Weekend Preview: Outliers begin 2020-21 season

Hockey is finally back for the Utah Outliers! It is officially opening weekend for the team and the 2020-21 season. The Outliers are ready to begin their first season competing in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) while also celebrating its fifth anniversary as a franchise. The team will be looking to build on its past success having achieved a 30-plus win season in each of its past four years.

The Outliers are happy to be wrapping up with their training camp as they prepare for the upcoming campaign. The team has been on the ice working hard since early September and is now ready to get into some regular season game action.

This season's 2020-21 team looks similar to past Outliers teams regarding skill, speed, and size. The team has a good blend of returning players along with some new additions who are expected to play a pivotal role in the team's success. The team expects to have a strong combination of some offensive firepower along with a strong defensive core and solid goaltending.

Look for the Outliers to be led by returners Josh Harrell, Trent Gephart, Alex Charin, Dawson Armstrong, Jett Arminen, Ryan Wirth, Helvis Rudzajs and Logan Johnson. A few new faces for the Outliers with junior experience include Ricky Bredberg, John McLaughlin, Balint Mesterhazy, TJ Mcleod and Michele Vignoli. The team will also have a group of first-year junior players taking the ice who will be expected to be big contributors for the club.

Head Coach Paul Taylor has been impressed with his team's practices as they prepare for the beginning of the season. "I have really liked the group's effort and commitment during training camp. Everyone has been working hard and I see some strong potential for this year's team. We have a nice blend of experience and some youth and I have seen the guys bond together over the past four weeks. Everyone is excited to drop the puck and start playing."

The Outliers will begin their first weekend of games playing on the road as they take on division opponent, the Pueblo Bulls for a 3-game set. The Bulls have already played five games this season and hold a record of 2W-3L having played the Northern Colorado Eagles and Ogden Mustangs.

Key players to watch for the Bulls are forwards Brigham Neuhold, Wyatt Andres, Benjamin St-Onge and Milan Breczko. On defense, the team is led by Alexandre Fabbri and in net, goaltenders Douglas Wakelyn and Blake Sprow have picked up wins.

All three games will take place at the Pueblo Ice Arena. Friday night puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM, Saturday at 7:00 PM, and Sunday at 3:00 PM. All games are at MST and be sure to catch all the live streamed action on Hockeytv.com.