Sunday was a big moment for Utah Hockey Club. While it's only preseason, they played their first game in franchise history where they faced the St-Louis Blues in Des Moines, Iowa.
Early in the first period, Utah Hockey Club was already down 1-0 and pulled the goalie because of a delayed penalty, which resulted in what may be the misplay of the 2024-25 season when all is said and done.
Utah forward Milos Kelemen went to pass the puck back to the point where it skipped over the defenceman's stick and rolled all the way down into the open net, giving St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
Expectations are high in Utah this season. The National Hockey League classifies them as an expansion franchise after receiving the Arizona Coyotes roster and hockey operations staff back in the spring and they made some big additions this summer.
General Manager Bill Armstrong revamped the team's defensive group by bringing in Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole. The hope is their core featuring Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther can take a big step this season and contend for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their first year of existence.
POLL | ||
22 SEPTEMBRE | 170 ANSWERS Utah Hockey Club score on their own net during first game in franchise history Will Utah Hockey Club make the playoffs this season? | ||
Yes | 27 | 15.9 % |
No | 143 | 84.1 % |
List of polls |