The 2024 NHL Entry Draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas marked the Utah Hockey Club’s first-ever draft. General manager Bill Armstrong was also active on the phone making three big trades. Utah selected forward Tij Iginla with their first-round selection at pick number six. Armstrong traded back into the first round at the 24th spot to take forward Cole Beaudoin. Trades were also made to better the blue line, bringing in defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. However, despite the massive moves made over the past several days, Utah’s management continued to shadow similar approaches at this year’s draft as they did in previous years.
Ability to Bring in NHL Level Pedigree
While the current management was not around at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft to select Tie Domi’s son, Max, they were around to draft Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla‘s sons. Both Doan (1,540-game career with the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes) and Iginla (1,300 career points) produced respectable legacies in the NHL. Now, those legacies have been passed down to their sons.
Related: Tij Iginla Carving His Own Path With Utah
Josh Doan (Shane Doan’s son) was the Coyotes’ first of three second-round picks in 2021. Doan became the first Arizona-born, raised, and trained player to suit up for the Coyotes. The Scottsdale native was the third former Arizona State Sun Devil to play in an NHL game. The American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star was called up after scoring 46 points in 62 games with the Tucson Roadrunners. In his NHL debut on March 26, 2024, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the forward scored two goals in the Coyotes’ 6-2 victory. The 6-foot-1, 183-pound, right-handed shot notched nine points in his first 11 games at the NHL level.
Tij Iginla (Jarome Iginla’s son) was the second father-son duo to be drafted under Armstrong. The Canadian-born forward played with Utah’s winger Dylan Guenther for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 2022-23 WHL season. After an 84-point season in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, the 6-foot, 192-pound, left-handed shot joined Beaudoin (Utah’s other 2024 first-round pick) to play for Canada’s U18 World Championship team. Speaking of teammates, Armstrong likes the idea of that too…
Strive to Group Teammates Together
In the past three drafts, Armstrong has drafted prospects that were teammates at the time of the draft. In 2022, it was Julian Lutz (third-round pick) and Maksymilian Szuber (sixth-round pick) who played for EHC Red Bull München of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The 6-foot-3, 201-pound defenseman Szuber played 70 games with the Roadrunners in the AHL before making his NHL debut against the Seattle Kraken this season. The left-handed forward Lutz recently signed his entry-level contract and will most likely play in Tucson next season.
The 2023 NHL Entry Draft saw Arizona have picks six and 12 in the first round. The Coyotes acquired the 12th selection from the Ottawa Senators when they dealt defenseman Jakob Chychrun the other way. Armstrong shocked the draft when he selected two Russian-born players Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But in the first round. Both Simashev and But play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The third time’s a charm for Armstrong: after selecting German and Russian teammates, he drafted Czech teammates in 2024. Ales Cech (fifth-round pick) and Vojtech Hradec (sixth-round pick) are teammates on BK Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Extraliga (the highest level of hockey in Czechia).
As you can see, not only does Utah’s staff like selecting players who have played together, but they are also looking to build chemistry with potential future teammates at the AHL and NHL levels.
Draft for Size in the First Round
Height has been an objective of Armstrong’s as Utah currently ranks as the fifth-tallest NHL team. Some of their taller players consist of forwards Nick Bjugstad (6-foot-6), Lawson Crouse, and Jack McBain (both are 6-foot-4). Defensemen Josh Brown and Michael Kesselring stand at 6-foot-5, while goaltender Karel Vejmelka is 6-foot-4. The list does not end there in their first-round prospect pool either.
In 2022, the Coyotes drafted forward Conor Geekie (6-foot-4) and defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (6-foot-7) in the first round. In 2023, Arizona went with Simashev (6-foot-5) and But (6-foot-6) in the first round. This year, Utah picked Beaudoin (6-foot-2). While he may seem shorter compared to these other giant-sized players, the average height of NHL players is 6-foot-1, making him above the average height.
Today’s NHL may have shifted more towards skill and speed, but that has not stopped Armstrong from prioritizing size in the first round of the draft.
Draft Non American-Born Talent
Over the past three drafts, Armstrong has selected fewer than two Americans per draft. The one American who stands out from the four drafted (from 2022 to 2024) is forward Logan Cooley. To put this into perspective, roughly 12% of Armstrong’s picks over this span have been American-born players. Ultimately, this shows his trust in his scouts covering leagues outside of the U.S. and his belief there is better talent outside of the country.
Therefore, Armstrong and Utah’s staff tend to follow these blueprints when drafting players. Will these guidelines eventually build a Stanley Cup-caliber team? Only time will tell…
