Vincent Trocheck’s move to Utah has already delivered a pretty clear family win: his 7-year-old son Leo has found a new hockey home and a new favorite player.
Trocheck, who was traded from New York to Utah this summer, said the transition has gone smoothly for his family. On the most recent episode of “Morning Cuppa Hockey” with Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen, he said the response from Ryan Smith and the Utah organization made an immediate impression.
“It’s been great so far,” Trocheck said. “Right after we got traded Ryan called me and was just such a good dude…he’s willing to do whatever it takes. Anything that me and the family need, he’ll do.”
“We got to see the facilities…I’d never seen anything like it.”
For Trocheck, the move is about more than hockey. As a husband and father of two, he had to think through how a trade would affect everyone at home. A month later, he sounded comfortable with how things have settled, especially after seeing the family side of Utah up close.
Leo, meanwhile, has adjusted too. Trocheck said his son was initially reluctant to leave his youth team in New York when trade rumors started swirling around last season’s deadline. But in Utah, he’s found a new spot to play and quickly latched onto one of his dad’s new teammates.
Trocheck said he has already talked to kids about the possibility of being traded to prepare them. His son, who is 7, had a legendary response, Trocheck said:
“My son was like, ‘Well, I’ll stay because, you know, I have a hockey team here, I didn’t get traded.’ ”
Now Leo is “good now,” as Trocheck put it, and the family has found a place for him to skate. Trocheck described him as a “hockey super fan” who lights up at the mention of players around the league.
“When I told him Utah, he was like over the moon. He was like, ‘Oh! Logan is there.'”
Asked directly by his dad on the podcast who his favorite player is, Leo didn’t hesitate.
“Besides you? Logan.”
Trocheck’s family is settled in Utah, and his son has already picked his guy: Logan Cooley. That gives the Mammoth veteran a pretty unique setup as he heads into the season alongside the player his son is now cheering for most.
In Other News...
Kevin Connauton Begins Surprising New NHL Path After Final Season
Kevin Connauton spent the 2025-26 season doing what veteran defensemen often get asked to do in the minors: steadying a team, helping younger players find their footing and waiting for the next call. For Tucson, he appeared in 30 games for the Roadrunners, chipped in five assists and provided the kind of experience an AHL club leans on when the standings tighten and the season settles into a grind.
The Roadrunners never got close to a postseason push, finishing seventh in the Pacific Division and missing the playoffs, while Utahs NHL club moved on to a first-round loss against Vegas after a 43-33-6 regular season. Connauton also saw only limited time in the NHL picture, which made his role in Tucson feel especially notable as the season wound down and his path away from the ice began to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Mammoth May Have Landed Two Draft Steals Nobody Saw
Utahs draft board got a little more aggressive when the Mammoth traded up from No. 19 to No. 17 and grabbed Ethan Belchetz, a prospect whose size and upside made him one of the more intriguing names available. The move fit the kind of swing a young team can afford to take, especially when the goal is to add players who might grow into bigger roles rather than simply fill immediate holes.
The bigger surprise may have come in the third round, where Adam Valentini was still on the board at No. 96 after being projected to go earlier. Size concerns helped push him down, but that kind of slide can create real value for a team willing to bet on talent over consensus. For Utah, landing both players could end up looking like a rare draft haul if those gambles turn into contributors. [Read more 🡒]