The Utah Hockey Club continued its rookie camp with an on-ice session at the Utah Olympic Oval on Thursday. Camp concludes with the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles this weekend. Utah’s first game is on Friday.
Here’s what stood out on the second day of rookie camp.
Cole Beaudoin: Zach Hyman 2.0
Zach Hyman of the Edmonton Oilers became known this year for his ability to score every time he touched the puck, as long as it was within 5 feet of the net. Cole Beaudoin scored a lot of goals during practice on Thursday, and virtually all of them were within the Hyman range.
Beaudoin will undoubtedly be a force on the power play once he arrives in the NHL. Though he’s only 18, he’s already 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, making him immoveable when he sets up in front of the goalie. His skating skill doesn’t appear to be at an NHL level, but as he continues working with NHL skills coaches, it’s likely it will come.
He will go back to the Barrie Colts of the OHL this year, though Steve Potvin, the head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners and the main bench boss in charge of rookie camp, said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Beaudoin make an appearance or two in the NHL if injuries arise.
Julian Lutz is a playmaker
German forward Julian Lutz turned some heads Thursday with his playmaking abilities. He is set to start the season with the Roadrunners, and although he’ll likely remain there most of the season, his future looks bright.
He likes to make short, quick, ping-pong-style passes in the offensive zone. Why is that significant? Well, Clayton Keller, Utah’s leading scorer last year, thrives off of those short, quick, ping-pong-style passes. It’s too soon to say anything definitive, but Lutz could eventually find himself on Utah’s first power play unit, alongside Keller.
Still no Tij
As reported Wednesday, Tij Iginla is out with a hip injury. The team announced Thursday that he will not play in the Rookie Faceoff this weekend, though he will travel with the team to Los Angeles. This comes as no surprise, considering he was at the rink both days of rookie camp despite the fact that he never stepped foot on the ice.
I promise I’m not going to be the media member that constantly compares Tij to his Hall of Fame father, Jarome Iginla, but some of Jarome’s leadership qualities seem to have rubbed off on Tij. I haven’t heard a negative thing about him this whole time and he already seems to be well integrated with his peers, many of whom he had never met until this week.
That’s likely why he’s traveling with the team, despite the fact that he won’t play. He’s a real team player.
What’s next?
As mentioned, Utah’s rookies play on Friday, Saturday and Monday at the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles. The games will be streamed for free on the team’s website.
The NHL veterans kick off their training camp next week. The first preseason game will take place on the 22nd with a neutral location game in Des Moines, Iowa, against the St. Louis Blues.
Training camp and preseason games will continue until Oct. 5, after which the team will prepare for its first-ever regular season game: a home game against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 8.
