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SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time, an NHL draft includes a team from Utah.
Here are the players selected by the Utah Hockey Club this weekend:
Round 1
No. 6 — Tij Iginla, F, Kelowna (WHL)
Iginla is a forward with an elite shot and a strong hockey IQ (it helps to have a father who in the Hockey Hall of Fame). Iginla played both center and wing with Kelowna this season but it's expected that he'll move to center full-time next season — which should help after Utah traded center prospect Conor Geekie.
No. 25 — Cole Beaudoin, C, Barrie (OHL)
Utah traded the No. 38 pick, No. 71 pick and a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft to the Colorado Avalanche to move up to 24 and take Beaudoin. It remains to be seen if Beaudoin stays at center or slides to the wing, but he profiles as a high-compete power forward.
Round 2
No. 65 — Will Skahan, D, USA U-18
Skahan is a big, physical defenseman who moves well with and without the puck. His father, Sean, was the strength and conditioning coach for the Anaheim Ducks for 13 seasons, so he grew up going to the locker room after games and skating with injured players.
Round 3
No. 89 — Tomas Lavoie, D, Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL)
Lavoie was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 QMJHL draft. He's a big defenseman ( 6-4, 220) with an improving two-way game; he finished with 21 assists last year from the blue line. His calling card, though, is on the defensive side, where his large frame allows him to cover large swaths of the ice.
No. 96 — Veeti Vaisanen, D, Finland
Vaisanen had some first-round buzz at the beginning of the year, but a lack of offensive improvement slowed that talk. Still, he's a specialist on the defensive end — will that be enough to be an NHL contributor?
Round 4
No. 98 — Gregor Biber, D, Austria
Biber is a 6-foot-3 big defenseman, so he fits the mold that Utah general manager Bill Armstrong likes.
No. 103 — Gabe Smith, C, Moncton (OMJHL)
Smith is an old-school center who likes to lay a hit. He has plenty to develop in the rest of the game, but his physicality and violence are NHL ready. He's been referred to as a battering ram on skates. If nothing else, that sounds fun.
Round 5
No. 135 — Owen Allard, C, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Allard was passed over in the 2022 and 2023 draft, but his time finally came Saturday when Utah took the 20-year-old forward. If he is to make it to the NHL, it'll likely be as a fourth-line grinder. And after waiting through two drafts and not giving up, he's already shown he's good at grinding.
"I've defied all odds and stuck with it," he told The Hockey Writers. "It could have been really easy for me to quit hockey or even just not played, but I say just never give up and trust your abilities. You can always get better, just put the work in."
No. 153 — Ales Cech, D, Czech Republic
Utah got this pick from the trade that also netted them New Jersey defenseman John Marino. Not much out there on the 20-year-old defenseman He had seven assists last season in the Czechia league and also plays for his country's U-20 national team.
Round 6
No. 167 — Vojtech Hradec, C, Czech Republic
No. 190 — Ludvig Lafton, D, Norway
