6 Utah standouts from the Rookie Faceoff

At the conclusion of the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, let’s take a look at the Utah Hockey Club players who stood out the most.
Before we start, here’s a quick, gentle reminder: Rookie camp has absolutely nothing to do with the actual NHL team’s performance this season. Some of the players were drafted by the team, but many are simply there to try out for the minor-league pro teams. Most of these guys will never play in the NHL.
Additionally, this is not Utah’s coaching staff, which means the systems that this team uses will not be the same ones we’ll see in the regular season.
Watch these games through a scout’s eyes, rather than a fan’s eyes. Scouts couldn’t care less what the result of a game is. They just want to see what players are good at and what they need to improve.
In other words, don’t get too excited if your team does well, and don’t get too down if your team fails miserably. What you want to see more than anything is your team’s actual prospects doing well.
Alright, enough rambling. Here are six standouts from Utah’s rookie camp.
After attending camps with the Ottawa Senators and the Colorado Avalanche as an undrafted player, Owen Allard finally has a team to call his own. Utah HC drafted him in the fifth round this year and he’s showing that it was not a mistake.
Allard led the team in goals and was tied for the team lead in points at the Rookie Faceoff. He also scored the overtime winner in Saturday’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings.
But anyone who’s familiar with Allard knows offense is only half of his game — he also prides himself in being hard to play against, meaning he battles in the corners, finishes checks and is always in position defensively. He has done exactly that this entire camp.
Allard still has one more year of CHL eligibility and there’s a limited number of spots on the Tucson Roadrunners’ roster, so it’s likely that he returns to the Soo Greyhounds for the year. But don’t be surprised if he turns pro next season.
Despite playing only two of Utah’s three games, Maveric Lamoureux has climbed to the top of the scoresheet, tying with Allard and another teammate for the lead in points. Oh, and he’s a defenseman.
He also drew attention when he fought Vegas Golden Knights forward Sloan Stanick after a big hit on teammate Sam Lipkin.
The way Lamoureux conducts himself off the ice is equally impressive. Despite the fact that he’s 20 years old and English is his second language, he answers the media’s questions as well as anyone. He seems to have already figured out the balance between being mature and having fun.
He wore the captain’s “C” during his two games, and there’s a good chance that those won’t be his only two games with a letter on his chest in a Utah sweater.
As long as he stays healthy, the 6-foot-7 tower will play in the NHL — it’s just a question of when. He will play professional hockey this year, though with Utah’s current selection of NHL defensemen, it’s likely that he at least starts the season in the AHL. Don’t be surprised, though, if he plays a limited number of games with the big club before the year is over.
Speaking of players who could someday become the captain of the Utah Hockey Club, Cole Beaudoin had an excellent camp and rookie tournament.
He was held off the scoresheet until Utah’s final game, but he started Utah’s comeback with the 3-1 goal against the Golden Knights. His goal came in true Beaudoin fashion: He found the puck just below the goal line, cut to the front of the net and roofed it — just like he did over and over again during practice in Utah.
Beaudoin is an intense guy. That’s one of the reasons Utah’s scouts were so intent on getting him that they convinced general manager Bill Armstrong to trade up and draft him. He showed that all week, putting everything he had into this camp, even though it likely won’t affect the team’s opinion of him or where he plays this season.
He will almost certainly go back to the Barrie Colts of the OHL, where he should be well over a point per game. He will be a leader on that team — potentially even the captain — and will continue developing.
Another player who really showed his stripes all week was Julian Lutz. Utah HC fans might already be familiar with the playmaking skills of Matias Maccelli. Lutz looks like a younger version of him.
Lutz assisted on all three goals in Utah’s Monday loss to the Golden Knights, tying him with Allard and Lamoureux for the team lead in points.
He dominated the USHL last season and it’s clear that he’s ready for some tougher competition. He could very well spend the season with the Roadrunners of the AHL and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him play a game or two in the NHL.
Seemingly every time I saw someone make a smart play or be in the perfect defensive position, I saw number 45 on the back of his jersey. Noel Nordh seemed perfect.
Nordh chipped in a goal and an assist for Utah. The 2023 third-round pick has spent his entire career in the Brynäs organization in Sweden, playing last year in Sweden’s second-tier pro league, Allsvenskan. He scored six goals and 15 points in 50 games there last year.
It’s likely that he returns to Brynäs next year. He gets good experience playing primarily against fully grown men, plus he gets to develop in an environment that’s familiar to him.
When I asked Owen Allard on Sunday who had impressed him most, one of the names he mentioned was Gabe Smith. Not only did Allard talk about him as a good hockey player, but he also said he was a great person.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound 18-year-old recorded nine penalty minutes during Utah’s three games. These rookie camps are all about showing your strengths, and Smith did exactly that.
Smith drew the most attention when he dropped the gloves with Jared Woolley of the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The tilt was brief but it allowed Smith to send a message: He is not afraid to fight.
He didn’t register any points this tournament. He will almost definitely return to the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats this year, where he will need to take a step offensively if he wants to stay on Utah’s radar as a potential future piece of the franchise.