The Utah Hockey Club is experiencing a youth revolution that new owner Ryan Smith is hoping will bring playoff hockey to Salt Lake City in Year 1 of professional hockey in the state. Although it's been four years since the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes competed in the postseason, the roster was much better in last year's campaign than any of the previous three.
A big part of that was the continued excellent play of Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz; both players put together fantastic regular-seasons on the first-line, and they'll likely be joined by 23-year-old Barrett Hayton on the top unit next year. Matias Maccelli enjoyed another great season as well, finishing third on the team in scoring with 57 points over a full 82-game slate.
Add Logan Cooley, 19, and Dylan Guenther, 20, who were both terrific offensively, and it's clear to see that this roster is going to live and die by the youth contributions. And general manager Bill Armstrong made a couple great moves to complement the youngsters, adding two-time champion Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay and John Marino from New Jersey to help shore up the blue line.
Sergachev and Marino are still relatively young at 26 and 27-years-old, respectively, although neither would be considered ‘sneaky' veterans anyways; they're both top-four defensemen. But there are a couple of veterans forwards who were effective in 2023-24, and are set to be bumped down the lineup to make room for Hayton, Cooley and Guenther. Add a third pairing D-man who brings championship experience, and it looks like Armstrong has created a solid balance of exciting youngsters and seasoned vets.
Here are three veteran players who could make a bigger-than-anticipated difference in Salt Lake City next season.
Alex Kerfoot is a solid contributor, but could be demoted to 4th line
There were times when Alex Kerfoot was running the top line along with Keller and Schmaltz in 2023-24, but that's almost certainly not going to be the case for the 30-year-old this season. Daily Faceoff projects him starting the year on the fourth line along with Jack McBain and recent offseason signing (and Stanley Cup champion) Kevin Stenlund.
For that reason, he projects as an under-the-radar Utah HC player despite finishing fifth on the team in scoring. Kerfoot was great in Arizona's last campaign, managing 13 goals and 45 points — a significant improvement on his 32 points a season before with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His best season wasn't all that long ago, either; he amassed a career-high 51 points with those same Leafs in 2021-22.
It's hard to see the veteran potting 45 points again in what could be a much-diminished role, but he's still a solid contributor at both ends of the rink. He's also durable, having played a full 82-game slate in each of the last three NHL seasons. Although he's used to playing center, that position has become a bit of a log jam with Hayton, Cooley and Nick Bjugstad all competing for top-six roles.
If Kerfoot does indeed start the year on the fourth line, his ice time and the quality of his linemates will decrease. But he is a candidate to move back up the lineup if injuries hit, or if a few of the youngsters struggle early on. As it is, he will project as one of the best fourth liners in the game if that's indeed where he begins the new season.
Nick Bjugstad will also get bumped down the lineup
Bjugstad averaged just one second more of ice time than Kerfoot last season, and he scored the exact same amount of points — albeit in six less games. The 32-year-old was excellent in 2023-24, scoring a career-high 22 goals and adding 23 assists for 45 points in that span.
His 17:27 of average ice time was more than any forward on the team not named Keller or Schmaltz, and he looked like a legitimate top-six player throughout most of the campaign. But, like Kerfoot, he will probably be bumped down the lineup to make room. Daily Faceoff estimates him as 3C to start the year, being flanked by Maccelli and Josh Doan — the latter who finished the year with a phenomenal nine points in 11 games.
That's still a very good line, and if utilized properly with Utah HC could end up being one of the better third lines in hockey. But now far on the wrong side of 30, and without a ton of consistent seasons to draw upon — he's only hit over 40 points three times — Bjugstad projects as a regression candidate in 2024-25. Because of that, he could be a sneaky-good contributor to a roster that is going to need all four lines going if it hopes to have a chance at the postseason.
If Bjugstad can retain his form from last year, he will be a luxury for Utah HC at third-line center. It'll be interesting to see if he ends up getting a look in the top-six at some point — or at least get top-six minutes like he did last year.
Ian Cole brings championship experience to third pairing
Although 35-year-old Ian Cole has certainly lost a step, he brings two Stanley Cup championships to Utah HC. And that was way back with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He's also played a ton of postseason hockey more recently, making appearances with the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks, all in the past five seasons.
There was a time this offseason when Utah didn't have a single defenseman under contract. Now, they have Sergachev, Marino, Sean Durzi and Juuso Valimaki under contract and pegged for top-four minutes. Cole should at least start on the third pairing along with youngster Michael Kesselring, who managed a very respectable 21 points in 65 games last year.
Cole was a shrewd signing by Armstrong; he brings valuable playoff experience, along with Sergachev, but he's also the oldest and most experienced player on that blue line. He should be a stabilizing presence on the defensive end, and an important voice in the locker room as well.
While thinking he'll be a game-changer is quite bold, Cole is still a responsible defensive player and good puck mover, and that should be highly-coveted for a Utah HC team that is looking to concede many less goals than last season.
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