John Marino was on a friend’s bachelor’s trip in Charleston, South Carolina, when he got the call.
The defenseman had been traded to Utah Hockey Club.
“It’s a business. It’s part of the job and everything,” Marino said. “You just kind of take it and move on with it. Luckily, I was able to come here and be part of a great organization.”
Marino spent the last two seasons with the New Jersey Devils who ultimately dealt him — with a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft — to Utah for a 2024 and 2025 second-round pick. The 27-year-old was coming off a career year with 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) through 75 games. And suddenly, he had to start over.
“You talk to people within the organization. Bill [Armstrong] and coaches and everything. Some teammates reached out too,” Marino said. “They make you feel welcome right away which I think was a big part of moving onto a new team.”
Saturday night at Delta Center will be the first time Marino has faced off against the Devils since the trade in June; he was hurt for the teams’ meeting in October. Marino said he’s more focused on simply winning games at this point of the season but Utah head coach André Tourigny knows this matchup may mean a little more.
“They’re human, for sure. They have feelings, emotion, pride, all of it.” Tourigny said. “I think [these games] are where you get the most juice.”
Marino will be able to catch up with some old teammates away from the rink, namely Luke Hughes, with whom he played on a defensive pair for 75 games last year in New Jersey. The two got dinner in Salt Lake City on Friday ahead of the game, Hughes said.
“He’s a great guy. A really fun guy to be around. Just a really good teammate. He’s a really good competitor, plays really hard every night and has a really good first pass out of the zone,” Hughes said of Marino. “We had a lot of offensive guys last year and he was a shut-down guy that could make plays.”
New Jersey Devils' John Marino (6) celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP)
Hughes — who is now 21 years old — played his first full NHL season last year and was balanced out by Marino who was in his fifth year in the league. During Marino’s time with the Devils, he said he learned to be more “reliable” in a “bigger role” and was ready to play in any situation.
That development has only benefited Utah.
Since making his debut with the Club on Jan. 14 after recovering from lower-back surgery, Marino has been a steady piece of Utah’s top pair with Mikhail Sergachev. Marino has logged six points in 18 games while averaging 21:21 of time on ice.
Marino and Sergachev have played a cumulative 160:27 minutes together through 13 games and have been on the ice for only two goals against and, on the flip side, seven goals for.
“It’s great. He’s a smart player. Sees the ice well. Does everything right. It’s kind of easy to play with,” Sergachev said of Marino. “We want to be shutting down opponents and also creating offense — that two-way, good defensive pair that you can rely on. Hopefully we are that.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) looks to pass down the ice during the second period of the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
Sergachev went through a similar transition to Marino when the season started. The 26-year-old blueliner — who had signed an eight-year, $68 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 — was traded to Utah in June for J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie and two draft picks.
It has not prevented Sergachev from playing his best hockey, though. He embraced the change as Marino has done in the last few months. Sergachev leads all of Utah’s defensemen with 38 points (10 goals, 28 assists).
“It’s not like we got dealt and we just gave up and were like, ‘Whatever, some teams don’t want us. We’re not going to play hard.’ It’s not like that at all. Here we have a new team that’s coming into the league, into a new fan base,” Sergachev said.
“You want to be great and you feel the love from the fans and you want to win for them. And for the owner, too. He’s doing everything he can to provide us with the best and we want to do the same for him. There’s a lot of motivation to be great.”
FILE - New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes skates before Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, May 7, 2023, in Newark, N.J. Hughes signed with the Devils last spring and made his NHL debut in April, skating in two regular-season and three playoff games for New Jersey. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
Sergachev and Marino will look to shut down New Jersey’s top line on Saturday which features Luke’s brother Jack Hughes. The former first-overall pick has 69 points (27 goals, 42 assists) through 60 games this season — placing him in the top-10 of the NHL.
It is an opponent Marino knows well and he’s facing the Devils as a key piece to his new team.
“I think it’s an exciting time if anything. It’s more excitement than nerves at this point. It’s going to be fun to play against them,” Marino said. “Just kind of go out there and play my game. I don’t think anything really to prove or anything like that. Play to our team, play to our advantage and the rest should take care of itself.”
