Utah HC Is Having A Wildly Eventful Preseason

I woke up with a bounce in my step because we've officially reached fall, and that means hockey is here.

But before we get to the regular season, we've got the preseason and through a couple of games, no team has had a more eventful couple of tune-ups than the NHL's newest team, Utah Hockey Club.

Now, I know the preseason is meaningless. Half the time, the lineup you're seeing is comprised of mostly AHL regulars trying to earn a spot on the NHL roster, so determining how good a team will be come mid-October, is practically impossible.

But this doesn't mean things can't be entertaining, and that's what Utah HC has delivered so far.

Let's start with the first goal in the franchise's preseason history which came on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues in Des Moinse, Iowa. That's a big deal for any team, but the only thing was this goal was in their own net.

With the Blues up by one, Utah found themselves up a man thanks to an extra attacker on a delayed penalty. They got set up, but a pass to the point looked to have skipped at the last second on winger Dylan Guenther and traveled all the way down the ice and into the empty cage to give the Blues a 2-0 lead.

St. Louis was more than happy to congratulate Utah on this franchise first.

I'd be happy about this if I was Utah because there was nowhere to go but up, and up they went.

Believe it or not, Utah went on to win that game 5-3, including their first real goal in preseason play.

They were back in action for their first preseason home game against the Los Angeles Kings. They won that one in overtime, and it featured the franchise's first fight.

Utah center Liam O'Brien — but you can call him Spicy Tuna — squared up against Kings forward Jeff Mallott.

O'Brien was re-signed by the team over the offseason, and he's going to be a fan favorite in Salt Lake City (I think he already is, honestly).

Utah will look to continue their entertaining preseason against potentially their toughest opponent yet in the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. Utah HC's first meaningful game will be on October 8, when they host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.