With Olli Maatta still taking part in the Olympics, the Mammoth have brought up some extra defensive depth for practice. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Scott Perunovich and Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson.
Perunovich is in his first season with Utah after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them back in free agency. A veteran of 108 career NHL appearances, he has yet to make one this season as he has played exclusively with the Roadrunners, his first extended AHL run since 2022-23. The 27-year-old has been quite productive in Tucson, notching three goals and 27 assists in 43 games to lead all team blueliners in scoring.
As for Connauton, he has 360 career NHL outings under his belt but none since the 2021-22 campaign. The 35-year-old is in the second and final season of his two-way deal and has suited up in 23 games with the Roadrunners this season where he has two assists. At this point, it seems likely that both he and Perunovich’s time with the big club will be short-lived with Utah’s back end fully healthy coming out of the break.
With the recalls, Utah’s active roster now sits at 22 players, one shy of the maximum. It’s worth noting that the team has moved Maatta and winger Clayton Keller to non-roster status, so it’s possible that another player will be brought up for practice purposes over the next couple of days.