Utah Hockey Club named 2024/25's most surprising team by Hockey Personality Don Cherry
Photo credit: Los Angeles Times
The Utah Hockey Club enter this season full of hype as the NHL's newest team, and top personality Don Cherry has high hopes for them.
While the 2024/25 NHL season has just begun, there's already so many stories and intriguing teams to watch, and although there's definitely the favourites, ther's plenty of room for shockers. That's one topic that was recently brought up to NHL personality Don Cherry, who was asked which team he believes will surprise the NHL the most this year, and his answer definitely won't surprise you after the start to the season.
"Utah," said Cherry without any hesitation on his most recent podcast. "I think [they] will be the biggest surprise. They are in a new town and the whole... and I think they'll be the surprise of the year."
The Utah Hockey Club only joined the NHL this off-season as they were officially relocated from Arizona, and with the additions of John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev to an already talented young group, they've started red-hot to the season. In just six games, Utah HC have tallied a highly impressive 4-1-1 mark, while playing in front of a red-hot crowd in Salt Lake City, making them one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the league.
Will this early success lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals? Cherry says although they'll surprise, don't quite expect that yet.
"Oh I don't think they'll make a run for it but... make the playoffs, that's about it," added Cherry.
Unfortunately for Utah, they've already lost two key defensemen for an extended period of time, and that may ultimately come back to bite them as they go further and further into their first NHL season. With the good vibes rolling in Salt Lake City, the belief continues to grow within the organization, and if Cherry is right, it will be a historic campaign.
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