5 Utah Hockey Club home games you shouldn’t miss this season

The stage is set for Utah Hockey Club.

The franchise’s inaugural regular season schedule has been released, and it details all of the matchups Utah will use in its quest to make an immediate mark on the NHL.

Here are five Utah Hockey Club home games that you won’t want to miss.

Tuesday, Oct. 8 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Utah’s season opener with the Chicago Blackhawks will feature one of the most electric sports environments in state history.

The Delta Center — already famous for its deafening crowd noise — will surely be rocking during its first-ever regular season NHL contest.

Given how many season ticket deposits were placed upon the team’s move to Salt Lake City, there’s no way every seat in the house won’t be filled for the ultra-historic evening.

As for the opposition, Utah’s introduction to NHL hockey will feature Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall selection in last year’s NHL draft who is considered to be one of the top players of his generation.

As an 18-year-old rookie this past year, Bedard captured the prestigious Calder Memorial Trophy and tallied 61 total points.

Between the Hockey Club making its on-ice debut and a potential rising legend in Bedard coming to town, Oct. 8 will be a night for the ages.

Thursday, Oct. 24 vs. Colorado Avalanche and Friday, Nov. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Utah couldn’t ask for two more compelling regional rivals.

Colorado and Vegas are among the Western Conference’s elite organizations, having captured Stanley Cup championships in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The Golden Knights are an especially interesting team. Many Utahns jumped aboard their bandwagon as the “local” team entered the NHL in 2017, and Vegas remains the blueprint of how to quickly cultivate a rabid fan base in a brand new hockey market. Perhaps such circumstances will lead to aggression and intrigue on the ice.

Few units around the league are more solid than the Avalanche. The team is led by center Nathan MacKinnon, who tallied an outstanding 140 points last year.

Though the team fell short in this year’s playoffs, Colorado is arguably the Stanley Cup favorite for 2024-25, and its game with Utah will surely be a thrill.

Whenever the Jazz host the Nuggets, Warriors or other conference foes, the Delta Center atmosphere is incredible. There’s no reason to believe the same won’t be true for when Utah welcomes regional hockey powers as well.

Sunday, Dec. 22 vs. Anaheim Ducks

Yes, Anaheim’s recent rebrand back to its “Mighty Ducks” roots definitely played a part in this pick. But the Ducks’ inclusion on this list stems from more than their A+ uniform game.

Utah’s players have a bit of a heated recent history with Anaheim. During their time as Arizona Coyotes, games against the Ducks almost always featured fights, brawls and tension, with The Hockey News even going as far to suggest the two teams were “a rivalry in the making.”

In Arizona’s history, the Coyotes never fought with any other team more than their 78 skirmishes with Anaheim, according to hockeyfights.com .

While Utah’s players now belong to a new state and wear different uniforms, there’s no reason to believe their previous animosity with the Ducks won’t persist. If the two young, hungry squads ascend together over these next few years, an even more bitter hatred between them could surely blossom.

Their first meeting on Dec. 22 should be entertaining.

Wednesday, Jan. 8 vs. Florida Panthers

You can’t forget about the champs.

The powerhouse Florida Panthers outlasted Edmonton for their first-ever Stanley Cup last week, and it doesn’t feel like they’ll be losing steam any time soon.

When Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkackuk and company visit Salt Lake City for the first time, it will likely be Utah’s most notable home challenge up to that point.

Knocking off the defending champions could be a culture-building win for both players and fans alike.