Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- The Utah Hockey Club will open its first season against the Chicago Blackhawks.
- Key players to watch include Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev.
- Utah HC is in the third year of a rebuild and is projected to finish just outside the playoffs.
SALT LAKE CITY — There are a lot of terms new Utah hockey fans are about to get used to hearing.
"Biscuit" (the puck), "forecheck" (applying pressure to the opponent to try to get the puck while in your offensive zone) and "Barn" (a hockey arena) are just some lingo that should soon be part of Utah sports vocabulary.
But if you don't yet know all the penalties … or understand what is or isn't icing … or don't know the difference between a first line and a blue line … well, Utah Hockey Club television analyst Dominic Moore has a suggestion: Don't overthink it.
"At the end of the day, you put the puck in the net and you count how many times," he said.
The counting will begin on Tuesday when Utah plays its inaugural game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fan Justin Greer sat in the lower bowl of the Delta Center on Friday as the Utah Jazz took on the New Zealand Breakers. He called out the high pick-and-rolls, got frustrated when a Jazz player missed a rotation, and cheered when Keyonte George made the correct read with a pass to the corner.
"I know what to kind of watch for when I'm watching a Jazz game," he said.
And a hockey one? His sheepish shrug revealed the answer.
So what should fans be watching for — aside from the obvious goals — when Utah HC takes the ice for the first time? For that answer, we turned to the experts.
"Don't really try to focus on any one player at the start. Try to watch as a whole," Utah forward Jack McBain said. "Then, as you're getting into it, you'll be able to pick up, 'Oh, that was a good play' or I like this guy, or whatever."
But if you still want to focus on certain players, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has some suggestions.
"No. 9, No. 8, No. 11 and No. 92," he said.
That would be Clayton Keller, the team's recently named captain; Nick Schmaltz, the wing opposite Keller on Utah's first-line; and Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, the young forward pair expected to be a huge part of Utah's future (and present). Guenther and Cooley will skate on the team's second line.
Those players aren't bad places to start your Utah fandom (neither is Sergachev, for that matter, the team's No. 1 defenseman).
"Just get together with your friends and family, and maybe some of them who know hockey will explain it to you," he said. "I don't think it'll be tough to learn the game. Just get together and have fun with the whole family."
The fun part is something that players couldn't stress enough. It's why they think those in their new home will be hooked once they give the sport a curious glance — even if they don't yet understand all the game's nuances.
"It's a super fast game, and the guys are flying around and moving quick," Guenther said. "You're hitting guys, the puck's moving one million miles per hour."
But, to be clear, there is a method to the madness.
"We always try to create two-on-ones all over the ice," Schmaltz said. "So if Keller has the puck, one of us tries to be close if they're in trouble. Or we just try to find soft areas and find areas of the ice that are open and we are ready to shoot."
Coach Andre Tourigny said the team wants to take advantage of its youth by playing at a pace that makes other teams make quick — and hopefully poor — decisions. Tourginy's system relies on good possession in the neutral zone and being aggressive on the forecheck (we said that term would come up).
As for shot selection, Tourigny believes in a patient approach.
"We're more of a possession team than a shooting volume team in the (offensive) zone," he said. "I think we like quality over quantity."
On the defensive end, Utah runs a hybrid system — a mix between zone coverage and man-to-man defense. When the puck goes down low, the team will fall into a zone-like coverage; when it's up top of the defensive zone, players will find a man.
"It's all based on pressure and having layers," Tourigny said.
Layers, eh? Funny enough, that was a term Moore used, too.
"As fans get into it, they'll peel back more and more layers of that onion, and they'll love it more and more," he said.
Utah's roster
Here is the 23-man roster to begin Utah's first season:
Forwards (14): Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, Nick Schmaltz, Jack McBain, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Alex Kerfoot, Matias Maccelli, Kevin Stenlund, Josh Doan, Kailer Yamamoto, Michael Carcone, Liam O'Brien.
Defensemen (7): Mikhail Sergachev, Sean Durzi, Juuso Välimäki, Michael Kesselring, Ian Cole, Robert Bortuzzo, Vladislav Kolyachonok.
Goalies (2): Connor Ingram, Karel Vejmelka.
Inured reserve: Nick Bjugstad, John Marino.
Playoffs chances
With the defensive additions of Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole, Utah is expected to take a competitive step forward. Will that be enough to qualify for the playoffs?
General Bill Armstrong has constantly reminded fans that Utah is in the third year of a rebuild — and to set expectations accordingly.
The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are projected to be the top two teams in the Central Division as two Cup contenders. The Nashville Predators, meanwhile, added forwards Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei to a team that made the playoffs last season. It'll be a tough hill to climb.
Utah will likely be battling for one of the Wild Card spots in a crowded Western Conference field. The Athletic projects the Hockey Club to finish ninth in the Western Conference — just out of playoff positioning. ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, though, has them just sneaking in.
