Utah HC signs defenseman Patrik Koch to one-year contract extension
The Utah Hockey Club has signed defenseman Patrik Koch to a one-year, two-way contract extension, the club announced Thursday afternoon.
Koch, 27, spent the majority of the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, with whom he collected 15 points (one goal, 14 assists) in 63 regular-season games and was held scoreless in two playoff contests.
The Malacky, Slovakia product also appeared in his first NHL game with the Arizona Coyotes on March 7, 2024, logging 9:20 of ice time in a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Mullett Arena.
Most recently, Koch appeared in eight games with Team Slovakia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, collecting one goal and four points to help the Slovaks to a berth in the quarterfinals.
𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗘𝗗 ✍️
We have signed defenseman Patrik Koch to a one-year, two-way contract.
Read more: https://t.co/8bqQb8plsn pic.twitter.com/hsTJIkjC7h
The Coyotes originally signed Koch to a one-year, entry-level contract on June 5, 2023. The deal carried a $775,000 base salary and $72,500 in signing bonuses.
Koch began his professional career in Czechia in 2015 after spending the previous season in North America with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and the NAHL’s Soo Eagles.
The 6’1″ left-handed defenseman proceeded to play eight seasons of professional hockey in Czechia and Slovakia before returning stateside in the Coyotes organization.
Known for his defensive acumen and physical play, Koch finished fourth among all Roadrunners skaters with 97 penalty minutes during his AHL rookie season. He was one of five Tucson defensemen to earn a call-up to the Coyotes during the year, along with Victor Soderstrom, Cam Crotty, Vladislav Kolyachonok, and Max Szuber.
Utah HC now has four defensemen in the entire organization signed for the 2024-25 season: Koch, Szuber, Maveric Lamoureux, and Montana Onyebuchi. The team also has J.J. Moser, Sean Durzi, Juuso Valimaki, Michael Kesselring, Kolyachonok, and Soderstrom to sign as restricted free agents.
The relocated Coyotes franchise will play its first games as Utah HC when the 2024 NHL preseason begins in September. Utah will play three home games, one each at the Delta Center (its home arena in Salt Lake City), the Maverik Center (home of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies), and the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.