The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.
With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Kevin Connauton.
Last Season
After being traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the LA Kings, Connauton was sent down to the AHL’s Ontario Reign to begin the 2023-24 season. When he made his Reign debut against the San Diego Gulls at the start of the season, it marked the seventh AHL team he played for.
Connauton produced his first point with the Reign in his fourth game of the season against the Bakersfield Condors. He scored his first goal a game later against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Connauton tallied one more point to round out October before going pointless until early December. However, he became an important defensive defenseman for the Reign, playing top minutes and having a plus-4 in the plus/minus category by the time he tallied that first point in December.
At the end of January, Connauton had his best stretch of games offensively. He produced eight points in seven games and was a plus-4. It included his first multipoint game in a Reign jersey against Tucson.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Karel Vejmelka
Connauton finished the 2023-24 season with 18 points in 61 games, which placed him fourth on the Reign in that category for defensemen. He also finished as a plus-18, which placed him first amongst defensemen in that category for the Reign.
The Reign entered the playoffs as the third seed. They swept the Bakersfield Condors in the first round and then swept the Canucks in the second round. In the third round, they faced off against the Firebirds, where Connauton scored his first and only playoff goal with the Reign in the second game.
The Firebirds swept the Reign, ending Connauton’s season. His goal in Game 2 was the only point he produced in seven games. He did finish as a plus-6, which led all Reign defensemen in that category.
In the offseason, Connauton left Ontario and signed a two-year, two-way contract with Utah. It placed him back within the Roadrunners’ organization, where he had spent four seasons splitting time between the Roadrunners and the Arizona Coyotes.
This Season
Connauton played his first game in a Roadrunners jersey since the 2016-17 season against the Colorado Eagles in October. The defenseman started the season paired with rookie Maveric Lamoureux, who would become his usual partner until the conclusion of the season. He tallied his first point back with the Roadrunners in his fifth game of the season, producing another one in the next game.
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) November 28, 2024
Heading into early December, Connauton had six points in 17 games with the Roadrunners. He was recalled by Utah, where he didn’t appear in a game. He was sent back down to Tucson three days later.
After being sent back down, Connauton scored two goals against the Gulls in his second game back. He produced another point before the turn of the new year as well.
To kick off 2025, Connauton was once again recalled by Utah before being sent back down to Tucson a day later after they picked up Nick DeSimone on waivers. After rejoining the Roadrunners, Connauton produced seven points in 16 games.
Connauton finished the season with 17 points in 56 games. His six goals tied him for second place on the team for goals scored by a defenseman. His big achievement was playing his 400th career AHL game, along with his 800th professional game (441 games in the AHL and 360 NHL games).
In the playoffs, Connauton tallied an assist in Game 2 against the Canucks. The Roadrunners were defeated in Game 3, which ended his season.
The Future
Unlike the prior season, where Connauton made it to free agency, he’ll be staying with the Mammoth organization. With the Roadrunners’ defense expected to get even younger next season, thanks to Lamoureux, Artem Duda, and Max Szuber most likely staying in the AHL, and prized prospect Dmitri Simashev potentially joining the team as well, Connauton will be relied on to help out the younger defensemen and also play some top minutes.
As for what Connauton needs to work on, there’s not much. He’s a solid extra defenseman in the NHL and a top defenseman in the AHL at this point in his career. Would it be nice to see the type of play he had in 2019-20 with the Eagles, where he produced 27 points in 38 games? Absolutely. However, now at 35 years old, it’s hard to demand that out of Connauton, especially on a Roadrunners team that isn’t as good.
A slight increase in points and a better plus/minus rating would be great to see out of Connauton, especially entering a contract year. Perhaps even an NHL appearance this time around would be great for him heading into free agency, but that is asking a lot with the multiple additions the Mammoth made to their blue line.
In all likelihood, if Connauton has another solid season with the Roadrunners, he’ll be back in 2026-27. General manager Bill Armstrong and the front office staff know him well after two different stints in the organization. The Roadrunners will need bodies on the blue line, especially if Simashev and Lamoureux graduate to the NHL soon. Connauton is a solid option to keep in Tucson.
Final Grade
For the past three seasons, Connauton has had a fairly consistent role, which is accompanied by a consistent outcome. He’s been given the role of a top AHL defenseman, which he usually lives up to by producing a good plus/minus rating and tallying around 15-20 points. That was no different in his return to Tucson.
Connauton had another solid season, almost the same season he had in Ontario the prior season. While his plus/minus was worse this season, that was to be expected after leaving behind the Reign’s really good blue line for the Roadrunners’ young and inexperienced blue line. The Roadrunners got exactly what they expected out of Connauton this season, which included solid play in the postseason.
Overall, Connauton is getting a B-minus for his season. There wasn’t anything special about the defenseman’s season, but it was one that was pretty decent. He has become an important part of the Roadrunners’ defense, mentoring the younger players and protecting them with his physicality. He also contributed offensively on the blue line and the power play.
The Edmonton native will be back with the Roadrunners next season, where he’ll most likely be one of the top defensemen on the team again. If he can have a similar season to the ones he’s had for the past three years, it’ll be another good season in his books, and he’ll most likely be in talks for another pro contract.
