Ever since Bill Armstrong took over as GM in 2020, his focus has been on the future and building sustainable success. Initially, that meant assembling an elite scouting staff to acquire draft picks or young prospects and flood the system with players. As those numbers grew, it also meant assembling a top-notch development staff to shepherd those prospects from their junior or college teams to the American Hockey League (AHL) or, in cases such as Logan Cooley, straight to the NHL.

The fruits of all that labor are starting to take shape with Utah Hockey Club. Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring are some of those prospects already in the NHL, but there are many more players on the way; some of them a step away with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners.

"This is the first time we've had a good amount of guys in Tucson," Utah director of player development Lee Stempniak said. "We've got five, six, seven prospects there that are first- or second-year guys there.

"Whether it's Miko Matikka coming from college hockey (Denver), or Julian Lutz who has played pro in Europe but is coming from the USHL, or Artem Duda coming from USports (Canadian collegiate hockey), or Maveric Lamoureux coming from Canadian juniors, it's a big step up in size, strength, speed and just how hard and intense the game is played. It's a big adjustment for guys."

That's where Stempniak and his staff come in. While much attention is paid to the scouting staff's performance at NHL Draft, the development staff plays just as critical a role in maximizing prospects' potential. There are weekly or bi-weekly calls with the players. There are visits to watch them play live and chart their progress. There are occasional sessions on the ice when it doesn't interrupt the priorities of their current teams (the NCAA does not allow on-ice sessions), and there are recommendations — immediate and long-term.

The Utah development staff

Lee Stempniak - Director, player development

Jeff Shantz - Forward prospect development coach

Kurtis Foster - Defensemen prospect development coach

Clay Adams - Goaltending prospect development coach

Nathaniel Brooks - Development coach

Steve Potvin - Roadrunners head coach

John Slaney - Roadrunners assistant coach, defensemen

Zack Stortini - Roadrunners assistant coach, forwards

Jeff Hill - Roadrunners goaltending coach

Parker Poore - Roadrunners strength & conditioning coach

Brian Slugocki - Roadrunners skills development & Utah rehab coach

Kyle Bochek - Utah skills coach

Lars Hepso - Utah skating coach

Devan McConnell - Utah high performance director

Mitch Stewart, Ryan Wysocki - Utah performance coaches

Carl Bombardier - Utah high-performance nutrition coach

Vince Lodato - Utah director, mental wellness/player performance

Every month on the website, we'll check in on a handful of players to compile a prospect report. Occasionally, we will talk to the players. Most of the time, we'll get a sense of their progress through the eyes of the Utah development staff, as well as the players' respective coaches.

This month, we check in on Barrie Colts (Ontario Hockey League) center Cole Beaudoin, BK Mladá Boleslav (Czech Extraliga) center Vojtěch Hradec, and Cape Breton Eagles (Québec Major Junior Hockey League) defenseman Tomas Lavoie.

Cole Beaudoin (1)

Cole Beaudoin

There's a lot to like about Cole Beaudoin. He has a big shot, a big body that he's willing to use to his advantage, his defensive details are advanced for his age, and he can create plays. But when you talk to his coaches, the Utah development staff, the Utah scouts or GM Bill Armstrong, the praise always begins with Beaudoin's compete level.

"I've had a lot of players go to the NHL," Barrie GM/coach Marty Williamson said. "I don't know if I've had anybody that just wills themself to success like Cole does. His compete level is elite, his pursuit and his tracking are relentless, and his energy when he's tired is second to none. He'll be at the end of a shift where he's probably gassed, and he competes just as hard as he does at the beginning.

"He's a freak as far as how he takes care of himself and the effort he puts into his training before and after practice. He's a very driven young man. You just don't see that kind of discipline from young kids. To have that discipline at this age is a really good sign for how badly this guy wants it."

It's a quality that excites Utah's entire staff, but first things first. Beaudoin, Utah's second first-round pick in 2024 (No. 24) has a lot of development ahead of him. He's 18 so he won't be eligible for the American Hockey League next season due to the CHL-NHL agreement. No one in the organization will put a ceiling on what Beaudoin might accomplish in Utah training camp next fall, but it is likely that he will return to Barrie for another season of development.

"I think there's still a lot of rounding out to Cole's game so I don't think there's any need for him to rush into things," Williamson said. "Getting these offensive chances helps his game grow, so he can possibly be more than just a shutdown guy. Whether it's wing that he ends up playing or center there's still a lot of growth needs and I actually think Utah is one of the best teams at bringing their guys along the right way. They don't rush their young kids and that suits them in everything like maturity, their bodies, and all of the things that are required to play 82 games at the NHL level."

It's not uncommon for bigger players to need work on their skating stride. That has been the case with Beaudoin, who has worked with Utah skating coach Lars Hepso on his first three steps to get him up to top speed faster. Beaudoin showed enormous progress in that area last season and it is translating into key areas of his game that had scouts wondering before his draft year.

Beaudoin has spent most of his season at center for Barrie, with some time on the wing. In 30 games, he has 13 goals and 31 points. Eleven of those points have come on the power play where he has been a mainstay.

"His offensive game is evolving," Stempniak said. "He's a really strong player for his age so he's able to hold on to a lot of pucks. One of the challenges we've tasked him with this year is turning all those loose pucks he wins and all those puck battles he wins into more offensive plays.

"At times he would just use his size, drive wide, win pucks and settle for a shot from the outside. The challenge this year is: Use your skill set, use your size, use your strength to challenge the middle of the ice. Try and upgrade your ice for a better shot."

Beaudoin played for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) in Ottawa, but he was hurt for most of that tournament. He blocked a shot with his hand in selection camp and played through significant soreness.

"I know Cole was disappointed for the team because of where they finished, but as a staff, we were pleased with how he played," said Stempniak, who attended the tournament. "He started lower in the lineup and earned the coaches' trust. Every time he was on the ice, he was making an impact by providing energy, being strong on the forecheck, going to the net and getting on the special teams at times. It was just a great experience for him to go through that as a young player and he'll have the opportunity to go back again next year."

Vojtěch Hradec 2

Vojtěch Hradec

Sixth-round picks are longshots to make the NHL. Vojtěch Hradec (No. 167 overall in 2024) is looking to buck those odds and he made a lasting impression on scouts and media at the IIHF World Junior Championship for Czechia.

Here's what The Athletic's Corey Pronman had to say about him: "Hradec was arguably Czechia’s most important forward. He was their minutes leader and played in every situation for them. He intrigued going into the draft due to his athletic tools. He was big and fast and showed flashes of skill. His game has developed very well. He was a top scorer for Czechia, showing good small-area skills and playmaking and a detailed two-way game. He looks like a legit NHL prospect currently."

Flo Hockey's Chris Peters added this: "He's big, can move, good off the puck, got every tough matchup they could throw at him. Probably was their best overall player there even without the points. I could see him as a legit 3C."

GMs and scouting directors will tell you that if you can hit on a later-round pick in each draft, you've done well. Hradec has a ways to go and there has been no decision on whether he will stay in Europe or migrate to the AHL next season, but Stempniak likes what he sees so far.

"He's a mature player in terms of knowing his identity," Stempniak said. "He knows how he's going to be successful. He knows how he needs to play, and he's willing to do that.

"He's had two great international tournaments with the Czech team at the (U17) Five Nations Tournament and then the World Junior. He's playing in all situations. He's on the top line. He gets a lot of opportunities. And he's a guy that coaches trust. If it's a big faceoff, he's out there. Penalty kill, he's out there. Power play, he's net front. I think the Sweden game he played almost 25 minutes. He had the most ice time on their entire team, including defensemen. He's just a guy that plays a real honest game that's based on hard work in direct, straight lines and going to the net."

One of the areas of focus for Hradec is trying to make more plays with the puck.

"Jeff Shantz is challenging him to hold on to the puck a little bit more through the neutral zone, coming out of his end," Stempniak said. "There's times where gets it and moves it a little too quickly for our liking. I think he could hold onto the puck a little bit more and let plays develop, but in the offensive zone below the dots to the end wall, he's good. He wins a lot of pucks. He shows some poise and doesn't throw it away, and he's got a nose for going to the right spots offensively."

Hradec has two goals and seven points for BK Mladá Boleslav in the low-scoring Czech Extraliga, but he had four goals and eight points in seven games at the WJC to tie for second on his team and tie for ninth overall in the tournament.

"Wherever he ends up next season he'll be fine," Stempniak said. "He's in a really good spot in Czechia where he gets to play a lot, the coaches are good, and he plays with some veteran players so he's getting the best of both worlds where he's playing with some older guys but also getting to play through some mistakes.

"I don't want to say he's been a pleasant surprise, but I think he's exceeded my expectations for him. He's taken a really nice step forward this year."

Tomas Lavoie

Tomas Lavoie

Tomas Lavoie took great pride in being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 QMJHL Draft, but when Louis Robitaille arrived the following season as head coach, he challenged the centerpiece of his blue line.

"My first conversation with him was, 'Who are you? 'What are you going to be at the next level? Who do you want to be at the next level? What do you think are your strengths so we can focus on growing in those areas to make sure you're ready for the next level?'" Robitaille said.

"Right away, we talked about his defensive game. He's a big boy and he skates and defends well. But we wanted him to be a little bit meaner, tougher to play against, and he's done that. He uses that 6-foot 4 frame. He defends hard. He defends with a purpose. He's always had smooth hands and he's a good skater, but now he's getting rewarded on the offensive side without neglecting his defensive game and the things that are going to bring him to the next level."

Utah selected Lavoie in the third round (No. 89) of last summer's NHL Draft in Las Vegas, adding to its growing stable of impressive defensive prospects that includes, among others, Dmitri Simashev, Maveric Lamoureux, Will Skahan, Artem Duda, and Maksymilian Szuber.

Like Beaudoin, the right-handed Lavoie is 18 so he won't be eligible for the AHL next season and is likely to spend another season with Cape Breton. Defensemen typically take longer to develop than forwards anyway, so Robitaille believes there is plenty of growth ahead for Lavoie in the QMJHL.

"He's our QB on the first power play, but it's not only his point production that stands out," Robitaille said. "He has 11 goals and 41 points in 41 games, but he gets those heavy matchups every single night. He plays against the top line. He plays on the PK, and that's something that's important for me to allow him to play in all those situations."

Prospect development coach Kurtis Foster, who works with defenseman, has been out to see Lavoie play live twice and work with him. Foster and Robitaille have a longstanding relationship. They played against each other, and they worked together for Hockey Canada. That makes communication regarding Lavoie easy.

Foster will be back to watch Lavoie again in late February.

"Tomas is a big, strong player who has good feet and is poised with the puck," Foster said. "He is working to improve his strength and physicality. I believe he has the potential if he hits to be a No. 4to 6 D who is a big, two-way, defensively responsible, puck-moving defenseman."

Michael Hrabal

Prospect notes

Utah goaltending prospect Michael Hrabal had an impressive performance at the World Junior Championship, leading Czechia to the bronze medal with a 3-2 win against Sweden. In that game, Hrabal made 32 saves in regulation and stopped 12 of 14 shootouts attempts. The UMass sophomore was named player of the game.

"Everyone saw the shootout, but he just commanded the net," Stempniak said. "He had a presence about him. He looked confident. When his teammates looked back and saw him there, he made the big saves and he just instilled confidence throughout the team. He's definitely on the right path, and I was really happy for him and how he played at the World Juniors."

Utah goaltending prospect Carsen Musser earned his second start of the season for Colorado College on Jan. 25 at Arizona State. The 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 166) made 30 saves as the Tigers rallied from a 4-1 third-period deficit to hand the Sun Devils just their second loss in their past 15 games. It has been tough for the freshman to find time behind junior goalie Kaidan Mbereko, but the development staff is hopeful more opportunities will arise the rest of this season and next season.

Utah forward prospects Tij Iginla (hip) and Tanner Ludtke (shoulder) are progressing well in their rehabilitation from season-ending injuries. It will be a few more months before Iginla can get back on the ice, but Ludtke resumed skating a couple weeks ago after undergoing surgery in November, Omaha Mavericks (NCAA) coach Mike Gabinet said.

Iginla (2024 first round, No. 6) is with the Western Hockey League's Kelowna Rockets. Ludtke (2023, third round, No. 81) is in his sophomore season with Omaha (National Collegiate Hockey Conference).

Utah 2024 fifth-round draft pick Owen Allard (No. 135), out since Dec. 8 with an upper-body injury, returned to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' (OHL) lineup a month ago. The center has impressed the development staff with 11 goals and 22 points in 22 games.

Defenseman Maveric Lamoureux returned to the Tucson lineup on Jan. 14 after missing nearly two months with a hand injury that required surgery. In five games, he has three assists.