Grizzlies Add A Forward And Defenseman

The Utah Grizzlies have added a forward and a blueliner to their roster.

The club acquired forward Griffin Ness and Defenseman Grant Gabriele from the Toledo Walleye in exchange for forward Cole Gallant.

Ness scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 59 games with the Walleye during his 2024-25 rookie campaign. He began his pro career by appearing in 2 games for the Maine Mariners towards the end of the 2023-24 season.

Ness played NCAA hockey at the University of North Dakota from 2020-24, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists. He was the captain of the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks from 2018-20. His brother, Tucker Ness, currently plays at Arizona State University.

Gabriele played in 21 games with Toledo this season, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points. He is currently playing with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, where he has appeared in 15 games.

Gabriele is listed at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds. He also has AHL experience with Hartford and Rochester as well as in the ECHL with the 2022-23 Maine Mariners, where he scored nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 67 games.

Gallant had six goals and 26 assists for 32 points in 58 games with Utah during the 2024-25 season. In 126 career games with the Grizzlies, he had 79 points (18-61-79).

The Grizzlies are coming off a 3-2 home loss on Sunday against the Tulsa Oilers. Despite first period goals from Derek Daschke and Luke Manning, the difference in the game was a third period goal from the Oilers’ Conner Roulette 9:18 into the frame.

Utah begins a six game road trip on Wednesday night at Wichita against the Thunder. They have five home games remaining in the regular season as they host the Allen Americans on March 26, 28-29 and the Tahoe Knight Monsters on Apr. 4-5.