Report: Utah Grizzlies Relocating To New Jersey For 2026-27 Season
Sep 8, 2025, 10:51 AM | Updated: 10:55 am
Utah Grizzlies hockey (Courtesy of Meagan Johnson)
(Courtesy of Meagan Johnson)
SALT LAKE CITY – After the Utah Grizzlies ownership group announced their plans to sell the team in late June, National Insider Frank Seravalli announced on Monday morning that the organization will be relocating to Trenton, NJ following the 2025-26 season.
Franchise News: Hearing @ECHL‘s @UtahGrizzlies are relocating to Trenton, NJ to play at CURE Insurance Arena – former longtime home of the Titans – for the 2026-27 season.
Expect a formal announcement on Tuesday and a contest to follow to name the team.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 8, 2025
Report: Utah Grizzlies ownership to finalize sale to Trenton, NJ
Following one final year as Utah’s ECHL team, the Grizzlies are bound for Trenton, NJ in 2026.
Per @Jaysus28
The Utah Grizzlies will likely relocate following the 2025-26 season.
A new ownership group leading the effort to purchase the team would relocate them to Trenton, NJ.
Currently, there are no plans to have hockey at Maverik Center following this season.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) June 23, 2025
“Utah has been more than a home – it has been part of our identity. But ensuring the Grizzlies have the opportunity to thrive in the future may require new ownership and, potentially, a new home,” Elmore Sports Group announced in June.
According to Seravalli, a formal announcement will be provided on Tuesday with a contest to name the team soon after.
Notably, this will be Trenton’s second ECHL team as the city once housed the Titans from 1999 to 2013.
During their 14 seasons, The Titans won two divisional titles, two conference titles and claimed the Kelly Cup once during the 2004-05 campaign.
In 2013, The ECHL announced that the Titans would cease operations and that all players would be considered unrestricted free agents.
A Brief History of the Utah Grizzlies in Utah
The Utah Grizzlies’ story in Utah began in 1995, when the Denver Grizzlies, fresh off a Turner Cup championship in the International Hockey League (IHL), relocated to Salt Lake City after the NHL’s Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche.
Related: Utah Grizzlies Likely To Relocate Following 2025-26 Season
Playing initially at the Delta Center, the Grizzlies repeated as IHL champions in their inaugural Utah season (1995-96), led by coach Butch Goring and goaltender Tommy Salo.
In 1997, the team relocated to the newly constructed E Center (now known as the Maverik Center) in West Valley City, which hosted hockey during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The Grizzlies remained in the IHL until its collapse in 2001, then joined the American Hockey League (AHL) as an affiliate for teams like the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes.
After the 2004-05 season, the AHL Grizzlies suspended operations, but the franchise was revived in the ECHL in 2005 when owners David Elmore and Donna Tuttle purchased the rights to a dormant ECHL franchise (previously the Lexington Men O’ War).
Since then, the Grizzlies have been a mainstay in the ECHL, affiliated most recently with the Colorado Avalanche since 2018.
In their ECHL tenure, the Grizzlies have been competitive, reaching the playoffs 16 times in 19 seasons, including a 10-year streak from 2007-08 to 2016-17.
They won a Mountain Division title in 2021-22 but have yet to claim the Kelly Cup.
Standout players like Ryan Kinasewich, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 103 points in 2009-10, and 356 points in his Grizz career, and Trevor Lewis, who played for Utah during the 2012 NHL lockout, have left lasting marks.
Over 200 Grizzlies alumni have reached the NHL, including Stanley Cup winners Ray Whitney and Scott Niedermayer.
The Grizzlies’ presence has also been a boon for West Valley City, the state’s second-largest city, which owns a 40% stake in the team.
The Maverik Center, with a capacity of 10,100, has hosted memorable moments, from playoff runs to themed nights, such as the recent “Fishing Night” in February 2025.
Despite the arrival of the NHL’s Utah Mammoth, the Grizzlies have maintained strong community support, with ticket sales up 20% in 2024-25.
Kinasewich, who has served as coach for the past eight years (four as assistant and the last four as head coach), has just been announced as the new head coach for HC Innsbruck in Austria.
