colley addresses final games of the season
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

STK C. D'Alvise (30), 3:29 1st period (Robinson); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 0
UTA T. May (22), 12:48 1st period (Nikiforov); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 1
UTA T. Crowder (8), 1:35 2nd period (Nikiforov); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 2
UTA D. Hunter (14), 19:59 2nd period (Perry, Clarke); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 3
STK J. Bates (25), 9:01 3rd period (Hunt, D'Alvise); Thunder 2, Grizzlies 3
UTA T. Crowder (9), 12:54 3rd period (Galbraith, Vandermeer); Thunder 2, Grizzlies 4
UTA V. Nikiforov (18), 15:49 3rd period (Sixsmith); Thunder 2, Grizzlies 5


What Worked Well: Goaltending
While Mitch O'Keefe had a pretty decent game last night, it's interesting what allowing one less goal can do for the team. The goaltending from Koshinen made a solid base for the rest of the Grizzlies defense and allowed the boys to focus on their offense.

What Could Have Worked Better: 1st period
Once again the Grizzlies started out shaky, but with the way things ended, we really can't complain. When the boys hit their stride, they made up for any turnovers and missed passes that happened in the 1st.

Who Made the Difference: Mikko Koshkinen
While Vlady Nikiforov and Tim Crowder both had amazing games, we wanted to highlight the ease with which Mikko Koshkinen stops the puck. Stopping 37 shots, he only allowed 2 goals in the contest and really added some confidence to the Grizzlies in their own end. Nicely done.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - M. Koskinen
2. STK - C. D'Alvise
3. UTA - V. Nikiforov


Additional Notes:

> Goalie Mikko Koskinen stopped 37 of the 39 shots he saw in the contest for the win.
> Two Grizzlies had multiple point games: Vladimir Nikiforov (1g, 2a) and Tim Crowder (2g)
> Ryan Kinasewich's scoring streak was broken today, while James Sixsmith's road scoring streak contines.
> Simon Ferguson ended the game with 22 PIM which he racked up before the end of the 1st period.

Post Game: Grizzlies 6, Thunder 2

Two points down, four to go. As we hoped for in our weekend preview, Utah was definitely in a warrior haze tonight, scoring 6 goals on 29 shots.

Stockton struck first scoring on the power play, but the Grizzlies responded before the end of the period to end the 1st tied, 1-1. In the 2nd, the Grizzlies scored 4 times which included 2 short handed goals from Ryan Kinasewich. Mikko Koshkinen and the Grizzlies' defense held Stockton off the scoreboard to end the period 5-1.

Tom May picked up an early goal in the 3rd period to increase the Grizzlies lead 6-1, but the Thunder picked up a short handed goal 5 minutes later to end the game 6-2 in Utah's favor.

From the official post game:

The Utah Grizzlies scored six unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the first period and Islanders rookie prospect Mikko Koskinen stopped 36 of 38 shots in his ECHL debut as Utah (29-27-3-5) defeated the Stockton Thunder (29-25-2-7) 6-2 Friday night in California. [utahgrizzlies.com]

post game || Koskinen Stops 36 In Utah Debut; Grizzlies Win 6-2
highlights || Game Highlights 3/19/10 at Stockton
gamesheet || Utah at Stockton - 3/19/10
interview || Tom May 3/19/10 intermission
blog || Adrian Denny's game day blog


Scoring Summary:

STK J. Bates (23), 4:14 1st period (D'Alvise, Aiello); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 0
UTA S. Ferguson (1), 10:19 1st period (Sorteberg, Hunter); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 1
UTA V. Nikiforov (17), 3:30 2nd period (Suda, May); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 2
UTA A. Perry (25), 5:31 2nd period (Hunter, Sixsmith); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 3
UTA R. Kinasewich (40), 9:22 2nd period; Thunder 1, Grizzlies 4
UTA R. Kinasewich (41), 11:46 2nd period (Clarke, Wilson); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 5
UTA T. May (21), 1:15 3rd period (Sixsmith, Kilburg); Thunder 1, Grizzlies 6
STK M. Robinson (26), 5:18 3rd period (Vanoosten); Thunder 2, Grizzlies 6


What Worked Well: Penalty Kill
Utah only allowed Stockton one goal on the man advantage. The boys were able to come back and kill 5 penalties, including picking up 2 short handed goals from Kinasewich. Nicely done.

What Could Have Been Better: 1st period
The Grizzlies looked a little shaky in the 1st and trailed Stockton in shots on goal, tallying 9 to the Thunder's 15. Fortunately, they were able to come back in the 2nd, but we'd much rather they were able to come out strong and stay strong for the entire 60 minutes.

Who Made the Difference: Dylan Hunter
While Utah's new goalie Koskinen made things look easy and Ryan Kinasewich was in his warrior haze, Dylan Hunter really brings an aspect of consistancy to this hockey team. Picking up two assists, Hunter is amazing at setting things up for his wingers and next to Sixsmith, is one of the most consistant players on the team.


Stars of the Game:

1. UTA - R. Kinasewich
2. UTA - T. May
3. UTA - M. Koskinen


Additional Notes:

> Three Grizzlies had multiple point games: Ryan Kinasewich (2g), Tom May (1g, 1a), James Sixsmith (2a) and Dylan Hunter (2a).
> Mikko Koskinen stopped 36 out of 38 shots in the win.
> Captain Kinasewich broke his season high goal record with his two shorties for 41 goals this season.

Weekend Preview - Utah Grizzlies vs. Stockton Thunder

In case you haven't heard, the National Conference is in a battle. Of the eight teams in the conference, only the Idaho Steelheads have clinched a playoff spot. Let's face it, nobody's catching the potatoheads, but only eight points separate the other seven teams. That means that every point is like gold for the Grizzlies right now if they want to make the playoffs. Since Stockton used to be a gold mining town, it seems like a good place to start.

The last time the Grizzlies played the Thunder it was at home in the E Center, and things got a little bit ugly. There was much yelling, cursing, and mass chaos at high volume. We would have had more video of it, but some clownshoe kept blocking our camera shot. We'll let it go this time. We have too much going on to be bothered about what happened two games ago. We're hoping that holds true for the Grizzlies, and that they stick with playing hockey as opposed to gooning it up on the ice. They need points more than penalty minutes right now.

Utah has won five out of seven games against Stockton this season, but Stockton is three points ahead of Utah in the standings. This means that if the Grizzlies want to pass the Thunder in the standings, they have to win all three games this weekend. They can tie Stockton if they lose one in overtime, but every other scenario puts Utah behind. (Trust us - we did a whole spreadsheet on it. Our bosses at our real job were thrilled.) That said, we think this is a very possible task for the Grizzlies. They just have to stay focused on their game, get into their warrior haze and really put some skunk on the Thunder.

Stockton has won five of their last ten games, one of those against Utah. They haven't really had much of a streak going - they've mostly been winning one and losing the next one - so we wouldn't say they're hot or cold. The Grizzlies have only won three of their last ten, and have lost the last two (against Idaho). We'd say they're fizzling out, but we're going to look at it the other way and say they're due for a couple of good wins. Three in a row would be nice. In regulation.

Utah will have some new faces this weekend in Brian Kilburg (D), who they picked up from Ontario, and Mikko Koskinen (G), both of which are expected to play tonight. Best of luck, New Guys!

This weekend could be a great series for the Grizzlies to launch a serious push to the playoffs. It's a battle out there.