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Utah HC Ice Crew Auditioners Take To The Rink At New Olympic Oval

alex tumalip

Sat, Sep 7, 2024, 7:43 p.m.·1 min read

For months, Utah fans have been waiting to show how ready they are for the NHL.

A lucky group got to experience it for the first time Saturday on the world's fastest ice.

Surrounded by construction work of the new team offices that will house the Utah Hockey Club this season, over 100 people looked to claim their spot on the Utah HC ice crew roster Saturday at the renovated Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns.

The final group of 15 (10 regulars, 5 backups) will be responsible for maintaining the ice during the media timeouts in regulation and playoff overtime periods, as well as prior to regular-season overtime and shootouts, and coordinating on-ice promotions, as announced in the press release this week.

Lisa Nilchian, Utah HC's vice president of marketing, called Saturday's auditions "extraordinarily exciting", stating it was a reflection of how much people want to be part of something special.

It's also why the club is looking for those who can not only work hard, but build camaraderie with each other, a quality that has been the hallmark of Smith Entertainment Group's mission in owning the team.

However, Nilchian said maintaining the ice will be hard, physical work, which is why the club is looking for strong skaters as well as those who can get along with each other.

"What they are doing out there is heroic," she said. "You can clearly see these people not only want to be in the stands, but to be part of it on the ice."