The Utah Hockey Club has been struggling mightily on the defensive end. These issues have only been exasperated by injuries to Sean Durzi, who had been ruled out for four to six months after having surgery on his right shoulder, and John Marino is going to have to miss another three to four months before being able to make his Utah Hockey Club debut.
Utah was dominated in their most recent game against the Colorado Avalanche and lost 5-1, marking their fourth loss in five games. Over that stretch, they have been outscored 18-6 and shut out offensively twice, making the defensive issues stand out more.
However, these injuries and inconsistencies on the blueline have created an exciting opportunity for Maveric Lamoureux. The young talent, drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2022 NHL entry draft, made his NHL debut for the Utah Hockey Club in the loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Let's recap Lamoureux's first game in the NHL and talk about what he can bring to this team in the future.
Maveric Lamoureux was excellent in Utah Hockey Club debut.
Despite Utah getting run off home ice against the Colorado Avalanche, Lamoureux was remarkable in his NHL debut. He finished the game leading the Hockey Club with 18:39 minutes on the ice at five-on-five.
In these 18 minutes, Lamoureux blocked three shots, the most of any player on the Utah Hockey Club and tied for the most of anybody on the ice in this game against the Avalanche.
While Utah gave up five goals in this game, the rookie Lamoureux was not on the ice for any of these goals against. He was one of only two players on the Utah Hockey Club to finish the game with a positive goal share, as Lamoureux was on the ice for Lawson Crouse's goal. Lamoureux did not register a point on this play, but he initiated a turnover, which led to Crouse's chance to score in transition.
The Avalanche rimmed the puck along the boards behind Utah's net to start this play. Casey Mittelstadt of the Avalanche tried to retrieve the puck. But, Lamoureux used his overpowering size to separate Mittelstadt from the puck, allowing Jack McBain to come to pick the puck up. McBain then dished the puck to Ian Cole, who fed Matias Maccelli, who then sprung Crouse for the breakaway. Lamoureux was the only Utah player on the ice who didn't physically touch the puck on this transition goal. However, this goal only happens with his excellent physical play behind Utah's net.
These types of plays will not appear in the box score. However, Lamoureux's physicality on the defensive end could be game-changing for this Utah team, which loves to attack in transition.
At practice on Friday, Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny announced that Maveric Lamoureux will be in Utah's lineup against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. If he continues to play like he did in his debut, Lamoureux will quickly become a staple on Utah's blueline.