SALT LAKE CITY – For the third straight-game, the Utah Hockey Club produced a complete performance to defeat the Minnesota Wild. In addition to a perfect night for Karel Vejmelka, captain Clayton Keller led the charge as Utah defeated Minnesota 4-0.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s big victory on the road.
Every day that goes by, it becomes more obvious that Team USA made a mistake by leaving Clayton Keller off of their Four Nations roster.
Ever since he was snubbed by Bill Guerin back in December, Utah’s captain has simply been on fire with 29 points in 21 games.
Meanwhile, Chris Kreider only has 16 points in 37 games this season.
Crazy snub. https://t.co/oxOOEkyLcg
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 19, 2025
As the Utah Hockey Club continues to make a push for a Wild Card spot, Keller has been right in the middle of it all as the team’s primary driving force.
“We’ve grown a lot as a team. We’re just trying to focus on each day, getting better and being the best team that we can be,” Keller said.
“So, that’s definitely our goal as a group is to take that next step and get into the playoffs. That’s where we want to go.”
Whether he’s connected with his teammates or demonstrated individual brilliance like he did against Minnesota, No. 9 is on pace for his best season in the NHL.
This is simply elite individual offense.
Beat 3 Minnesota defensemen and somehow slipped one past the goaltender.
Keller is simply on a different level these days. https://t.co/mIUTAZIixI
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 24, 2025
Now, how have the last few players taken on USA’s upcoming roster fared you may ask?
In 39 games, New Yorks Chris Kreider has just 17 points while his teammate Vincent Trocheck has only 30 points in 47 appearances.
Additionally, Vancouver’s JT Miller has registered 32 points in 36 games.
As for Keller, he has a whopping 50 points in 46 games for the Utah Hockey Club.
So, while it was a clear snub and it’s unfortunate that Keller was not selected to represent the Stars and Stripes, it’s been to the benefit of Utah in a big way.
Ever since Dylan Guenther was place on IR and the Utah Hockey Club introduced new forward lines, Barrett Hayton has been a different player.
In seven games, Hayton has averaged over a point per night with 4 goals and 4 assists.
The difference? Playing with Josh Doan and Matias Maccelli on the new second line.
The new second line has had so much energy and zip the past few games.
Great forecheck here and Hayton stays hot with another goal. https://t.co/tKXvdkgfwU
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 24, 2025
Thus far, the trio has demonstrated elite chemistry as they’ve combined for 15 points.
Together, each of them appears to amplify the other’s strengths and that remained consistent against the Wild on Thursday night.
Doan’s relentless forecheck resulted in extra opportunities and freed up space for Maccelli to create or shoot while Hayton generated net traffic and cleaned up rebounds.
Great work by Hayton to not only generate net traffic but clean up a rebound into the back of the net.
Also, underrated effort by Crouse to lift the defenseman’s stick and prohibit him from stopping the puck at the very end.
Hayton is thriving as of late. https://t.co/nkoT1oKZxq
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 24, 2025
Moving forward, Utah may want to consider finding a way to keep two or three of those players together as its jumpstarted their individual games and helped the team win.
The Utah Hockey Club is picking up steam as they secured their third-straight victory to edge closer to a Wild Card spot.
While Karel Vejmelka posted the second shutout in Utah Hockey Club history against the Wild, Utah played yet another complete game.
VEJMELKA WAS PERFECT 🙅♂️
Karel Vejmelka turned aside every shot he faced for his first @pepsi shutout of the season! pic.twitter.com/KvFVgk5Oc3
— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2025
For the night, Vejmelka finished with a perfect 26 saves on 26 total shots.
“The boys played really well in front of me, and they helped me a lot. It’s a big team win tonight,” Vejmelka said.
“We need to take pride and do it again tomorrow.”
In addition to a brilliant individual performance from Veggie, Utah consistently cleared their own zone, blocked 12 shots, was perfect on the PK (3/3) and received a complete performance from top to bottom.
Keller continued to lead the charge, Hayton remained hot, Lawson Crouse came to life, Josh Doan’s energy was again impactful, and the team responded during key stretches of momentum for the Wild.
“We’ve been well aware of these games and they’re important games,” Crouse said.
“Another one tomorrow night and it’s not going to be easy. This one feels good but have to reset and get ready for tomorrow.”
Utah is playing well at a critical time in the season.
After a collection of disappointing home losses, the team has dug deep and claimed six critical points in a row.
If the Utah Hockey Club can continue to replicate these types of complete performances, they’ll remain in the playoff hunt and just might claim a spot in their inaugural season.
The Utah Hockey Club will face the Winnipeg Jets on the road on Friday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
