NHL Prospect Watch: Utah Hockey Club
Ahead of the 2024-25 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for each of the NHL’s 32 teams. Throughout the series, we’ll highlight WHLers who have been signed to an NHL contract, were recently drafted, or are included in the NHL’s definition of a rookie.
A permanent nickname is still pending for the Utah Hockey Club, but the team already has some top-tier WHL talent locked up after a historic pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Terrell Goldsmith
Utah has inherited Goldsmith as Arizona’s fourth-round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. A gritty, 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenceman, Goldsmith has made a career out of menacing his opponents in the WHL. The 19-year-old put up three goals and 12 assists for 15 points in 66 games with the Prince Albert Raiders this season. His 122 penalty minutes were the third-most in the league in 2023-24 and he earned his first WHL playoff point with an assist in the Raiders’ first-round series against the Saskatoon Blades. The Fort St. James, B.C. product will don a new jersey this year after a major offseason trade that will see him report to the Tri-City Americans. Goldsmith has amassed 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points and 278 penalty minutes in 185 WHL games.
Ches Lech Most Improved Player Presented by Great Western Brewing: Niall Crocker
Jim Neilson Most Valuable Defenceman Presented by North Star Signs: Justice Christensen & Terrell Goldsmith
George Cowie Rookie of the Year Presented by Broda Group: Oli Chenier
Travis Laycock… pic.twitter.com/6caG3oCqKB
— Prince Albert Raiders (@PARaidersHockey) March 25, 2024
Tij Iginla
Star forward Tij Iginla made history as the first pick in Utah franchise history when the club selected him sixth overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. This also makes him the highest-drafted forward in Rockets franchise history. In his sophomore WHL season, Iginla netted 47 goals (including eight game-winners) and 37 assists for 84 points and a +17 rating in 64 games. He finished second on his team in points, while his 47 goals led the Rockets and ranked sixth among all WHLers. He impressed with a pair of regular-season hat tricks and four four-point outings. The 6-foot, 192-pound forward from Lake Country, B.C. cranked up the heat in the playoffs, where he added nine goals and six assists for 15 points in 11 matches, highlighted by a hat trick against the Wenatchee Wild in Game 1 of their first-round series. After Kelowna bowed out in the second round, Iginla represented Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U-18 Championship in Finland, where he racked up six goals and six assists in seven games- including the gold-medal-winning goal. Over the summer, Iginla inked a three-year, entry-level contract with Utah and took the first step toward representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship by attending Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase.
🎥 TIJ IGINLA – HIGHLIGHT REEL 🎥
Just a sample of Tij’s 47-goal season!@Kelowna_Rockets | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pzGg2JD0Ee
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 28, 2024
Justin Kipkie
Defenceman Justin Kipkie doubled his offensive output in his second full season with the Victoria Royals. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound blueliner registered 16 goals (including four game-winners and a shorthanded tally) and 36 assists for 52 points in 67 matches. Kipkie ranked fifth in points among all Royals skaters and tied for fourth in assists. He also completed the rare defenceman hat trick, scoring all three of Victoria’s goals in a 3-2 overtime victory over Iginla’s Rockets in November. The Calgary, Alta. product was named a WHL B.C. Division First-Team All-Star for his efforts. The Royals alternate captain also found the scoresheet in all four of Victoria’s playoff games against the Western Conference Champion Portland Winterhawks, tallying one goal and five assists. Kipkie was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
JUSTIN KIPKIE OVERTIME WINNER 🚨🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/hJ6VmZou6h
— Victoria Royals (@victoriaroyals) December 31, 2023
Ben McCartney
Former Brandon Wheat Kings alternate captain Ben McCartney is coming off his third full professional season with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners and first as the club’s alternate captain. Despite having an injury-shortened campaign, the 6-foot-3, 183-pound forward put up six goals and 16 assists for 22 points and 67 penalty minutes in 46 games, highlighted by a three-assist outing against the Iowa Wild in January. McCartney’s play earned him a one-year, two-way contract with Utah. A 2020 seventh-round pick by the Coyotes, McCartney made his NHL debut with Arizona in 2021-22, appearing in two games. The Macdonald, Man. product played parts of five seasons with the Wheat Kings, piling up 61 goals and 90 assists for 151 points and 238 PIMs in 205 regular-season games.
Ben McCartney out here playing video games on the ice 🎮🥱#VamosTucson https://t.co/GM4xsmcS7x pic.twitter.com/TYVCgW2Vvm
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) April 20, 2024
Montana Onyebuchi
Heavyweight defenceman Montana Onyebuchi joined the organization after signing a two-year, entry-level contract with Arizona ahead of the 2023-24 season, appearing in the team’s rookie showcase before being assigned to the AHL. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defenceman potted two goals and seven assists for nine points in 49 games with the Roadrunners, leading the squad with 145 penalty minutes and tying for third with a +9 rating. Onyebuchi, 24, played five full seasons with the Everett Silvertips and Kamloops Blazers, sporting the ‘A’ for his last two seasons in B.C. He won three division titles (Everett, 2017, Kamloops, 2020 and 2021) and collected 19 goals and 56 assists in 257 regular-season games.
Montana Onyebuchi, Anson Thornton, Austin Poganksi and Jared Moe worked late night with the Junior Roadrunners teaching the next waves of Southern Arizona hockey players! pic.twitter.com/QJQ7oRlcDJ
— Jonathon Schaffer 🎙️ (@jonny_schaffer) November 2, 2023
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