Fans gear up for the Utah Hockey Club’s first home game
Sep 23, 2024, 6:22 PM
Fans start to file into the Delta Center for the Utah Hockey Club's pre-season match. (Emma Keddington)
(Emma Keddington)
SALT LAKE CITY — Even though it’s only a pre-season match, it’s nearly a full house at the Delta Center tonight as the Utah Hockey Club plays their very first home game against the Los Angeles Kings.
KSL Sports Utah Hockey Insider Cole Bagley says here are two intriguing things to look forward to Monday night.
“We’re going to see Mikhail Sergachev putting on the UHC hockey club sweater for the first time.”
Sergachev is a two-time Stanley Cup champion and was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer. “The team was just trying to add a true defensive star and they got one,” Bagley said.
Other “stars” to look forward to seeing play tonight include players like Clayton Keller, Connor Ingram and Matias Maccelli, Bagley said.
Second, tonight can give “a better look at some of the young prospects on this Utah Hockey Club team, guys like Josh Doan and Maveric Lamoureux,” he said.
Fans look forward to the first puck drop
KSL NewsRadio’s Eric Cabrera went to the Utah Hockey Club’s morning skate practice inside the Olympic Oval Monday to catch up with fans and experience the buzz leading up to tonight’s game.
One of the fans, Chris Shepard, took his lunch to attend.
“The young guys… [that’s what] it’s really about, just seeing how they play, how they fit in,” Shepard said.
He said he remembers attending the Salt Lake Golden Eagles games as a kid. He’s been waiting for the day hockey re-entered Utah his whole life.
“It’s pretty wild I’m excited to see how the atmosphere is in the area… Utah fans are pretty wild, it’s going to be loud. Boys are going to be buzzing on the ice out there. It’s exciting,” he said.
Bagley spoke to fans as well, and learned that the Delta Center is expected to be pretty close to max capacity.
“There’s just a buzz around Utah and around this facility. I was talking to some of the players this morning… And they are excited to see the fans. They have taken notice of how supportive Utah is,” he said.
