A new era of Black & Gold is underway.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Olds Grizzlys held a press conference on Wednesday to introduce the team’s new ownership group.
Moe Jamal, the new Owner and General Manager, comes to the Grizzlys from the Calgary International Hockey Academy where he worked alongside former National Hockey Leaguer and Stanley Cup champion Jay Beagle. He says “yeah so, I’m the principal owner. We’re going to have a minority sharing with Jay Beagle. Jay and I have worked together on the day-to-day operations of CIHA. That still will be his primary focus as I shift my focus to the Olds Grizzlys but it is really great to have someone like Jay in your corner with the support he brings, with what he’ll be able to mentor the players with. You know, he plans on being here at a few practices, things like that just to help the group. So, yeah, the two of us are the ownership group there.”
Jamal explains why Olds. He says “Olds was really important to us. I have a young family, to be honest with you, I’m really passionate about the sport I wanted to stay close to home. I’ve seen it when this town is rocking and this team is great and really getting back to that is where I want to see this town go. Being that proximity, being that opportunity here in Olds to turn around this franchise was really appealing to me.”
Along with the new ownership group the Grizzlys will also have a new coaching staff for the 2025-2026 AJHL season. 32-year-old Tyson Soloski will be the Head Coach after his time most recently at CIHA with the U18 Prep Team. He will be joined by returning Assistant Coach Mitch Visser from Didsbury and new Assistant Coach Dylan Olsen. Olsen is a former Camrose Kodiak and former NHL defenceman with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers.
According to a media release from the Grizzlys, “the transition marks the end of an era for the Friends of the Grizzlys (FOTG), a group of former players and local business owners who took over the franchise in 2017, rescuing it from the brink of extinction. FOTG successfully managed the team for the past eight seasons, ensuring its continued presence in the AJHL.”
This past season the Grizzlys finished last in the South Division and second last overall in the AJHL with a record of 15-38-1-0. They were not one of the 8 teams to qualify for the playoffs in the 12 team league. The last time the OGs won a playoff series was 2017 when they swept the Canmore Eagles in an opening round best-of-five match up.
Listen to 96.5 The Ranch’s conversation with Moe Jamal.
