The Utah Hockey Club has an abundance of prospects in their system. Last season, many of those prospects had breakout years like Dylan Guenther and Josh Doan in the American Hockey League (AHL) and eventually the NHL. Julian Lutz was one of those players who had a phenomenal season in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Now, the upcoming 2024-25 season could be a big year for the German as he is set to play his first year in the AHL.
Lutz’s Road to the AHL
Lutz started his hockey career with the Red Bull Hockey Academy which has produced talent like Noah Dobson and JJ Peterka. The forward played for five seasons with that program while playing on Germany’s national youth teams as well, eventually competing on the country’s world junior team.
The 2021-22 season was set to become Lutz’s first pro season as he joined EHC Munchen of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany’s top hockey league. However, before the season began, he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower spine. Lutz only played 14 games for EHC Munchen that season, recording three points.
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During his five months of therapy, Arizona Coyotes central European scout Teal Fowler was intrigued by Lutz. Knowing that he had the potential to be an excellent player in the NHL one day, Fowler convinced general manager Bill Armstrong to take a chance on the forward. Armstrong didn’t need much convincing as his scout had helped the team get Karel Vejmelka and JJ Moser. At the end of the day, the Coyotes drafted Lutz 43rd overall in 2022.
Lutz returned to EHC Munchen after being drafted, playing in 24 games. However, he only recorded eight points. After attending the Coyotes’ rookie camp, Lutz made the surprise decision to join the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. It turned out to be a great decision as he broke out and had 68 points in 50 games for the Gamblers and was their top scorer for the season.
Lutz to the Tucson Roadrunners
After the Coyotes’ hockey operations were moved to Salt Lake City ahead of the 2024-25 season, one of their first transactions was signing Lutz to an entry-level deal. The USHL stipulates that any player who plays in the league must not be signed by an NHL team, meaning Lutz will most likely start the season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Lutz heading to the Roadrunners is a win for both the team and the player. For Lutz, he’ll be playing in one of the best hockey leagues in North America, against and with some great prospects. He’ll also get more exposure to the North American style of hockey.
For the Roadrunners, they’ll get to replace some of their star forwards who have moved on to the NHL like Guenther and Doan. They’ll also give Lutz the opportunity to play with some talented players who will most likely move on to Utah eventually like Aku Raty and Miko Matikka. It’s crucial for the Roadrunners to keep getting talented players like Lutz in their system so they can continue their development for the individual players and the actual franchise. Last season, they took steps in the right direction, finishing second in the Pacific Division. Unfortunately, the team was swept by the Calgary Wranglers. Now with a new core that includes the newly signed German forward, they’ll look to take another step towards winning the Calder Cup.
What Does Lutz Bring to the Roadrunners?
The first thing that is apparent about Lutz is his size. He is 6-foot-2 which helps him handle the puck well including holding onto it when entering the offensive zone to let his teammates set up and develop plays. He’s known for making nice plays between the faceoff dots and has a nice shot.
Lutz’s offensive mindset is one of the best that has come out of the RBHA. He’s always battling for the puck, despite whether he has or doesn’t have the puck. His competitive level is another asset that attracted the Coyotes to draft him and it shows in his offensive game on the ice.
There haven’t been a lot of critiques on Lutz’s game and the ones that come up aren’t picked apart by coaches due to his ability to easily be coached out of his bad habits. He isn’t the speediest player but his skating is good enough. His defensive zone play is also questionable but again, it’s not a red flag for Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin.
Where Lutz will fit in on the Roadrunners is unclear since there are quite a bit of players leaving and a handful joining. However, it’s expected the German will play on one of the top lines, get some of the most ice time for forwards, and potentially play his way to the NHL. It would be surprising if Lutz doesn’t make an appearance with Utah this season.
Lutz has a bright future ahead of himself and his play with the Gamblers last season helped him become one of Utah’s top prospects. He has a good chance to appear in their lineup sometime this season especially if he continues his great play from last season. While he’s no Guenther or Doan yet, he could make his own impact in the Utah organization very soon.
