Kevin Stenlund allowed a small smile while standing in front of his stall at the Olympic Oval.
The Utah Hockey Club forward was asked about facing off against his former team, the Florida Panthers, on Wednesday at Delta Center.
“There’s always memories,” Stenlund said. “You see the calendar, you see when we’re playing them — it’s going to be a fun night.”
Just over six months ago, Stenlund hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head as he looped around Amerant Bank Arena with his Florida teammates. The group had beat the Edmonton Oilers in seven games for the franchise’s first-ever championship.
In July, Stenlund traded the sandy beaches for snowy mountains and signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Utah as a free agent. While the 28-year-old has bought into his depth role on The Club, he is taking some time to reconnect with the Panthers.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club forward Kevin Stenlund (82) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Los Angeles Kings, NHL pre-season hockey in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.
Stenlund went to dinner with his Stanley Cup peers on Tuesday ahead of the teams’ first matchup of the season. He also, finally, received his diamond-encrusted championship ring.
“Obviously it’s been a long wait seeing all the other guys get it,” Stenlund said. “It will be awesome to finally see it in person.”
Stenlund played all 24 playoff games for Florida last season en route to the Cup. That winning experience made Stenlund an attractive pickup in the offseason for Utah. Many of the attributes that made Stenlund successful with the Panthers — his penalty killing, grittiness and poise at the face-off dot — have carried over to Salt Lake.
“He means a lot to us, no doubt about it,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Just his composure in big moments, his desire to make a difference and to play the right way all the time. He wins big face-offs. For all good reasons on and off the ice, he’s really important.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) brings the puck down the ice with Utah Hockey Club left wing Michael Carcone (53) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Stenlund has centered the fourth line for the whole season with Alex Kerfoot and now Matias Maccelli. He has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) through 39 games and scored five times in December alone. Stenlund also leads the team with a 59.9 face-off percentage.
Stenlund’s 14:22 of average ice time a night is seventh-most of all forwards, just behind Kerfoot. A good bulk of those minutes logged for Stenlund are on the penalty kill — an area of the game he dominates.
A stat that stuck out for Tourigny and Utah management when looking to sign Stenlund was that he had more ice time on the penalty kill than Aleksander Barkov last season with the Panthers. Barkov is arguably the best two-way center in the league and a two-time Selke Trophy (given to the NHL forward who excels in defensive play) winner.
“If you play on the same team as this guy and you play more minutes than him on the PK, it’s probably because you do something pretty good,” Tourigny said. “I think that is a testimonial for how good he was and how important he was for the Panthers. We’re fortunate to have him on our side.”
(Nathan Denette | The Canadian Press via AP) Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates after his team's second goal as Edmonton Oilers forward Warren Foegele (37) reacts the during the second period of Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Monday, June 24, 2024.
Maccelli has gotten to see Stenlund’s style more up close the past two games since he moved to his line. After not scoring since Nov. 7, Maccelli potted two goals with the new combination.
“He’s a good player, easy to read. Knows what he’s doing out there, winning his battles, winning face-offs, driving the net — all the stuff that matters,” Maccelli said. “If you’re not really scoring as much as usual, a little switch-up is a good thing. It worked.”
Beyond the on-ice lessons Stenlund learned with the Panthers to create a winning team, he is also trying to help strengthen the bond and standard inside the Utah locker room.
“I think the culture [in Florida] is really good. They’ve built it out for a long time. It’s something that’s in the walls now and it’s something you feel when you get there,” Stenlund said. “That’s what we’re trying to do here — trying to build a culture. We’re on a path here.”
(Julio Cortez | AP) Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli skates with the puck against the Dallas Stars during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Dallas. The Stars won 3-2 in overtime.
When Stenlund’s one-year contract with the Panthers expired at the end of last season, he was looking for a team where he could have a real impact. Stenlund said he did have conversations with Florida about a possible extension but ultimately knew it was time to move on.
“I felt like my next step in my career was better off here,” Stenlund said. “I’m really happy I made that decision and I’m happy to be here.”
While things ended on good terms — and with a coveted trophy in hand — in Florida, Stenlund feels like he has a little left to prove. Despite the outside distractions of playing a former team, he said a matchup like Wednesday heightens his focus.
“You want to show them how good you are and how good of a team we are,” Stenlund said.
The stakes are high for the rest of Utah Hockey Club, too. The team is looking to earn its first win at Delta Center since Dec. 18 and snap the slump — dropping six of its last seven games — it has been in the past few weeks.
The Panthers will be a test of Utah’s resilience and response.
“It’s a big game for all of us,” Maccelli said. “But maybe means a little more to Stenlund.”
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