Sunday evening brought another win to the Utah Hockey Club’s preseason campaign, this time against a Central Division rival in the Colorado Avalanche. It was the team’s first road preseason win against an Avalanche team that had Justus Annunen in net who is expected to be the Avalanche’s backup this season. It was a big night for a lot of Utah’s big-name players. Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s 6-3 win.
Dylan Guenther’s (Preseason) Game to Remember
Dylan Guenther has been decent this preseason after getting a big contract extension from Utah. However, Sunday’s game was by far his best. He started off the game by unloading a powerful shot from Mikhail Sergachev to score Utah’s first goal on the power play.
Guenther did almost exactly the same thing in the second period when Clayton Keller cut to the center of the zone and slid a pass to the Canadian forward. Guenther ended his night by giving Keller a no-look backhand pass which was then put behind Annunen for the fifth goal of the game.
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Guenther’s three-point night was impressive and dominant. He played well on a line with Keller and Barrett Hayton. It could be a combination that head coach Andre Tourigny eventually goes back to if Nick Schmaltz, who usually plays with Keller and Hayton, ever gets injured. It’s clear that there’s some sort of chemistry between the three players.
Guenther was eventually named the first star of the game with Keller being named the second star. Both players came away from the game with three points each. Sergachev also impressed, assisting on both of Guenther’s goals. He was eventually named the third star of the game.
Another player that impressed offensively was Josh Doan who potted the eventual game-winning goal. The Scottsdale native has had some good looks throughout the preseason but had yet to score a goal until Sunday’s game. While Doan would’ve likely made the lineup to begin the season prior to the game, his goal provides some reassurance he’ll be playing the Chicago Blackhawks next week.
Tij Iginla’s First Game with Utah
After sitting out the first half of Utah’s preseason, Tij Iginla finally made his Utah debut Sunday evening. The 2024 first-round draft pick hadn’t played in the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles either due to an injury. However, you couldn’t have noticed as he played a solid game against the Avalanche.
While Iginla didn’t pick up any points in Utah’s win, he helped set up Liam O’Brien’s eventual shot that Doan put into the back of the net. Similar to his fellow 2024 first-round pick, Cole Beaudoin, who was sent back to the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts on Saturday, he made an impact in the lineup, which is really what you want to see out of Utah’s younger players.
It’s expected that Iginla will eventually be returned to the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets to begin the 2024-25 season. The forward will have as much playing time as he needs there and will continue his development so he can be better for next year’s preseason. He might play another game for Utah this season before being sent back, but if he doesn’t, his Utah debut will definitely be remembered as a strong one.
Physicality Part of Utah’s Identity
Part of the reason why Utah took complete control over the game in the second and third periods was their physicality. It’s becoming part of their identity. Over the course of the preseason, it’s been seen with some of Utah’s eventual regulars like Kevin Stenlund, Jack McBain, and Liam O’Brien. It’s also been seen with some players that will help make up Utah’s AHL team, the Tucson Roadrunners, a hard team to play against like Montana Onyebuchi.
Patrik Koch was another physical threat during Utah’s game against the Avalanche. He also produced decently, posting three assists. He is expected to be one of the players who fights until nearly the end for a roster spot in Utah. The defenseman played one game last season in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes and 63 games with the Roadrunners. Now, he’s looking to win a spot on Tourigny’s team.
It’s expected that Utah will announce another round of roster cuts sometime this week as the team heads into their final three preseason games. The Roadrunners start their training camp on Tuesday so Tourigny is expected to keep Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin busy by supplying him with more players. Utah’s camp currently has 41 players.
Utah is now 3-1-0 in the preseason. They’ll travel to San Jose on Tuesday to play the Sharks. The Sharks are 1-2-0 so far in the preseason and are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks. They could have top prospects like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith in the lineup.
