Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) celebrates scoring a goal as the Utah Hockey Club and the Calgary Flames play at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. Utah won 5-1 (photo by Scott G Winterton, Deseret News).
(photo by Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Since the acquisition of Mikhail Sergachev by the Utah Hockey Club this past summer, the veteran defenseman and two-time Stanley Cup Champion has been everything the organization could’ve hoped for. In addition to being arguably the best player on the team early in the season, No. 98 has also demonstrated a lot of leadership qualities and should be rewarded with an “A” on his sweater.
When a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with nearly a decade of experience in the National Hockey League speaks, everyone in Utah’s locker room tunes in.
Whether its young players, experienced players, or even the appointed Captain Clayton Keller, there’s an obvious respect for Sergachev and what he has to say despite the fact that he doesn’t currently wear a letter on his sweater.
“It’s huge [to have a leader like Sergachev], a guy that’s won Stanley Cups. I’ve known Sergy for a while and he’s just a great guy. He’s a guy that everyone listens to with his pedigree and how good of a player he is. So, he’s a huge part of our room. Just because you don’t have a letter on your jersey doesn’t mean you aren’t a leader…that’s what make a championship team,” Keller said.
Clayton Keller on Sergachev’s leadership: “He’s a guy that everyone listens to with his pedigree and how good of a player he is. So, he’s a huge part of our room. Just because you don’t have a letter on your jersey doesn’t mean you aren’t a leader…”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/wc1f5Ddrto
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 21, 2024
While many of the young defensemen such as Maveric Lamoureux and Michael Kesselring look up to Sergachev as a role model and the clear leader of the defense, 12-year veteran and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Olli Maatta also has a profound respect for his new teammate.
Related: Mikhail Sergachev Is Utah Hockey Club’s Steady Defensive Leader
“First of all, I think he’s an elite defenseman in this league,” Maatta said. “I think he does it all. Pretty solid game, defends really well, and makes really good plays all around. Obviously, he runs our first power play. He puts points up. There’s not many of those guys in this league. I think it’s just impressive what he does.”
“He’s a huge part of what we’ve got going on here. The biggest thing, he talks when there’s something needs to be said. Little things that need to be corrected. He’s been on a team’s that have been successful for many years, so he knows what it is and what it takes. Whenever he talks, everybody listens,” Maatta added.
Olli Maatta on Sergachev’s leadership: “I think he’s an elite defenseman in this league…he does it all…defends really well…he runs our first power play. He puts points up. There’s not many of those guys in this league…Whenever he talks, everybody listens.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/WpgCQH5uP2
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 21, 2024
It’s one thing to make comments in the locker room, but it’s even more valuable to actually go out on the ice and lead by example which is exactly what Sergachev has done for this team.
In 18 games, Utah’s top defenseman is tied for fourth on the roster with 12 points (4G, 8A). He also has registered 33 blocks, 12 hits and 31 shots on goal while leading the team on ice with roughly 25 minutes a night. That’s leadership.
Great work from Sergachev here. Patience, takes what the defense is giving him, steps up, and fires a laser glove side.
He was such a good acquisition this offseason. Makes such an impact all over the ice.#UtahHC https://t.co/rtTg7qzRtq
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 16, 2024
Aside from points, Sergachev also does a lot of the little things that might go unnoticed but heavily impact games.
During the matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, he sacrificed his body by blocking a shot off the side of his helmet. Against the Washington Capitals he protected teammate Kevin Stenlund during a scuffle by grabbing the Washington instigator by his jersey and removing him.
Look at Sergachev. Standing up for his teammates as he pulls the instigator away by the jersey.
That’s a leader folks. https://t.co/o0n8aRsV0E
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 19, 2024
Just simple actions that go a long way and demonstrate how much he cares about this team.
“[Sergachev’s] been really good and I think that will grow,” Coach Andre Tourigny said. “He’s a student of the game, he’s really passionate, and he’s a straight shooter…he doesn’t hide himself and he doesn’t hide what can make us good or what doesn’t make us good. His voice carries a lot of weight. Obviously, he’s a young guy but he’s achieved a lot in the NHL…he’s not a guy who is a passenger, he’s all in.”
Now, it’s understandable why Sergachev didn’t start this season with an “A” on his jersey. He was just barely acquired via trade over the summer, needed to acclimate to his new team and there’s a necessary adjustment period for all that to happen. You don’t want to give someone a captain role right away when they are new to the team, and you haven’t been able to see them perform.
However, through just 18 games Sergachev has clearly proven in a plethora of different ways that he deserves it.
He’s been consistent and reliable on both ends, contributes offensively, plays power play, PK, top line, leads the defense and does so many of the small things that a leader should do. Not that it would necessarily change how he plays or acts, but it would set a standard and an expectation for how a leader should conduct themself.
Sergachev on the hardest part in finding consistency: “We respect teams too much…we give them ice and we give them the puck to play with. Instead, we should be the ones playing with the puck…”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/TjNjN0kzyc
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 16, 2024
Considering the fact that this team is trying to emerge from a rebuild and take that next step towards the playoffs, Sergachev is clearly a key part of that process and should be added to the leadership group moving forward with an “A” on his sweater for everyone to acknowledge.
The Utah Hockey Club will now begin a four-game road trip against Boston on Thursday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
