The Hive Sports

by Alma Bean

Feature Image by Amy Irvin of The Hockey Writers

The moment the Utah Hockey Club landed in Las Vegas for the 2024 NHL Draft; they meant business. Between stunning draft picks and shocking trades, Utah HC’s general manager Bill Armstrong is making sure that this team is prepared to compete sooner rather than later.

Below is a recap of all of Utah HC’s moves for their first ever NHL Draft.

Tij Iginla

Utah HC’s owner Ryan Smith announced that the first pick in franchise history is Tij Iginla. Many fans and analysts believed that Utah would take a defenseman with the sixth pick of the draft, but Utah decided to catch everyone off guard. Iginla is a 17-year-old forward from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and son of Calgary Flames legend and Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.

Iginla has already shown a lot of promise at a young age in the WHL as he played 64 games and totaling 84 points along with an additional 15 points in 11 playoff games last season. With a hall of fame father to live up to, going to an organization like Utah that has zero expectations might be the best route for Iginla. Many fans will be learning the sport of hockey and may not be too familiar with the history of the game making it easier for Iginla to create his own legacy while building on his father’s legacy long term.

Cole Beaudoin

Utah traded up to the 24th pick to select Cole Beaudoin. Utah traded a 2024 second-round pick (Ilya Nabokov), a 2024 third-round pick (Brodie Ziemer) and a 2025 second-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche to make this move. Beaudoin is known to be a physical forward from the OHL’s Barrie Colts with an amazing instinct of playing winning hockey. According to Chris Peters of Flo Hockey said, “Beaudoin is an extremely aggressive physical forward whose relentlessness in puck pursuit is truly remarkable.” With a new franchise looking to leave their mark on the league early, this pick is a great way to have the fanbase invest for years to come.

TRADE ALERT

Before the start of Day Two of the NHL Draft, Armstrong wanted to put Utah on the NHL map early. Utah HC traded for defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman J.J. Moser, center Conor Geekie, a 2025 second-round pick (via Toronto Maple Leafs) and a 2024 seventh-round pick (Noah Steen). Utah receiving a major upgrade at the defenseman position as Sergachev led all defensemen in scoring in his 2022-23 breakout season with 64 points. Segachev’s talent isn’t in question and will make a major impact if he is healthy. Last season, Sergachev broke his fibula and tibia which kept him out for a majority of the season. He tried to make a comeback for Game Four of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the now Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Sergachev is going into the second year of an eight-year, $68 million contract along with a no trade clause that goes into effect this season, so Utah fans will have plenty of time to embrace his talents.

This wasn’t the only trade that Utah made before Day Two of the NHL Draft. Utah made a deal with the New Jersey Devils sending a 2024 second-round pick (Mikhail Yegorov) and a 2025 second-round pick (via Edmonton Oilers) for defenseman John Marino and a 2024 fifth-round pick (Aleš Čech). Marino is going into year four of a six-year, $26.4 million contract which he originally signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Utah HC GM Bill Armstrong quickly justified not taking a defenseman in the first round of the NHL Draft with these trades and made Utah’s defensive line significantly better with these acquisitions.

Will Skahan

Will Skahan has plenty of potential as a second-round pick out of Boston College. The 18-year-old defenseman from Orange, California played for the U.S National U18 team racking up 14 points in 60 games played. According to EliteProspects, “Skahan is a menace for opponents on the ice…He defends the zone by keeping an intense pressure on the opposition and he clears the front of the net with ease.” Hearing these kinds of words from scouts should be eye opening for fans as he still has plenty of time before he reaches his peak. Skahan will be able to hone his craft at Boston College giving fans an opportunity to see his talents at full speed before he wears a Utah sweater on the ice.

Tomas Lavoie

Tomas Lavoie may be a bit of a hard read coming into this draft with a majority of his rankings being scattered. What stands out most for Lavoie is the pride he has in his defensive responsibilities. Most of the time he’s winning battles in his defensive zones and playing every possession as if he’s on the verge of being cut and he has to fight to stay on the team. Bill Placzek of Lines.com said that Lavoie is, “a future NHL horse who can develop into an offensive threat at the highest levels…He is fluid in his stop and starts and pivots well…He is looked upon to be a future shutdown defenseman.” The defenseman for the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles will need time before making the jump to the NHL but he has the mechanics to potentially be a defensive menace in the league.

Veeti Väisänen

The Finnish defenseman of Liiga’s KooKoo Veeti Väisänen has begun to turn heads over the last year. He has made strides in his offensive game, playmaking and being a driving for his team’s offense. When looking at his stats for last season, accounting for 10 points in 50 games, that should be seen as a positive for a rookie in one of the best professional hockey leagues in the world. On his current trajectory, Väisänen should be the top defenseman for KooKoo for this season and being the main threat on the powerplay. According to Anni Karvinen of DobberProspects said that Väisänen, “is a smooth-skating left-handed defenseman…a reliable two-way game closing gaps effectively and positioning well. While he may not possess the flashiest tools, he utilizes them extremely effectively.” Väisänen’s hockey IQ will be a huge factor on whether or not Väisänen will have a breakout season for KooKoo and effectively make the transition to the NHL.

Gregor Biber

Gregor Biber looks like he’ll be a project pick. Last season playing for the Swedish U20 league, Biber accounted for six points in 40 games played. With there still being plenty unknown about this defenseman prospect, it will be interesting to see if Biber will make the rounds to get onto an AHL or NHL roster in the future.

Gabe Smith

Over the last two seasons, Gabe Smith has been making strides for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats by increasing his point total by three while playing in eight less games. Even with the slight improvement, Smith’s best attribute is his physicality. Smith has been describing as an immoveable force when he is planted in front of the net. Also helps that Smith is 6’4, 208 lbs. as an effective power forward at 17 years old. Smith fits the build of Armstrong’s ideal hockey player, but Smith will need more to develop before he becomes a bonified NHL player.

Owen Allard

The center from the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and son of Shawn Allard, was selected in his third year of draft eligibility after two disappointing years of being looked over. Allard has been putting in the hard work to prove that he’s much better than your average run of the mill undrafted prospect. Last season Allard had career highs in goals (18) and points (44) in 55 games played. According to Allard’s skills coach Kyle Nishizaki, “His energy is infectious…You see him on the ice and the work ethic that’s driven him and allowed him to make this team [Team Canada], but it’s the energy, his love for hockey, his teammates. He pushes everyone around him to be better.” Having a father that is accustomed to hard work leading to success, winning the Stanley Cup as a coach of the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, Allard has proven he has the determination to prove he can and will be dependable no matter the path he’ll have to take.

Aleš Čech

In the Czechia league for BK Mladá Boleslav, Aleš Čech’s numbers weren’t eye popping as he had only seven points in 40 games played. As a defenseman, Čech has an instinct of forcing the opposition towards the walls and disturbing his opponents off the rush. Even with a bronze and silver medal under his belt with the BK Mladá Boleslav U20 team, there’s some concerns with Čech’s vision and puck control that will need to be addressed before he makes his way onto an NHL roster.

Vojtěch Hradec

Vojtěch Hradec, teammate of Utah HC draft pick Aleš Čech with BK Mladá Boleslav, has similar strengths to his teammate. Even for a center, Hradec is known for playing lockdown defense and pinning opponents on the wall with no access of reaching the puck. Hradec has been struggling with consistency of the offensive end and will need to lock into productive puck movement and becoming an offensive weapon to take the next step in his professional career.

Ludvig Lafton

With Utah’s final pick, they selected defenseman Ludvig Lafton from Färjestad BK J20. Lafton is a powerful skater defensively with even better puck handling. With his swift skating ability, Lafton occasionally ends up out of position defensively which can easily be corrected over time.

Just the Beginning

Just because the NHL Draft is over, doesn’t mean that Utah won’t stop conducting business. A lot of promising prospects for fans to get excited for from now till the first puck drop in October. Next order of business with Development Camp starts on July 1 and goes till July 5. On the final day of camp there will be a scrimmage that will be free for the public starting at 1:00 p.m. MST at the Delta Center.