Michael Carcone dashed up center ice as Ben McCartney sprung out of the penalty box and corralled the puck on the right side.
The two Utah Hockey Club forwards narrowed in on the St. Louis Blues’ net while skating 2-on-0 before McCartney dropped a pass to Carcone in the slot to snap in for the first preseason goal in franchise history.
The tally came at 9:42 of the second period in the eventual 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, during Utah’s opening preseason game Sunday.
Carcone ended the night with two goals. His second — an empty-net goal — came with a minute remaining in regulation.
“I liked the energy. The guys worked really hard,” Utah head coach André Tourigny said. “I think they were pretty good. We worked hard and it was a great comeback.”
While there are a handful of younger players trying to make a permanent impact for Utah this season, Carcone’s journey has been a bit different. The 28-year-old forward spent five seasons in the American Hockey League before getting called up for his first NHL game with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021-22 campaign.
Carcone pushed hard in the 2022-23 season with Utah’s AHL affiliate the Tucson Roadrunners. He was selected to the AHL First All-Star Team and earned the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the top-scorer in the league with 31 goals and 54 assists. He played his first full NHL season with the Coyotes in 2023-24. The Canadian was a fourth-line staple and posted 29 points (21 goals, eight assists) through 74 games.
“Just trying to grind,” Carcone said of his mindset coming into this year. “For me, it’s my conditioning. Always trying to improve on that. Getting stronger. You want to get better and bigger and stronger.”
Arizona Coyotes left wing Michael Carcone (53) smiles as he celebrates his goal against the St. Louis Blues with Coyotes left wing Jason Zucker, right, and Coyotes center Alexander Kerfoot, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Carcone skated on a line with Cole Beaudoin and Kailer Yamamoto for the majority of the game Sunday. Beaudoin, the 18-year-old center, was Utah’s 24th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Yamamoto, on the other hand, is in his eighth pro season and is on a professional tryout agreement with the club. While in different stages of their careers, the trio is trying to get noticed during training camp. Evidently, they have.
Beaudoin has practiced with Group 1 — which is composed of the team’s veteran, returning and regular players — for the full first week of camp. Much has been made of his strength as he keeps up with the pros around him.
“He’s an absolute moose,” Carcone said. “He’s really strong on the puck and does the right thing.”
Dylan Holloway opened scoring for the Blues at 12:31 of the first period before Utah suffered a flukey own-goal in the middle frame to make it 2-0 St. Louis. Anton Malmstrom was credited for the goal, but it was a miscue from Utah who pulled goaltender Karel Vejmelka for the extra skater due to a delayed penalty. Milos Kelemen’s pass to Dylan Guenther at the point skipped over his stick, down the other end of the ice and into the empty net.
Following Utah’s first goal, McCartney picked up his second assist of the game at 12:21. The 23-year-old forward had a strong net-front presence, battled for the puck and popped it out to Kevin Connauton who was crashing the crease. Connauton wired it home to tie things 2-2.
(Charlie Neibergall | AP) Utah Hockey Club's Michael Kesselring passes during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.
A power-play goal from Guenther at 8:05 of the third period and a penalty-shot tally from Logan Cooley at 18:43 put Utah ahead 4-3 after Simon Robertsson scored for St. Louis. Carcone sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.
Utah Hockey Club will play its first preseason game at the Delta Center Monday night when it hosts the Los Angeles Kings for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
“It’s pretty cool. We can say when we’re done playing that we were the first team in Utah,” Guenther said of playing at the Delta Center. “I think it’s cool for us, it’s cool for the players, it’s cool for the fans. It’s going to grow hockey in the state of Utah, too.”
