Utah Hockey Club Leadership Graded – Who Got a D?

Utah Hockey Club Leadership Graded – Who Got a D?

Today we’re grading the Utah Hockey Club’s leadership core. And you won’t believe one of the marks that I give one of these guys. We’re going to talk about it on the Locked On Utah Hockey Club podcast. You are Locked On Utah Hockey Club, your daily podcast on the Utah Hockey Club, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello everyone and welcome in once again to the Locked On Utah Hockey Club podcast. I’m veteran NHL voice Tom Callahan and joined as always by longtime team analyst Robin Leano. We’re the dynamic duo that brings you the Locked on Utah Hockey Club podcast each and every single day. Thanks for making us your first listen when it comes to the UHC. It’s a busy week for Utah here as uh you know there’s some buzzing over the draft lotto as there always is. There’s buzz over round two starting in the playoffs. And Robin, I dare say there’s buzz over our grades being dropped. And today we’re going after the veteran core, Keller, Krauss, and Schmaltz. Absolutely. And I felt like this was a good start because I feel like to the everydayers that especially the ones that have stuck around uh you know predating you know Arizona Coyotes era um probably want to hear some of these players first because hey it’s how did these players fare in Utah versus maybe how do they fare in Arizona. It’s a really fair it’s it’s I think it’s a fair point to start off with. Plus all three of these players have worn a letter on their jersey. Keller and Krauss being permanent captains. Keller being the C, Krauss being the associate, and Schmaltz kind of rotating in this the third with other players, but they are the veterans. They’ve been around this they’ve been around this squad for a long time now, Tom. So, I feel like it’s a really good point to start off with these three. And let me please preface the remarks with this. None of these are personal. These are professional grades. Exactly. All these guys off the ice. fantastic. Like there’s a lot of good human beings in that Utah hockey club locker room. However, I’m talking about what have you done for me on the ice here? Uh and and I’m even willing to look at things like the community and things like you know being around uh you know the front office and and just being able to help grow uh the sport in in in around the the Salt Lake area and beyond. And so Rob and I have my thoughts on all this. Um, I do want to start with the captain, Clayton Keller. And for me, uh, the C is an A. I think Clayton Keller, he is one of very few, and he might be the only A that I give out. I’m a tough grader. Okay. Um, Clayton Keller season was an A all the way. It was almost an A+ season for me. Career highs, 90 points, 30 goals, 60 assists on ice was fantastic. uh points-wise, scored some clutch goals. Um was able to wear the C and I think lead this team very well. I liked his game all season. I thought he was pretty darn consistent at over a point a game. The only thing that keeps me from getting a little higher up is maybe the minus 12. There’s a lot of minuses on this Utah hockey club. His is one of them. But 10 power play goals was second. five gamewinning goals was third on the team. Um, you know, it most shots of anybody. I love players who shoot the puck. 218 shots. Yes. Give me more. So, I I really thought for what Clayton Keller provided this year and was expected to provide. Let’s be fair. The expectations were there. I felt like not only did he meet but exceeded expectations. And to me, when you exceed expectations, that’s an A. Oh, absolutely. And I think uh and again I I feel like it it seems to make sense especially when you have a player who uh surpassed 90 points, you know, for the first time in his career, right? I think Well, what what did he end up with like 92 points something around there? Right on 90. He right at 90. Okay. He he was right there and it was nice. It was like oh my god, he actually did it. It was like well like well done, dude. like you had a you had you had such a really good uh like really good season like a phenomenal season for his first first season in in Utah. There were a couple things that I would have liked to see, you know, to see a little bit better. And I think it’s me just being uh I think uh splitting hairs at this point when talking about um wearing the seat. I think it wearing the seat comes with so much pressure, right? You’re talking about this is the kind of player who if there’s something going wrong with the team, there’s having they’re h they’re having an issue on the ice or whatever. Um, and it’s something that maybe may maybe something that the uh coaches met isn’t getting through. To me, that’s on the captain. And we’re not in the locker. We’re not inside the locker room. So, I you know, I’m not I don’t hear whether or not Keller does this or not. Um, but to me, I mean, maybe if maybe it’s because of the the rest of the team inconsistency, maybe his message is not also fully getting through as well. um as a captain. Um and that’s the only negative the really to me the only negative mark that I have. Um I think otherwise and again but that’s not necessarily a like some and I and I think it’s only so much I can take away from that because again I don’t know if it’s all if it’s all on him, right? It’s not and it can’t it’s not all on him. Uh but he does have a he does play a big factor in it. You know, that’s a good point and an interesting point that you make about, you know, it is often the captain’s job to help get the coach’s message across. Uh, clearly there were times, and Andre Torney said it himself in press conferences, whether pregame, postgame, um, there were some embarrassing efforts this year. And yes, part of that does reflect back on the captain. There were times this team no-showed, which to me is always unacceptable. Um that’s it does reflect back on the captain um and and his leadership group around him. So I I can understand that Robin. Um, that makes perfect sense to me and I I think it’s a valid point and I think for that reason kind of um as I guess since we’re doing we’re going to segment by segment here I can go ahead and let you know and for that reason I’m and that’s why mine is borderline A minus but right at there like we’re talking like uh you know like 92.5 or whatever which is like like right like you know right on the verge between an A minus and uh and a full-on A Like it’s like to me like again I have such high expectations for anybody who wears the C on their jersey. So if I make you get off the fence A or A minus, I I I’ll I’ll stand right uh at the A minus. Okay, that’s fair. That’s fair. And uh I actually considering your point, I might be be persuaded to drop mine to an A minus as well. Uh so I think that that is absolutely fair. Uh we have a couple other guys to get to. We’re going to talk about Lawson Krauss, Nick Schmaltz. Plus, we’re going to unveil our summer road map here a little bit more in detail. We’ve got a couple of big-time segments that we want you to be a part of, and we’re counting on you, not only the everydayers, but also the new folks jumping in here. This is absolutely uh an interactive podcast and we’re going to talk about what those segments are going to be coming up here as well. So uh stay tuned. We’re going to get on to Lost and Krauss here in just a moment. This is the Lockdown Utah Hockey Club podcast. An awardwinning mattress can change your life. I speak from experience. It happened to me after years of uncomfortable sleeps. I recently switched to Beare mattress and the results were instant. Bear mattress is designed with a focus on recovery, cooling, and pressure relief to upgrade your sleep and improve your overall quality of life. I used to deal with night sweats, but Bear’s best-in-class cooling ensures optimal temperature regulation, which prevents overheating and helps me stay comfortable all night long. Bear offers a wide variety of mattresses, but to get the right one for you, take their sleep quiz that matches you to your perfect mattress based on body type and sleep preferences. Go to baremattress.com and use promo code locked on NHL at checkout to get 40% off sitewide. This offer is not available anywhere else. You have to use my promo code on the very last page of checkout to get this discount. That’s baremattress.com. Use my promo code locked on NHL to get 40% off sitewide. Bearmatch.com promo code locked on NHL. All right, back here on the Locked On Utah Hockey Club podcast. Tom Callahan, Robin Leono, thanks for joining us here. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, follow us along, tell your friends about it as well. We appreciate that very much as we see the show’s numbers continuing to grow and we are very thankful for that as well. So, all right, Robin. Uh, we’ve got Lawson Krauss, Nick Schmaltz here. Which one do you want to get to first? And I’m going to let you lead off with the grading this time. I mean, why not go ahead and start off with, uh, um, I mean, on this next one with the associate captain, the only other one to have permanently worn a letter, Elder Van Keller, on uh, for this, I will go to Lawson Krauss on this one. Um, and I will, before I even drop the letter, I’ll kind of let you know how I thought his performance went. Um, you know, at the beginning of the season, I was actually pretty disappointed in in in Krauss. I felt like I didn’t see much of a uh presence from him. Um, both in the in the sense of as an associate captain and on the ice. It didn’t seem like he was performing in the levels that I saw the previous season. Now, he did improve on that. He did end up becoming a pretty big part of this team. um you know later on I think he still was you know among the top on points as as the season went on but to me I feel like that start does take pretty negative uh a negative drawback Tom because I feel like if you are a veteran core if you are veteran leadership I fully expect you are giving you know a you know a full you know full effort from game one all the way through game 82 and And of course if playoffs are involved beyond, right? Um so I’m going to give uh Lawson Krauss and and and I think it’s still fair because and give it given he did improve and did become a pretty big part later on. I’m going to give him a B. Freedom gonna have to disagree with you there, Robin. Yeah, that was that was a an office space reference right there. If anybody got that one, I was pulling my Bill Lumber. Okay. Um, so man, I almost feel bad now. Uh, Lawson Krauss is a D. He is a D. Okay, that year was probably the worst of his career. Um, it was a dumpster fire from start to finish for Lawson Krauss. That’s fair. who was trying and I I I know him from being around him in Tucson. He would he will take this personally if he hears me saying this. He will be like that freaking Callahan. And and buddy, I don’t blame you, but let’s look at the facts. So, this year, uh Krauss, 12 goals, six assists, 18 points. That is atrocious. Um, and I’m not saying Lawson Krauss needs to be a guy leading the team in scoring. He’s not. But the last two years he put up 40 plus point seasons. You’re right. So, to not even get to 20 this year, that’s awful. Um, the other thing is that Lawson Krauss used to be a big part of the power play and we talked about the power play not being clutch at all this year, not producing a whole lot. Well, Lawson Krauss was 18 power play goals between the last two seasons. This year he was one uh or sorry he power play points. He was 18 power play points between the last two seasons. This year he was one one power play point. Uh and honestly was taken off the power play unit at times. Didn’t deserve to be on the power play unit. Wasn’t producing. Um and I’d love to see him get in front of the net and bang them home with a shovel. He was 14th in team scoring, not league, team scoring. um just didn’t have the impact that I wanted him to have. Uh was still shooting the puck. Um but just it it wasn’t there for me for Lawson Krauss this year and it was a bad year for him. Um and I expect more. I do and I know he expects more of himself. But Robin, I just I look at this season and I think if he’d have had a better year, how much better could the team have been? And I think there’s a chance if Lawson Krauss has an average year that this team nudges right up to that playoff line. I don’t know if they get in with the way St. Louis finished, but they’re right there. I don’t think they have an E next to their name until maybe again that last game of the regular season in St. Louis, you know, you know, and and that’s totally fair. Um, and I feel like uh, yeah, if you take I mean and and I and if I base it fully off points, I I’m I’m 100% with you there. I feel like I mean he to me I felt like he was snake bitten just like how he was. I think what was it the 2021 season where I felt like he just kept hitting post after post after post and I was like, “Oh my god, I feel so bad.” Probably hurt it in his sleep at night. Oh yeah. No, absolutely. And then you see the next couple years he ends up having really good seasons and those are the ones that you’re pointing out here. Um and I am taking a look really quick on here. Um he did match however the uh his c his hit counter I think was even a little bit higher on hits this uh this season. And he is a power forward. And I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m bringing that that this stat specific statistic up because he is a power forward. his job is is to kind of use his physicality to get to the front of the net to crash the net to provide to give opportunities for others. So, while he might not be on the scoring sheet himself, um he did provide opportunities for others. Um I think that’s what I kind of saw on the ice. I think after his healthy scratch, which was deserved, um yes, he picked it up. But, you know, and clearly at the time he was frustrated and he expressed that and he knows he shouldn’t have to be healthy scratched in order to pick his game up and I agree. Um, but to me it just I think I I don’t know that there’s a way you can slice this particular season for me that it comes around to me going, “Yeah, that was that was a even an improvement year for him.” I just think it was it was just bad. And for whatever reason, he kind of lost his way. did not find he wasn’t playing the game he needed to play to elevate the team to make others around him better. And if you’re wearing a letter on your sweater, you do need to be better than that. You’re right. You’re right. You’re right. Maybe I’m being harsh and that’s okay. No, I feel like I and I feel like you’re right. I think maybe I was being a little bit over like overly optimistic of how of how he play of how he played, you know, points aside. Well, that’s why you’re here, Robin. you’re here to to show me the bright side on everything. I’m always trying to be optimistic, but you’re right. I think almost like taking a look and really diving deep and looking back into the rest of the advanced stats and I’m think it’s like, yeah, maybe I was being a little bit too nice and maybe I need to drop it down a little bit. But so, no, I I kind of figured this is the one grade where people would look at me with a little bit of side eye, and that’s fine. I don’t mind that. Um I just that was the unfortunately the kind of season I had and it did impact the team in a major way. That’s the other thing is the impact across the team from him having a down season I think drag them down in the standings uh which you know follows on. I mean by the end of the year you end up you know in the bottom six and um trying to find out where where your role is. And I think again things went on the uptick towards the end of the season but it was a little too little too late for me. So, but just my thoughts. Uh, anything you want to add before we uh move on into Mr. Nick Schmaltz? No, all all I would say is like um and I think that there is an expectation that uh that loss and Krauss will improve. I mean, we’ve seen it, right? He has one bad season and he does and you you kind of already mentioned it. He does take that personally, right? And like he’ll he takes it all personally, everything. and um and he’ll use that as motivation to improve. So, um that being said, Tom, uh I will be ready to have a uh to be in incredibly uh strict on my grading system for Lawson Krauss next season. Uh oh. All right, he’s been put on notice. All right, so it gets interesting. The plot thickens. All right, so we’re going to hear what Robin thinks about Nick Schmaltz here. Uh, and we do want to talk about our summer roadmap because, uh, we’re going to introduce some segments over the summer here and and where we’re going. And we’re we’re with you. Remma reminder, every single day, right up through the draft, right up through free agency, Robin and I are here putting out a show every single day. So, uh, if you need your Utah hockey club fix, you got it right here. If you subscribe and you click the bell, it’ll remind you every time a show drops, uh, or set that auto download so that I have I always have my podcast on auto download. the three latest episodes. That way when I want to catch up on a podcast, I can do it pretty quickly. Um, so just a suggestion for your your podcast on the audio side. But yeah, definitely uh tell your friends to check us out here. We’ll be pumping out the content right along. And we’re going to talk about Nick Schmaltz coming up in just a moment. And today’s episode is brought to you by Wonderful Pistachios. Looking for a snack that’s both delicious and nutritious? Crack into a good source of protein with Wonderful Pistachios. Wonderful Pistachios is one of the highest protein nuts. Each 1oz serving has six grams of protein, giving you over 10% of your daily value. Plus, they’re packed with fiber and better for you unsaturated fats to help you keep you fuller longer. You know, I personally love the, you know, the the feeling of cracking open the shells because like it’s, you know, it’s the salty goodness and it’s a satisfaction feeling of be of cracking open pistachio and then and getting the the uh the salty goodness on the inside as well. But if I’m on a long road trip, and I go on road trips a lot, uh you know, whether it’s from Arizona to California or maybe Arizona to Utah to Colorado, I go all around the four corners of the Southwest. Um, and when I’m on those road trips, the noshells variety is a really good opport really good thing that I like to bring with me. It’s a perfect graband-go snack. And all I got to do is just have that with me. It keeps me full so I don’t really have to go and uh go on all those stops. I can just go fullon long road trips. No, no, no worries at all. Get snacking and get cracking with the snack that packs protein punch. Visit wonderfulstachios.com to learn more. All right, Tom Callahan, Robin Leano here with you on the Lockdown Utah Hockey Club podcast. And as we are reaching into the veteran core grading process, uh, so far, Keller, I gave an A. Robin an A minus, Lawson Krauss, Robin B, I went D. Uh, and now Nick Schmaltz. Robin, I’m curious to see where we’re going to come out on this one. Uh, probably a little closer together, but uh, let’s hear your thoughts. Yeah, you know, I feel like uh Schmaltz had an interesting season. I feel like uh it’s you know, it’s interesting because I feel like a lot of people at some at one point in the season were messaging me and like, “Hey, what’s going on Schmaltz?” I feel like you’re not we’re not we’re not seeing much from him. But what you take a look though is I mean at least through a full 82 game season because you can take a look at bits and pieces and he might not have been there during one part but he was there during this part. Uh 80 in 82 games played. So he played a full g a full season at the Utah hockey club this year. 20 goals, 43 assists for 63 points this season. Um I’d say that’s pretty good, you know. So, just under a a point per game, which I feel like, you know, if you get a point per game, you’re great. If you’re you’re you’re you’re good. You’re pretty darn good. If you’re just right under there, like, you’re you’re you’re doing all right. You’re doing all right. Um I think especially for the role that that Snick Schmaltz has, I think he is a playmaker. He is one that kind of um he he he definitely falls a little more under the under the radar. And again, that’s what he does, right? He doesn’t he doesn’t score all the goals. He’s just not going to do everything flashy. He’s not your your your Clayton Keller, your Logan Culie, your um you know, your Dylan Gunther, which by the way, those players we will get to later this week. Um but he does play a very important role in this team and he was one of the one of the I think three players that rotated in as the as the third alternate uh to have won an A. Um, so I feel pretty like I I I feel like uh Schmollet’s had a pretty decent season this um this year. Um I’m going to give him a high B. Okay. So you’re going B+ for Schmaltz. Yeah. Okay. Um we’re still not as close as I thought we’d be on this one. I was wavering for Nick Schmaltz between C++ and B minus. Okay. And first of all, Schmaltz had a terrible start to the year, an unfortunate start to the year. I mean, couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat at times when trying to score a goal. And that is so tough when you’re a skilled player. Um, that’s I can’t imagine the frustration of being a goal scorer who’s not scoring, you know, of being a a producer who’s not producing. So, I understand that was a frustrating start. That was a D start right to the year for Nick Schmaltz who got there. Certainly. Yeah. Um and did turn it around. Still finished with a shooting percentage of 10. So I think that’s impressive and I think it’s worth noting considering how long it took to get the first couple of goals rolling. Still finished third on the team in points which I I appreciate. Didn’t take a lot of penalties either. Pretty gentlemanly player which is is always great. So, um, you know, Lady Bing kind of candidate, uh, which by the way is the most gentlemanly, uh, player award. So, I think the start versus the finish for where Nick Schmaltz ended up, I saw enough improvement probably to slide into that B minus range. One of the important things to me that got it over that hump was durability. And it’s something that we’ve been concerned about with Schmaltz for a while, but this year and even last year, 79 games last year, but all 82 this year. That’s huge. It’s amazing. Yes. And so I am very excited to see that. Uh the time on ice slipped a little from last year to this, but I mean that’s that and not a big deal. Uh you know, it that doesn’t bother me in the least. I still think Schmaltz is a guy you’re going to rely on that you need to show up that you need him to be there every day. Uh I think he is still an excellent player in this league for especially for the salary. I think he’s he’s definitely worth Utah hockey club having around and um but Robin I think I slide into the B minus but I don’t come up much more than that. and you know that’s certainly fair and I feel like uh and again as as you mentioned right that uh that first that that first half of the year really kind of took things a lot back right it doesn’t does certainly doesn’t help him and that definitely has to be a part of of the grading system here right we’re grading it as a whole rather than just oh his everything he did right you got to take you know take some of those things that um you know that that took back from you and uh it’s important to note that uh Tom that he was also uh and I’m looking at his uh you know looking at that he definitely spent the course I mean he’s a you know he was a power play style player he wasn’t on the short handle right and um and and I feel like that might be part of the reason and and it that there’s that slight dip in the uh in in the minutes mainly just because of Utah’s issues with uh with uh pound with taking penalties and how many times they were in the box, but that’s for a whole another issue. Um, but I felt like trying to remember like exactly like all all his line mates that he had. And if I had to take a look at Robin, the fact that he can’t remember all his line mates, I think kind of speaks volumes about that. Every sing You’re right. It does. I’m trying to because my thing is too is it it does it is a huge importance on taking a look at uh how how much they make those linemates better even if even if you’re not getting the getting your goals right is are how much are you making them better right right and it’s I mean that’s what I used as a to a large degree on loss and Krauss as well is how much did he improve everybody around him, you know, how much did he make his his team better? And um, you know, same thing with Keller, you know, and I think it’s important for every guy in that team. Do you make the exceptional players make not only incredible plays that are solo plays, but make everyone around them better? If you had a team full of those guys, that would be amazing. So, I don’t mind you, you know, looking into that and trying to say, hey, you know, and Nick Schmaltz is a guy who he is more of a a setup guy. He is more of a he can score and he does score, but he can definitely distribute. And what’s interesting is the emergence of Dylan Gunther this year as someone who can also shoot. But you look at the Utah hockey club just stats-wise. Um you know there are a lot of high assist guys but there were only 520 goal guys. Yeah. All right, I’m taking a look at uh the uh uh the the line the line splits for for Nick Schmaltz because I think now I guess I had to take a look at it, right? Because I was actually really curious and see where where he was at. So Nick Schmaltz essentially split the season um as I mean he was he he shared the entire season practically with Clayton Keller um on the other on the other wing. But so Nick Schmaltz was your left wing, Clayton Keller was your right wing, but uh the the centers kind of split a little bit. 34 games with Barrett Hayden as your center, 25 games with Logan Kulie as your center, nine games with Alex Keroot as your center. Um and uh and uh and then also nine games with Bar Hayden as a center, plus Yamamoto as your as your right wing. Um it there is a little bit I guess there there does seem a level of concern I think maybe to me some of those points were mainly killers because he said something you said I mean you take a look at where where it is Keller or Koulies right I mean this certainly helps you get a good line score but yeah and it doesn’t always boil down to points uh with a lot of guys and it it has to be the some of the parts of your contribution. So although I mean you know the the funny thing is we know some of those guys are streaky. It’s like well were they paired together on a hot streak or a cold streak? You know were they producing during that time? Are they not producing that time? Were they broken up for reasons of injury or sliding the lineup around or because they weren’t producing? And it’s all those things you got to take into account and that’s certainly fair. So Robin, uh we do have to get to our summer road mapap here. Yeah, want to talk a little bit about that. Uh we’re going to bring back some segments. Uh well, one of them we’re bringing back. The other one is going to be a new one that we’re going to introduce here and walk right through uh most of the summer content with this. But uh Robin, I know you’re excited to get Mailbag Monday back and going on the show and having folks reach out to us for questions. Absolutely love mailbag Monday just because I feel like it’s going to be a uh uh you know it’s it’s really important. It’s a really important way to kind of really hear from all you fans. Maybe things that you want to hear specifically, any other questions that happen that are going on in the organization, things that we haven’t touched on. Maybe there’s something that we might have skipped over, something you were unfamiliar with, something that you kind of wanted to clarify. Um that’s what we have this for. And what we’re going to do is we’re going to essentially leave the mailbag open all off season long. Any episode you comment on, if there’s a mailbag question, um, just put, hey, for a mailbag question, maybe even add a hashtag mailbag in there just so we know, just so as as I’m reading, like I said, I do read these comments just so you know that you want that to be featured. And uh, we’ll get it in in an episode. And if we don’t get it right away, it will happen. We will address that question sometime this off seasonason because we’re um we you know if if we get a lot of questions like we will keep going and keep pumping out and get and go as many answers we can get and address as many of your questions as we are able to. Robin, what is the best way for folks to get in touch with us for the mailbag segment? for the mailbag segment. I mean, I I will say the e the quickest way and the easiest way is to comment on our YouTube channel on on our videos because again, I will see all those. Um, other ways is to reach out to us on social media. Um, you can uh go on NHL Utah on X or Lockton Utah Hockey on Blue Sky. Alternatively, it’s checked less often, but I still will check it. You can email us at lockedonutah [email protected]. So perfect. Make sure that you have those you write them down and of course you can always rewind this if you need to to go back and write those down again. So that’s going to be every Monday. Uh we’re going to tackle some questions from the mailbag. We look forward to that and uh especially as we get into the teeth of the summer. we can really get into uh some of the particulars of things, especially if it’s a hockey 101 type question or even a 2011 type question. Maybe you want a little extra depth on uh you know, capology or something like that. You think these fans are ready for 300, 400 level courses? I think they are. I think Oh, I think there’s a couple I think there’s a couple of M’s degrees sitting out there in the audience. They’re the ones who are laughing at us all the time. But that’s Yeah, they’re the ones that are like like Yeah, that I think that’s I think you said it perfectly. And the other thing I’m looking forward to, Robin, is we’re now going to have Mitch Mner Fridays, uh, where we talk about why Mitch Mner should come to the Utah Hockey Club each and every Friday and we figure out a way to woo him. That’s what we agreed on, right, for Friday. More or less. Yeah. Kind of think close enough. Yeah. No, but for real, I think it’s we’re calling it free agent Friday. We are going to uh really take a look at free agency targets. Um a lot of different free agency targets and I feel like Mitch Mner is certainly on the top of that list. We’re definitely talking about how we, you know, how Utah can definitely try to woo him, but I think there’s a lot a number of other player names that will um that we can talk about, right? Um and even maybe it’s not a player that necessarily realistic, we can just we can still break it down. Why not? any kind of high-profile free agent, we can say, “Hey, is this feasible? What will it take? And uh how will this and how would this player fit into the Utah system?” I think it’s a I think it’s would be a definitely a fun and engaging conversation for that. Robin, what I’m hearing you say is there are other free agents in the NHL, but I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s one guy on the market this summer and it’s Mitch Martner. So I I just I I refuse. See, you’re all on the on the Mitch Mario train and I’m on there, too. But, you know, I have continually talked about whether or not I feel like the the Utah Haga Club should go after a guy like Brock Besser. Who’s that? Who’s that? Does that guy play in the AHL? Who’s Brock Besser? Yeah. No, seriously, we will get into it, but obviously I just I think it’s fun. Number one, I I think Mitch Marner would be a killer addition. But number two, I just like to poke Leaf fans. Oh yeah. So I think that’s that that’s the best thing. And just watch watch Utah Hockey Club fans be just because we invoked his name. Leaf fans will be on our comments like oh my goodness. Leaf fans will come from anywhere. They they they’re like bats. The sonar pings off of Mitch Marner’s name in a podcast from parts unknown and they all show up to hang upside down and try to poop on our show. So, um, one more I one one more thing that we will have coming up and it’ll be it won’t be a ne it won’t necessarily be a regular each week because it does really depend on on uh these guys availabilities, but I will be reaching out to uh to prospect scouts uh who have a friendly relationship with the locked on network. Um, those that have been following the last couple years know that I had had a calakeh from locked on NHL prospects come on last year. Uh, we’ll definitely plan on inviting him coming back. Um, those that have been even around for even longer know that I have had Will Scouch on from time to time. Plan on invi getting him and sending an invite to him for a couple of prospects, but expect that to happen. We’re going to because the draft is coming up. I’m sure I’m sure you guys have a lot of questions about what’s going on with the NHL draft, especially with the uh, you know, after after yesterday the uh, the draft lottery concluding. So, yes, that’s right. We are we’re creeping up. It’s crazy how the end of the season’s going to run, right? We’re down to eight teams left in the quest for the cup. Then all of a sudden, we are going to just, it’s like bumper cars running into each other with everything happening between now and the end of June with the draft, with free agency, with, you know, the possible player trades are going to happen leading into that, all the movement, all that stuff. The NHL player awards uh are going to be happening. So, there’s just so much going on. Robin, we have a full calendar. Oh, yeah. certainly a full calendar and highly recommend you guys continually to stay locked on to locked on Utah hockey club to be able to just to to you know take a look and see what else we got coming your way and again and like I said have any questions any ideas for shows you want us to address um don’t be afraid to leave us a comment we said we read them we read like we read each and every one of your comments if it doesn’t look like we reply to them we read it and It’s Tom and I are talking um uh in in our green room and saying, “Hey, did you see this comment? We should address this in the next show.” Absolutely. And we do uh we do talk those things over. Just don’t make Robin cry. Otherwise, I’m going to get mad and I’m coming after you. So, um those are the rules. All right. That said, uh looking forward to all those segments. We’re going to continue grading here throughout the week. We’re going to grade the young guns. We’re going to take a look at, you know, different things, whether it’s the special teams for this team. We’re definitely going to talk about the coach, the GM, and ownership. We’ve got all that coming your way and more. So, thanks for listening to this episode and we will catch you next time on the Locked On Utah Hockey Club podcast.

Can the Utah Hockey Club’s veterans lead the charge next season? Discover the highs and lows of Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, and Nick Schmaltz as they navigate a challenging season in the NHL.

Join hosts Tom Callahan and Robyn Leaño as they dissect Keller’s impressive 90-point season, Crouse’s unexpected struggles, and Schmaltz’s intriguing contributions. With a focus on the Utah Hockey Club’s evolving strategy, the hosts explore how these players impact the team’s dynamics and playoff aspirations. The episode also teases exciting summer content, including “Mailbag Monday” and “Free Agent Friday,” promising fresh insights into potential roster changes.

Will the Utah Hockey Club’s veterans rise to the occasion? Tune in for an engaging analysis and find out how these players shape the future of the team.

0:00 Intro: Grading Utah Hockey Club’s leadership

3:57 Clayton Keller receives an A grade

9:20 Evaluating Lawson Crouse’s performance

16:42 Analyzing Nick Schmaltz’s season

22:56 Schmaltz’s durability and overall grade

30:08 Introducing new segments

35:43 Upcoming draft coverage and prospect interviews

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LO_NHLUtah?sid=YouTube

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

📲 Follow Locked On Utah HC on X
Locked On NHL in Utah https://x.com/LO_NHLUtah
Robyn Leaño https://x.com/robyn_leano
Tom Callahan https://x.com/CallahanOnAir

#NHL #Utah #SaltLakeCity #NHLUtah #utahhc

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

5-Hour ENERGY
Head to 5-hourENERGY.com to find over 15 flavors to choose from, including Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, and Peach-Mango. Need one now? Grab a 5-hour ENERGY shot at your local grocery or convenience store—they’re everywhere! Stock up today and stay energized.

Wonderful Pistachios
Get snackin’ and get crackin’ with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)