Travis Barron

Utah is bringing in some more minor-league reinforcements ahead of their first season. Journeyman forward Andrew Agozzino has inked a two-year, two-way deal, while ex-Coyotes minor league winger Travis Barron will remain with AHL Tucson next season on a one-year, two-way deal as they switch affiliations from Arizona to Utah. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Agozzino, 33, is a premier AHL scoring forward and often sits high on the list of potential recalls with whatever club he happens to be signed with. He’s bounced around plenty of times throughout his career, with Utah becoming the sixth different team he’s signed an NHL contract with and his fourth team in the past four years.

He spent last season with the Ducks but didn’t see NHL ice for the first time since 2017-18. He didn’t let it get him down, leading AHL San Diego in scoring with 26 goals and 64 points in 72 games. He won’t be much of a factor in the NHL for Utah in their inaugural campaign, but he’s an important reinforcement for Tucson and should be a first-line fixture for their minor league club.

Barron, 25, will stick around after spending the last three seasons on AHL and NHL contracts with the Roadrunners. A checking winger first and foremost, he’s contributed 29 goals and 62 points in 182 games for Tucson since signing with them in 2021. Utah becomes his third NHL team after previously signing deals with the Avalanche and Coyotes – he was a Colorado seventh-round pick back in 2016 and suited up for their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles in parts of three seasons.

Utah now has 37 standard player contracts signed for 2024-25 after the moves, 13 short of the limit, per CapFriendly.