The Utah Mammoth didn’t just sit at No. 19 and hope. They moved up to No. 17 to draft Ethan Belchez, the 6-foot-6 Windsor Spitfires winger Austin thinks they clearly did not want to risk losing. This episode of SLC Puck is all about what that move says about Utah’s priorities: size, edge, personality, and a player who could eventually fill a real power-forward role in this organization.

Austin also digs into the other major draft-week dominoes. Utah shipped out J.J. Peterka to Boston for a pair of first-round picks, then used the 23rd overall pick to acquire goaltender Sebastian Cossa from Detroit. He also touches on Adam Valentini at No. 26, Andre Tourigny’s multi-year extension, the Blaine Forsythe extension, and the Adam Foote hire after Foote’s strong run helping Vancouver’s penalty kill.

There’s also some development camp flavor from Mammoth Ice Center, where Austin got a look at Tij Iginla, Caleb Desnoyers, and Michael Hrabal walking around the facility. The big takeaway: Utah’s prospect pool is getting bigger, meaner, and more interesting fast. If Belchez is the headline, the larger story is that this front office is making its type very obvious.

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