Preview: The Ducks host the Utah Hockey Club for their annual home opener at Honda Center

“They were good,” Cronin said. “They are all veterans. They are thrilled. They get deep, they get pucks back. They play with structure, they check and they are responsible.”

On the other hand, a familiar opponent will be in new colors tonight as the Utah Hockey Club visits the Honda Center for the first time. Utah begins its first season in the NHL this fall after acquiring the entire hockey department, including management, coaches and players, from the now-dormant Arizona Coyotes franchise.

The club hasn't announced its team name yet, but in June it narrowed it down to a list of six finalists: Hockey Club (as the team will be called this season), Blizzard, Mammoth, Outlaws, Venom and Yeti.

Utah has started this inaugural season with wins in three of four games, including consecutive overtime victories over the Rangers and Islanders. Young winger Dylan Guenther, who was signed to an eight-year extension this summer, led the attack with five goals in his first four appearances en route to earning NHL First Star of the Week honors.

“We have a team with talent, but for us it's about getting in, getting into dirty areas, getting those big goals, those tip rebounds, screens, things like that,” Utah coach Andre Tourigny told NHL.com David Satriano . “I think we're a threat when it comes to the puck, but right now we're more of a threat when we get to the net and score the close goals.”