Devastating update given on Utah Hockey Club defenseman John Marino

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Tom Banks
October 18, 2024 (8:41 PM)

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The Utah Hockey Club made some big upgrades on their blue line this past off-season, but despite that, they remain without one of their key defenders.

The start to the 2024/25 season has been a very fun one for the brand new Utah Hockey Club, and with the combination of youth and experience and several elite young players, the future remains very bright in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, the team has now lost blue line leader Sean Durzi to injury, with the 25-year old set to be out for several months, a key loss to a very limited defensive group.

Now, an update on former Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils defenseman John Marino has revealed more bad news for the NHL's newest team, with Head Coach Andre Tourigny revealing in a recent interview that Marino is still 'months away'.

This comes as a major shock as he was listed as week-to-week during camp with an upper-body injury, but now, according to Tourigny's timeline, it appears he may not take the ice as a member of the Utah Hockey Club until December at the earliest, assuming there are no setbacks. Last season with the Devils, Marino posted a solid 4 goals and 25 points while playing fantastic defense, but at the draft, he was acquired by Utah HC on the same weekend as former Tampa Bay Lightning star Mikhail Sergachev.

Now, the Hockey Club will need to put their trust in some young, unproven names until Durzi and Marino are back in the lineup, which may be very late in the season, and with inexperience all over the lineup, it's safe to say that this may ultimately cost them some big time wins moving forward.