Utah Hockey Club star ready to ‘pour my heart out for this state’ in the final stretch

While Sean Durzi was out with injury for four months, one thing was on his mind.

Utah Hockey Club’s opening night at Delta Center.

The 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in front of the Salt Lake City crowd for the first time was the only game Durzi got to play on home ice before getting hurt on the ensuing road trip.

Durzi returned to Delta Center on Sunday in his second game back in the lineup since undergoing shoulder surgery in October. It was a moment the defenseman had been waiting for through the grueling stretches of his recovery.

“Half of the battle being out was that first game was so much fun. Playing for these fans is so much fun. I was ready to pour my heart out for this state of Utah and for this team and obviously I wasn’t able to do that for 50 or so games,” Durzi said. “I’m going to give everything I have for the rest of the year here. It’s such an exciting time. I hope the city feels that.”

By beating the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 on Sunday, Utah thrust itself back into the playoff conversation, sitting just outside the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Durzi’s re-entrance into the Club roster, accordingly, has come at the perfect time.

“With the excitement comes a lot of pressure and I think the team has done a good job handling that. It’s a pressure that you want as a player — performing to expectations and growing as the team we want to be,” Durzi said. “That’s part of being a great hockey player and a great hockey team — is learning from these moments and being better from these moments.”

Durzi admits there’s still some rust to shake off after missing more than half of the season but it has not seemed to hinder his performance. The 26-year-old logged 21:37 of ice time and an assist in his first game back Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. On Sunday, Durzi had 18:19 of ice time and ran the second power-play unit with Josh Doan, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse and Michael Carcone.

Utah’s D-corps is finally at full strength and Durzi wants everything to do with it.

“Durzi is the kind of guy if you want to hold him [back], you need more than one rope. You need more than two hands to hold him back. He’s really competitive,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I often say he’s our energy bunny. He wants it badly. I think he had a huge impact.”

Durzi has skated on a pair with Olli Määttä the past two games. The defensemen were on the LA Kings together in the 2021-22 season so have some familiarity with each other and are working to grow that chemistry through the next 24 games with the Club.

Määttä was acquired at the end of October in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings in reaction to both John Marino (lower-back surgery) and Durzi’s injuries. The 30-year-old veteran has carved a permanent, reliable role on Utah’s backend ever since. Määttä, who has a left shot, is able to return to his strong side as Durzi has a right shot. Määttä had been switching to his offside when Utah was down three right-shot defensemen.

“He’s an awesome dude,” Durzi said. “Olli is a beast. We played together in LA. His preparation every day — true pro — puts everything into preparing his body, mind and just being physically ready for the NHL game.”

Preparing like a pro was something that pushed Durzi through a lengthy and strenuous rehabilitation. He, and the Utah medical and training staff, set the goal for him to not just come back this season but to do so as a better version of himself — both on the ice and mentally.

“I always say confidence comes from preparation,” Durzi said.“Early on there’s obviously some rough days. You think you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Those times can be tough but I think just preaching that it’s such a process. Take every day, work from it, get better.”

With both Durzi and Logan Cooley (who was dealing with a lower-body injury) in the lineup now, Utah had to make some decisions on the 23-man roster it wanted to carry into this final stretch.

Vladislav Kolyachonok was placed on waivers before the 4 Nations Face-Off break and was claimed by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Juuso Välimäki was placed on waivers Sunday, cleared on Monday and was assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners.

Välimäki was a healthy scratch and had not played a game since Jan. 26 leading up to him getting sent to Tucson. Through 43 games in the NHL this year, Välimäki posted five points (two goals, three assists) but never found real consistency. Utah opted to keep Nick DeSimone – who it claimed off waivers in January — as its seventh defenseman.

Michael Kesselring, while still in the rotation, has seen his role change since Durzi’s return. Kesselring took on greater responsibility — with top-four minutes, power-play role and offensive production — as Utah dealt with a cumulative five hurt defensemen throughout the season. A healthy roster, though, means more intentional load management and Kesselring has felt that.

The 25-year-old blueliner played a season-low 12:00 on Sunday and 13:21 on Sunday.

“We talk about it with him. He’s still a really important part of our team. There will be some nights he will play more. There will be some nights he will play less. It depends about the score, his performance and other’s performance,” Tourigny said.

“I think Marino and Durzi yesterday played an A+ game. [Kesselring] is the third right-hand D so it cost him ice time…He is important in the 13, 14 minutes he played. He has the ability to skate, take good shots, defend well and be a difference-maker in those minutes.”

It is a good problem to have for Utah who can get better showings out of its players in shorter shifts now that its depth is on display and its stars are healthy and ready to battle.

“I’m just ready to give my all again,” Durzi said.