After a whirlwind start to his rookie NHL season, Maveric Lamoureux finally made it home.
The Laval, Quebec native took the ice at Bell Centre Tuesday night in front of friends and family as the Utah Hockey Club beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime to close out its four-game road trip.
“I’ve been watching games here since I was five, six years old. So playing on that ice is going to be a good moment,” Lamoureux said before the game. “Especially being a Quebec guy playing at the Bell Centre for the first time, I feel like it doesn’t happen a lot. That’s a special moment.”
Mikhail Sergachev made it one to remember and was the overtime hero for Utah, scoring with 27 seconds remaining in the five-minute, 3-on-3 period to secure the victory. Prior to the game-winning tally, Dylan Guenther scored his 10th goal of the year in the second period, and Jack McBain found the 2-2 equalizer in the third period with his eighth of the season. Karel Vejmelka made 11 saves in his fourth consecutive start.
Lamoureux did not find the scoresheet and finished the night with two shots, two blocks and one hit through 14:57 of ice time. Tuesday’s showing from the 20-year-old defenseman somewhat encapsulated what he’s brought to Utah since getting recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on Oct. 23; sparks of good and spots of bad.
Lamoureux was net-front on Montreal’s goal from Alex Newhook at the beginning of the third period and was unable to take the opponent’s stick away from the crease. He also took an untimely penalty at 9:18 of the final frame, which Utah was able to kill off. However, these are things to expect from a player learning on the fly how to be an NHLer.
The 2022 first-round draft pick is not a perfect solution to Utah’s injured backend, but he has been a burst of youthful potential that energizes the team and fanbase. After getting the call-up he made his NHL debut on Oct. 24. Lamoureux has played 15 games since joining Utah, all on the second pair with veteran Ian Cole.
Cole, who is 35 years old, is in his 15th year in the league and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion. The balance of youth and experience has proven to work for Utah.
“He’s been great. There’s a learning curve for every player to get to their potential, whatever that potential is,” Cole said. “It seems to me that Mav has had a very steep learning curve which has been great. He’s got all the tools in the world and he’s putting it all together to be a more consistent, steady player.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) and Utah Hockey Club defenseman Ian Cole (28) defend 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.
At 6-foot-6, 196 pounds, Lamoureux is a unique configuration for an NHL defenseman. His size is not his sole asset; Lamouruex’s skating is slick and speedy, he’s able to move the puck, has a sharp shot and leans into the physical side of the game. He has three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 16:07 of ice time per night. Now, it is just a matter of balancing those elements into reliable, disciplined play on a nightly basis.
“Mav is a great skater, great kid. Easy to coach, good with the puck,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He’s physical as well. He’s strong physically. He needs to learn the balance in his physicality, but so far he’s doing a really good job.”
Lamoureux has struggled at times with turnovers — which have led to opposition goals — and general game management. The rookie has a cumulative 42 penalty minutes and took six penalties over the last three games. It, simply, is the result of Lamoureux adjusting to the NHL level in real-time.
“There’s not much young guys in here, so I feel like it’s a battle every day. You’ve got to earn your place every day,” Lamoureux said. “I think that was the biggest adjustment – just playing with people that were way older than me and just bigger and stronger too.”
Of the team’s AHL defenseman, Lamoureux seems to be the best bandaid. Utah announced Tuesday it has loaned defenseman Patrik Koch to HC Oceláři Třinec (Czechia Extraliga), so — at least for the short-term future — he is not an option. Kevin Connauton is 34 years old and had a productive training camp, but the team does not need another older, less creative defenseman.
“Ready or not, that’s the NHL. Throw [Lamoureux] in the pool and he needs to figure it out,” Tourigny said. “It’s not like he’s surviving right now. He’s really helping us every night to win games.”
(Godofredo A. Vásquez | AP) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (10) looks to pass during the first period of a pre-season NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in San Jose, Calif.
If Sean Durzi and John Marino weren’t sidelined month to month with injuries, there is a small chance Utah fans would have been introduced to Lamoureux for extended periods this season. The NHL is not a developmental league; the AHL is. No matter Lamoureux’s bright spots thus far, he is still maturing. That is much harder to do with the schedule, demand and responsibility the big show brings.
When Durzi and Marino presumably return late this season or at the beginning of next season, Lamoureux’s slotting in the lineup is not guaranteed. So, does he spend the whole season up in the NHL now and go back to the AHL next year? Or less playing time? What does that do for development?
Perhaps these are irrelevant questions to ask right now. The team, after all, is committed to the day-by-day mentality. But the progression of one of the franchise’s top prospects has to be of constant thought to management.
Amidst the outside noise, though, Lamoureux is just enjoying the journey.
“There’s nothing bad about being in the NHL,” he said.
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