The Utah Hockey Club’s youth movement could remain in full force should Michael Kesselring see a full-time role with the team. There’s a chance he could factor in as the seventh defenseman/rotational piece, but across 65 games last year, he gave fans in the desert and now, Salt Lake City, a few reasons for optimism.
In those 65 contests, Kesselring totaled 21 points and five goals, with 106 hits and 59 blocks across 15:48 of average total ice time. Not bad for a player in his first full year with one of the league’s more irrelevant NHL teams, or what was mostly a full year.
Now, the question is whether, if he gets that full-time role, can he sustain it with more competition this season in Utah that includes Mikail Sergachev, John Marino, and Ian Cole? They’re all familiar names to NHL fans, and those back in the desert may recall a solid player in Sean Durzi, so if Kesselring gets his spot, know that he’ll have earned it.
Utah Hockey Club may have epic defensive rotation with Michael Kesselring
That might sound lofty, but look at Utah’s potential top-four, and you got Mikhail Sergachev and Sean Durzi likely on the first pairing. Next, Ian Cole and John Marino could forge the middle pair, while Juuso Valimaki, who also didn’t look half-bad last season, Kesselring, and Vladislav Kolyachonok battle it out for the final three spots, with one being an extra.
What makes this group especially intriguing is the fact that Kesselring, Valimaki, and Kolyachonok are young players with respectable resumes. This gives the Utah Hockey Club options on the bottom pairing, and if they perform well early, someone like the aging Ian Cole should have zero issues with ceding ice time to the youngsters.
Now, you may look at Marino and scoff, considering how poorly he played last year, but remember, he was a fine blueliner in the past. Cole has proved to be a steady presence regardless of where he’s landed, so this gives Kesselring and company a chance to form a deep rotation of seven defensemen once the puck drops next month.
Overall, Kesselring has shown he can ultimately break into the top-four should he keep up his solid play. At even strength last year, he logged a 51.6 Corsi For Percentage, an 11.0 on-ice shooting percentage, plus a 91.1 on-ice save percentage, meaning he’s off to a decent start to what is a young career.