PATRIK KOCH RECALLED BY UTAH HOCKEY CLUB

Tucson, Arizona – The Utah Hockey Club announced Wednesday that defenseman Patrik Koch has been recalled to the Utah Hockey Club for the second NHL call-up of his career. Koch becomes the first Roadrunners player to be recalled to Utah in the team’s inaugural season.

The 27-year-old started in Tucson’s first two games of the season last weekend against the Colorado Eagles. He was paired alongside defenseman Montana Onyebuchi and registered one shot on goal in both games.

Last year was Koch’s first with the Roadrunners and first season of North American Pro Hockey in the AHL. He had one goal and 14 assists in 63 games. During the season, the 6-foot-1 defenseman was recalled to the Arizona Coyotes for his first career NHL game against the Minnesota Wild on March 7, 2024. He had over nine minutes of ice time and 10 penalty minutes.

Utah Hockey Club resigned Koch to a one-year, two-way contract last summer.  Before joining the organization in 2023, Koch played eight combined seasons with the Kosice HC of the Slovak league and the Brno Kometa and Vitkovic HC of the Czech league, scoring 11 goals and 46 assists for 57 points in 329 games played. 

Koch has also represented his country internationally for Slovakia’s national team. Last Summer, Koch played in eight games with Slovakia at the 2024 World Championship, recording one goal and three assists for four points. He also played for Slovakia in the 2019 World Championship and 2016 World Junior Championships.

He played one season of juniors in the United States with the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and NAHL’s Soo Eagles in 2014-15.

The Roadrunners (1-1-0-0) split its first two games in Colorado and return home for a four-game homestand at Tucson Arena, starting with the team’s home opener against the Texas Stars on Saturday, Oct. 19. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. MST.