Bjugstad suffered an upper-body in the preseason and is expected to miss the start of the regular season. Utah head coach said that the veteran centre is still "quite far away," so expect that to open the door for Jack McBain to play a bigger role to open the season.
Fresh off an impressive sophomore campaign which saw him put up 18 goals, 35 points and 121 SOG in 45 games played, Dylan Guenter has signed an eight-year contract extension worth $7.14M AAV ($57.12M total) with Utah. The 21-year-old right-winger was Arizona's 2021 1st-round pick (9th overall) and is expected to take a large step forward as a member of Utah's top six and likely top powerplay in 2024-25.
Utah fans may have to wait a little longer than expected to get their first glimpse of newly acquired defenseman John Marino in a Utah jersey after it was announced he is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury and is not taking part in the start of training camp. Marino was quietly acquired in the offseason from New Jersey for two picks and figures to be a key piece in Utah's top four defensive pairings when healthy. The 27-year-old is joining his third NHL franchise and had four goals, 25 points, 41 PIMs and 57 SOG in 75 games played with New Jersey in 2023-24.
Utah's depth took a bit of a hit on Thursday as they opened training camp and announced Nick Bjustad would be out week-to-week. The 32-year-old is entering his 13th NHL season and second with Arizona/Utah after putting up his highest point totals since 2017-18 (45 Pts) in 76 games with Arizona in 2023-24. He is expected to be a staple in Utah's bottom six when he does return.
Bortuzzo failed to pick up a point in 27 games played between St.Louis and the New York Islanders in 2023-24 but earned himself a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on Saturday. The 35-year-old stay-at-home defenseman is entering his 14th NHL season and has 20 goals and 74 points in 560 career games played. He will provide Utah with some much-needed defensive depth.
Beaudoin was Utah's 2024 1st round pick (24th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Tuesday. The 18-year-old centre spent 2023-24 with the Barrie Colts (OHL) and had 28 goals, and 62 points in 67 games played. He is expected to return back to Barrie for the 2024-25 season but will compete in Utah's upcoming training camp for a spot on this year's roster.
Iginla was the Utah Hockey Club's first ever draft pick when he was selected in the 1st round of the 2024 Draft (6th overall) and has signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday. The 17-year-old right-winger is the son of Calgary legend Jerome Iginla and earned his high draft position by putting up 47 goals, and 84 points in 64 games played with Kelowna (WHL) in 2023-24.
Duda was the No.36 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman came over from Russia last year and played at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he had seven points (2G / 5A) in 12 games.
Utah acquired Sokolov from the Senators last Wednesday and inked him to a one-year, two-way deal. Sokolov will likely start the 2024-25 season in the AHL but figures to be one of the first call-ups to the big club. The 24-year-old winger had 21 goals and 25 assists (46 points) in 71 AHL games a season ago.
Hayton enjoyed a second-half breakout in 2023, putting high expectations on him entering 2024. A slow start and an injury limited him to just 10 points (3G / 7A) in 33 games, but he'll be an integral part of the Coyotes' top-9 in the 2024-25 season. He's previously shown outstanding chemistry with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, so he could be the favourite to win the top-line job out of camp, which would make him a post-hype breakout candidate this season.
Douglas was traded to the Utah organization in 2023 for Conor Timmins, and he has been with Tucson (AHL) ever since. The 2018 fourth-round pick has posted just 13 goals and 22 assists (35 points) in 107 games with the Roadrunners while also compiling 267 PIMS. The massive (6-foot-9, 242 lbs) forward should start the 2024-25 season in the AHL.
Sokolov spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, where he tallied 21 goals and 25 assists (46 points) in 71 games with Belleville. During his time in the NHL, the 24-year-old had one goal and one assist in five games with the Senators. He will likely be a fringe roster player for the Utah Hockey Club to start the 2024-25 season.
Kelemen will remain with the Utah organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract extension on Wednesday. The undrafted 24-year-old left-winger appeared in 10 games for Arizona in 2023-24 and had an assist, five SOG and a -2 plus/minus while averaging only 7:40 TOI/GP.
Barron has spent the last three seasons with Tucson (AHL), where he's combined for 29 goals and 33 assists (62 points) in 182 games. Since being drafted in the seventh-round in 2016, Barron has yet to appear in an NHL game.
Agozzino has consistently put up points at the AHL level but has just 12 points in 51 career NHL games with the Avalanche, Ducks, Penguins, Senators and Sharks. In 2024, Agozzino was seventh in the AHL with 64 points (26G / 38A) in 72 games. Expect him to open the season in the AHL once again.
Matikka was Utah's 2022 3rd round pick (67th overall) and has earned himself a three-year, entry-level contract after a successful opening season at the University of Denver (NCAA). The 20-year-old Finnish right-winger made a strong impact in his first season at Denver, with 20 goals, and 33 points in 43 games played.
Ian Cole will begin his 15th NHL season with his ninth team after signing a one-year, $3.1 million deal with Utah on Monday. The 35-year-old defensemen completed 70+ games for a third straight season after putting up two goals, 11 points, and 61 PIMs in 78 games with Vancouver in 2023-24.
Utah is adding a Stanley Cup Champion in-depth forward Kevin Stenlund on a two-year, $4 million ($2,000,000 AAV) contract. The 27-year-old achieved career-highs in goals (11) and points (15) in 2023-24 across 81 games played.
