Utah Hockey Club extended its win streak on the road to six this weekend by beating the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks.

The club has done it thanks to some strong goaltending and a dynamic duo — despite a few lingering issues.

Here’s a look at some key questions and themes from Utah’s recent run.

Karel Vejmelka should be Utah’s starter no matter what

Karel Vejmelka is and should continue to be the starting goaltender for Utah Hockey Club.

The 28-year-old took over between the pipes nearly a month ago when Connor Ingram went down with an upper-body injury and has been one of Utah’s best players on a nightly basis.

“Feeling better and better every game,” Vejmelka said. “We are on the right way and we just need to keep going.”

The team has a 7-4-1 record since Vejmelka assumed the No. 1 duties, backed by his 2.40 goals against average and .915 save percentage through 17 games. Two of those wins were earned by Jaxson Stauber who was recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners to be Utah’s backup; the 25-year-old has helped the goalie load management and been solid when given the opportunity.

“We’ve managed it game to game to see how he feels and he’s really honest,” head coach André Tourginy said. “I think the trust is there in the last four years with Vej. … We like the way he is right now. He’s in a good spot and he feels good.”

Ingram — who had not skated since Nov. 18 against the Washington Capitals — joined Utah on its most recent road trip and was on the ice for practices. Tourigny said Thursday Ingram was still at least a week away from game action.

However, Ingram did not practice with the team Monday at the Olympic Oval. Tourigny’s new update was Ingram is “not close.”

“There’s not enough improvement for him to keep working at it. He will be off the ice for a little bit,” Tourigny said.

When Ingram is healthy, though, it does not mean he should automatically get the net back. He struggled to start the season, posting a 3.61 GAA and .871 SV% through 13 games before injury. That’s not to say the team should give up on him, but Utah needs to stick with the hot hand while allowing Ingram the chance to earn playing time.

“It’s 82 games,” Tourigny said. “There’s a lot of real estate in front of us. You need everybody.”

Tourigny has been insistent on players only entering the lineup if “someone loses their job.” In other words, if forward lines and defensive pairings are working, he is not going to switch them just for the sake of getting someone like Liam O’Brien or, previously, Vladislav Kolyachonok in. That same philosophy must prevail for the goaltending position, too.

Vejmelka has proved he can stay fresh both physically and mentally while starting consistently. The netminder continues to give Utah a chance to win with timely saves, smart puck management and a calm confidence that trickles down the roster.

Vejmelka is the man to roll with. He has embraced the opportunity and given the team tangible results that have placed it three points out of a playoff spot; he wants to win for Utah.

“Our fans are incredible. Every night the crowd is unreal,” Vejmelka said. “Enjoying every minute out there.”

Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther continue to shine

At 20 and 21 years old, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther have continued to be a driving force for Utah Hockey Club, showing the power of the team’s youth.

Guenther — who leads Utah with 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) through 30 games — scored three goals in two games on the winning road trip. The forward has 12 points in the last 10 games, two three-point nights and eight multi-point performances on the season.

For someone who skated in just 45 NHL games last year, Guenther has not hit a slump or transition period in his first full stint as a pro. His shot is lethal on the power play and his quick release catches teams behind the play while 5-on-5. Much of Guenther’s success, too, is from his chemistry with linemates Cooley and Jack McBain.

“We talk a lot on the bench. We’re really good buddies and we just provide different aspects,” Guenther said. “Bainer can finish, he’s really good in front of the net, he’s heavy. Cools is super skilled, super good with the puck. When we’re using our legs and skating, we’re successful.”

Cooley has assisted on five of Guenther’s 13 goals this season and has tied Nick Schmaltz for most assists on the team with 19. Cooley’s total 26 points ranks third on Utah as he’s on pace for a career showing in his sophomore season; last year, Cooley had 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games.

The center’s playmaking abilities make those around him better. Cooley is skating with a new level of swagger and is a consistent difference-maker. He finished the road trip with four points in two games.

“He was outstanding on this trip,” Tourigny said of Cooley. “He just played amazing. Plays both sides of the puck, competes. He’s in the scrum, good offensively, good defensively. He did a lot of good stuff. … Really proud of the way he’s progressed. He’s stayed humble, keeps working hard. He’s heading in the right direction.”

The future is bright for Utah’s youngest players.

Dakota Mermis joins Utah’s backend

Utah Hockey Club has, once again, been forced to bring in defensive reinforcements. This time, it’s a familiar face.

Dakota Mermis was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs by Utah on Thursday and joined the team for the second half of the road trip. He participated in morning skate ahead of Saturday’s game against the Sharks.

The 30-year-old blueliner was in the Arizona Coyotes organization from 2016-2019, spending the majority of his time with the Tucson Roadrunners. Mermis served as assistant captain and captain in his last two seasons with the group before going to New Jersey and Minnesota.

“The organization was good for me to get my career started. … I’m excited. It’s great to be back with a lot of people, a lot of familiar faces. Excited to see Salt Lake, too,” Mermis said. “I was telling my wife when I started getting texts and calls from different staff and people when I got claimed, I had most of the contacts already in my phone so I knew who was calling.”

Mermis has yet to play an NHL game this season because he was recovering from a broken jaw he sustained during training camp with the Maple Leafs. Toronto assigned Mermis to a conditioning loan with its AHL Marlies team as he worked back to full strength. Mermis had one assist through three games in the AHL before getting placed on waivers.

“I feel great now,” Mermis said. “It gave me plenty of time to heal back up, get my nutrition back after some tough weeks of not being able to eat and that kind of thing. … I feel like I got my conditioning back.”

While Mermis is practicing as the seventh defenseman, Utah welcomes some added depth to its injured blue line; Robert Bortuzzo, Maveric Lamoureux, Sean Durzi and John Marino all remain out. Mermis is a veteran and said he wants to help “stabilize” the backend and not be “overly complicated.”

“He’s really competitive, he’s a good skater, he’s an unbelievable teammate. Everybody that you talk to that has been around him or coached him has good things to say about him,” Tourigny said. “He’s a guy with experience, played in the league, knows his way around.”

Third line needs to start producing

Utah has been playing some of its best hockey of the season as of late which has, perhaps, masked some of the room for growth within its lineup, namely production from its third line of Matias Maccelli, Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse.

The team has won four of its last five games and the third line, granted, has been assigned tough matchups against some of the opponents’ top players. That should not excuse the lack of offense from a trio that marked up the scoresheet often last season, though.

“We realize we have to be much better,” Crouse said. “I think we are doing some good things defensively, but obviously we want to produce, we want to help the team win. We haven’t been doing any of that.”

Crouse, who had 42 points (23 goals, 19 assists) in 81 games last season has seven points (four goals, three assists) through 30 games this season. The forward is a point behind 35-year-old defenseman Ian Cole who has eight.

Crouse’s linemates have been struggling, too. Maccelli has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) after a 57-point season last year. Bjugstad has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 22 games following a 45-point performance last season.

What’s more, all three players are on Utah’s second power play unit, giving them more of an advantage to score on a nightly basis than some of their other teammates.

“Just constant communication on what we can do to get back on track. I think we’ve just got to get back to playing with pace, playing on the same page,” Crouse said. “Getting pucks to the net and shooting and scoring. That will turn into more offensive time.”

The third line’s slump has not had that big of an impact on Utah’s winning record because of how well the other lines are playing to, in a way, make up for it.

The first line of Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz has 11 points in the last five games. The second line of McBain, Cooley and Guenther has 16 points in the last five games. The fourth line of Alex Kerfoot, Kevin Stenlund and Michael Carcone has 12 points in the last five games.

The third line has two points in the last five games — both assists from Crouse.

There is a clear discrepancy. At some point, doesn’t something have to change? You don’t want to mess with the consistency from the other three lines, so maybe it’s a personnel change. A healthy scratch to send a message or an AHL call-up for a player like Josh Doan or Kailer Yamamoto.

The third line as is, obviously, is not useless. It has been good defensively and physically. But it is not enough.

“You have to find anything you can do to help the team win,” Crouse said. “As a hockey player, you take pride in getting points and stuff like that, but sometimes that doesn’t tell the whole story. When you’re not producing, you have to do something else to help the team.”

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