What you need to know about Utah Hockey Club’s upcoming rookie camp

To get a first on-ice look at Utah Hockey Club’s jerseys, tune into rookie camp next week. After two days of training in Salt Lake City, the team’s available prospects will head to California for the 2024 Rookie Faceoff — a series of exhibition games against other rookie teams in the Western Conference.
Rookie camp differs from development camp in several ways. Development camp, which took place in July, is a chance for the team to get to know its prospects, including players drafted this summer. Rookie camp is primarily for young players to push for roster spots in both the NHL and the AHL.
As recounted on the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast this week, undrafted Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj earned his first NHL contract at rookie camp. Players will have the chance to do the same at Utah’s camp next weekend.
The training sessions will be on Sept. 11-12, but will be closed to the public. Afterward, they’ll meet a few other teams’ rookies in Los Angeles for a series of exhibition games. The schedule is as follows:
Anyone planning to go to the games in person can secure tickets on the Kings’ website. Those who wish to watch the games from home can stream them for free on Utah HC’s website.
Players at rookie camp come from diverse backgrounds. Some, such as Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin, are recently drafted players looking to make good impressions before almost certainly going back to their junior teams. Others are AHL players hoping to make the NHL. A third category is composed of unsigned players whom the team has invited. These players hope to earn pro contracts at any level, whether it’s the NHL, AHL or ECHL.
Here are some players who could jump to their respective next levels, should they perform well at rookie camp.
Shoulder injuries shortened each of the last two seasons for Maveric Lamoureux. In the games he did play, though, he dominated. Nine goals and 33 points in 39 games as a 6-foot-7 defenseman is nothing short of epic. Add that to his punishing physical play and his aggressive disposition in the defensive zone and you’ve got an exciting player.
Lamoureux is already signed to an entry-level contract, meaning he can go between the NHL and the AHL without requiring waivers. Rookie camp gives him a chance to earn an NHL roster spot, but with Utah’s recent addition of Robert Bortuzzo, it’s likely that Lamoureux will at least start the season with the Tucson Roadrunners.
He could very likely play some NHL games this season, though he will probably spend more time in the AHL. Staying healthy will be key for Lamoureux.
Maksymilian Szuber already has a pro season under his belt — and a very good one, at that. In 70 games with the Roadrunners last year, he scored 28 points from the blue line. He was on the ice for far more goals for his team than against it at even strength, indicating some level of defensive responsibility and offensive prowess. He also got the chance to play one late-season NHL game: a 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
If there’s one player who is most likely to spend significant time in the NHL this year, it’s probably Szuber. Like Lamoureux, his ELC allows the team to recall him from the AHL at any time, and if injuries were to strike Utah’s defensive corps, Szuber might be Bill Armstrong’s first call.
No, that’s not a copy-and-paste error: Miko Matikka and Maksymilian Szuber are the exact same height and weight, according to their Elite Prospects profiles.
Matikka will make his pro debut this year, likely spending the majority of the season with the Roadrunners. He won the NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver last season, contributing 20 goals and 33 points in 43 games. Like many others in the Utah HC system, he’s big and plays a physical game.
While the others mentioned above are likely to be atop Utah’s list of defensive call-ups, Matikka’s phone could ring if a forward spot opens up. He would make a nice addition to the team’s bottom six with his two-way, physical game. Like the others, he already has an ELC secured.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Servac Petrovsky. In three OHL seasons, he’s had no less than 54 points and no more than 55 points. His goal-scoring total has decreased by four each season and he has played slightly fewer games each year.
While it would be excellent for an NHL player to remain this consistent, it’s a bit of a red flag for someone in juniors. Each year, the older players age out of the league and younger players replace them. The older players’ numbers typically increase season to season. The fact that Petrovsky’s numbers have remained flat could indicate that he’s not developing the way he should. That being said, he performed at an elite level on both sides of the ice for Team Slovakia at the World Junior Championships last year.
It may have been these factors that led the Minnesota Wild, who drafted him in 2022, to not sign him. He was released just before the draft this year, making him eligible to be drafted for a second time. That didn’t happen, so now, as a free agent, he’s trying to earn himself a contract.
Don’t assume that being released from your draft team means you won’t make it in the NHL. Brandon Hagel, who scored 75 points for the Tampa Bay Lightning this year, was in the same boat six years ago. If Petrovsky performs well at rookie camp, he could find himself in the AHL next season.
After spending the majority of the season with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers, Kyle Crnkovic would like to secure a full-time spot on an AHL roster. He played in the league last season — six games with the San Diego Gulls — but didn’t register a point in that time.
Crnkovic ripped up the ECHL, scoring a little less than a point per game. He probably belongs in the AHL, though his brief stint last year didn’t show it. A good rookie camp with Utah could land him a roster spot.
The full list of players attending the camp is as follows:
Forwards: Owen Allard, Cole Beaudoin, Kyle Crnkovic, Drew Elliott, Will Gavin, Tij Iginla, Sam Lipkin, Julian Lutz, Miko Matikka, Jacob Newcombe, Reggie Newman, Noel Nordh, Servac Petrovsky, Peter Repcik and Gabe Smith.
Defensemen: Artem Duda, Terrell Goldsmith, Justin Kipkie, Maveric Lamoureux, Tomas Lavoie, Lleyton Moore, Maksymilian Szuber and Veeti Vaisanen.
Goalies: Reid Cooper, Reid Dyck and Anson Thornton.