ECHL: Kelly Cup preview #1 Idaho Steelheads vs. #4 Utah Grizzlies

Here is what the schedule looks like.

#1 Idaho Steelheads (58-11-3) vs. #4 Utah Grizzlies (35-33-4)
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 19 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 2 – Friday, April 21 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 26 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Utah
Game 4 – Friday, April 28 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Utah
Game 5 – Saturday, April 29 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Utah (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Monday, May 1 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, May 2 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)

The Utah Grizzlies will face their longtime rivals, the Idaho Steelheads, in the first round of the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Idaho Steelheads had a record-breaking regular season. They set a league record with 58 wins and 119 points for the regular season. Defenseman Cody Haiskanen and Matt Register tied for the league lead with a +53 rating. The +53 rating is tied for the second-highest in a season in ECHL league history. Register, and his linemate, defenseman Owen Headrick were named first-team all-ECHL. Headrick was second on the Steelheads with 54 points. Ryan Dmowski led Idaho with 30 goals and 67 points. Register led the Steelheads with 43 helpers. Idaho’s team save percentage this season was .927. They were led by 2nd team all ECHL goaltender Adam Scheel, who had a 1.97 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Idaho led the league in goals per game at 4.03 and also led the league in fewest goals per game allowed at 2.13. Idaho broke a league record for home wins in a season with 32. Three of Idaho’s four losses at home came to the hands of the Grizzlies.
 
Cameron Wright led Utah and was fourth among ECHL rookies, with 29 goals in the regular season. Wright also led the Grizzlies with 63 points this season.
 
Idaho went 14-4-0 during the regular-season series, with Utah going 4-13-1. Jordan Kawaguchi scored a team-best nine goals for the Steelheads, with Dmowski leading the way with 15 points.. Jordan Martel led the way for the Grizzlies with six goals and eight points.

Suppose there is anything to take from last weekend’s regular series between these two teams. The series will be closer than the records might indicate. The Grizzlies were swept in the weekend series, but all three games were one-goal games. All the games were close and competitive.

Utah swept Tulsa in a three-game series to secure the four seed in the Mountain Division. Utah won 5-0 in the regular season finale on April 15th as Starting Goalie Trent Miner earned his 3rd shutout. Utah’s power play looked good in the three-game series. They were 8 for 15 on the man advantage. If they can keep this up, they will be a strong opponent for the Steelheads. This series will be close.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Darby Llewellyn vs Cincinnati Cyclones on 03/15/2025

ECHL: Darby Llewellyn Joins Toledo Walleye for 2025–26

The Toledo Walleye have added a veteran presence to their forward group, signing 29-year-old winger Darby Llewellyn for the 2025–26 ECHL season. With nearly a decade of pro hockey across North America and Europe, Llewellyn brings versatility, grit, and scoring depth to a Toledo lineup aiming to remain among the league’s toughest outs. A Proven […]

Read More

ECHL: Logan Nijhoff Re-Signs with Trois-Rivières Lions

The Trois-Rivières Lions are bringing back a big piece in their lineup as they’ve re-signed forward Logan Nijhoff for the 2025-26 season. Nijhoff, 24, put up 25 goals and 24 assists for 49 points in 58 games. Nijhoff was one of three players tied for the team lead in goals. He would add three goals […]

Read More

ECHL: Jordan Kaplan Returns To Worcester After Breakout Season

The Worcester Railers made a splash on Friday afternoon as they re-signed forward Jordan Kaplan for the 2025-26 season. Kaplan, 28, is coming off a career year where he put up 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points in 68 games. He also finished second on the team with 108 PIM. Kaplan has established […]

Read More