Things have not gone to plan for Matias Maccelli.
The Utah Hockey Club forward has been a healthy scratch for six consecutive games — a cumulative eight this season — and with the trade deadline looming, there are questions about his future positioning on this team.
“It’s not a role he wants. Nobody wants to be in that situation,” head coach André Tourigny said. “But we appreciate his attitude and his engagement in the group. I think he’s handled himself very well.”
Ahead of the Club’s inaugural season in Salt Lake City, the expectations were high for Maccelli. The 24-year-old was coming off a career year in which he was never held out of the lineup and had 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) through 82 games.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) in NHL action between the Utah Hockey Club and the San Jose Sharks, at the Delta Center, on Friday, Jan 10, 2025.
His official rookie season in 2022-2023 earned him a three-year extension with the Arizona Coyotes that July. He has one more year (2025-26) left on that deal with a $3.43 million average annual value.
Maccelli skated in 64 games during his first NHL campaign — he was sidelined with a lower-body injury for a portion of that season — but nonetheless finished second in points for all rookies in the league. His 49 (11 goals, 38 assists) trailed only the Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers, who had 57 (24 goals, 33 assists). If Maccelli stayed healthy, he would likely have been the highest-scoring rookie in the NHL during the 2022-23 season.
All that to say the ceiling was — and still is — high for Maccelli. Things just have not clicked in Utah.
“Obviously things change all the time,” Maccelli said. “Just trying to work hard every day and make myself better. That’s all I can do pretty much. Stay positive around here — these are big games we need to win if we want to make the playoffs.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) and center Nick Schmaltz (8) celebrate a goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period of the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.
Maccelli has been placed in different spots in the lineup throughout the year and has struggled to find consistency no matter who he is playing with.
Earlier in the season, Maccelli was reunited with the linemates he played the majority of last year with: Lawson Crouse and Nick Bjugstad. The trio had 19 games together in Utah but only scored one goal and were on the ice for six goals against in that stretch.
That line had 49 games together last season and — out of any other forward combinations — scored a team-high 22 goals.
Before getting scratched, Maccelli skated on the fourth line with Bjugstad and Kevin Stenlund as well as the second line with Barett Hayton and Josh Doan. Maccelli, Hayton and Doan found some good chemistry — producing four goals in 11 games — but Maccelli soon lost his spot in the nightly lineup to players like Michael Carcone.
Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) shoots against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Oct 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
“We had discussions for what he has to bring. His A-game has not been as productive as it has been in the past. Right now we have competitiveness and guys who help us in different roles,” Tourigny said of Maccelli. “The beauty of having depth is it creates those kinds of situations where you have good players who are not in the lineup.”
There are four days until the NHL trade deadline — March 7 at 3 p.m. ET. Could Utah deal the supposed sharpshooter who – when the team was the Arizona Coyotes — picked up in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft? Or is management invested enough in his development that Maccelli is kept around?
These questions will have answers soon.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club forward Matias Maccelli (63) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Los Angeles Kings, NHL pre-season hockey in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
“We believe in the management and the ownership of the team. We know we’re right there and we know how much they want to win and they want to succeed and they want the team to go in the right direction,” Tourigny said.
“What will be done has to be done. It’s out of the players’ and the coaches’ hands. Having that said, we have no reason to be worried right now about that. We’re focusing on what we can control.”
As for Maccelli, he is trying to keep the noise at a minimum as the deadline approaches. Getting back in the lineup, obviously, is also a goal.
“Everybody wants to play. Nobody wants to sit around and do nothing,” Maccelli said. “I’m here to do my job and not think of that stuff. I’ll leave it at that.”
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