Utah Hockey Club officially signs former Edmonton Oilers first-round pick

The Utah Hockey Club announced today that they have signed former Edmonton Oilers first round pick Kailer Yamamoto to a one-year contract.

Yamamoto was taken 22nd overall by the Oilers back in 2017. Since then he has constantly battled to stay in the NHL due to his size. At just 5'8" he has had to prove he is worth a roster spot practically every season all over again. Now it appears as though he has done so once again, as the Utah Hockey Club signed him after inviting him to training camp on a PTO.

Yamamoto is coming off a bit of a down season last year where he got into 59 games with the Seattle kraken, scoring 8 goals and 16 points. However, he did this largely playing in a fourth line role as he averaged just under 12 minutes of ice time per game. He spent the previous five years with the Oilers, but was squeezed out of the lineup as the team added more forward depth.

This move is the latest in a busy inaugural season for Utah. Just two days ago, the club announced Clayton Keller would be the team's first captain in their history. Keller, like most of the roster, is a hold over from the Arizona Coyotes. Keller was a 7th overall pick of the Coyotes in 2016 and has since turned into a proper star in the NHL.

Additionally, the Club recently made headlines for an unusual move made off the ice. On October 1st, Utah HC owner Ryan Smith announced remarkable concession prices, aimed at drawing in new fans. The announcement was extremely popular as it was revealed that food and beverages would be reasonably priced at Utah HC games, with items like hot dogs and ice cream being as little as 3 dollars a piece.

In 2024, where the same items typically cost 5 or 6 times that amount at other venues, deals like this are virtually unheard of at the top level of professional sports. Perhaps this will encourage fans in Utah to give hockey a chance, which is good for growing the game. Maybe some of those fans will appreciate Kailer Yamamoto as one of the shortest players in the NHL as well.

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