Making a Draft Splash: Will Utah's First Pick Follow the Patterns of Past New NHL Teams?

Utah Hockey Club GM Bill Armstrong remained at the helm when the hockey operations staff transferred from the Arizona Coyotes, but there could still be a franchise-setting first draft pick. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Coyotes

On June 28 and 29, the Utah Hockey Club will pick the first players to form the foundation of the new franchise.

Even though the Arizona Coyotes' roster, hockey operations staff and prospects have been transferred to Utah, all their records remain the property of the now-inactive Coyotes. For statistical purposes, Utah will start with a blank slate, just like Vegas or Seattle.

GM Bill Armstrong will still be at the helm, though.

He was hired by the Coyotes just ahead of the 2020 NHL draft but wasn't an active participant at that table since he had been privy to all the scouting intel at his previous job with the St. Louis Blues.

At the three subsequent drafts, Armstrong made a whopping 31 picks, including six first-rounders.

A few of those players have now graduated to the NHL, including Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan and defenseman J.J. Moser. But Armstrong also seemed to emphasize players with longer development curves so that he could spread out his prospects' arrival at the pro level.

In 2024, Armstrong holds 13 picks, including No. 6 in the first round. Utah's enthusiastic fan base will eagerly wait to celebrate that first selection.

In the past, expansion GMs have prioritized a franchise center prospect who they hoped could galvanize their new fans — with varying results.

According to the 2024 NHL draft rankings from The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy, some quality center prospects could be available when Armstrong steps to the podium.

To get a sense of how GMs have operated in the past, here are the first-ever picks of the expansion teams dating back to 1998:

1998: Nashville Predators - David Legwand, C, No. 2

Legwand never quite blossomed into a No. 1 center. But he played 15 of his 17 NHL seasons with the Predators and put up 566 points in 956 games before he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2014 trade deadline.

1999: Atlanta Thrashers - Patrik Stefan, C, No. 1

In 1999, Thrashers GM Don Waddell famously took Stefan while Brian Burke moved mountains to get Daniel and Henrik Sedin to Vancouver with the second- and third-overall picks.

Stefan played just 414 games over six seasons with Atlanta and logged 177 points. He was traded to Dallas at the 2006 NHL draft but stayed for only one season before leaving the NHL at age 27.

2000: Minnesota Wild - Marian Gaborik, RW, No. 3

The only winger on this list, Gaborik made arguably the biggest impact for the team that drafted him — bringing speed and scoring to a Wild roster that was otherwise short on high-end talent thanks to the old expansion rules.

Over eight years, Gaborik put up 437 points in 502 games with the Wild. As a UFA in 2009, he signed a five-year contract with the New York Rangers, then won a Stanley Cup with Los Angeles in 2014.

2000: Columbus Blue Jackets - Rostislav Klesla, D, No. 4

As the expansion partner of the Wild, Columbus GM Doug MacLean also broke from the norm by choosing the big Czech defenseman Klesla from the Brampton Battalion with his franchise’s first-ever draft pick.

Klesla carved out a 13-year NHL career, but injuries limited him to just 515 games over 10 seasons in Columbus. He was traded to the then-Phoenix Coyotes at the 2011 trade deadline, and his playing days wrapped up back in his native Czechia in 2016.

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2011: Winnipeg Jets - Mark Scheifele, C, No. 7

The NHL has seen one pure relocation during the last quarter-century. After the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011, new GM Kevin Cheveldayoff set himself up nicely by starting his drafting with a pair of franchise centers: Mark Scheifele at No. 7 and Adam Lowry with his second pick at No. 67.

Born two weeks apart, both players are now 31 and still playing important roles with the Jets. Scheifele has 717 points in 797 games, while Lowry has 239 points in 702 games in more of a shut-down role. In 2023, Lowry was also named Winnipeg’s captain.

2017: Vegas Golden Knights - Cody Glass, C, No. 6

Cody Glass, a big right-shot center with good size who hailed from then-assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon’s home province of Manitoba, checked all the boxes as the first-ever draft pick for the Vegas Golden Knights.

But Glass’ arrival at the pro level coincided with the pandemic, which may have hurt his development progress. He managed just 22 points in 66 games over two seasons with Vegas before being dealt to Nashville in exchange for another Manitoba-born center, Nolan Patrick.

Now 25, Glass is still working to establish himself as an everyday NHL player with the Predators.

2021: Seattle Kraken - Matty Beniers, C, No. 2

The only Calder Trophy winner on this list, Beniers was snapped up by the Kraken after his University of Michigan teammate, Owen Power, went first overall to the Buffalo Sabres.

When he arrived for the Kraken’s second season, Beniers led all NHL rookies in points (57) and plus-minus (plus-14), and he added seven more points in the playoffs.

Like most of his teammates, he took a step back in 2023-24, finishing with 37 points. And while Beniers hasn’t spent a single day in the minors, Coachella Valley Firebirds coach Dan Bylsma is now tasked with getting the Kraken back on track in Year 4.

Who do you think Utah should draft with its first pick in the 2024 NHL draft? Let us know in the forum below or by clicking here.

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