The Utah Hockey Club is sending a couple of AHL players to the Czech Extraliga. The organization has loaned defenseman Patrik Koch to HC Oceláři Třinec and forward Milos Kelemen to HC Dynamo Pardubice. Both players had already registered double-digit games with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners this season.
It will be Koch’s second go around in the Extraliga. He played three years for the HC Vítkovice from 2020 to 2023 collecting six goals and 23 points in 156 contests. He’s in his second year with Utah (including one year with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes organization) after signing a one-year, $775K agreement on June 20th.
He’s been a solid presence for the Roadrunners over the last two years scoring one goal and 17 points in 73 AHL contests. There was some early indication that he might crack Utah’s opening night roster as a depth defenseman after a strong showing in the IIHF World Championships and the NHL preseason. He scored one goal and four points in eight tournament games for Team Slovakia and helped them earn a birth into the knockout round.
He’ll now be taking his talents back to Czechia with Kelemen. The latter was signed out of the Extraliga in 2022 after scoring five goals and 18 points in 44 games for BK Mladá Boleslav in 2021-22. He’s been a consistent middle-six scorer for the Roadrunners over the past three years scoring 31 goals and 68 points in 124 games. He’s the only one of the pair that has already made his NHL debut scoring one goal and two points in 24 games for the Coyotes from 2022 to 2024.
Without a real pathway to playing time in the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club is returning the two Slovakians to a more comfortable lifestyle. They are both playing on expiring contracts this year and may continue the rest of their professional careers overseas.
Surprised to see Koch here. Keleman just welcomed a newborn… now gets to start his family back home. But Koch was at or near the top of the call-up list. I wonder if/when he’ll be back.