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Utah Signs Liam O’Brien To Three-Year Extension

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The Utah Hockey Club has signed enforcer Liam O’Brien to a three-year extension, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Monday. The deal carries a $1MM cap hit, Johnston adds. Jordan Schmaltz of the Live in Five podcast was the first to report the terms of the deal last night.

O’Brien, 29, is coming off his first season as a true NHL regular. While he hasn’t spent any time in the minors since his one-year stint with the Avalanche in 2020-21, he was often a 13th forward for the Coyotes after arriving as a free agent the following season. That changed during the franchise’s final season in the desert, with O’Brien dressing in a career-high 75 games.

He responded with a career-high 14 points (five goals, nine assists), one of which was a goal in their final game in Arizona, a 5-2 win over the Oilers on April 17. O’Brien also led the league in penalty minutes with 153 and led the Coyotes in hits with 229. He’ll now be back with his former teammates as they make the move north to Salt Lake City for 2024-25.

It’s been a long road to NHL relevancy for O’Brien, who at one point went nearly three and a half years between major league appearances (Nov. 10, 2017 – April 2, 2021). Undrafted, the 6’1″, 213-lb forward captained the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in his final junior season before landing an entry-level deal with the Capitals. He ended up sticking in the Caps system for six seasons, although most of his time was spent on the farm with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He racked up 137 points and 638 PIMs in 370 games there between 2014 and 2020, compared to only two points and 28 PIMs in 17 games with the Capitals during that span.

O’Brien will play an immediate fan-favorite role in Utah’s first year. Ice time and appearances will likely be harder for him to carve out with youngsters Josh Doan and Dylan Guenther presumably full-time locks, though, and Utah general manager Bill Armstrong is expected to add some other impact pieces to the roster via trades and free agency. Still, it’s a reasonable commitment for a good energy piece, even if his possession numbers are nothing to write home about. It’s in line with the market value set by Ryan Reaves when he inked a three-year, $1.35MM AAV deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency last summer.

The Halifax native will next be eligible for UFA status in 2027. Armstrong still has $42.56MM in projected cap space to play with this summer with 11 open roster spots, per CapFriendly.

Utah Re-Signs Vladislav Kolyachonok To Two-Year Deal

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The Utah Hockey Club and left-shot defender Vladislav Kolyachonok have agreed to a two-year contract, per a team release. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Per PuckPedia, it’s a two-way deal in 2024-25 before converting to a one-way agreement in 2025-26. It carries a cap hit of $775K and will pay him a $125K AHL salary next season.

Kolyachonok, 23, split the 2023-24 season between the Coyotes – who picked him up in a trade with the Panthers in 2021 – and their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He was strong in a four-game call-up near the end of the season, posting a goal and three assists in four games with a +5 rating in third-pairing minutes.

In 36 games on the farm with Tucson, Kolyachonok logged 11 points (eight goals, three assists) with 14 PIMs and a +2 rating. He went without a point and had a -3 rating in the Roadrunners’ brief appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, a two-game dispatching in the first round at the hands of the Calgary Wranglers.

Kolyachonok was drafted by the Panthers in the second round in 2019 from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds. He was coming off his first season in North America after spending most of his development in his native Belarus. His professional showings don’t indicate he’ll ever have particularly strong point totals at the highest level, but he does have the skating ability and overall awareness to prevent him from being an offensive liability. He’d managed two goals and seven points across 39 games for the Yotes over the past three seasons.

If Kolyachonok had reached restricted free agency next week, he wouldn’t have been eligible for arbitration. He’s only accumulated three of the four professional seasons required for eligibility since he signed his entry-level contract at 18. If he fails to bring his NHL games played total to 80 over the next two seasons, he could be eligible for Group VI UFA status when his deal is up in 2026. Otherwise, he’ll remain under Utah’s control as an RFA.

Notably, Kolyachonok is no longer waiver-exempt. If he doesn’t make Utah’s inaugural opening-night roster, they’ll need to expose him to the league’s other 31 teams on his way back to Tucson.

Utah Re-Signs Ben McCartney

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Over the past few weeks, Utah has been busy re-signing several pending free agents.  They continued that on Monday as the team announced that they’ve inked winger Ben McCartney to a one-year, two-way deal.  While financial terms were not disclosed, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the contract pays $775K in the NHL and $100K in the minors, meaning he took less than his qualifying offer to secure a higher guaranteed AHL portion.

The 22-year-old finished up his entry-level contract this season, playing exclusively in the minors with Tucson although he did have a brief early-season recall to Arizona.  McCartney played in 46 games with the Roadrunners in 2023-24, picking up six goals and a dozen assists.

In his rookie year, McCartney had 35 points in 57 games in the minors, earning him a two-game stint with the Coyotes.  However, even if you add in his output from 2022-23, he has just 37 AHL points since then which made him a possible non-tender candidate if GM Bill Armstrong decided he wanted to give someone else a shot.  Instead, McCartney will get another chance to prove his worth, assuming he clears waivers in the fall to return to the Roadrunners (who remain Utah’s affiliate for next season).

Utah Signs Patrik Koch To One-Year Extension

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The Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Patrik Koch to a one-year, two-way contract extension (Twitter link). The details of the contract haven’t been released, following Utah club policy, though it’s expected to carry a league-minimum $775K cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Koch signed a one-year, $847.5K contract with the Arizona Coyotes last summer, making a move to North America after an eight-year career split between the Czechia and Slovakia Extraligas. Koch totaled 15 points and 97 penalty minutes in 63 games as an AHL rookie, continuing his trend of high-event stat lines – having surpassed 85 penalty minutes in four of his last five seasons in Europe. Koch also made his NHL debut on March 7th and, true to form, received a game misconduct for joining in on a small line brawl after just nine minutes of ice time. Koch added four hits and one block to his NHL stat line, flexing imposing physicality at the bottom of the lineup.

This extension makes Koch just the fourth defenseman signed by Utah, with the club still facing eight pending free agents at the position. That leaves a lot of uncertainty in Utah’s depth chart, though it’s unlikely that Koch will rival a daily NHL role as next season roles around. The European veteran will instead return to a young Tuscon blue-line, looking to bring the physicality needed to protect young and inexperienced players like Julian Lutz, Sam Lipkin, and Maveric Lamoureux.

Utah Signs Matt Villalta To Two-Year Contract

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Taking care of some goaltending depth in the minor leagues, the Utah Hockey Club has announced a two-year, two-way contract for goaltender Matt Villalta. Although financial terms of the deal were not included in the announcement, it is expected Villalta will make close to if not the minimum salary at the NHL level.

Villalta originally broke into the league as a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings during the 2017 NHL Draft. Villalta made his professional debut during the 2019-20 AHL season after finishing his junior career for the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. Villalta spent the next four seasons playing for the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, where he collected a 58-32-14 record in 108 regular season games while seeing his save percentage climb to .910 in his last year with the organization.

After becoming a free agent last offseason, Villalta signed a one-year, $775K contract with the Arizona Coyotes and was immediately assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners after clearing waivers during training camp. Not only did Villalta provide solid goaltending for the Roadrunners, he was one of the better goalies in the entire AHL having posted a 31-17-3 record in 51 games while carrying a .911 SV% and 2.54 goals against average.

While leading the AHL in wins and earning an AHL All-Star nod, the Coyotes recalled Villalta to the NHL level for the first time in his career on February 16th by way of an emergency loan. Unfortunately, Villalta’s strong performance in the AHL did not translate in Arizona, posting a 0-1-0 record after one start while stopping only 82.8% of shots.

Depending on what Utah ends up doing with Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram this summer, Villalta could once again play himself to an opportunity at the NHL level. However, if Utah keeps both goaltenders in the mix heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, Villalta will surely start the year in the AHL.

Utah Names Chris Armstrong President Of Hockey Operations

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The Utah Hockey Club has officially hired Chris Armstrong as president of hockey operations, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter and Alex Silverman first reported on the move in May.

Armstrong is not related to Utah general manager Bill Armstrong, but he does have a pre-existing relationship with owners Ryan and Ashley Smith. The longtime agent with Wasserman advised the Smiths throughout their acquisition of an NHL franchise over the past few months and has now become their top hockey ops decision-maker.

While most of his work as an agent has been done in golf, Armstrong did appear in the NHL news cycle last summer. He formerly represented GM Kyle Dubas during his contract negotiations with the Maple Leafs, a relationship that ended up being the result of an NHLPA investigation. No consequences arose from the investigation, though, at least not publicly. Armstrong isn’t an NHLPA-certified agent and can’t represent active players.

Armstrong had been at his gig with Wasserman, one of the most prominent agencies in sports, for over 13 years. He first joined the agency in 2010 in a VP of Canadian talent management role and was later promoted to senior and executive VP roles. Before departing Wasserman for Utah, he’d served as their executive VP of talent and innovation.

Outside of the other Armstrong and head coach André Tourigny, the team hasn’t yet confirmed which of the hockey operations staff it acquired from the Arizona Coyotes will return next season.

Utah Willing To Move Sixth Overall Pick

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Utah appears to be willing to move their sixth overall pick in this month’s NHL Entry Draft (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). The franchise could open up a lot of trade options if the reports are true, and it would be a departure for general manager Bill Armstrong, as he spent the past few seasons accumulating draft picks year after year while the team was playing in Arizona. The sixth overall pick would hold a lot of value for Utah and could certainly be part of a package to fetch the team a premium asset. For context, Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was drafted by the Calgary Flames sixth overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

The timing to move the pick makes sense, given that Utah is entering a new market, and a big trade at the draft would create a buzz around the team. They also don’t have to contend with any pending cap crunch as the team is slated to have $43.5MM in cap space (as per CapFriendly) heading into the summer.  Utah also has a deep prospect cupboard and has a ton of draft picks available heading into the next few years. The team has just one first-round pick this year. However, they have 13 total picks in this year’s draft, including three second-round picks and three third-round picks. The team also holds ten picks in next year’s draft, including four second-round picks.

There is no indication as to what Armstrong might do with the pick, and he is a general manager who will go off the board at times and create a surprise. He mentioned a few weeks ago that he wasn’t “in the market for buying 33-year-olds but was looking at 23-year-old players.” If that pattern holds, it’s conceivable to think that Utah could target a younger, established NHL player with the sixth overall pick.

Some of the players who might be available to draft with the sixth overall pick this year (as per Sportsnet’s draft rankings) could be forward Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets (WHL), defenseman Anton Silayev of the KHL, and defenseman Zayne Parekh, of the Saginaw Spirit (OHL).

It is not common to see teams move top-5 draft picks; however, the 6-10 picks have been traded with a lot more frequency. In 2012 the Pittsburgh Penguins dealt Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Brian Dumoulin, Brandon Sutter and the eighth overall pick, which they used to select Derrick Pouliot. In 2017, the New York Rangers sent Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for Tony DeAngelo and the seventh overall, which they used to pick Lias Andersson. Finally, just two years ago, the Ottawa Senators sent the seventh overall pick in 2022, along with a second and fourth round to Chicago for Alex DeBrincat.

Utah Signs Julian Lutz To Entry-Level Contract

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June 17: As they did hours earlier with Noel Nordh, the Utah Hockey Club made Lutz’s signing official Monday.

May 26: Utah made a move today as they signed forward Julian Lutz to a three-year entry-level contract (as per CapFriendly). The native of Weingarten, Germany, was the Arizona Coyotes’ second-round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft (43rd overall) and struggled with injuries in the following season, playing in just 24 games in the DEL with EHC Red Bull München and posting just a single goal and seven assists.

Last year, the 20-year-old made the jump to the United States Hockey League and was dominant in his first season with the Green Bay Gamblers, registering 24 goals and 44 assists in just 50 games and two goals and two assists in six playoff games.

Internationally, Lutz has represented Germany on multiple occasions, including the 2024 World Junior Championships in two separate years, tallying a goal and three assists in ten games. He also represented Germany’s U18 team in the 2021-22 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, posting two goals in four games.

Lutz’s three-year deal will carry a cap hit of $923K and will see him receive $95K in signing bonuses in each of the three years of the deal. His average annual value on the deal is $950K, while the NHL salaries break down as $775K in year one and $855K in years two and three. Lutz will earn $82,500 while playing in the AHL.

Utah Signs Noel Nordh To Entry-Level Contract

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June 17: The Utah Hockey Club is officially in business, making Nordh’s signing official as the first in franchise history (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN).

May 5: The loom of a summertime move hasn’t stopped the day-to-day affairs of the former Arizona Coyotes front office. Now representing Utah, they’ve signed 2023 third-round pick Noel Nordh to a three-year, entry-level contract, per CapFriendly (Twitter link). The contract carries a $865K cap hit and both signing and performance bonuses. Nordh becomes the 11th player from 2023’s third-round to sign his first NHL contract.

Nordh is coming off his first full season of pro hockey, earning a role in Sweden’s second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan, after starting the season in the country’s U20 league. He was limited to just six goals and 15 points in his 50 appearances with Brynas IF, averaging 9:41 in ice time. While he certainly posted an anti-climactic stat line, Nordh improved significantly in his ability to make plays and work with teammates at high speeds this season.

He’s still a bit of an awkward skater who doesn’t inspire many flashy plays – both complaints levied against him in his draft year – but Nordh fit nicely into Brynas’ systems and showed a clear ability to use his size and long reach to shut down defenders. He seems to have all of the tools needed to develop into a reliable bottom-six forward. Utah now seems ready to test that, signing Nordh to a deal that strongly suggests he’ll be moving to North America next season.

The Coyotes iced 19 different forwards over the 2023-24 season, showing no fear in rewarding minor-league standouts with their NHL debut. That could bode well for Nordh, who will now enter a race with players like Aku Raty, Jan Jenik, and Milos Kelemen for some of the last spots on Utah’s lineup.

Smith Entertainment Group Officially Acquires Utah Hockey Club

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The Smith Entertainment Group has officially closed all of its transactions necessary to acquire the hockey operations of the Arizona Coyotes franchise, the NHL confirmed in a statement Thursday. The new franchise will officially be known as Utah Hockey Club for the 2024-25 season, also confirming their temporary colorways and jerseys.

While largely a formality to close the sale as initially described in April, it is not without ramifications for some still affiliated with the now-deactivated Coyotes franchise. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports that many of their remaining office staff are expected to be laid off in the coming days.

The Coyotes’ roster from last season, including pending free agents, is now officially under contract with Utah. The new franchise has also acquired the Coyotes’ full reserve list, future draft picks, and all members of their hockey operations department, led by general manager Bill Armstrong.

As announced by the team, the initial branding consists of a simple black, blue and white color scheme that will only remain in effect temporarily next season. A fan vote between six permanent team name finalists – Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti – remains open through June 20. It’s unclear if the current colors will remain past 2024-25.

It’s an important procedural step to allow Utah to operate without restraint as the draft and free agency approach. The team has reportedly already signed a few Coyotes reserve list players, including 2022 second-round pick Julian Lutz. Those deals will now be officially registered with the league. Armstrong can now also officially register new contracts for their large slate of pending RFAs, which includes defensemen Sean Durzi, J.J. Moser, Juuso Välimäki and center Barrett Hayton.

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