- Utah announced (Twitter link) that winger Matias Maccelli was scratched from tonight’s game against Calgary due to an illness. After putting up 57 points last season, the 24-year-old has struggled mightily offensively this year, potting just three goals and seven assists through his first 37 outings. There was some good news on the health front, however, as Clayton Keller returned after missing Tuesday’s game to an illness himself.
Utah Rumors
Utah Loans Connor Ingram To AHL, Places Robert Bortuzzo On IR
The Utah Hockey Club have assigned goaltender Connor Ingram to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning loan. Ingram has missed Utah’s last 18 games with an upper-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve on November 20th and returned to skating on December 14th. He’ll now head to the AHL to take the next steps in his recovery.
In a corresponding move, Utah has also placed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The move is retroactive to the date of Bortuzzo’s last game on December 10th. He left that match halfway through the second period after being spilled into the boards by Minnesota Wild forward Devin Shore. Bortuzzo is out indefinitely, though his move to IR clears the roster space to activate Ingram after his conditioning stint.
Ingram served as Utah’s starter prior to his injury, but performed uncharacteristically poorly – recording a .871 save percentage and 3.61 goals-against-average in 13 games, both career-lows. He stood much taller in Utah’s starting net last season, recording a .907 Sv%, a 2.91 GAA, and six shutouts across 50 games in what was Ingram’s first season as a full-time NHL starter. He could now lose the job just one year later, with Utah’s backup Karel Vejmelka posting an impressive .917 Sv%, 2.33 GAA, and 7-6-2 record in 15 games since Ingram’s injury. Vejmelka should hang onto his starting role even as Ingram returns, though Utah could get the perk of riding the hot hand if Ingram is able to bounce back to form.
Utah's Robert Bortuzzo Close To Returning
- Utah Hockey Club’s blue line has been decimated by injuries this season but one veteran talent is expected back soon. Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has fully participated in back-to-back practices and is nearly healed from a lower-body injury. Utah never formally placed Bortuzzo on the team’s injured reserve but he hasn’t played since December 10th.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Utah Hockey Club’s blue line has been decimated by injuries this season but one veteran talent is expected back soon. Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo has fully participated in back-to-back practices and is nearly healed from a lower-body injury. Utah never formally placed Bortuzzo on the team’s injured reserve but he hasn’t played since December 10th.
Bortuzzo Returns To Practice
- Utah defenseman Robert Bortuzzo skated with the team today and has been cleared for contact, relays Brogan Houston of the Deseret News (Twitter link). The veteran has missed a little over two weeks so far due to a lower-body injury. Bortuzzo has played in 15 games this season but has been limited to just two assists in a little over 11 minutes a night of ice time.
Connor Ingram And Robert Bortuzzo Not Close To Returning
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson could return to the lineup during the team’s current three-game road trip (as per Avalanche play-by-play man Conor McGahey). Manson has been dealing with an upper-body issue and won’t suit up tonight when Colorado takes on the Vancouver Canucks. However, he could dress on Thursday or Friday when Colorado plays back-to-back against Anaheim and San Jose. Manson is currently on the injured reserve, meaning that the Avalanche will need to make a roster move before activating the 33-year-old.
Manson hasn’t played since leaving a game on November 29th against Dallas and has played 24 games on the season, posting one goal and five assists. He had one of his better offensive seasons last year, tallying 25 points in 76 games, but he has struggled this year with turnovers, giving the puck away 42 times already, which is one off from his total for all of last season.
In other Central Division notes:
- Winnipeg Jets colour analyst Mitchell Clinton tweeted that Jets head coach Scott Arniel told the media that injured forwards David Gustafsson and Nikolaj Ehlers both skated today in what is the next step towards a return to action. The 24-year-old Gustafsson skated in a non-contact jersey, his first time back on the ice since he suffered a concussion in a fight on December 10th. Ehlers was in a regular jersey as he tried to get back in the lineup after missing eight games. The 28-year-old hasn’t played since November 29th and is likely day by day at this point.
- Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram and defenseman Robert Bortuzzo are not close to returning to action (according to Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune). Ingram did not practice today after he spent some time skating over the weekend and will be off the ice for the next little bit. The 35-year-old Bortuzzo didn’t have much better news as he remains sidelined with a lower-body injury that he suffered on December 10th against the Minnesota Wild. Utah remains without several key defensemen, including Bortuzzo, John Marino and Sean Durzi.
Connauton Assigned Back To AHL
- Utah announced (Twitter link) that they’ve re-assigned defenseman Kevin Connauton to AHL Tucson. The veteran was recalled on Wednesday but with Utah claiming Dakota Mermis on Thursday, Connauton was no longer needed as a reserve defender. The 34-year-old has played in 17 games with the Roadrunners so far this season, notching three goals and three assists.
Bortuzzo Out Day-To-Day, Ingram Not Ready Yet
Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports tweeted that Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Jonas Brodin skated with the team yesterday but there is currently no timetable for a return. Zuccarello has been out with a lower-body injury and hasn’t played since November 14th, a stretch of 12 games. Brodin, on the other hand, last played on November 25th as he tries to recover from an upper-body injury that has kept him on the sidelines for seven games.
The 37-year-old Zuccarello is having another solid season for Minnesota, tallying six goals and eight assists in 16 games, while Brodin was having one of his better offensive seasons with two goals and six assists in 19 games.
The Wild currently sit second in the Central Division with a 19-6-4 record.
In other Central Division Notes:
- The Utah Hockey Club announced that defenseman Robert Bortuzzo is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The 35-year-old was hurt on Tuesday night in a game against Minnesota and will not join his teammates on their two-game road trip. The 14-year NHL veteran has averaged the lowest ice time of his career since his rookie season in Pittsburgh and has been sheltered in his 15 appearances this season. Bortuzzo has two assists this season and has a -2 plus/minus along with 15 turnovers.
- Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny told the media yesterday that goaltender Connor Ingram is not fit to play this week, although the netminder did practice yesterday morning (as per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune). Ingram was placed on IR back on November 20th due to an upper-body injury and hasn’t dressed since November 18th. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to find his game this season and has struggled, posting a goals saved above expected of -10.9 (as per Money Puck) as well as a .871 save percentage and a 3.61 goals-against average.
Utah Claims Dakota Mermis Off Waivers From Maple Leafs
The Utah Hockey Club has added some veteran defensive depth in the form of Dakota Mermis, plucking him off the waiver wire from the Maple Leafs, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The Leafs’ other waiver placement yesterday, winger Alexander Nylander, passed through unclaimed and was immediately assigned to AHL Toronto, allowing them to activate defenseman Jake McCabe from injured reserve, according to a team announcement.
Utah has been in need of extra bodies on defense seemingly all season long after John Marino sustained a lower-back injury in preseason and Sean Durzi hurt his shoulder just four games into the campaign. Other names, such as Maveric Lamoureux and Robert Bortuzzo, have landed on the shelf in recent days, leading Utah to reach deep into its minor-league depth. Just yesterday, they recalled Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson – a 34-year-old lefty who last saw NHL ice in the 2021-22 campaign.
Mermis isn’t a gigantic upgrade over internal options like Connauton, but he does have more recent NHL experience. The 30-year-old skated in a career-high 47 games with the Wild last season, posting eight points, a -2 rating, 33 PIMs, and 45 hits while averaging 14:05 per game. He inked a one-way contract with the Maple Leafs over the summer but sustained a jaw injury in training camp. He returned to action on a conditioning loan with their AHL affiliate over the past couple weeks, posting an assist in three outings, and had landed on waivers to continue his tenure in the minors after the two-week limit on his conditioning stint ran out.
Utah had 22 players on the active roster before making the claim for Mermis, so they won’t need to make a corresponding transaction.
Utah Recalls Kevin Connauton
The Utah Hockey Club announced that they’ve summoned veteran blue-liner Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson.
It’s the 34-year-old’s first recall since signing a two-year, two-way deal with the Utahns over the summer and marks his first time appearing on an NHL roster in-season since the 2021-22 campaign with the Flyers. As Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune points out, his recall indicates that veteran depth piece Robert Bortuzzo, who sustained a lower-body injury in yesterday’s shootout loss to the Wild, will miss at least tomorrow’s game against the Avalanche, if not longer.
Connauton has served as an alternate captain with Tucson this season, recording nine points and a -7 rating in 17 appearances. It’s his second go-around in the Utah organization if you choose to lump them together with the Coyotes – he played parts of four seasons in Glendale and Tucson between 2015-16 and 2018-19.
Whether the 6’2″ lefty sees his first NHL action in over two and a half years in the coming days remains to be seen. The Edmonton native has 360 NHL games under his belt in parts of nine years with the Stars, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, Avalanche, Panthers, and Flyers, scoring 28 goals and 52 assists for 80 points with a +5 rating while averaging 15:43 per game. His best season came in Arizona in 2017-18, recording 11 goals and 21 points in a career-high 73 appearances while logging 15:11 per game and laying the body 116 times.
Connauton successfully cleared waivers during the preseason. He can remain on Utah’s roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games before he needs them to return to Tucson. The first-year club now has a full 23-man active roster with $7.88MM in current cap space.
Tij Iginla Out For The Season After Hip Surgery
- It’ll be a short year of development for Tij Iginla. The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets announced Iginla has undergone successful hip surgery but will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 WHL season. Iginla has already skated in 21 games for the Rockets this season scoring 14 goals and 32 points with a +18 rating. Still, the Utah Hockey Club can’t be pleased that the organization’s first-ever draft pick will go most of the season without playing.
[SOURCE LINK]
- It’ll be a short year of development for Tij Iginla. The WHL’s Kelowna Rockets announced Iginla has undergone successful hip surgery but will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 WHL season. Iginla has already skated in 21 games for the Rockets this season scoring 14 goals and 32 points with a +18 rating. Still, the Utah Hockey Club can’t be pleased that the organization’s first-ever draft pick will go most of the season without playing.