3 thoughts from day one of Utah HC rookie camp

The Utah Hockey Club began its rookie camp on Wednesday. Here are a few things I gathered at the camp through both observation and conversation.
We quickly noticed that Tij Iginla, Utah’s first-ever draft pick, was not with his peers on the ice this morning. He was also scheduled to meet with the media after the on-ice sessions were over, but we soon found out that he would not be available there either.
The team sent out a note to media near the end of the day saying that Iginla was being evaluated for a lower-body injury and that his status was day-to-day. I ran into Tij outside the rink as everyone was leaving and he told me it’s a hip issue. He said he’d be out for at least a few days, meaning we won’t see him tomorrow.
Whether or not he participates in the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles this weekend is to be determined, but from my conversation with Tij, I’d assume he won’t play.
A quick note in terms of name pronunciation: I’ve been told that the “j” at the end of his first name is soft. It sounds like the “j” in the French name “Jacques.”
Better stated, Maveric Lamoureux is a unicorn. He’s 6-foot-7 but he skates like he’s 5-foot-10. Oh, and he scored close to a point per game in the QMJHL last season as a defenseman.
Lamoureux will turn pro this year. The question is whether he spends more time with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners or the big club in the NHL. If he has a good rookie camp followed by a good training camp, he could cause management to make some difficult decisions.
Another factor in Lamoureux’s development is his injury status. He has had operations on both shoulders in the last two years, causing him to miss significant parts of each of the last two seasons. That didn’t stop him, though, from playfully but forcefully slamming his shoulder into the glass during practice today.
This was my first time talking to Lamoureux, but my first impression was that he’s a darling in front of the camera. Despite English being his second language, he’s so comfortable speaking and joking around that you’d think he was speaking French. He will undoubtedly be the star of many Utah HC social media videos.
Every person I talked to today — players, management, media, team staff — was thrilled to be in Utah. Many people mentioned the mountains and the hometown feel. A few also mentioned that it would be nice to get all four seasons here, as opposed to the cooler summer and hotter summer that they got in Arizona.
People also seemed thrilled to be part of the inaugural season of NHL hockey in Utah — myself included. It’s not often that you get to be part of something like this from day one, whether you’re a player, a media member or a fan. There are nothing but good vibes so far.
When you have a hot tub in your practice facility, how bad can your life be?
Rookie camp continues with a practice on Thursday, followed by the Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles this weekend, where Utah plays on Friday, Saturday and Monday.
You can stream Utah’s Rookie Faceoff games on the team’s website.
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