Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz looks on from the sidelines. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – To the surprise of Utah sports fans, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen took to the ice in the Hockey Club’s season opener on Tuesday.
The Jazz’s All-Star delivered the puck to Ryan and Ashley Smith at center ice.
Your Finnish NBA star could never… https://t.co/73Lkk7wU01
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 9, 2024
Markkanen looked smooth on the ice and helped get the crowd more involved on a historic night.
Not that it was really needed.
Starting in the early afternoon, fans piled up outside Delta Center in anticipation of the big night.
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 8, 2024
As the inaugural puck drop got closer, the energy in downtown Salt Lake only seemed to rise.
The player arrivals and a performance from Shaboozey in the evening served as a perfect warm-up before the arena doors opened.
Ahead of their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club officially announced their 23-man roster to begin the new NHL campaign.
Consisting of 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders, the club is now ready to drop the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
The following is a complete list of the Utah Hockey Club’s 23-man roster with five additional skaters on injured reserve.
Time to make NHL history in Utah. #NHLStats
Catch #NHLFaceOff on @espn and @ESPNPlus. pic.twitter.com/1noWrcXbb5
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 8, 2024
Forwards:
Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, Nick Schmaltz, Jack McBain, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Alex Kerfoot, Matias Maccelli, Kevin Stenlund, Josh Doan, Kailer Yamamoto, Michael Carcone and Liam O’Brien.
Defensemen:
Mikhail Sergachev, Sean Durzi, Juuso Välimäki, Michael Kesselring, Ian Cole, Robert Bortuzzo and Vladislav Kolyachonok.
Goalies:
Connor Ingram and Karel Vejmelka
