SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Hockey Club is finally healthy and parlaying that fortune into its best stretch of hockey since the season began. Fourth-year defenseman Sean Durzi has been an enormous part of the turnaround, adding much-needed depth and defensive effort to a young, developing team.
View this post on Instagram
The 26-year-old was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, in October 1998. In 2023, the Arizona Coyotes acquired Durzi from the Los Angeles Kings via trade. On June 30, 2024, he signed a four-year deal with the Utah Hockey Club, keeping him with the franchise through the 2027-28 season.
Utah Hockey Club defenseman Sean Durzi’s hat game is 🔥. @seandurzi @OctagonHockey pic.twitter.com/DX0C6N6QEZ
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) March 13, 2025
Born in a Toronto suburb, Durzi started skating at five years old. He began his pro hockey dreams as a goalie before switching to defense. He played AAA hockey for the Mississauga Braves and Mississauga Rebels of the Greater Toronto Hockey League before earning a chance in the OHL.
Sean Durzi on the identity of the team:
“It’s a relentless brotherhood. We feel like a big family in here…every win we get closer and closer.”
“Fans were incredible tonight…if they keep bringing the energy, I know we’ll bring our best product on the ice.” pic.twitter.com/jn2RiNSojc
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 28, 2025
The Owen Sound selected Durzi in the 12th round (228th overall) of the 2014 OHL Draft.
After being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2018 draft (52nd overall), Durzi spent four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League for development.
Toronto dealt Durzi to the Los Angeles Kings in late January 2019.
.@seandurzi told the @KSLSportsZone that he is really excited for the upcoming season now that there won't be any big distractions. pic.twitter.com/H1tIDteTtL
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 2, 2024
Durzi broke out during the 2019 OHL postseason, earning a berth on the Memorial Cup All-Star Team after helping lead Guelph to the league title. He scored three goals and assisted 24 others during the championship run.
He opened the 2021-22 season in the American Hockey League with Ontario, scoring 16 points in 13 games to earn his first NHL call-up in November 2021. He would play 64 games with Los Angeles, registering three goals, 24 assists, and a team-high 121 blocked shots while playing nearly 20 minutes a night.
Special moment as Sean Durzi scores his first NHL goal against his hometown team with his parents in the building pic.twitter.com/BCOApzw0OU
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 25, 2021
His rookie performance earned Durzi a two-year, one-way contract that paid the defenseman $1.7 million a year. He went on to tally career-highs with nine goals and 29 assists while helping the Kings into the playoffs for the second straight year.
Los Angeles shipped Durzi to Phoenix in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. He played a career-high 76 games for the Coyotes in 2023-24. Durzi scored nine goals and added 32 assists while playing nearly 23 minutes a night.
FIRST OF THE SEASON FOR SEAN DURZI!!!!! pic.twitter.com/fcJAK8chG5
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) February 28, 2025
Following the franchise’s move to Salt Lake City over the summer, Durzi inked a four-year deal with the inaugural Utah Hockey Club on June 30, 2024.
The 6’1, 196-pound defender played the first four games of the season before an injury forced him out of action until late February. Since returning to the ice on February 22 against his former Los Angeles team, Durzi has one goal and one assist in nine games.
Fans can follow Durzi on X and Instagram.
Utah Hockey Club games can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on the KSL Sports app or 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. Listen to Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Find KSLSports.com coverage of the Utah Hockey Club here.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect; give us a follow @kslsports.
Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X and Instagram and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
