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Utah prospect report: Iginla, Lamoureux injuries create challenge for development staff
The Utah Hockey Club announced on Nov. 29 that defense prospect Maveric Lamoureux would miss four to six weeks with an upper-body injury suffered against the Montréal Canadiens on Nov. 26.
On Dec. 4, Utah announced that top forward prospect Tij Iginla would miss the remainder of the season with the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets after undergoing successful hip surgery.
About a month earlier, University of Nebraska Omaha coach Mike Gabinet announced that forward Tanner Ludtke, one of the Utah franchise’s four third-round picks in 2023 (No. 81), sustained an upper-body injury in a game against Minnesota State on Oct. 25 and would likely miss the rest of the season. Ludtke sustained a shoulder injury just six games into the NCAA season.
In a little more than a month, the UHC lost two of the top four ranked prospects in its system, and one of its top three center prospects for extended periods of time, clouding their futures and slowing their progress.
In the latest prospect report, we caught up with Utah director of player development Lee Stempniak to discuss the impact of those injuries on the players’ development, and the process by which the development staff gets those players back on track.
We also checked in on defense prospect Gregor Biber with Rögle BK in Sweden, and goalie prospect Melker Thelin with IF Björklöven in Sweden, while adding quick notes on the other four non-pro goalie prospects in the system, and a couple of other players with the help of Stempniak and development coaches Clay Adams (goalies) and Kurtis Foster (defensemen).
Utah prospects Tij Iginla, Maveric Lamoureux
Maveric Lamoureux’s latest injury comes on the heels of two shoulder injuries (this one is not a shoulder injury) in the QMJHL that limited him to 35 and 39 games, respectively, in the previous two seasons with Drummondville.
Updating Lamoureux’s timeline, Utah GM Bill Armstrong said Tuesday that Lamoureux won’t return until late January. If that holds, he’ll miss close to two months, which is still less than Iginla and Ludtke.
“It’s not ideal, obviously, but a lot of the rehabilitation process is dependent on the character of the player and their work ethic,” Stempniak said. “With these players, you know they’re going to do whatever they can.
“As an example, I always go back to when Tij couldn’t play at the rookie tournament. He brought his stick with him back to the hotel and was stickhandling in the hallway of the hotel. Obviously, not playing, you’re not getting that experience and the reps, but he’s a really smart hockey player, and with Jarome (his dad), he’s got an unbelievable resource to lean on.”
Stempniak said Utah’s staff does whatever it can to keep the development curve moving upward. The team has had long discussions about the potential for virtual reality hoods that at this point are far more widespread among goaltenders than among forwards. And while they can’t get the players on the ice while they are healing, they stay in constant contact with the players and the training staffs of their respective teams for updates and progress reports, sometimes even paying visits or offering targeted suggestions to the those staffs.
They also give their players homework.
“For all of the injured players, we talk to them about using their time wisely,” Stempniak said. “We tell them, ‘When you’re watching from up top [in the press box], use it as an opportunity to learn something. If you’re Tij Iginla and you’re playing the wing, pick a wing for one game and just watch what happens. Watch the game with a purpose so you’re getting those mental reps and learning experience and getting a different perspective, as opposed to just being like, ‘Oh, I’m out, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
“Another thing we’re going to do with guys who are out longer is identify players that they think they play like and that we think they could play like in the NHL and then have them watch that guy’s game once a week. We’ll give them things to watch on certain players, we give them video, and we’ve talked as a staff about creating projects like, ‘Hey, we want you to watch for these three things in this game.’ It’s a little bit of homework where they come back to us and hopefully it spurs discussion, but we’re also trying to engage them mentally.”
It’s impossible to say how much the time off has impacted or will impact players’ futures. Every player is different; every situation is different. While Lamoureux has missed a significant amount of time, he played better than expected when pressed into action for 15 NHL games due to other injuries.
Iginla displayed all of the qualities that led Utah to select him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2024 — making him the first draft pick in franchise history. In 21 games with Kelowna, he had 14 goals and 32 points.
“He just got really great offensive instincts,” Stempniak said. “He doesn’t get enough credit for his playmaking ability. You see this shot, you see the one-on-one play and his ability to generate offense that way, but I think he’s a guy that can make all the plays that are there and he sees the play well.
“What I’ve always been drawn to watching him, even before the draft, is just his ability to play on the inside. He’s able to take the puck from the perimeter and he’s always looking to attack and get the puck to the inside, whether it’s carrying it there and beating someone, or passing it, or moving it and jumping to open space in the middle. He’s able to really attack the middle of the ice and generate a lot of shots from the inside of the ice, which are extremely dangerous. With his shot, especially, it’s a game changer.”
Utah Defense prospect Gregor Biber
Gregor Biber may become one of those draft picks who builds the legend of the Utah amateur scouting staff. European scout Tyler Bilton, who spent two seasons with the Okanagan Academy in Austria, did most of the legwork on Biber, but Central European scout Teal Fowler also lent a hand scouting the Krems, Austria product.
What they discovered is a prospect with an unorthodox background who keeps showing up in games.
“He’s really raw,” Stempniak said, “but he’s a guy that seems to rise to the occasion. He started at J20 with Rögle, and he was practicing with the men’s team a little bit, and then he got into lineup as a seventh D and now he’s playing 12 to 14 minutes a game regularly with the men’s team (in the SHL) at age 19. It just feels like every couple weeks, you’ll watch him and he’s taken another step. He’s on a great trajectory right now.”
Foster has been to Sweden once already this season to work and meet with Biber. He has another trip planned for mid-January, but he is thrilled with the environment in which Biber is learning.
“They have an unbelievable program in Rögle where the youth, the J20 team and the pro team work hand in hand all the time at this complex where there’s three ice pads so even at the beginning of the year, he would practice with the pro club as well,” Foster said.
Biber (6 feet 3, 190 pounds) earned that opportunity with his style of play — one that likely makes GM Bill Armstrong smile.
“He’s not ‘I’m gonna punch you’ kind of physical, but he’s competitive and aggressive,” Foster said. “If he’s surfing, he’s looking to kill the play with physicality. Of course, he’ll look to disrupt the puck and create a turnover, but when he does that, he’s also knocking you down and it’s pretty amazing that he does it with such consistency, not just at the U20 level, but also the pro level.
“He plays a physical, in-your-face style every night, which is pretty impressive to see at his age.”
While Foster and skating coach Lars Hepso (who has also been to Sweden to work with Biber) are focusing on Biber’s first three steps to improve his overall skating and ability to retrieve pucks more quickly, Rögle defense coach Max Bohlin also spends 20 to 30 minutes before and after practice, working on Biber’s puck movement.
Even so, the Utah staff likes Biber’s mobility and ability to move a puck. Nobody is expecting him to become an offensive defenseman who puts up a ton of points, but his skill set and physicality make him the prototypical defenseman for today’s NHL.
“He has the ability to be a two-way, physical defender,” Foster said. “He’s not gonna wow you in the offensive zone, but he plays with such pace that he jumps into the play consistently to add to the rush so he makes it a four-on-two or a four-on-three. He’s not afraid to move with the puck in the offensive zone; to take the space needed to find the next play. What he’s showing as a 19-year-old in the Swedish League is pretty impressive with the confidence he has with the puck.”
Utah selected Biber in the fourth round (No. 98) of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas.
Utah Goalie prospect Melker Thelin
For the second straight season, Sweden chose goaltender Melker Thelin to represent the team at the World Junior Championship from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Ottawa. It’s a well-earned opportunity for Thelin, who is making his mark for IF Björklöven in Allsvenskan despite playing behind 28-year-old veteran Joona Voutilainen.
In 11 games, Thelin is 9-2 with a 2.43 goals against average and a .908 save percentage that ranks 12th in the league.
“I’ve been really happy with his maturity in a tough situation,” said Adams, who is also Utah’s goalie scout. “He is battling against a veteran goalie that has a lot of experience and has a bigger paycheck. To play, you have to perform, and so far, Melker has done exactly that.”
The Coyotes chose Thelin in the fifth round (No. 134) of the 2o23 draft — one of three goalies they chose in a draft that was rich in goalie prospects. As the development coach, it is Adams’ role to work with all of the goalies who are not in the North American pro ranks, which includes Michal Hrabal, Thelin, Carsen Musser, Rasmus Korhonen and Anson Thornton.
Adams said Thelin is displaying a maturity beyond his 19 years of age.
“When he makes a mistake, he’s able to stop the bleeding and get his game back on the rails; keep his game plan going in the right direction and ultimately end up with the wins necessary to keep the goalie battle alive between him and this veteran goalie,” Adams said.
Utah isn’t able to work with Thelin on the ice, but they do provide pointers and suggestions through video and live analysis.
“From a technical standpoint, we want him just to gain experience,” Adams said. “We feel like any technical changes we need to make, we can make later. A lot of those things we can do at development camp. What we’re trying to do is be a support system for him and help him navigate pro hockey at the European level so the games are the most important thing.
“When you look at the goalies in the NHL and you see how many games these guys have played prior to the American League, and even prior to the NHL, there’s no substitute for experience; they’re north of 200 games. He’s done a good job of dealing with those frustrations of not playing all that much last year. He’s doing the things necessary so when he does get the opportunity, he can make the most of it.”
Utah Prospect notes
1. Utah knew this season would be a challenge for goalie prospect Michael Hrabal at UMass. The Minutemen lost four top defensemen to graduation, transfer, or pro deals, leaving an inexperienced blue line in front of him. UMass had its struggles early but it is still 8-6-2, it sits No. 20 in the PairWise rankings, and a lot of that has to do with Hrabal.
In his first seven games, Hrabal had 2.69 GAA and an .898 save percentage. In his past eight, he has a 1.92 GAA, a .937 SP, and he just shut out No. 11 BU in Boston. “He’s learning through adversity and he’s performing really well,” Adams said.
2. Hrabal is one several Utah prospects competing in the World Junior Championship. Hrabal and 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 167) Vojtech Hradec, a forward, will compete for Czechia. As noted above, Thelin will play for Sweden. Center Cole Beaudoin (2024 first round, No. 24) is in camp for Canada, and 2024 third-round pick (No. 96) Veeti Väisänen, a defenseman, will play for Finland.
Biber is playing for Austria in the WJC Division II tournament in Slovakia, and 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 190) Ludvig Lafton, a defenseman, is playing for Norway at that same event.
3. Keep an eye on Carsen Musser’s situation at Colorado College. The Utah goalie prospect has appeared in just one period this season for the Tigers (9-4-1). The 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 166) and USA NTDP product could not have expected this when he chose to enroll after one season with the USHL’s Madison Capitols.
Junior Kaidan Mbereko has played all 14 games for CC, which missed the NCAA Tournament by one win last season. Playing time is critical to a goalie’s development and Utah thought CC was a perfect fit because coach Kris Mayotte is a former goaltender and CC also has a goalie coach (Peter Mannino) on staff, which is not always the case in NCAA hockey where programs are limited to three paid assistant coaches.
Mbereko, who was not drafted, has played well and may have the opportunity to sign with a pro team after this season as an undrafted free agent. If he does not and chooses to return to CC for his senior season, Musser may be faced with a tough choice of sticking with the program or finding a place where he will play more games to speed his development.
4. After some injuries, playing-time issues, and a lost year due to Covid, goalie prospect Anson Thornton is in a good situation with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. He has a goalie coach (Chris Johansen) whom Utah respects and Thornton, an undrafted free agent who signed a three year entry-level deal in 2021, has played 13 of Allen’s 19 games (.908 save percentage).
5. Rasmus Korhonen, the Coyotes’ fourth-round draft pick (No. 122) in 2021, has played the most games (23) of any goalie in Allsvenskan. His team, Västerås IK, is not strong and sits in 10th place in the 14-team league, but he is getting a lot of work and experience.
Top photo of Utah forward prospect Tij Iginla via Getty Images
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