The Utah Hockey Club salutes the fans after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in overtime in a preseason game on September 23, 2024 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Ahead of their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club has 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.
Here it is. The inaugural opening roster for the Utah Hockey Club!
What stands out?#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/xwifnM1o8O
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 7, 2024
The following is a complete list of the Utah Hockey Club’s 23-man roster with five additional skaters on injured reserve:
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
IR: John Marino, Nick Bjugstad, Curtis Douglas, Sam Lipkin, and Shea Weber
Due to the fact that Marino and Bjugstad will begin the season on injured reserve, Kailer Yamamoto, Josh Doan, Michael Carcone and Liam O’Brien have all been given the opportunity to start the season on Utah’s 23-man roster. However, once those two are ready to return, that will likely change.
Upon Bjugstad’s return, which likely won’t be for a number of weeks at a minimum, one of those four forwards will likely be sent down.
As for when Marino returns which should be sooner, it will depend on if the coaching staff wants to replace a forward or just swap one of the defensemen out. Either way is totally fine, and it will likely also be based upon how certain skaters are performing.
As of right now, the skaters most likely to be considered for these replacements are Kailer Yamamoto, Josh Doan, Liam O’Brien, Michael Carcone, Robert Bortuzzo and Vladislav Kolyachonok. Time will tell which two are replaced once Marino and Bjugstad return.
The short answer to this question? Yes, this team can make the playoffs. The long answer? It’s going to be incredibly difficult, and nobody should be surprised if they don’t.
Considering the improvements made to this team over the summer, especially the defensive unit that added Sergachev, Cole, Marino and Bortuzzo, this team may have done enough to push themselves over the hump and finally qualify for a playoff spot. Couple that with the likely breakouts of guys like Cooley, Guenther and Hayton, Utah really may deliver something special to their new fanbase.
However, barring some significant breakdowns by several teams in the Central Division, a playoff spot will likely have to be stolen from the Pacific. With teams like Dallas, Nashville, Winnipeg and Colorado essentially a lock for the postseason, Utah will either have to play well above expectations or simply steal a spot from the Pacific and become the fifth team from the Central to make the playoffs.
That seems like a much more likely path. Vancouver and Edmonton should again be locks for the postseason, but they’re a lot of questions regarding Los Angeles, Vegas and Seattle. Can two of those three secure a spot or will Utah do well enough to steal it?
Regardless, this season is far and away the best chance this team has had to make the playoffs, and nobody should be shocked if they pull it off.
The Utah Hockey Club will now officially transition to the regular season with their first game on October 8 against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. The game can be viewed on ESPN. 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.
