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.

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.

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.

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.

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