The Colorado Avalanche’s ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, is expected to undergo a massive transformation after this season.
According to insider Frank Servalli, the Grizzlies will be moving from Utah to Trenton, New Jersey, next season, that is, 2026-27.
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.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 8, 2025
Expect a formal announcement on Tuesday and a contest to follow to name the team.
Additionally, the new ECHL Trenton franchise will not retain the “Grizzlies” moniker. A naming contest will be held to select the new team’s name.
The Grizzlies have played out of West Valley City, Utah. The club dates its origins back to 1981, as part of the Central Professional Hockey League (CHL). The team started in Nashville and has bounced around several times until landing in Utah ahead of the 2002-03 season.
The club has been attached to other NHL clubs like the Calgary Flames and the defunct Arizona Coyotes. However, the Grizzlies ended their partnership with the Anaheim Ducks after the 2017-18 season, becoming the Colorado Avalanche’s ECHL affiliate.
It’s worth pointing out that the Avalanche’s ECHL affiliate at the time, the Colorado Eagles, moved from the ECHL to the AHL, remaining associated to the Avs. So, the Grizzlies moved on to become Colorado’s ECHL partner.
After the Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City, it was hopes that the Grizzlies would become the Mammoths’ ECHL affiliate. However, no partnership was struck, leaving the Grizzlies associated with the Avalanche.
Grizzlies’ separation from Colorado Avalanche inevitable
The Grizzlies’ current ownership group suffered a massive loss in 2023. Elmore Sports Group founder David Elmore passed away in 2023, leaving the club in limbo. Elmore’s wife, Donna Tuttle, has also suffered ill health, making the sale of the franchise inevitable.
The sale went ahead, with the franchise being scooped up by Pro Hockey Partners LLC. The sale was approved in July of this year, with the team’s relocation as part of the negotiation.
Since the Mammoth did not make a pitch to land the Grizzlies, the Pro Hockey Partners corporation will move the club to play out of the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton.
At this time, it is not known if the new Trenton-based franchise will remain affiliated to the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps the partnership will remain until both clubs find more suitable partners based on geographical locations.
The Grizzlies had a tough season in 2024-25. The club has a 25-39-6-2 mark in 75 games. The team’s 58 points were good for seventh of eight teams in the Mountain Division. The Grizzlies did not make the ECHL playoffs. The last season the club qualified for the postseason was in 2022-23 when it finished fourth in its division.