SALT LAKE CITY – Injury may have delayed his debut for the Utah Hockey Club, but defenseman John Marino has immediately impacted the first-year franchise. Marino’s veteran influence has been precisely what the doctor ordered for a team during a playoff push.
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27-years-old from North Easton, Massachusetts, Marino was acquired in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on June 29, 2024. It is the third time in his career that he has been dealt.
.@utahhockeyclub trades No. 49 to the @NJDevils and acquires John Marino.
The defenseman recorded four goals and 21 assists in 75 games last season.#UtahHC #NHLDraft #NHL
📷: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/dQqwIHHT6V— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 29, 2024
Marino skated three Ivy League seasons with Harvard. He was named All-Ivy League second team as a freshman.
The 6’1, 200-pound Marino was a sophomore finalist for ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman. He led Harvard with a plus-21 rating, recording two goals and 14 assists in 33 games.
VIDEO: What a shot by John Marino! https://t.co/65VHil1KYJ #GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/we8F8T308o
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey) February 23, 2019
He ended his college career with three goals and eight assists in 33 games in 2018-19.
The Edmonton Oilers picked Marino in the sixth round (154th overall) in the 2015 draft after playing three seasons with South Shore of the United States Premier Hockey League.
In 2019, Marino’s rights were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, beginning a three-year stay in the Steel City. He recorded ten goals and 54 assists in 189 games with the Penguins.
During the 2022 off-season, Pittsburgh shipped the Massachusetts native to the New Jersey Devils for Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. He tallied 43 points (eight goals, 35 assists) in 139 games with New Jersey.
POSTGAME
"For sure, having those guys around, when things aren't going your way and everything, just trying to stick with it and keep playing your game. We always have them to rely on."@utahhockeyclub John Marino on the veteran voices in the locker room pic.twitter.com/n6R8vfZDBj
— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) March 15, 2025
Utah Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong swung a deal during the 2024 NHL draft to bring Marino’s experience to Utah. The club sent a 2nd-round pick in 2024, and a 2nd-round pick in 2025 to the Devils for Marino, and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Marino returned to the ice for Utah HC after an injury kept him out of the lineup for the first three months. Since making his January 14 debut, he has one goal and eight assists while helping with a fight for the postseason.
Fans can follow Marino on Instagram.
The Utah Hockey Club will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon at Delta Center.
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.
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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.
