The Utah Hockey Club goes to school to gather young fans before the season opener

KEARNS, Utah – After completing the preseason, Utah Hockey Club players headed back to school Monday to gather some of the team's youngest fans before the season opener.

Team captain Clayton Keller and center Barrett Hayton walked to David Gourley Elementary School in Kearns. The duo signed autographs while speaking to the children and even raised the Utah Hockey Club flag as special guests of the fifth graders.

“This is a new franchise, we're expanding the sport of hockey… it's about getting younger kids excited about hockey and growing the sport as much as possible,” Keller said. “Super excited and super cool to raise the flag.”

The team sent out more than 600 flags to every public elementary school in the state, hoping to have them raised before the puck actually drops on Tuesday night.

“There is a lot of chaos here at the start of the morning, but we are obviously looking forward to tomorrow with the inaugural season of our hockey club,” said Principal Briar Mattucci.

Even the players were impressed by the enthusiasm their performance generated among the students.

“We've felt this energy since we got here and seeing these kids and the excitement and also this cool initiative,” Hayton added.

The Utah Hockey Club takes on Chicago on Tuesday at the Delta Center to open the team's first season in Salt Lake City.

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