Today, it was a busy day for the Utah Grizzlies as they announced the return of fan-favorite Kyle Pouncy. Pouncy is returning to the Grizzlies for his third season with the team. Although not known for his scoring, the 6’3” D-Man has 17 points(6G,11A) in 111 games played in his first two seasons with Utah. Pouncy is the fifth signing overall and is the fourth defenseman to sign with Utah for the upcoming season. All the Grizzlies signings so far are over six feet, so Utah is definitely trying to become one of the bigger teams in the ECHL with the build of the roster to this date.
Pouncy was one of the Grizzlies that was on the magical playoff run going all the way to the conference finals in the 2021-22 season, adding a goal and an assist in eight games played. Prior to becoming a pro, Kyle played four years of college hockey at the NCAA third level with Northland College. During his time there, he scored 17 goals while adding 30 assists for 47 points in exactly 100 games played. After completing his college career, he went to the Wichita Thunder, where he played four games for them before the ECHL season got canceled on March 15, 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, Utah native Garrett Metcalf has signed his first AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles, who are the affiliate of the Utah Grizzlies. Metcalf has spent the previous three years with Utah, going 15-11-2 with a 3.09 goals-against average and adding a .904 save percentage in 32 contests with the Grizzlies. During his time with Utah, Metcalf was sent on two different loans, with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as well as the San Diego Gulls.
During his time in the AHL, the 6’2” goaltender played nine games, going 3-5-1 in those outings, posting a 4.31 goals against and .861 save percentage. Metcalf is known for his size in net. Prior to playing at the pro level, Metcalf had four seasons in the NCAA, most notably in 2016-2017 when he was with UMass-Lowell as he helped them win a Hockey East Championship that year, playing just two games, having a 2.59 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
It will be very interesting to see if the Eagles send Metcalf back down after AHL training camp or whether he starts the season up there. For the Grizzlies, bringing back Pouncy is a move made that looks to bring big and physical talent to the Utah blue line. The Grizzlies open up their season at home against the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday, October 21.
