The Utah Hockey Club was forced into desperation mode early this season and had to call up Maveric Lamoureux from the American Hockey League (AHL) much sooner than they had anticipated. After general manager Bill Armstrong did a great job rebuilding the blue line in the offseason, Utah started the season without John Marino, one of the upgrades brought in to play on the right side of one of Utah’s top two pairings. Then, in the third game of the season, they lost Sean Durzi to injury, the other right-shot defenseman playing the right side of Utah’s top pairing.
Marino started the season with a week-to-week designation on his injury. However, shortly after it was announced that Durzi would need shoulder surgery, Utah also announced that Marino had suffered a setback in his recovery. This caused a need for surgery on his back, which resulted in Marino being ruled out for three to four months. A timeline like Durzi’s injury, who will be out at least four months.
Initially, after Durzi’s injury, Utah did not give a concrete timeline for these guys’ return to the lineup. While in limbo, waiting for these two guys to be thoroughly evaluated, Utah used their seventh defenseman, Robert Bortuzzo, to try and get by until these timelines were eventually released.
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Once it was established that Durzi and Marino would both be out for a lengthy period, Utah knew they would have to do something to strengthen their defensive core. With two of their three best defenders sidelined, Juuso Välimäki and Ian Cole struggling to start the season, and Bortuzzo showing he could not be trusted with typical third-pair minutes, this is what led to Lamoureux being called up to the NHL for the first time in his career.
Lamoureux’s Path to the NHL
Lamoureux was selected 29th overall in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. In his draft year, he only recorded 24 points in 54 games and was a minus-30 in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). However, he was not a sought-after prospect for his offensive ability but for his size and physicality.
Lamoureux stands at 6-foot-6 and is now listed at 214 pounds. After being drafted, he spent two more seasons in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. In both seasons, he dealt with significant injuries, which caused him to play less than 40 games in both campaigns. This was a substantial cause for concern. The Coyotes hoped to get a lot of development out of Lamoureux, a raw prospect they spent a high pick on.
Many wondered if these injuries would setback Lamoureux’s development, but that was not the case. He was invited to Utah’s inaugural training camp along with 67 other skaters. He ended up being one of the final cuts from the roster after dominating the minutes he played in the three preseason games he got into with Utah.
Lamoureux’s Thriving at the NHL Level
Lamoureux made his NHL debut on Oct. 24 against the Colorado Avalanche. Following the game, he said, “I was really stressed before going on, and then when I stepped on for the first time, just all the stress left.” It did not take long for him to gain head coach Andre Tourigny‘s trust, as he played Lamoureux enough to lead all Utah defensemen in five-on-five minutes in his NHL debut.
Since then, Lamoureux has played and excelled in a top-four role with Utah. With him on the ice at five-on-five, they have a 57.14 scoring chance percentage, 60 high-danger chance percentage, 56.25 goal share, and 57.68 expected goal share. These numbers are extremely impressive, considering Utah has gone 4-8-2 since his debut. The only concern with Lamoureux has been his number of penalties. In his 15 NHL games, he has taken nine minor penalties and been called for two major penalties. He now leads Utah in penalty minutes and minor penalties taken while also ranking third in the NHL among defensemen with at least 50 minutes on the ice in most minor penalties taken per 60 minutes (via NaturalStatTrick).
The penalties are a huge concern, especially considering Lamoureux has been a significant contributor to Utah spending the second-most time on the penalty kill per game. However, given that he had only 74 games combined in his two prior seasons in the QMJHL, it should be expected that it would take him some time to adjust to the speed of the NHL game. He will continue to gain experience, strength, and speed as he continues to develop throughout his career. With what Lamoureux has shown in his first month, winning his minutes at five-on-five, he has a bright future in this league. Once he learns how to use his size to defend without going to the penalty box, he will be even more effective and could be a staple on Utah’s blue line for many years to come.
