By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The NCDC will be previewing each of the 21 teams set to hit the ice during the 2024-25 season in a continuing series up to the Sept. 19 start of the new campaign.
Utah Outliers
Mountain Division
Home Arenas: Acord Ice Arena, West Valley City, Utah; Black Rock Event Center, Park City, Utah (starting Feb. 2025)
Head Coach: Paul Taylor
The Utah Outliers were ever so close to becoming the first NCDC Mountain Division team to head west when they took on the Ogden Mustangs in the first-ever divisional championship series. They’re back with a veteran-heavy squad in 2024-25 to prove that they should be the Mountain representative when next April arrives.
“Our coaching staff is excited about our roster for the upcoming season. This year’s incoming group has a good blend of speed, intelligence, and compete level. We have a solid mixture of experienced returners along with younger newcomers who we expect to make a strong impact,” said General Manager/Head Coach Paul Taylor. “It has been a busy summer for our club as we have worked hard to build a championship-level team. We believe we have made some strong acquisitions through our tenders and the NCDC Entry Draft, along with adding quality talent from our Main Camp.”
The Outliers’ players have a very strong staff that will guide them to their highest level in the standings and postseason, as well as push them towards an NCAA college commitment.
It all starts with Taylor, whose junior coaching career goes back to 2011. In 2016-17, he became head coach of the Outliers when they were part of the former Western States Hockey League and has overseen their evolution into first the USPHL Premier Conference and now the USPHL’s highest tier, the NCDC. The Outliers have won at least 30 games in eight of Taylor’s nine seasons behind the bench, across three leagues and three USPHL division titles. He also pushed the team to a 36-13-2-2 mark from Year 1 in the NCDC. Kevin McCloskey (Director of Hockey Operations) also returns for his ninth season with the Outliers and is responsible for player recruitment and college placement for the club’s athletes.
The team also features Assistant Coach Richard Bohan and Director of Scouting Rogan Butler.
“Richard has been a key asset to the club, as he takes on much of the recruiting responsibilities in addition to running the defensemen for the team,” added Taylor. “Rogan has been instrumental in identifying top talent around the globe and connecting those players to our coaching staff. He also plays a vital role in helping our team put together Main Camp.”
The Outliers are excited to be returning many of their prime movers for the 2023-24 success, with a loaded veteran leadership group.
“At the forward position, we have Makar Klochkov, Garrett Joss, Michael Schwartz, Mason Keller, Nathan Huntington, and Magzhan Sagadiev all returning,” said Taylor. “On the back end, we have Outliers veteran defensemen Jentzen Kaebel and Chase Nyitray patrolling the blue line. We expect this group of returners to play a major role in our team’s success as they are all very talented players with high character and leadership ability.”
With the exception of the 2005-born Sagadiev and the 2006-born Nyitray, the other players mentioned above are 2004-born players who will be actively seeking promotion to a higher level of hockey after this season.
The NCDC Draft has been very productive for the Outliers. Nyitray and Zakhar Meshcheriakov were both 2023 selections who made last year’s roster and is returning, while Braden Hansberger, Jack Kent and Johnny Carney are all joining the team from this year’s Draft.
“Chase is a skilled defenseman who breaks the puck out well and can join the rush offensively. He moves well along the offensive zone blue line and can quarterback the power play. Unfortunately, Chase had his season cut short last year due to injury, but I believe he will come back stronger than ever and be a big part of our defense core,” Taylor added.
Meshcheriakov, an ‘06 defenseman out of the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes program, skated in his first two Outliers games last year.
“He plays a tough, hard-nosed brand of hockey but also brings some offensive skill to the game. He likes to battle hard and take the body with his aggressive style of play,” said Taylor. “He can also play a fairly active game with his attacking mentality off the rush and by being a threat from the point.”
Kent, an ‘05 defenseman from Northwood Prep, and Hansberger, an ‘06 forward from Minnesota’s Elk River/Zimmerman high school team, were selected in Phase II of this year’s Draft.
“Braden is a hard-working forward with a good compete level. He had a strong season last year in Minnesota high school hockey. He can play a solid 200-foot game and also possesses an offensive touch around the net,” said Taylor. “Kent is a strong, mobile, hard-to-play-against defenseman. Jack plays with some edge and is strong on the boards and at the net front. We believe he has some offensive upside and will expand his game in that area this season.”
Carney was the team’s sixth round Phase I draft pick as an ‘07 forward from Team Illinois.
“He is a skilled forward who can skate like the wind. Johnny is a gifted offensive player with a solid vision all over the ice and a lot of strong offensive qualities in his game,” added Taylor. “He will be one the youngest players on our team as an ‘07 birth year and we expect him to be able to be a strong contributor for our club.”
The Outliers are very excited with the mix of high-level newcomers plus outstanding, dedicated veterans ready to make history for the Utah program.
“Our team expects to compete for a Mountain Division Championship and chase a Dineen Cup title,” Taylor added. “The Mountain Division will once again be a very competitively balanced division. Our team will be ready to compete every game in this highly-contested division.”
