The Utah Hockey Club roster includes a mix of fresh and seasoned players — but no matter how long any of them have played, nobody had experienced anything like this season before.
It started with the welcome event in April 2024, where the players took the stage at a fully packed Delta Center, hyping the crowd up for hockey. It was at this point that many of them realized their new home could be special.
“I was expecting a lot of greatness. My standards were set pretty high from that welcome and it exceeded it,” said defenseman Sean Durzi. “It’s almost like the fans sensed something special — not only with us, but with the state. Everywhere we go, everyone’s talking about hockey.”
That excitement stuck around into the preseason, where “the roof blew off” the arena during the first game, as forward Liam O’Brien put it at the time.
By the time the first regular season game rolled around, the guys knew exactly what to expect — and even then, it surpassed expectations.
Team captain Clayton Keller described it as “something we’ll be talking about forever.”
The support continued the entire season. Every Utah home game was a sellout. Fans even packed most of the limited-view seats on a nightly basis (though those aren’t counted toward the official stadium capacity in terms of sellouts).
That excitement made the season special for a group that had struggled for support the last handful of seasons.
“I think especially coming from last year and then to these games this year, you kind of appreciate the fans and how much they care and the passion, so it’s been really fun,” said forward Jack McBain.
Everyone had their favorite moments throughout the season.
For defenseman Michael Kesselring, it’s a toss-up between his overtime goal against his childhood-favorite Boston Bruins and fighting at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev noted the various home overtime wins, including the one where he played hero.
Forward Michael Carcone just liked playing at home in general.
And, of course, goaltender Karel Vejmelka has fond memories of his 49-save win against the Carolina Hurricanes, where he properly introduced himself to the fanbase.
The players also expressed love for Utah as a place to live. Those with young children mentioned the family-focused culture as a highlight.
Many mentioned the moderate climate and the relatively light traffic, and nearly everyone raved about the mountains.
“How clean it is — like, Salt Lake, Park City, Deer Valley, those spots — how people take care of them," Sergachev said when asked what surprised him about Utah. “I’ve lived in America for eight years, nine years, and it’s been a surprise.”