What are the Utah Hockey Club’s best games this season? – Deseret News

The stage is set for the Utah Hockey Club.

The schedule for the franchise’s first regular season has been released, detailing all of the matchups Utah will use in its quest to make an immediate name for itself in the NHL.

Here are five Utah Hockey Club home games you don’t want to miss.

Tuesday, October 8 against Chicago Blackhawks

Utah’s season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks will feature one of the most exciting sports atmospheres in state history.

The Delta Center – already known for its deafening crowd noise – will surely shake for its first-ever NHL regular season game.

Given the large deposit for season tickets that was paid when the team moved to Salt Lake City, it is impossible that every seat in the house will not be filled on this historic night.

Utah’s first NHL hockey player will be Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard, who was selected number 1 in last year’s NHL Draft and is considered one of the best players of his generation.

As an 18-year-old freshman, Bedard won the prestigious Calder Memorial Trophy last year, scoring a total of 61 points.

With the hockey club making its ice debut and the arrival of a potential rising legend in town, Bedard, October 8th will be a night for the ages.

Thursday, October 24th against Colorado Avalanche and Friday, November 15th against Vegas Golden Knights

Utah couldn’t ask for two stronger regional rivals.

Colorado and Vegas are among the elite organizations in the Western Conference, having won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The Golden Knights are a particularly interesting team. Many Utahns jumped on their bandwagon when the “local” team entered the NHL in 2017, and Vegas remains the textbook example of how to quickly build a rabid fan base in a brand new hockey market. Perhaps such circumstances will lead to aggression and intrigue on the ice.

Few teams in the league are as solid as the Avalanche, led by center Nathan MacKinnon, who scored an outstanding 140 points last year.

Even though the team failed in this year’s playoffs, Colorado is still considered the favorite for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup and the game against Utah will certainly be exciting.

Whenever the Jazz host the Nuggets, Warriors or other conference opponents, the atmosphere at the Delta Center is incredible, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case when Utah hosts regional hockey giants.

Sunday, December 22nd against Anaheim Ducks

Yes, Anaheim’s recent rebranding back to its “Mighty Ducks” roots definitely played a role in this choice. But the Ducks’ inclusion on this list isn’t just based on their top-notch uniform play.

Utah’s players have had a heated recent history with Anaheim. During their time as the Arizona Coyotes, games against the Ducks were almost always filled with fights, brawls and tension. The Hockey News even went so far as to say there was “a rivalry in the making” between the two teams.

According to hockeyfights.com, the Coyotes have never fought another team more often in Arizona history than in the 78 skirmishes against Anaheim.

Even though Utah’s players now belong to a new state and wear different uniforms, there’s no reason to believe their past animosity toward the Ducks won’t linger. If the two young, hungry teams rise together in the next few years, there could certainly be more hatred developing between them.

Their first meeting on December 22 should be entertaining.

Wednesday, January 8th against Florida Panthers

We must not forget the champions.

The powerful Florida Panthers defeated Edmonton last week to win their first Stanley Cup, and they don’t appear to be losing momentum anytime soon.

When Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkackuk and Co. visit Salt Lake City for the first time, it will likely be Utah’s most notable home challenge to date.

The victory against the defending champions could be a culture-building victory for players and fans alike.