Utah Hockey Club opens rookie camp at Utah Olympic Oval

KEARNS — Of all the days two-time Olympic speedskater Mia Manganello-Kilburg has trained with her teammates at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Wednesday was the first time things were this different.

“Yeah, it is a bit more crowded, isn’t it? For sure.” she said.

The extra crowd was because the new Utah Hockey Club is also calling the ice oval home and Wednesday was the first day of rookie camp.

“It’s like Christmas. You are waking up to go to work and it’s not really work, it is an enjoyment and you get excited to see the kids that you drafted,” said Bill Armstrong, general manager of the Utah Hockey Club.

Armstrong said not only was he impressed by what he saw on the ice with the rookie players, but he really liked seeing the new office space and team logos at the Oval.

“It’s just the vibrant colors and the job they have done and where the rinks sits. Our players get extremely excited about coming here,” Armstrong said.

It might even help the players to be here.

As far as being the best they can be, all they have to do is look at the speedskaters training to see the commitment it takes to be the best.

Elite athletes

“There is a lot of energy, believe it or not,” Armstrong said. “When you have the speedskaters, the Olympic speedskaters out there, everybody is training to get to that level, the Olympics. They are pushing the pace. They are elite athletes.”

If there is one thing elite athletes recognize, it is other elite athletes.

That’s also why speedskater Casey Dawson, who won a bronze medal during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, said it is pretty cool seeing the professional hockey players at the Oval.

“It adds to the environment and it just kind of motivates you to work a little harder, too,” Dawson said.

The first preseason game for the Utah Hockey Club is against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 22.