Mailbag: Answers to 10 Utah Hockey Club Questions

Where do you see the issue with the Maccelli-Bjugstad-Crouse line? If Utah is serious about making a run this season, do they try to address that via trade?

I got ahead of myself and discussed this question in a separate article which you can read here.

I’ll add that I don’t think a trade is the answer for two reasons. If Utah wanted to make a personnel change on that line I would expect it to look internally at the players already within its system (both NHL and AHL).

Utah also has an extra roster spot open because it is only carrying seven defensemen at the moment due to all the backend injuries. That means the team could call someone up from the Tucson Roadrunners without having to put a current roster player on waivers.

Secondly, Lawson Crouse, Nick Bjugstad and Matias Maccelli are players that management, the coaching staff and teammates believe in because of their past success. Crouse is an associate captain, Bjugstad has veteran experience and Maccelli is poised to develop into a real goalscorer if he can get things back on track. They are not guys Utah is looking to deal at this point in the rebuild, I think.

Also, all three players’ trade value is quite low at the moment given the seasons they’ve had and there likely would not be a return that changes the Utah lineup and production in a significant way.

Another branch of this topic is Utah’s three-year, $3 million contract extension with Liam O’Brien which is not looking great now. O’Brien is the team’s 13th forward and has played in just three games this season. He is not the solution to the third-line woes and would not be the player to be slotted in there. Nonetheless, he’s sitting on a roster spot and cap space — which is not his fault, the team gave him the contract. If sent to the AHL, O’Brien would have to pass waivers — with the risk of being claimed by another team — and Utah would likely face the backlash of his devoted new followers.

At the same time, he is not helping the team win simply because he is not playing. To have a 13th forward that could actually slot in a middle-six role (like the third line) once and a while with a scoring touch could be good for Utah. O’Brien does not seem to be that guy.

If Utah wants to make a real push to secure a playoff spot and give itself a chance once in the postseason, it will need all four lines rolling. There are still 48 games left of the regular season; the team is going to need everyone to really turn a corner. If that does not get going, something will need to change.

Who handles all the team logistics? Booking hotels and buses? Washing gear between games?

There are a lot of people behind the scenes that make Utah Hockey Club work. That includes Dave Griffiths who is the director of team operations. Griffiths manages Utah’s hotel bookings, flights, buses and all the logistics that allow the players to just focus on hockey.

Tony Silva, Ryan Andrus and Matty Schweggman are in charge of the team’s equipment. They’re in the locker room the moment practice and games end, separating, organizing and prepping different pieces of the players’ equipment for their next destination. Whether that’s the drive from the Olympic Oval to Delta Center or a flight from Salt Lake City to San Jose, they’re on the job ensuring everyone’s equipment comes along in good condition.

Who has upcoming contracts ending that are possible trades or extensions?

Utah Hockey Club has nine players who are on expiring contracts at the end of this season including Alex Kerfoot, Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain, Michael Carcone, Ian Cole, Olli Määttä, Robert Bortuzzo, Dakota Mermis and Karel Vejmelka.

All of those players other than McBain will be unrestricted free agents. Since McBain is just coming off his first contract since his entry-level and has only been in the league for three full seasons, he is a restricted free agent which means Utah has the option to match any other contract he is offered. An unrestricted free agent can sign with any team without consultation.

These ending contracts can not result in trades because once the term is over, the player can either work with Utah on an extension or sign with another team. Utah does not have the trading rights to the player once their contract expires.

Kerfoot, Bjugstad, Carcone and McBain all signed two-year contracts with the team in the summer of 2023 for $7 million, $4.2 million, $1.55 million and $3,199,998, respectively. Cole inked a one-year, $3.1 million contract with Utah in July and Bortuzzo is on a one-year, $775,000 contract that he signed in August. Those were all deals structured by general manager Bill Armstrong.

Määttä’s two-year, $6 million contract was taken on by Utah when it traded for the defenseman back in October, as was Mermis’ one-year, $775,000 contract when the team got him off waivers. The fact that both defensemen were in the last years of their current deals is likely a significant reason why Utah brought them over; they can see if the players help for this season and, if not, are not tied to them come summer.

Vejmelka signed a three-year contract extension in March 2022 and has made things very interesting for Utah come the offseason with his play this year. Vejmelka — who has a 2.33 goals against average and .917 save percentage through 20 games — has taken over the No.1 goaltender spot in Connor Ingram’s absence. He’s doing it well, too. Armstrong will have to decide if Vejmelka is the team’s future starter that will carry it through the next stage.

Armstrong will also have some big decisions to make within his forward group, especially with Kerfoot, Bjugstad and Carcone. McBain feels like an obvious extension given his young age and performance. The defensemen, though, could theoretically all walk if Sean Durzi and John Marino are back and healthy — there simply will not be enough roster spots. Utah may not want them, either.

What is the timeline for developing prospects at each position?

It depends on the player more than the position, I would say.

A player like Clayton Keller was drafted seventh overall and immediately joined the Arizona Coyotes after one season of NCAA hockey at Boston University. The forward did not spend any time in the AHL — he was pinned to be a franchise difference-maker from the start and his performance matched those expectations.

Guenther, on the other hand, started last season with the Tucson Roadrunners for 29 games because management thought he needed more development. Just over a year later, he leads Utah in both goals (16) and points (32). That time in the AHL was important for Guenther even if it held him out of an NHL role for a bit longer than some of his teammates.

And then there are forwards like Carcone who spent six seasons in the AHL before getting a real NHL chance. Players peak — and lineups get open opportunities — at different times. Development and time in the AHL is not a bad thing; Armstrong is actually quite fond of giving his prospects extended stays in the minors to fine-tune all aspects of their game.

As Utah has seen this season, the development of some of its younger defensemen has come because of injuries to its other regulars. Michael Kesselring has taken on a greater role in his second full NHL season with 15 points and power-play slotting. Maveric Lamoureux — who is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury — has skated in 15 games with Utah and made his NHL debut earlier than expected due to openings in the lineup. Their development has been expedited because of circumstances, but that’s not always the case.

Goaltenders are different — it feels like their success can come out of nowhere at times but it is usually because they have not been given a big enough role to prove themselves. While there are 12 forwards and six defensemen every night, there’s only one netminder. That makes it much harder for them to work up the depth chart.

Vejmelka is a good example of that. He was selected in the fifth round by the Nashville Predators in the 2015 NHL Draft, but opted not to sign and became a free agent. Vejmelka then played five seasons back home for HC Kometa Brno in the Czech Extraliga league before joining the Coyotes for the 2021-22 season. Now 28 years old, Vejmelka has emphatically turned into Utah’s starter.

What injuries are considered problematic in hockey? What are ones to keep an eye out for?

There are, unfortunately, a lot of ways players can get injured while playing hockey.

Knee injuries are common (more MCL sprains than ACL issues), shoulder separation, concussions, broken bones and facial lacerations from getting hit by pucks, sticks and even skates. A lot of players have hip and ankle problems after retiring — and some while still playing — because of the physical wear skating puts on those areas of the body.

A lot of these injuries are ones that can have lasting effects, especially knee and shoulder injuries as well as concussions. Teams’ trainers monitor and work with players throughout the season to keep them as healthy as possible, but there are definitely nagging pains and precautionary efforts that are taken with players who have dealt with serious injuries.

Mikhail Sergachev and Keller both went through traumatic leg breaks. Keller broke his femur while Sergachev fractured his left tibia and fibula. The two players each got surgery and are playing some of their best hockey for Utah now. Sergachev and Keller have both said beyond the intense physical rehabilitation, a lot of it was mental, too.

So, there is not a specific injury to look out for. Utah’s four defensemen who are sidelined right now are all battling something different. Durzi got shoulder surgery, Marino got back surgery, Lamoureux has an upper-body injury and Bortuzzo has a lower-body injury.

What type of trades, if any at all, need to happen to keep things rolling like this? Will expiring contracts affect the trade line?

I think this will depend on the timeline of return for Durzi and Marino and if they can immediately jump back into action in high-stakes games with heavy minutes.

Utah’s forward group, luckily, has not faced any injuries this season and has proven its depth, especially in the last few weeks. The defense, however, has been through it. While players like Sergachev, Määttä, Cole and Kesselring have logged longer ice time and taken on more responsibility, I don’t think that is manageable through 82 games and perhaps playoffs.

So, if Durzi and Marino are not back at full strength by the trade deadline — which is March 7, 2025 — I could see Utah going after another defenseman, specifically one with a right shot. With Bortuzzo, Lamouruex, Durzi and Marino all out, Kesselring is the only right-shot defenseman Utah has remaining. That means some of the left-shot defensemen — like Määttä, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Juuso Välimäki — have had to play on their off-side.

As discussed in the first question about the third line, Utah needs a goalscorer there, but that can be found from within and likely is not worth a trade.

Expiring Utah contracts will not affect the trade deadline since it is during this regular season. However, it could factor into Armstrong’s decision making when looking at different deals — what contracts is he willing to take on and which could he get rid of through a trade.

With 48 games still to play in the regular season, Utah will have to maintain this dominance to have the trade deadline even matter. If the team is clearly out of the playoff picture by then, I don’t see Armstrong making any big moves. If Utah is in the hunt though, it could be interesting.

What is your opinion on shootouts? Should they abandon those and just let the goalies fight to determine a winner if neither team scores in the five-minute overtime?

I have a mixed opinion on shootouts. I do think it is fun for fans to see the individual talent of both shooters and goaltenders during shootouts; some of the moves and saves pulled off turn into highlight reel content.

However, it can also be unsatisfying and deflating if a hard-fought and thrilling 60 minutes plus overtime is then determined by one person. Arguably more than any professional sport, hockey is a team game. That is why there are no shootouts in the playoffs, it’s just another 5-on-5, 20-minute period and whichever team scores first wins. Shootout wins, in my mind, are kind of a fluke, but it’s part of the game so just have to embrace it.

As for abandoning the shootout and having the goalies fight instead — it would definitely get ratings up.

Favorite game so far this season?

Utah’s game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in October is one I’ll probably remember forever. It was really special getting to go home to the arena I grew up watching hockey in and, this time, be there as a reporter. Beyond that, it was an exciting overtime win for Utah early in the season that got the rest of the league’s attention.

More recently, Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks at Delta Center goes down as a favorite, too. Utah showed a new type of resilience coming back from 2-0 in the third period and grinded it out in overtime before Sergachev netted the game-winner.

The crowd was electric and you could feel a shifting energy from both the team and the fans. As much as I am a journalist, I grew up a huge fan of the NHL. Those are the types of games that fans will look back on for years to come — they’re the ones that get people attached to the team.

It’s been such a privilege getting to watch Utah fans make those memories and get pulled deeper into the fandom of hockey. Has been one of my favorite parts of the job, for sure.

When you’ve been on the road covering the team what, if any, music is played by the home team after Utah scores a goal?

When Utah scores on the road, the arena usually plays a lowkey instrumental tune. It is not an actual song, nor is it very loud. I’d compare it to elevator music, maybe? Just to transition the fans to the next play. Or, at some arenas, it is just silence and no music before the faceoff.

How is the locker room chemistry compared to chemistry in the past? How tight are all the boys right now?

I think the chemistry and camaraderie have always been there but the players are having a lot more fun coming to the rink — that’s to be expected with consistent wins.

Keller, Sergachev and Maccelli all talked about it this week; the rink is a happy place to be right now and guys are excited to work hard and keep pushing because they have a taste of success.

You can feel everyone gelling a bit more on and off the ice. Utah brought in a handful of new players to start the season and, as of late, it feels like one unit instead of different pieces trying to work together.

The team is also forming winning habits. Tourigny talks a lot about “expecting to win.” That does not mean disrespecting their opponents, instead believing that they have a chance at two points every night. Just as winning is a pattern and contagious, so is losing and I think they’ve started to embrace that.

Editor’s note: Stats current as of Dec. 25.