The Utah Hockey Club entered the league under very unusual circumstances, with the franchise only coming into existence less than six months before its inaugural season. As a result, the team opted to use temporary branding for said inaugural season while developing a permanent identity for the 2025-26 season.

As mentioned, Kesselring took advantage of the chance to prove himself as a legitimate top-four defenseman; Jaxson Stauber showed that he can play in the NHL; Olli Määttä earned a spot on Finland’s 4 Nations Face-Off team — a chance he may not have gotten if he’d stayed in Detroit.

The Jets, who lead the Central Division by five points and sit second in the NHL rankings, came into Delta Center winning three of their last four games. Utah did not let the numbers get in its head and put forth a high-paced, even-keeled effort that earned it two more points in the Western Conference playoff race.

Marino wasn't the only defenseman to step up with Sergachev out. Michael Kesselring was elevated to the top power-play unit and didn't take long to find success. Kesselring scored Utah's opening goal on the man advantage in the first period.

The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club has gone better than many expected, and it appears they are set to get another boost before the campaign ends. According to a recent report, the team is set to bring over one of their top prospects currently playing in Russia.

The Utah Hockey Club has been struggling since the end of December. It’s been a downward spiral for the team after Utah won six out of seven games and went 6-0-1 in that span.

The Utah Hockey Club went big this offseason after their relocation from Arizona last summer. Despite their spending frenzy in free agency, Utah stands 25th in the league with an 18-19-7 record.