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Utah HC will have the exciting task of turning Salt Lake City into a success story after the failures of the NHL in Arizona. After a lengthy battle with arenas and attendance issues, the league finally hauled hockey out of the desert and gave it to a more deserving city. They believe that Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith can make this team a success, but will that happen on the ice this season? Let's make bold preseason predictions about Utah HC for the 2024-25 NHL season.
An interesting tidbit about the transfer to Ryan Smith is that Utah HC is an expansion club. The Arizona Coyotes' assets moved to Utah in the deal, but the franchise did not. The move makes it possible that the Coyotes could return at some point with all their trademarks. The opposite of this is why the Winnipeg Jets didn't return to their old branding when they returned because the Coyotes franchise owned it.
So, Utah HC is an expansion team with the Coyotes roster. We saw the Vegas Golden Knights have an immediate contender after their expansion draft. However, the Seattle Kraken took a year to make the playoffs. Ironically, Utah's roster is likely somewhere between those two expansion teams.
The Coyotes haven't had much success over the past few seasons despite building up elite young talent. They were 13th in the Western Conference last season, finishing 19 points out of the playoffs. They were 19-14-2 through the season's 2023 portion of the schedule. However, a 4-17-3 run through January and February, including a winless February, sent them careening down the standings.
Utah HC contends for a playoff spot
Utah HC has improved their team since Ryan Smith took control. It makes sense, as he isn't afraid to spend to the cap, unlike the previous owner. Utah made some intriguing moves at the NHL Draft, and it wasn't with their picks. Their first move was to acquire Stanley Cup Champion Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Then, they improved their defense even more by getting John Marino from the New Jersey Devils. They also made a big splash by drafting Tij Iginla.
Iginla likely won't make the roster this season, but Sergachev and Marino are immediate adds to their biggest weakness. Utah now has a contending defense core, with Juuso Valimaki, Sean Durzi, and Ian Cole adding to the depth. They also have Michael Kesselring and Vladislav Koyachonok, two young players that could break out.
The Coyotes believe their one-two punch in goal is good enough to bring playoff hockey to Utah. Connor Ingram must stay healthy to give them a better chance, but Karel Vejmelka can play over half the season.
Hockey fans can't discount how much of a boost the roster could get from moving to Utah. Season tickets were flying off the shelves as soon as they went on sale, and fans in Utah were hungry to start cheering for their team. The Delta Center has 10,000 unobstructed seats, and there are reports that it could be 6,000 more with partial views of the stadium. The home-ice advantage will be far from the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena experience.
Sometimes, sports have a way of working out. The Golden Knights succeeded immediately and became one of the decade's best stories. Can Utah do the same in their inaugural season and turn Arizona's failures into a feel-good story?
Utah's young stars make a jump
Unfortunately, Josh Doan won't get to play his rookie season in Arizona. Josh's father, Shane, was one of the biggest legends in Arizona hockey history, and Josh's debut there last season was a special moment. Doan had five goals and four assists in 11 games, which is an astonishing pace for a player in his first 11 career games.
Doan likely won't keep up that pace this season, but he could be in the Calder Trophy conversation if he comes close. The NHL has a massive crop of elite rookies, but Doan separating himself from some of the others and being one of the top ones would create great optimism in Utah.
Logan Cooley is another player who could have a breakout year. He had 44 points in 82 games, but two droughts caused this number to be lower than it could've been. Cooley had runs of zero goals in eight games and 17 games, but he had a run at the end of the season, which got him to the 20-goal mark.
Utah will need to have some immediate success to pique the interest of fans, but their young stars proving that the future is bright would help the franchise as well.
