Predicted Utah Hockey Club lineup tonight: Projected lineup for NHL season opener against Blackhawks | Oct. 8, 2024

On Tuesday, the Utah Hockey Club will play their first regular-season game in franchise history when they face off with the Chicago Blackhawks in their season opener at home. The game will be the first for the team after relocating from Phoenix at the end of last season following its fourth straight year without a playoff appearance.

With a fresh look, the Utah Hockey Club is looking to start the season off with a bang after finishing the preseason with a 5-2 record that saw it close out its preseason slate with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Heading into Tuesday's season opener, the team's expected lines for the clash with the Chicago Blackhawks are as follows:

Forwards

L1: Clayton Keller - Barrett Hayton - Nick Schmaltz

L2: Jack McBain - Logan Cooley - Dylan Guenther

L3: Matias Maccelli - Josh Doan - Lawson Crouse

L4: Michael Carcone - Kevin Stenlund - Liam O-Brien

Defense

L1: Mikhail Sergachev - Sean Durzi

L2: Ian Cole - Vladislav Kolyachonok

L3: Juuso Valimaki - Robert Bortuzzo

Goalies

Connor Ingram

Karel Vejmelka

1st Powerplay Unit

Nick Schmaltz - Barrett Hayton - Dylan Guenther

Mikhail Sergachev - Clayton Keller

2nd Powerplay Unit

Lawson Crouse - Logan Cooley - Josh Doan

Sean Durzi - Matias Maccelli

1st Penalty Kill Unit

Alex Kerfoot - Lawson Crouse

Juuso Valimaki - Ian Cole

2nd Penalty Kill Unit

Kevin Stenlund - Jack McBain

Mikhail Sergachev - Sean Durzi

Looking ahead at the 2024-25 season for the Utah Hockey Club after offseason relocation

After relocating from Phoenix to Utah this summer, the Utah Hockey Club made several offseason transactions with the goal of getting the franchise off to a strong start following its struggles in Phoenix.

The team signed young defenseman Patrik Koch and netminder Matt Villalta to two-way contracts, before then signing another budding young prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok to a two-year deal.

In addition, the team acquired veteran winger Liam O'Brien on a three-year deal before then jumping into the trade market in late July. Upon doing so, the team traded for another standout defender in two-time Stanley Cup champion Mikhail Sergachev.

The team also notably acquired John Marino as part of a trade with the New Jersey Devils, adding another young standout to its defensive core.

With a number of new faces filling out the roster, the team is entering into the 2024-25 season with high hopes that it will be able to improve upon last year's 36-41-5 record.

Following Tuesday's home opener against the Blackhawks, the team will hit the road for a four-game stretch that will see it play the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks before then returning to Utah for a three-game stint starting with an Oct. 19 game against the Bruins.

The team will next host the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 22, followed by the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 24 before playing the Los Angeles Kings in a road game on Oct. 26, followed by a two-game home stretch to close out the month of October.