NHL Game of the Week: Chicago Blackhwaks vs. Utah Hockey Club

The NHL season is back and there’s a “new” team in the league looking to start off its inaugural season on a hot start.

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to Utah for the first time to take on the Utah Hockey Club.

The Hockey Club has yet to come up with a team name, as they want to wait a season to see what fits the team.

The Blackhawks are in the midst of a rebuild and have some big-time pieces that could help the team make a little noise in the Central Division.

Utah takes over the previous Arizona Coyotes, a team that seemed like they were just a couple of pieces short of competing for a playoff spot.

The Hockey Club added just those pieces and this team is primed to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The team added the likes of defensemen John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev to bolster the blue line. Sergachev has continued to get better during his time in Tampa Bay and will likely be one of the top defensemen on this young team.

Marino has had his moments as an offensive defenseman and if he finds some consistency, he could become a major factor for this team.

Utah returns some major young talent including Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.

The Blackhawks are in the midst of a massive rebuild and should be better than they were a season ago.

With a generational star like Connor Bedard now in his second season, the Blackhawks continue to build the team around their young superstar.

Chicago added a lot in the offseason. It’s headlined by Tyler Bertuzzi and Ilya Mikheyev. Both players will provide some depth to the team that is well-needed and the Blackhawks are heading in the right direction.

However, they are not quite there just yet. The team is still multiple pieces away from competing for a playoff spot. If there are some players that really take a massive step then the window for the playoffs will open up a whole lot earlier.

Now to the game, it would be hard not to pick Utah in its first-ever game at home in front of a fanbase that seems to be all in for this team. The team deserves that dedication from a fanbase and an owner that it was not receiving while in Arizona.

The main difference maker is the player between the pipes. For Utah, it will likely be Connor Ingram who has shown he’s a franchise goalie. On the other side, the main goalie is truly unknown. It will likely be Petr Mrazek in the season opener, but Arvid Soderblom is primed to eventually take over the top goalie spot on the team.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email asd5765@psu.edu.