Geoff Grimwood continues to be busy. In July, he rounded out the Grizzlies’ hockey operations staff, promoting one coach and adding another. Victoria also added a director of player development and a director of player personnel.
Grimwood also continued to sign players. In July, the Grizzlies added 2006-born forward Michael Dowdall to the roster. Dowdall last played for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Humboldt Broncos. Additionally, the Grizzlies continued to sign players throughout July.
This article is about the staff changes and player signings in July. I’ll start with the changes to the coaching staff.
Behind the bench
Now, since Grimwood is the head coach and general manager of the Grizzlies, he needed a new associate coach. To fill the role, Victoria promoted assistant coach Suneil Karod to associate head coach and assistant general manager.
Karod has a lengthy coaching career that stretches back over 20 years, spending time in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League and the BCHL. Before joining the Grizzlies, Karod was an associate coach with the Swan Valley Stampeders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Filling Karod’s role as assistant coach is newcomer Garry Nunn, who played for the Victoria Salsa in 2005-06. He was part of the final Salsa roster that season and the inaugural Victoria Grizzlies roster in 2007-08. After three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings, Nunn had a lengthy pro career in the minor leagues and Europe. The 35-year-old retired after spending the last two seasons with EHC Visp in the Swiss League, which is the second tier of professional hockey in Switzerland.
New directors
Taking over as Victoria’s director of player personnel is Bo Lewis, while the Grizzlies’ new director of player development is Matt Irwin. Both have experience at the junior hockey level.
Lewis had a brief playing career, including as an affiliate in the BCHL and VIJHL, before serving as a scout for the Powell River Kings in 2017-18. Irwin had a much more lengthy playing career.
After playing junior hockey for the Clippers in Nanaimo, Irwin carved out a 14-year professional career with several teams in the American Hockey League and NHL. Most recently, Irwin played for the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL in 2023-24. This job is the 37-year-old’s first role in hockey operations.
July player signings
As mentioned above, Dowdall was the first Grizzlies signing in July. The 2006-born native of Coquitlam, B.C., spent last season with the Humboldt Broncos, scoring six goals and 11 points in 34 games. Before joining the Broncos, Dowdall played for several Lower Mainland hockey programs, including the Vancouver North East Chiefs and the Yale Hockey Academy.
On July 11, the Grizzlies signed 2006-born left winger Landen Ward, who spent the last two seasons in the WHL. He played 85 games with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and 31 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The gritty forward finished 2024-25 with one assist in 31 games with Moose Jaw and a goal and an assist in 22 games for the Hurricanes. Ward is a native of Lloydminster, Alberta, and he played for the Lloydminster Bobcats elite hockey program before starting his junior career.
In mid-July, the Grizzlies signed 2005-born forward Rich Rucireto out of Staten Island, New York. Rucireto played at many New York and New Jersey-based hockey associations before embarking on his junior hockey journey. Last season, he played for the Northeast Generals of the North American Hockey League and posted 29 goals and 68 points in 59 games.
Rucireto was awarded NAHL East Rookie of the Year for his efforts. He is committed to Sacred Heart University for the 2026-27 season.
Other updates
In July, former Victoria Grizzlies head coach and general manager Rylan Ferster found a new job. He is now the head coach and general manager of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Kelowna Chiefs. The last time Ferster coached in the Okanagan region was with the West Kelowna Warriors in 2017-18.
During his second tenure with Victoria from 2022 through this past season, Ferster earned an overall record of 81-56-14-6. In May, Ferster and the Grizzlies mutually parted ways.
The Grizzlies also released their preseason and regular season schedules. A regular-season schedule profile will be available soon. For now, I’ll quickly profile the Grizzlies’ preseason games.
From Sept. 5 to Sept. 7, the Grizzlies play three straight games. On the 5th, they visit the Nanaimo Clippers at Frank Crane Arena.
On Sept. 6, the Grizzlies host the Cowichan Valley Capitals at Juan de Fuca Arena. The next day, the Grizzlies visit Cowichan for the final game of the weekend. Finally, on Sept. 13, the Grizzlies visit the Powell River Kings at Hap Parker Arena.
