FORWARDS
First Line: Keller (LW), Hayton (C), Schmaltz (RW)
Utah’s first line has been (save for injuries) set in stone for the past few years. When all is healthy, Barret Hayton, Nick Schmaltz, and Clayton Keller have been the top talent for this roster since Hayton came into the league.
Things aren’t projected to change heading into this season. If Hayton can stay healthy he will be a consistent talent at center, looking to have a bounce-back year after being out for most of the 2023-2024 season.
On the left side, Nick Schmaltz has fallen into a consistent 20-goal, 30-assist man over the past three seasons for the Coyotes, while not ever playing a full 82 games. Schmaltz has been a solid playmaker and contributor on the left side on this line and his role should stay the same for this Utah Hockey Club.
Clayton Keller is a lock for the right wing on the first line and has the ceiling to have a career year with Utah this season. Utah is also without a captain, and Keller could be the answer to that problem. With lots of things changing this season for the new hockey club, it may be just what this top line needs to break through.
If Utah wants to improve on where Arizona left off, they’ll need their top-end talent to stay at the level they have been at over the past few seasons, if not better. Their depth isn’t bad, and they have no doubt improved year over year, but their top guys will need to lead the charge if they want to make any kind of push in the 2024-2025 season.
Second Line: Crouse (LW), Cooley (C), Guenther (RW)
The kids hold down the second line for this Utah team. With Cooley at center and Guenther on the right wing, the young talent is propelling this line forward. Even Lawson Crouse is only 27 years old and a solid contributor on the left side.
Cooley played his first full season with the Coyotes during the 2023-2024 season and managed 44 points with 20 goals as a rookie. The young center has a high ceiling and represents a bright young future for this new Utah team.
As he gains more experience in the league and on this second line, Cooley has the potential to become a point-per-game guy in the coming years and, eventually, more.
On a similar trajectory is Dylan Guenther, Cooley’s right side. Guenther joined the Coyotes for the second half of the 2023-2024 season and quickly proved he could be an everyday guy for this team.
Guenther’s goal-scoring ability and offensive talent led him to 35 points in 45 games with the Arizona team last season. Once he gets more consistent playing time with this second-line combination, he should see a major jump in his productivity.
Lawson Crouse is the final piece of this line and has had a season very similar to Cooley’s, with 42 points in 81 games. His talent has likely reached his peak, but playing alongside Guenther and Cooley for a full season could lead to a career year for the left wing.
This line could be the make or break for the Utah Hockey Club this season. The first line should be predictable, but if this second line can produce to its full potential, the ceiling for the Hockey Club could be higher than projected.
Third Line: Maccelli (LW), Bjugstad (C), Doan (RW),
The third and fourth lines is where things begin to become more uncertain and where new draft picks could slot in in the near future.
Where it stands now, Bjugstad is the likely third-line center, flanked by Doan on the right and Maccelli on the left. Doan and Bjugstad would round out a big line, standing at 6’1 and 6’6, respectively, while Maccelli is on the smaller side at 5’11.
In what is no doubt the theme for this Utah team, this line is yet again quite young. Doan played just 11 games last season but managed to impress with his offensive capabilities in such a short amount of time. If it weren’t for the strong talent ahead of him in Keller and Guenther, it would be possible to see him move up in the ranks on this team.
Maccelli made his debut in 2021 but only played his first full season this past year. He had a strong showing with 57 points across the 2023-2024 season with 40 assists. With Doan’s goal-scoring abilities on his right and Bjugstad’s experience, Maccelli will have the opportunity to be a playmaker for this line, raking up even more assists.
Fourth Line: Kerfoot (LW), McBain (C)/Stendlund(C/R), Carcone (R)
There are lots of options for this fourth line, but the most likely will see McBain as the center with Kerfoot on his left. Some projections offer Stendlund the right wing even though he is a traditional center. This could be a line that is shaken up over the season and mixed around to see Stendlund at the center or the wing position. Another option at right wing out of the gate is Micheal Carcone, the forward playing 74 games with the Coyotes last season.
With the inevitable wear and tear of playing 82 hockey games as a team, it will be good for the Hockey Club to have options for their third and fourth lines, with the likelihood of players jumping around those positions being high.
Notable Prospects
Another aspect to keep in mind is the emergence of 2024 draft picks Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin who could be used if needed this season. Iginla is an offensive-minded, aggressive left-wing whose style could fit well on the third or fourth line for this Utah team. Beaudoin has a similar style and is often referred to as a grinder. He will eat up minutes and play with force. He could be used on any line and be a solid, reliable center for this team in the future.
DEFENSE
Sergachev, Durzi
Mikhail Sergachev was a big pickup for the Utah Hockey Club this offseason and he and Sean Durzi will hold down the defensive end on the first line nicely. Both of them are big guys who have strong upside potential and the new pairing should work well for this roster.
Valimaki, Marino
With another strong pick-up, the Hockey Club added John Marino to their D-core this off-season, and he will likely pair with Valimaki to start the season. Marino played consistent minutes with the New Jersey Devils over the past two seasons, having a career year in plus-minus, being +25 for the Devils in their 2022-2023 campaign.
Cole, Kesserling
This could be a really interesting and fun-to-watch pairing. A young Michael Kesserling is coming off a strong year with the Coyotes, and an older Ian Cole is going into his 15th year of service in the league. Coming off a strong playoff push with the Canucks last year, this is another good pickup for the young Utah Hockey Club. Cole will be a great locker room piece for this team and help Kesserling develop even further in his career.
Notable Prospects
Two guys that could make an appearance this season for the Hockey Club’s blue line are the two 2022 draftees Maverick Lamoureux and Artem Duda. Lamoureux is a big body on the ice and has proven himself at the international level with multiple good showings for Team Canada. Duda is coming off a strong semester at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he ate minutes and was a consistent, solid man for the Bold.
GOALIES
Ingram
Ingram was the number one guy for Arizona last season and will likely be in the same role this year for Utah. The Canadian goalie has held a .907 save percentage over the last two seasons and with some new defense in front of him this season will no doubt be looking to get his GAA down a bit despite sitting at a 2.91 last season which was arguably decent for a 36-41-5 Arizona team.
Vejmelka
Vejmelka is the clear number-two guy for Utah this season, especially as there is not much else in the pipeline for this team. Vejmelka has yet to have a season over a .900 save percentage so that will be something he too will be looking to work on this season.
Overall, the Utah Hockey Club has certainly improved from where the Arizona Coyotes left off. With it being their first year in the league, the team is no doubt looking to make some waves and hopefully shake things up a bit not only for their roster but their performance.
I think this team could be really fun to watch in the coming seasons with all the bright, young talent they keep rolling in.
