McBain is a natural center but has been used on the left wing this season. Nick Bjugstad has occupied the pivot position on the third line for most of the season but was moved to play with Liam O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund on the fourth line in which Stenlund is the center.

He's only 26 years old, but Mikhail Sergachev has been one of Utah's most important players this season. What will they do without him?

According to Cole Bagley, Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (upper body) is expected to be a game-time decision for Wednesday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old defenseman has missed the previous five contests with this injury.

Sergachev (upper body) will be a game-time decision against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports. Sergachev has been out of action for Utah's last five outings but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup.

Utah Hockey Club’s defensemen have gotten familiar with the next-man-up mentality this season. Mikhail Sergachev is the latest name on the list of blueliners who have been sidelined; he is day to day with an upper-body injury and has missed the last two games.

Now that the midway point of the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural season has come and gone, let’s take a look at how everyone is doing, relative to their expectations going into the season. Note that while these grades take statistics into account,

Marino wasn't the only defenseman to step up with Sergachev out. Michael Kesselring was elevated to the top power-play unit and didn't take long to find success. Kesselring scored Utah's opening goal on the man advantage in the first period.

UTAH: #28 IAN COLE - Cole spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins and won two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 alongside current Utah teammate Olli Määttä. The defenseman has 13 points (1G, 12A) and ranks second in the NHL with 135 blocked shots.

Devan McConnell, the team’s director of high performance, is at the forefront of the effort. He uses sports science to maximize the performance of Utah’s skaters. It is an area of the game that has been further embraced by the NHL in recent years.