Utah’s Maveric Lamoureux out four-to-six weeks with upper-body injury
The Utah Hockey Club announced Friday that defenseman Maveric Lamoureux will be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks due to an upper-body injury.
Facing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, Lamoureux briefly left the contest after taking a puck to the hand before later returning and wrapping up the night with nearly 15 minutes of ice time and two shots on goal.
Recalled to Utah in late October, the first-year blue-liner has shown a quick ability to adapt to the pro game where through 15 contests he sits fifth among Utah defensemen in averaging 16:07 per night. Along the way, Lamoureux has picked up three points, including his first career goal coming against the Calgary Flames. On the season, Lamoureux also ranks third-highest league wide with 42 penalty minutes.
The 20-year-old product of Laval, Que., is skating in his first pro season which has also counted four appearances with Utah’s minor-league affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Lamoureux previously spent four seasons with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs. He was chosen 29th overall by the then Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Lamoureux joins a crowded injured reserve in Utah that already counts fellow right-shot defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino. Durzi has been limited to four games on the season after suffering a shoulder injury midway through October, while Marino sustained a back injury during the preseason and has yet to appear in a game with Utah following his offseason acquisition from the New Jersey Devils.
In the absence of these three blue-liners, Utah and head coach Andre Tourigny will turn a selection of depth options including Robert Bortuzzo, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Juuso Valimaki.
Facing the Oilers on Friday, Utah will look to put together consecutive victories for the first time since beginning the new campaign with three-straight wins. Utah came away with a 3-2 overtime victory versus the Canadiens on Tuesday and sits 9-10-3 on the season, four points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the second wildcard position in the Western Conference.