Utah Hockey Club’s scoring woes could get some help on Saturday.
Forward Nick Bjugstad will make his season debut against the Los Angeles Kings after being sidelined with an upper-body injury at the start of Utah’s training camp. The Hockey Club has potted just two goals in regulation through the last three games and is looking for a spark to get its offensive production going again.
“He’s a big guy, plays with a lot of pride, has experience. … Never a bad thing,” said head coach André Tourigny. “[Bjugstad] is a well-liked guy in the room. There’s no bad day in [Bjugstad’s] life. He’s smiling every day. He’s a high-tempo guy. We’re all happy to have him back.”
With Bjugstad’s return, Tourigny has changed the look of his forward lines. Kailer Yamamoto — who Utah signed to a one-year, two-way contract out of training camp — was put on waivers Friday with the purpose of being assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. Since Bjugstad is coming off of injured reserve, Utah had to send a player down to abide by the NHL’s 23-man roster.
“It was a tough decision,” Tourigny said. “It’s just too many players in the lineup. I think [Yamamoto] played well.”
Utah’s lines shuffled starting in the second period of Thursday’s 5-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche at the Delta Center. The Hockey Club had just five shots on goal after the first period and struggled to get high-dangers chances on net throughout the game.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club right wing Kailer Yamamoto (56) looks to pass during the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Ottawa Senators at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
During Friday’s practice at the Olympic Oval, the only line that remained the same was the first of Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz. Bjugstad was reunited with his former linemates Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli on Friday. Tourigny said that combination will stick for Saturday’s game against the Kings.
“Just a fresh look, right? Obviously, he’s excited to jump back into the lineup,” Crouse said of Bjugstad. “It’s great when you have a guy that’s excited to come in and play and make a difference. It’s huge.”
When playing together last season in Arizona, the line of Bjugstad, Crouse and Maccelli combined for a team-leading 22 goals in 49 games, according to Natural Stat Trick. Maccelli was moved down to the fourth line for the last few games and has logged four assists through eight matchups.
“He’s a very skilled player. In my opinion, one of the best passers in the league,” Crouse said of Maccelli. “When he’s playing at his best he’s handling pucks and making those plays. Happy to be back with him and hopefully we can get some offense going.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) skates to the goal to eventually score with Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Calvin de Haan (44) defends during the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Colorado Avalanche at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024.
Bjugstad will have no physical restrictions when he makes his return. A hit from Liam O’Brien during Thursday’s practice confirmed he felt ready to go.
“[Bjugstad] was joking this morning,” Tourigny said. “He got hit by OB in practice and he said, ‘If I can survive that, I’m OK. I can play.’ That’s a pretty hard hit.”
Amongst the line changes, rookie Josh Doan got promoted to the second line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. It is the youngest trio on the team with an average age of 21 years, but is full of budding talent. Doan — who brings size to the line at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds — has two points (one goal, one assist) through eight games.
“Haven’t really been generating too much so just trying to mix it up a little bit,” Cooley said. “Obviously [Doan] is a really good player. Gets on the forecheck really well and has a pretty good shot. Hopefully we can build some chemistry here.”
The 20-year-old Cooley is still hunting for his first goal of his sophomore season; he has put up six assists thus far. Cooley found his stride in the second half of the season with the Coyotes last year and finished his rookie showing with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club Logan Cooley (92) and Utah Hockey Club Dylan Guenther (11) and Utah Hockey Club Alex Kerfoot (15) celebrate the 4th goal of the night near the end of the third period, in the inaugural game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Chicago Blackhawks, at the Delta Center, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
The center said he has been overthinking his game at times and is trying to get back to “simple hockey.” It is a sentiment the entire team has preached since dropping the last two games.
“It’s such a long season. You play so many games so you have to have a short memory whether you’re playing well or bad,” Cooley said. “When you’re playing simple, that creates the plays I like to make. I think it’s just a little too much thinking right now and I just have to go out there and do my thing.”
Jack McBain, who used to be on the left wing with Cooley and Guenther, was moved to the fourth line to play with Kevin Stenlund and Alex Kerfoot. It seems O’Brien and Michael Carcone will continue to be Utah’s forward healthy scratches as it tries to rediscover its offensive flair.
“I don’t believe in three guys are the same on one line…It’s a balance,” Tourigny said. “I like when you have different ingredients on every line.”
