Utah Hockey Club Recall Patrik Koch
10/16/2024 04:26 PM
The Utah Hockey Club will have quite the hole on their defense for the foreseeable future with Sean Durzi dealing with an undisclosed injury. To fill that void, the organization has recalled defenseman Patrik Koch from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Koch made his way to North America last season by signing a one-year, $848K deal with the Arizona Coyotes after spending much of his professional career in Czechia and Slovakia. He spent nearly the entire season with AHL Tucson scoring one goal and 15 points in 63 games while also collecting 97 PIMs.
Koch, who is from Malacky, Slovakia, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. His strong performance at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he had one goal and four points, likely contributed to Utah’s decision to sign him to a one-year, $775K contract on June 20th.
He continued his solid play into training camp this September tallying three assists in two games while posting a +5 rating. Utah reassigned Koch to AHL Tucson on October 4th after clearing waivers but he’s been held scoreless after two games to start the year.
The team will likely utilize veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo tonight to fill in for the injured Durzi. Should he not meet expectations; however, Koch could make his debut in Utah sooner than expected.
