Despite only being around for a few months, the NHL released a quarter-century team for the Utah Hockey Club. For every other NHL team, it compiles the best players from the past 25 years into two teams. For Utah, it’s the best players from their first four months of existence.
Each quarter-century team consists of three forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender. For Utah’s first team, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Clayton Keller were selected for the forwards. Keller currently leads the team with 54 points in 49 games. He also leads the team in goals with 18.
There’s no doubt that Keller has been Utah’s best forward this season. He’s on track to have his fourth straight 60-plus point season. He was also named captain of Utah before the season began. This is the second quarter-century team that he’s been named to after being selected for the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month.
Cooley has had a breakout season with Utah. After finishing his rookie season on a strong note, he’s continued his impressive play in Salt Lake City with 43 points in 50 games, which is only one point away from his season totals in 2023-24. In recent games, Cooley has been bumped up to the first line before being injured in Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It’s only fitting that Guenther has been named to the first-quarter-century team despite missing the past 10 games with injury. Before being injured, he had 34 points in 40 games, 16 of which were goals. He also scored the first goal in Utah history against the Chicago Blackhawks in the team’s first-ever game. Like Cooley, he is one point away from his totals from last season. It wouldn’t be surprising if the forward is named to Utah’s next quarter-century team after signing a long-term extension before the season began.
The scene from inside Delta Center after Dylan Guenther scored the first goal in Utah history. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/r29eNzLxL1
Utah’s defensemen, Michael Kesselring and Mikhail Sergachev were named to the first team. Sergachev was traded to Utah during the summer and was expected to be the team’s number-one defenseman. Not only has the two-time Stanley Cup champion lived up to those expectations, but he’s been even more, stepping up amidst injuries to the team’s other top defensemen like Sean Durzi and John Marino. He currently has 31 points in 45 games.
Kesselring is another player who has had a breakout season. Last season with the Coyotes, he had a pretty good season producing 21 points. However, this season, he has taken another step forward in his development with 19 points in 50 games. The more impressive stat is in ice time where he has averaged four more minutes per night than last season and his exceptional play has been much needed by Utah with players like Durzi and Marino being out for extended periods this season.
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Karel Vejmelka was selected as the goaltender for the first team. The Czech has been impressive this season currently rocking a .912 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.47 goals-against average (GAA). While he has never had a winning season in his NHL career, he certainly deserves one with his play this season. With Connor Ingram taking a personal leave in November, the former Nashville Predators draft pick provided some great play amidst Ingram’s absence, helping Utah stay in the playoff race.
For Utah’s three forwards on their second team, Alex Kerfoot, Jack McBain, and Nick Schmaltz were selected. McBain is currently tied with Schmaltz for fifth place on the team in goals. While he hasn’t been Utah’s highest scorer, he’s provided great physicality and some big goals for the team. He’s two goals away from reaching his career high.
Schmaltz has once again been a consistent producer on a line with Keller. This season, he struggled out of the gate, not scoring a goal until Nov. 30. However, since then, he’s scored 10 goals and has been a crucial playmaker for the team with 30 assists. Schmaltz was also named to the Coyotes’ quarter-century team.
Kerfoot is an interesting player to be named to the team. Statistically, this has been his worst season in the NHL, with 15 points in 50 games. However, he has been an important voice in the locker room, especially with the number of new faces and a completely new city to adjust to.
For defensemen, Ian Cole and Olli Määttä were selected for Utah’s second team. After helping the Vancouver Canucks get to the second round last season, Cole was signed to a one-year deal by Utah in the offseason. The signing proved to be a good one, as he’s flourished on the team’s blue line. His average ice time this season is actually the highest it’s been in his career and he’s helped the team get through some big injuries.
Määttä arrived in late October via a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. With Durzi, Marino, and Robert Bortuzzo also suffering injuries, the Finnish defenseman was brought on to help the blue line stay afloat. Not only did he fit right into Utah, but he’s been arguably their best defensive defenseman. He’s currently fifth on the team in average ice time with an average of 21:14 – his highest in his career and is second on the team in plus/minus. Määttä was also named to Team Finland for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. He’s been a crucial part of Utah’s blue line and has definitely warranted looks at a contract extension after his current deal expires this summer.
Ingram was named as the goaltender for Utah’s second team. It’s been a rough couple of months personally for Ingram. He took a leave of absence in November to attend to personal matters but ever since coming back in January, he’s looked strong in net for Utah. There’s a reason why he was the team’s starting goaltender to begin the season. It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets back to that point.
It’s hard to name any snubs for Utah after only existing for a couple of months. However, there is one player that could be argued for, and that’s Barrett Hayton. He is up to 26 points in 50 games and, at times, has been one of Utah’s best players. Recently, he had a stretch of five games where he scored eight points, including two game-winning goals. Thanks to that impressive play, he was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week. While on any other team, a 26-point season wouldn’t warrant a selection to a quarter-century team, the 2018 fifth-overall draft pick potentially deserved a spot on the second team ahead of someone like Kerfoot.
In only a couple of months, Utah doesn’t have a terrible quarter-century team. Players like Guenther, Cooley, Keller, and Sergachev will most likely make the franchise’s next one. However, in the next 25 years, Utah could be a Stanley Cup contender as their top prospects make their way to the NHL. By then we could see a quarter-century team consisting of Maveric Lamoureux, Tij Iginla, Dmitry Simashev, Josh Doan, and other prospects who make their way to Salt Lake City. While Utah’s first couple of months of existence have been interesting, the next 25 years look bright, with a better quarter-century team on the horizon.
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