Young stars Cooley and Guenther lead Utah HC's first preseason game

SALT LAKE CITY — Logan Cooley was nervous.

At this point last season, the Utah Hockey Club forward was a highly touted talent entering his first season in the NHL, so a certain amount of nervousness was only natural.

“I tried to force things,” Cooley said, recalling his first games as a professional.

A year later, Cooley is feeling a little…well, cooler. The second-year pro will lead Utah to its first-ever preseason game on Sunday night (5 p.m. MDT, UtahHC+) at Iowa.

He is one of the few NHL regulars who will travel to Des Moines. Other well-known players who will play for Utah are Dylan Guenther, Michael Kesselring and Robert Burtuzoo.

Players like Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz and Mikhail Sergachev will make their Utah HC debut on Monday at the Delta Center.

“It's special,” Cooley said. “It's not often that you get to come to a new city and become a new NHL franchise, so it's pretty special. I'm excited. It's going to be pretty cool to put that jersey on.”

Cooley, Guenther and McBain will form Utah's best forward line on Sunday.

For head coach Andre Tourigny, it's a chance for these three players to lead a group of young players. Cooley and Guenther are considered the future stars of the franchise.

“They will be the leaders of our team in the future,” Tourigny said. “But before they become leaders of an NHL team, they have to be leaders of these groups.”

What does Tourigny expect from them?

“I want them to lead tonight through focus and energy, not through their play,” Tourigny said. “I don't care if they're playing well or poorly at this point — it doesn't matter. That's not the point. If they can't compete? Whoa, that's a problem. If they're not mentally focused, OK, that's unacceptable. I want the young guys to leave and say, 'Wow, these guys are real professionals.'”

After a strong second half of his rookie season – helped by the call-up of Guenther from the AHL – Cooley feels ready to declare himself a true top-six center (a player talented enough to be on a team's first two lines).

He is more confident in his abilities on the ice and his position in the locker room.

“I was thinking the other day about how much more confident I am and my skills,” he said. “I know what to expect. When I first started here, I didn't know what to expect at all. And I know the guys better, and it's easier to interact and hang out, and you just feel more comfortable on the ice.”

And he hopes that this comfort will give him some scoring opportunities on Sunday.

“I think it's just about competing,” he said when asked what he hopes to achieve from Sunday's game. “Have fun, try to score some goals, play the right way and be confident going into the regular season.”