Finishing their first season in Salt Lake City, the Utah Hockey Club barely missed making the playoffs. They earned 89 points with a 38-31-13 record, placing them just eight points out of a wild-card berth. One must go back to the 2013-14 season to find that the Arizona Coyotes tallied 89 points, and even then did not qualify for the playoffs.
Anytime an NHL team transfers to another city, endless adjustments must be made. For one, the players and their families must be uprooted from their homes and lifestyles and get accustomed to new surroundings. While this is a typical life event for a professional athlete, it is never easy.
The trauma of losing their fans and friends where they lived can certainly affect a player’s performance. Looking over the way their new owner, Ryan Smith, handled the entire transition from Arizona to Utah is commendable. He showed he cares about the players, their families, and the fans. It is most regrettable the way the previous owner, Alex Meruelo, fumbled his chance to be an NHL owner.
The team came to Utah and received an uproarious welcome. It happened rather quickly, and Utah fans were pumped to get an NHL team.
Clayton Keller led the team in scoring with exceptional stats. He tallied 30 goals for the third consecutive season. He added 60 assists for his best season totals in the NHL. Over a third of his 90 points (37) came on the power-play. Keller became the first captain of the new franchise right before the 2024-25 season started.
Logan Cooley is in his second season in the NHL and has started to excel. He registered 25 goals and 40 assists to finish second in scoring on the club. He, too, was excellent on the power-play, gathering seven goals and 13 assists. The future of the Utah Hockey Club is bright, with a blossoming star like Cooley at center ice.
Nick Schmaltz was right behind Cooley in scoring with 20 goals and 43 assists. He had nine power-play goals with 16 assists. When Schmaltz, Keller, and Cooley are on the ice, it creates coverage issues for their opponents.
Dylan Guenther is another player who has advanced in his development. He scored 27 goals and 33 assists. He was the power-play leading goal scorer with 12 and also collected 17 assists. He missed 12 games due to injury, so his statistics would have been elevated. The Utah Hockey Club recognized Guenther’s potential and signed him to an eight-year, $57.14 million contract last September. The young forward is just 22 years old and has a cannon of a shot. When he lines up near the face-off circle, his shot reminds you of none other than Alex Ovechkin.
Barrett Hayton made a memorable comeback this season with 20 goals and 26 assists. He needs to continue his play to help the Utah Hockey Club head towards the playoffs next season.
A handful of forwards had less-than-appealing seasons. Alex Kerfoot had just 28 points compared to his 45 points last season in Arizona. He signed a one-year pact for $3 million. Nick Bjugstad was not as effective this season, with just 19 points in 66 games. Last season, he had 45 points. He becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st if he is not retained.
Michael Carcone regressed from 29 points, 21 goals last season to just 19 points, seven goals this season. He has announced that he will seek free agency and won’t be back next season. Lawson Crouse was a real disappointment with only 18 points this season. While he is a great physical power forward, his scoring was missed this season. He had 23 goals and 42 points last season. He could be traded. Plenty of teams could look towards him as a solution for their forward line. He makes $4.3 million through the 2026-27 season.
Last but not least is Matias Maccelli. His downfall is a mystery. Last year, he was exceptional with 17 goals, 40 assists while playing in all 82 games. What a difference a year makes. He regressed to just eight goals, 10 assists in just 55 games. Due to his noticeably poor level of play, he was a healthy scratch for numerous games. He, like Crouse, could be traded. Maccelli signed a three-year deal worth $10.28 million and has one more year left on that contract.
The top defenseman on the Utah Hockey Club was Mikhail Sergachev. He played an amazing 25:07 minutes a game and scored 15 goals, 38 assists in 77 games. He was the power-play quarterback for the team, handing out 20 assists. With his elevated ice time, he led the team in giveaways (126), but he will again be one of the leaders on the club.
Sean Durzi made a strong comeback from an early-season injury. He recorded four goals, seven assists in 30 games. No doubt, having him missing from the blueline hurt the team. He was signed to an extension over last summer, inking a four-year $24 million contract good through the 2027-28 season.
Michael Kesselring was a bright spot on the blueline for the Utah Hockey Club. He tallied seven goals, 22 assists, and played in every game. Kesselring is just 25 years old and is signed through next season at $1.4 million. Look for him to continue to improve and be a strong player on defense. He is 6′-5″, 215 pounds, and a right-hand shot. They need him going forward.
This was a breakout season for Karel Vejmelka. He showed that he is an NHL starting goalie. He had his best season by far, with a 26-22-8 record. Even better was his sparkling 2.58 goals-against average. He also had a .904 save percentage. He kept his team in many games and deserved a five-year $23.75 million contract extension starting next season.
Connor Ingram lost his starting job to Vejmelka and was mostly ineffective. He had a 9-8-4 record with a .882 SV% and a 3.27 GAA. He re-entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program after losing his mother. His future playing in the NHL is unknown. Right now, he is trying to get healthy enough to play again.
The goalie backup job could fall to Jaxson Stauber. He showed indications that he could fill the slot, although the Utah Hockey Club could seek to acquire a backup with more experience. Stauber had limited action with a 2-1-1 record. A better option could be Daniel Vladar, who will be a UFA and has a reasonable $2.2 million contract.
With $22.3 million in cap space to make some offseason moves this summer, general manager Bill Armstrong will be actively seeking to upgrade his roster. They need to get bigger and could even go after some big names like Mitch Marner or Brock Boeser. Neither won’t be cheap with Marner earning $10.9 million and projecting he will want around $14 million. Boeser seems to be a better fit and earns $6.65 million. While Marner has stated he wishes to stay in Toronto, Boeser has left his options open.
This writer thinks the Utah Hockey Club has an outstanding chance of getting to the postseason during the 2025-26 season. If they can add some pieces to their current roster, they will be right there next season. That should excite the Utah fans as they experience their first playoff competition.
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