Getting to Know U-tah: Forward Liam O'Brien

Through training camp ALLCITY Network will publish profiles of players and staff on the Utah Hockey Club’s hockey operations side to help Utah fans get to know their new team before the first puck drop on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center.

Liam O’Brien
Position: Forward
Height/weight: 6-1, 213
Shoots: Left
Age: 30
2023-24 stats: 75 games, 5 goals, 14 points
Career stats: 199 games, 11 goals, 33 points
Contract status: Signed through 2026-27 season (AAV $1 million)
Agent: Andrew Maloney
Spouse: Adela
Daughter: Leilani

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Liam O’Brien didn’t grab the mic at Delta Center with the intention of becoming an overnight Salt Lake City celebrity. But as the number of Utah Hockey Club speakers mounted at the team’s introduction to its new fans, so did the pressure on O’Brien.

“When we were up there on stage, I could tell as the mic was getting closer and closer to me that the guys were kind of looking at me like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get up there and get these people going,'” O’Brien said.

So he did by telling fans that if they kept showing up, he’d “run through a wall” for them.

“That’s kind of my role anyway,” he said, laughing. “I read a lot of the lineups and get the boys fired up. It was pretty electric in there already. The fans were going nuts and they were going nuts almost over nothing. I was like, ‘Shit, if I get up there and get a little crazy, they might love it.’ So I just kind of went full WWE on them. It was spontaneous. It really wasn’t planned but it was pretty cool.”

As for the modification of his nickname from Big Tuna to Spicy Tuna, O’Brien credited Nick Schmaltz’s brother, Jordan, with launching that moniker on social media.

“At first they just started calling me ‘Spicy,'” he said. “And then it became ‘Spicy Tuna,’ because he was saying it. I was like, ‘Alright. I guess it’s ‘Spicy Tuna’ now. The guys like it so I’ll rock it.'”

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O’Brien’s role on the ice is as clearly defined as it is in the room. He’s an energy guy; a fourth-line player who may out of the lineup on certain nights. When he plays, however, there is a trust between O’Brien and coach André Tourigny that goes all the way back to the 2011-12 season with Rouyn-Noranda in the QMJHL.

That’s where Tourigny first coached O’Brien, and you can bet that season and a half played a role in the Coyotes signing O’Brien as a free agent in 2021.

“I remember the exact moment when Obi arrived, but I remember the impact he had on our team even more,” Tourigny said of the Q days. “Obi has been a pro since back then when he was 17 years old. He was the kind of a guy you had to tell, ‘Hey, you need to get off the ice.’ 

“He was not staying on the ice to impress us. He was staying on the ice to work on really specific things; really focused on certain details. It was not about shooting pucks. We talked to him about working on his balance and he was relentless about it. He’s still working on it, making sure he improves his balance and his hands, his touches, all of it. He’s a great example for everybody for how you approach the game.”

Everybody can see that O’Brien fills the role of enforcer on a team that does not have many fighters. What’s less visible is how much Tourigny trusts the details of O’Brien’s game. Both are sources of pride for O’Brien.

“If you’re going to be in the NHL and you’re going to play that fourth-line role, you need to be able to be relied on by your coach — for him to trust you — and I’ve always taken the trust from my coach really seriously,” he said.

“There’s times where maybe I don’t try to make that extra play because I want to make sure that I’m making the right play, making the smart play, whether that’s defensively or offensively. He does give me leash to make plays and create offense. He’s not saying ‘Hey, play safe,’ but I respect him a lot and I like the system that we play. I study the system that we play so I can be effective in it.”

O’Brien would never describe himself as comfortable in his role, but he does like his role, and he has worked tirelessly to hone it, including a newfound love of Pilates to improve his balance.

“You can’t get comfortable,” he said. “If you get comfortable, you’re screwed, especially if you’re me. I’m always working. I’m always looking to evolve. I want to be the best in the league for what I do.

“I want to be the best guy physically. I want to be the best guy defensively. I want to be a two-way guy who can go up and down the ice and chip in offensively; pick the right time to fight. One thing for me this year that I’m going to really focus on is just trying to be disciplined.”

O’Brien signed a three-year contract in June at a reasonable AAV of $1 million so it’s not like he’s going anywhere soon. He and his wife, Adela, also welcomed their first child (Leilani) this offseason, adding importance to that three-year contract that O’Brien says affords the family “some stability.”

At the same time, nobody understands the tenuous nature of an NHL career better than a fourth-liner who spent a lot of time in the AHL before joining this franchise.

O’Brien welcomes his celebrity status if it helps the organization embed itself in its new home, but he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I wouldn’t call me a celebrity yet, but I want to earn it,” he said. “It’s great that I got up on stage and did what I did, but at the same time, all summer, I worked so hard because I want to friggin get out there and put a good product on the ice. I want to win games and I want to be the best I can be in my role.”

Related O’Brien links

André Tourigny, Liam O’Brien have history, relationship built on respect

Examining the glorious beard of Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien

Walkin’ and Talkin’ with Liam O’Brien

Top photo of Liam O’Brien via Getty Images

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