SALT LAKE CITY — Maveric Lamoureux was all smiles inside the Utah Hockey Club locker room Thursday when he found out he would be making his NHL debut for the Utah Hockey Club that same night against the Colorado Avalanche.
"I was in the room with everyone, so I didn't want to scream or be too happy, but I had a big smile," said Lamoureux.
Lamoureux started this season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners, but with defensemen Sean Durzi and John Marino out with injuries, the 20-year-old was called up to Utah and quickly found out he'd be in the lineup.
"There's one chance to play your first game in the NHL and that will never happen again," said Utah Hockey Club head coach Andre Tourigny.
"It's a dream for everyone to play in the NHL," added Lamoureux. "But the amount of players that make it is close to zero, so I was definitely not thinking I was going to be here today, but having that chance is amazing. I'm lucky to be here today."
Utah selected Lamoureux in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft when the team was based in Arizona. He's one of the top prospects in the organization who has the chance to prove himself in the best league in the world.
In his debut against the Avalanche, Lamoureux was on the ice for nearly 19 minutes.
"He played really good so far in Tucson for us," said Tourigny. "He's a big body who can skate really well. He has good range and he's a good prospect for us, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do."
"I'm glad I'm making my debut here," said Lamoureux. "I feel like playing in front of all the fans, they're amazing here."
