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Utah Hockey Club's Alex Kerfoot Talks Season One Opportunities

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Utah Hockey Club's Alex Kerfoot Talks Season One Opportunities


SALT LAKE CITY – It’s been an offseason like no other for the NHL’s newest team as they unexpectedly moved from Arizona to Utah seemingly overnight. In addition to a new city, there’s also a handful of new faces on the Utah Hockey Club roster and new opportunities for some of the organizations young players. According to veteran center Alexander Kerfoot, this collection of new beginnings will make for a memorable first season in Salt Lake City.

Utah Hockey Club’s First Season

Less than six months ago, Smith Entertainment Group made history as they acquired an NHL team that would immediately call Utah home. Now, with just 40 days until opening night and less than a few weeks until training camp gets underway, Kerfoot is looking forward to this unique opportunity to play for the club in its first season.

“It’s just excitement,” Kerfoot said. “This is something where in 20 years we’ll look back and be like, we were a part of the team that played the first season in Utah. That’s something you don’t want to take for granted…We’re coming to a great city with a great organization. Ownership has done an unbelievable job.”

Sergachev, Marino, Cole & Stenlund

While the 2024-25 campaign will be the first in Utah for each player, the organization added a collection of few new faces including Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino, Ian Cole and Kevin Stenlund to lift their ceiling and take the next step in the rebuild.

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With these new additions, three of which have all lifted Lord Stanley, the team is certainly on the cusp of a playoff spot and very well could surprise the league in year one.

“Three of them have won cups, they bring significant experience and have played different roles on different teams. So, that winning mindset, winning culture I think is going to be really good for us. Guys who have proven that they’ve done it before and been on teams that have done it before is going to be really valuable,” Kerfoot explained.

“And then obviously those defensemen bring another element to our group,” He added. “Sergachev has got the tools to be one of the best defensemen in the league. He’s going to make an immediate impact. I’ve also played with John Marino before. I know him pretty well, I’m a huge fan of his game. Really good puck mover, really mobile, the game comes easy to him and he’s going to be a really good player for us.”

Kerfoot also shared that the team’s mindset should be set on pushing for the playoffs with this group, especially with how the team improved this offseason and he’s willing to contribute in whatever way the coaches see fit to help them achieve that goal.

Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther’s Can Take A Leap This Season

In addition to the team bringing in some new faces to help improve the team in key areas, this season presents a huge opportunity for guys like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.

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A season ago, Cooley burst onto the scene with 20 goals and 24 assists which resulted in him being named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. As for Guenther, once he was called up, he scorched the nets alongside Cooley with 18 goals and 17 assists in just 45 appearances.

So, what kind of leap will those players take this season? Kerfoot foresees both players taking a sizable leap this year and being key players for the Utah Hockey Club for years to come.

“From the time he got called up, Guenther was an impact player. Right now, he’s got one of the best shots in the league. Just his release is special, he can beat goalies clean, there’s not many guys who can beat goalies from the outside in the league and so he’s got that element to his game. But he’s a pretty complete player for a young guy. So, he’s going to be a really good player for a long time,” Kerfoot explained.

“Cooley has got game breaking ability to him,” He continued. “You saw it. You see flashes of it here and there last year. He’s really going to take another step and be more dynamic this year. He’s one of those special, unique guys. He skates so well, his edgework is unbelievable, his ability to handle the puck and make plays. His confidence on the ice is special too. For both those guys, there’s no ceiling on what they can do. They’re both going to take jumps and so it’ll be exciting to watch them this year and in the coming years.”

Kerfoot’s Impact

As for himself and like he mentioned, Kerfoot will fulfill whatever role is asked of him. A season ago, he was a top five points contributor for team, finishing with 13 goals and 32 assists. Projected on the team’s fourth line with Jack McBain and Stenlund, it’ll be interesting to see how that impacts his offensive production.

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Utah Hockey Schedule

Fans can watch Kerfoot’s first game with the Utah Hockey Club on October 8 against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Click here for the full schedule. 

Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

Take us with you, wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.





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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime

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White scores 25 to help Utah women hand No. 8 TCU its 1st loss, 87-77 in overtime


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.

Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.

Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.

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White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.

TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.

Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.

Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.

Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.

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TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.

Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.



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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case

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Judge files ruling allowing for appeal to Utah Supreme Court in redistricting case


The judge in Utah’s redistricting case filed a ruling making it possible for the Legislature to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, but not without a strong rebuke of their process.

On Friday, Judge Dianna Gibson ruled partially in favor of the Legislature’s most recent request in the redistricting case, certifying its August 25th ruling as final in order to allow them to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.

However, she strongly denied their request to enter a final judgment and end the case, saying, “This case is far from over.”

MORE | Utah Redistricting:

File – Utah Congressional Redistricting Maps (Image: KUTV)

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“Quite literally – this Court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final,’” Gibson wrote in the ruling. “But the Court agrees that the important legal issues decided by this Court and reflected in each of its rulings … should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”

Gibson said it was the legislative defendant’s “duty to seek appellate review” regarding any of her interlocutory, or non-final orders, within 21 days of the rulings. She said they repeatedly claimed they would but never did.

Now, they are requesting she finalize the case, or at the very least one of her orders, to allow them to file an appeal.

Because Gibson does not want to delay appellate review, she agreed to certify the August 25, 2025 Ruling and Order as final.

“Every Utah voter, every Utah congressional candidate and arguably every Utah citizen is impacted by this case. Issuing a final ruling – on even a portion of this case – ultimately serves the public’s interest and will lead to a faster resolution of the entire case,” she wrote.

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The redistricting case dates back to 2018, when voters passed a ballot initiative to create a commission to redraw the congressional district boundaries.

State legislators repealed the ballot initiative in 2020, and attempted to draw their own congressional map the following year.

This prompted a lawsuit, which has led to several rulings, including the one on August 25th, which declared that the Utah Legislature violated voters’ rights by approving congressional boundaries that split Salt Lake County.

“Until there is a final decision on these legal issues from our Supreme Court, there will be a cloud on Utah’s congressional elections and an open question regarding the power of the Legislature and the power of the people,” Gibson wrote in her most recent ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News

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Utah man missing for 3 years presumed dead. What happened? – East Idaho News


SOUTH SALT LAKE (KSL) — Investigators believe a South Salt Lake man who disappeared in 2022 is likely dead, but they’re still trying to figure out what happened to him more than three years later.

“To my knowledge we don’t have one working theory as to whether it’s a homicide or a suicide or if he just completely went off the grid, essentially,” officer Shaun Ward said Monday.

But according to a recent search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court, “There has been no financial or digital footprint indicating that (Cornelis ‘Casey’ Frederik Bokslag) is still alive. It is presumed he is deceased.”

Ward says the search warrant, filed in late November, is to look at Bokslag’s Google accounts, such as his email history, internet search history and location data. Investigators are hoping those records “might provide additional information about where Bokslag had been in the days and hours leading up to his disappearance as well as any correspondence, contacts, locations and a slew of other sources of information that could lead Investigators to the location of Bokslag’s body, which will allow us to determine if his disappearance was a result of suicide or foul play,” the warrant states.

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As of Monday, the request for that information from Google was still pending.

Ward, 30, was last seen on June 6, 2022. Police have recovered surveillance video of Bokslag leaving his apartment complex that day in his car by himself. He then went to an ATM in South Salt Lake and withdrew $100. Bokslag, a four-year Marine veteran who had worked for a watershed company since 2016, did not go to work that day, which family members, his employer and police said was highly unusual.

“Investigators eventually learned that Bokslag had taken the day off work and told friends and family that he was traveling to Evanston, Wyoming, to participate in the gay pride parade festivities,” according to the recently unsealed search warrant.

Hours after Bokslag was reported missing on June 8, 2022, his 2012 Suzuki SX4 was found by a passerby in Summit County, near the Castle Rock exit off I-80, about 18 miles west of the Wyoming border.

“It was discovered that the vehicle’s license plates were removed from the car. Meticulously, the screws were put back into the license plate frame, and the vehicle was essentially clean in nature,” police said at the time.

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The warrant further states that “there was a noticeable absence of fingerprints inside the vehicle. This was determined to be consistent with the interior having been wiped clean.

“Later, DNA swabs were taken and submitted for testing. They revealed two genetic profiles. One was matched to Bokslag by exemplar samples provided by the family. A second profile was identified. The profile was checked through the Combined DNA Index System, and no positive identification was made,” the warrant states.

Ward said Monday that investigators have done extensive searches around where Bokslag’s car was found in 2022, both on the ground and by drone. His residence was also searched, and a few items of potential evidence, such as Bokslag’s laptop, were seized.

A co-worker called Bokslag several times one night before he disappeared, according to cellphone records collected by investigators. Several witnesses told police that the co-worker and Bokslag “were up for the same promotion, but Bokslag was eventually selected for it, causing resentment. Those cellphone records also showed Bokslag’s phone being turned off at some point on June 6,” according to the warrant.

“A records check revealed that shortly after receiving numerous calls in one night from the hostile co-worker, and prior to being reported missing, Bokslag purchased a handgun in Salt Lake County along with two boxes of ammunition,” the warrant says.

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Ward did not have any additional information Monday about the co-worker, including whether police had questioned him or if he had been ruled out as a possible suspect.

A $50,000 reward is still being offered for information that leads to Bokslag being found. According to a web page set up by his family, Bokslag is 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 140 pounds, has blond hair and gray eyes. He also had a goatee at the time of his disappearance. A missing persons poster is hanging in the lobby of the South Salt Lake Police Department with Bokslag’s information.

Anyone who has information on what may have happened to Bokslag or anyone who may have seen him is asked to call police at 801-840-4000. Ward says all tips will be investigated.

“Really, anything at this point. If they think that they saw him or have seen him recently, or if they have any information into his personal life that our investigators may not know … any information is welcome,” he said. “We want to bring closure to the family. The family still wants answers.”

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