‘I’ll Always Be Thankful’: Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring Make Emotional Return to Utah

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It was the second game in franchise history for the Utah Hockey Club against the New York Islanders when Josh Doan scored his first goal with the team. It was off an unreal pass from Alex Kerfoot that got the puck to the net, which he put home after a couple of moves. It tied the game at four and eventually set up Dylan Guenther for an eventual overtime winner. It ended up being Doan’s favorite moment with the team. 

Michael Kesselring’s favorite moment with Utah came in their first-ever game against the Boston Bruins, which also happens to be his hometown team. The game went into overtime tied at one. On the man advantage, Logan Cooley slid a pass to Kesselring, who sniped it home to score the game-winner in front of a loud Delta Center crowd.

After the season ended, the two headed to the World Championship tournament to play for Team USA with excitement in their minds, going into next year with the now-named Utah Mammoth. The team made a strong playoff push, and with the team only improving season after season, playoffs were the expectation for the 2025-26 season, and they both looked to be a big part of that.

However, the next time they would return to Salt Lake City, it would be in the middle of November with a different team. In a surprise move, the Mammoth dealt Kesselring and Doan to the Buffalo Sabres for JJ Peterka during the summer. While at the time, the trade looked like a fleece for the Mammoth, it was a sad move for the fans.

In just a single season, Kesselring and Doan became fan favorites. With their hardworking play and outgoing personalities, their names became synonymous among the Mammoth fans despite not being the top players on the team. Because of that, their first return to the Delta Center on Wednesday was one filled with great memories, love, and gratitude in what ended up being a special game for everyone involved.

Lasting Memories From Two Important Players

Doan and Kesselring were no strangers to the team around them when they moved up to Utah. Both had played with the Arizona Coyotes, Kesselring playing 74 games and Doan playing 11 games. However, just like everyone else, the venture into Utah was a journey no one had done before.

The inaugural season for Utah ended up being one filled with great memories and tremendous support from the fans. All of the firsts, like the first game and first road trip, where the team won a majority of the games, were all fantastic moments for both the fans and the players. It’s something both Doan and Kesselring look back at with pride.

“When you get an opportunity to be part of a first in any city, it’s a cool experience and a cool opportunity,” Doan said. “There are a lot of good memories from last year that happened throughout the season. To be a part of a lot of firsts is really cool.”

While Doan ended up being sent down to the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners a couple of times throughout the season, he still appeared in 51 games, producing 19 points. In the AHL, he was named an all-star, putting up 26 points in 28 games. By the end of the season, Doan became a valuable part of the bottom-six, giving them some energy after being called up permanently to the NHL.

Kesselring was one of six players on Utah to play in all 82 games. He had a career-high 29 points. However, the main highlight was his ability to step up when the team needed him most. After Sean Durzi and John Marino both went down with injuries, he was placed in the top four and performed excellently, even ending up on the top pair when Mikhail Sergachev was unavailable.

Along the way, the fans supported both players as if they had known them for years. Perhaps it was their humorous antics on display on the team’s social media that led to Kesselring earning his “king” nickname, and Doan and Logan Cooley being nicknamed “his cats.” Maybe it was their playful energy when they would interrupt each other’s media interviews. Either way, Utah fell in love with them, and that support is still remembered by them today.

“The whole year, seeing the fans learn the game and grow, and the towels flying at the end of the year,” Kesselring said. “The fans are so positive here, and they’re really good to me and Josh. It’s pretty special.”

Related: Logan Cooley Ready To Win in Utah With Extension in Place

Some fans even loved Doan so much that a group of female Utah fans renamed their group chat from “ClubHERS” to “DoanHERS,” a play on his nickname “Doaner.” That group became a massive part of the Mammoth’s fanbase with meetups during games and other outings, including a couple of skating lessons. When Doan returned on Wednesday, the group made sure not to miss it as they lined up on Buffalo’s side of the ice during warm-ups, all turning their jerseys around, revealing Doan’s name and now iconic 91.

Doan credits Utah and his season there to be a big stepping stone into where he is now with the Sabres. He’s not wrong at all. Throughout the season and between all of his time in the AHL, you could tell he was a way better player in his final game with the team in St. Louis than in his first game in Salt Lake City.

“There are a lot of moments that went back to last year that were really fun and obviously big for your career and learning and learning curves and stuff like that,” Doan said. “At the end of the day, it was a stepping stone to where I am now.”

It wasn’t just the fans who loved having Doan and Kesselring around. They were both big parts of the locker room and were good friends with many of their teammates, especially Cooley. The coaches also enjoyed having them around because of their personalities and how easy they were to coach. 

“They’re great teammates,” head coach André Tourigny said. “They’re really good guys off the ice. They’re two different players. Kess is big and can skate, has a good shot, and good skill. Doaner is all IQ. He has an unbelievable stick and a really good IQ.”

An Emotional Return to Utah

Stepping into the Delta Center was the weirdest feeling for the newest Sabres. Both of the players knew the route to the arena. Both players knew where the entrance was. The weirdest part, though, was going into the visitors’ locker room instead of the home locker room, where they were the last time they were at the arena.

“It’s a little bit different,” Doan said. “I know how to get here, but not how to get into the visitor room. That part was a little bit different. It’s a year of your life in one spot; you get pretty familiar with it. To come back from the other side is a little bit odd.”

Josh Doan Buffalo Sabres
Josh Doan, Buffalo Sabres (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

The Sabres flew into Salt Lake City early so the team got to have some extra time in Salt Lake City. During their first day in the city, the Sabres got to practice at the Mammoth’s new practice facility. They are the first visiting team to use the newest practice rink in the NHL. Unlike the current Mammoth players, Doan and Kesselring were already traded when the facility opened up. The last time the two were at the site, they still had to wear hard hats.

Even the Delta Center was different from the last time the duo played there. Over the summer, the arena’s floor was raised, and a new riser system was implemented to provide the best sightlines for both basketball and hockey. For Kesselring and Doan, it was cool to see most of the things that were being worked on in the team’s first season being completed.

“It’s pretty cool to be back, see what they’re doing to the rink and everything,” Kesselring said. “Seeing the practice facility yesterday was pretty cool, too.”

After practice on Tuesday, Kesselring and Doan hung out with a couple of their former teammates for the rest of the day. They ended up going to dinner with Jack McBain, Guenther, and Cooley to catch up.

While both Kesselring and Doan got some teasing from Cooley about the upcoming game, including saying “he would bring it” and “he’s due for one,” seeing their old teammates made for a good night.

“It’s always nice to catch up with those guys and hear some stories that you missed out on, and tell them some things that they’ve missed out on,” Doan said. “It’s always nice to catch up with those guys. 

When the two came onto the ice, they got a nice little applause from the fans. As mentioned, there were quite a few Mammoth fans with their jerseys turned around to show Doan and Kesselring’s names on the back. Kesselring made sure to show his appreciation by giving away a stick to a young fan with a split Mammoth and Sabres jersey with his name on the back of it.

At the first TV timeout, the two were honored by the organization with a little welcome-back graphic on the Jumbotron. Then, it was over. The tributes were done. The two were officially opponents of the Mammoth fans. 

Luckily for the two, they were a little bit used to playing against their former teammates. The Sabres and Mammoth played each other in Buffalo the prior week. It was weird at first for Kesselring to go up against guys like Cooley, but he quickly got used to it.

“It was weird at first, but honestly, I felt pretty comfortable pretty quickly,” Kesselring said. “It was more of giggling at some of those guys when they’re coming down on me and stuff.”

Michael Kesselring Buffalo Sabres JJ Peterka Utah Mammoth
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring and Utah Mammoth right wing JJ Peterka go after the puck (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

For Doan, it was a fun game to play. While it was weird and different for him at first as well, the win became the only thing on his mind, especially with bragging rights on the line.

“Playing against your buddies is always cool, but when you play against 14 or 15 of them, it’s a little bit different than playing against one or two,” Doan said. “It was definitely fun. There are obviously bragging rights when you play your old buddies.”

Unfortunately for Doan, Kesselring, and the Sabres, the bragging rights would not go to them. While the Sabres looked like they could win their first road game of the season with the score 2-0 in their favor halfway through the game, the Mammoth scored five unanswered goals to win 5-2.

With that, Doan and Kesselring’s final meeting with their former team this season was over. Until next season, the two parties will part, with the Sabres continuing their road trip in Colorado.

New Life in Buffalo

Getting traded anywhere is hard for a player. However, getting traded to Buffalo is a whole new challenge. The Sabres are in the midst of a 14-year playoff drought, the longest in NHL history. As you’d expect, the tension has grown between the team and their fans, especially with the team currently in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Heading into a market where every move is placed under a microscope is challenging, especially coming from a new team where the fanbase was trying to get used to being in the NHL to begin with. For Kesselring, it’s been especially tough. He’s coming off an injury that has limited him to eight games. He has yet to produce a point.

“I haven’t been very good,” Kesselring said. “I was getting comfortable with the knee and growing, learning the systems, getting comfortable with new teammates, stuff like that. I played a few preseason games, but they’re a little different than regular-season games. I’ve had six games now. It’s time to get going.”

On the flip side, Doan has fit in well with an increased opportunity. He has 10 points in 17 games and is on pace to beat his career highs in goals, assists, and points. Doan has even gotten time on the power play, something he probably wouldn’t have gotten all that much in Utah.

It’s been easy for Doan to slide into the locker room as well. He’s enjoyed his new team, which has been extremely welcoming to him.

“We have a really great group of guys here,” Doan said. “It’s been really easy to mesh with the group here, right from the beginning. It’s been very welcoming, and we have a lot of fun together as a group. When a group like this welcomes you, it’s easy to join the mold and be a part of what they’re building.”

Josh Doan Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Florida Panthers (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)

Part of the reason why getting Doan and Kesselring in the Peterka trade was big for the Sabres is that it provides the team with players who are great locker room people and are honest about the situation they are in. With 14 seasons outside of the playoffs and the Sabres not even being close to getting in half of the time, a positive jolt needed to be added, and Doan and Kesselring add that to any team.

Doan and Kesselring were the players the Sabres needed. While Kesselring is slowly getting to the play he had in Utah, Doan has been better than expected. Head coach Lindy Ruff has liked what he’s seen from the two early on.

“He (Kesselring) has been in on some good opportunities,” Ruff said. “I think he’s just trying to find his game. With Josh he’s fit in well. He’s done a good job on the power play, scored some key goals for us. He’s been a good two-way player.”

Off the ice, Doan and Kesselring have stuck together. They’ve lived with each other in Arizona, Utah, and now Buffalo, along with their pets, Socks and Rangers the cats, and Hank the dog. They are both restricted free agents after this season, and will most likely discuss together what each one of them will do going forward.

They both want to get the Sabres to the playoffs. They know it’ll be hard, especially with injuries and the stigma behind the team, but that is their main goal. Helping their team win has always been their main goal, whether it be with the Coyotes, Roadrunners, Utah, or Sabres.

The Sabres are Doan and Kesselring’s team now. It’s the team and fans they play for now and the foreseeable future. However, they’ll never forget their time in Salt Lake City. They’ll especially never forget the fans who have supported them even to this day, and the opportunity they got to bring NHL hockey to Utah. It’s something they’ll be proud of forever.

“Growing up, you never know if you’re gonna play in the NHL,” Kesselring said. “To see the impact I had on some of the people here, it’s pretty special to me, honestly…I’ll always be very thankful for the fans. It was a really fun year here, and being part of that organization, the first year of an organization, not many guys can say that.”

It won’t be surprising if Mammoth fans continue lining up on the glass during warm-ups, rooting for their former players. Eventually, Kesselring and Doan will hang up their skates. Maybe it’ll be with some other team other than the Sabres. Even then, the Mammoth fanbase will continue rooting for the duo. It might’ve only been one year that Kesselring and Doan were in Utah, but for many, it was a very special year. If you ask them, they would 100% tell you it was special for them as well.

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