Grant Kawamoto (D) commits to Utah M1

May 27, 2022 Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah Men’s Division 1 Hockey has received a commitment from Defenseman Grant Kawamoto for the upcoming 2022-23 season. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Grant was put into a pair of skates as soon as he could stand up. He grew up playing for local youth hockey programs, the California Cougars and San Jose Jr. Sharks. For Kawamoto’s sophomore of high school, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play for Victory Honda AAA Hockey. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio to play for the Cleveland Barons his junior year of high school. His final year in high school, Kawamoto started off in Omaha, Nebraska playing for the Omaha AAA Hockey Club before moving to Wayne, New Jersey to start his junior career with the Jersey Hitmen. After graduating from California Connections Academy in 2019, Kawamoto played his second season with the Jersey Hitmen before heading out west to play for the Provo Riverblades. He spent his last year of juniors in Fort Wayne, Indiana playing for the Ft. Wayne Spacemen, and then was traded the last half of the season to the Lake Tahoe Lakers to end his juniors hockey career. “I am super excited to announce my commitment to the University of Utah to play at the collegiate level while furthering my education,” said. Kawamoto. In the off season, he enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations. He is looking to pick up surfing and rock climbing more often. “Grant is a smooth skating defenseman that has very strong play making abilities. He is a solid defenseman that has the skillset to be an offensive force. His speed from the defensive zone will catch a lot of teams off guard and I am excited to see what he can do for us next year,” Men’s Division 1 Head Coach Morgan Feenie said. Kawamoto plans to study Biology at the U. Utah Hockey would like to welcome Grant and wish him the absolute best in the upcoming season!