Utah News

Like most companies (but unlike some pro sports leagues), the NHL takes a few days off surrounding Christmas. In the Utah Mammoth’s case, they have a couple of extra days, too, thanks to the way things are scheduled.

We asked the players what they’re doing over the break, in addition to some other holiday questions. Here’s what they said.

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What are you doing over the break?

Nate Schmidt is going back home to Minnesota, where he usually spends 24 hours at his parents’ house and another 24 at his wife’s parents’ house before heading back to his in-season home.

On his side of the family, some 30 cousins gather. If you know anything about Schmidt, you know he’s a fun, energetic guy — yet he says he’s the second-quietest in his immediate family.

It’s sure to be a fun but chaotic weekend in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Alexander Kerfoot’s family is visiting him in Utah. The group is going up to Park City to enjoy the holidays, and Barrett Hayton’s family is coming out, too.

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Kevin Stenlund is from Sweden so traveling all the way there and back over the course of a few days wouldn’t be practical, but he still has plans.

“Mostly, I spend it with teammates that don’t have family here,” he said. “Just convenient where I don’t have my family here.”

They usually do a home-cooked meal, but “nothing fancy,” he says.

Vítek Vaněček and his wife are looking forward to their first Christmas with their baby, Tobias. When asked what he wants for Christmas, Vaněček gave a gracious answer.

“Absolutely nothing,” he said. “I’m happy with my life, so I don’t think I need (anything).”

We asked head coach André Tourigny about his holiday plans ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, but he was still in game mode.

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“I’m not there yet. I’m on December 23. It’s a pretty important day,” he said.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?

The most popular answer to this question was hockey sticks — which may seem funny to the guys now, considering that the team pays for as many top-of-the-line sticks as they can possibly need (Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon once estimated that he uses about 400 per season).

Hayton remembers one Christmas when he received a Bauer Supreme NXG and went to the outdoor rink and used it all day long. Stenlund also fondly remembered getting sticks, but there wasn’t one that particularly stood out.

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Schmidt gave two answers: one for his childhood and the other as an adult. When he was young, it was a yellow GameBoy color with Pokemon Blue to go with it. Two years ago, he asked his wife for a Dyson vacuum — and he now uses it every day.

Kerfoot’s favorite gifts were usually sporting equipment. The one he recalled was a ping-pong table, shared amongst the four children in his family.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?

Kerfoot and his wife got a puppy while they were living in Toronto a number of years back. They named her Coconut, and she has accompanied them to both Arizona and Utah.

He and his siblings usually get each other board games, which they then play during their time together at Christmas.

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Hayton’s gift to his dad one year was a golf trip for the two of them.

“It was just him and I, which was nice, just to kind of get away,” he said. “I feel like we’re so busy and stuff that we don’t get a lot of time together, one on one, so that was special. A nice little getaway.”

Schmidt has yet to give his best gift ever: It’s coming this year.

Of course, he didn’t want to divulge exactly what it was in case the person sees this article before opening the present, but he did say it’s a particular piece of hunting equipment for an uncle of his.

“I’m excited — really excited,” he said of the gift.

Since being named head coach, Pat Fitzgerald has moved quickly to assemble his coaching staff. Fitzgerald brought in LeVar Woods from Iowa as special teams coordinator and Nick Sheridan from Alabama as offensive coordinator.

While adding new faces, he has also retained several members of the previous staff, including Joe Rossi as defensive coordinator, Courtney Hawkins as wide receivers coach, and Brian Wozniak as tight ends coach.

Hawkins, who has served as Michigan State’s wide receivers coach since 2020 under Mel Tucker, has built a strong reputation as a developer at the position. During his tenure, he has coached Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, and Keon Coleman, all of whom went on to the NFL. He has also worked closely with Nick Marsh, a player with NFL potential as early as next season.

Recently, Fitzgerald and Hawkins have shifted some of their recruiting focus to the 2027 high school class. Michigan State has re-offered Charles Britton and Don Spillers, and now Brawley Tuitupou has joined that list.

Tuitupou is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound wide receiver from Utah. He is rated as a three-star athlete and ranks as the No. 945 overall prospect, No. 82 athlete nationally, and No. 17 player in Utah in the 2027 class. Tuitupou currently holds 16 offers, including from Florida, Duke, and Kansas.

Hawkins has taken the lead in recruiting Tuitupou and is listed as his primary recruiter, according to 247Sports.

“We have been building one for a little while now. A little under a month, and it’s been great. Finally got it done with the offer! We had a great conversation.” Tiutupou told Jacob Cotsonika of Spartan Nation. “He talked about how he truly believes in me and sees my potential as not only a wide receiver, but also a safety and not just what I can do now but what I can become. He also took the time to explain how I fit into Michigan State’s system and what he expects from his players, which made me trust him a lot.”

That personal approach stood out to the Utah native.

“I think it’s very important,” Tuitupou said. “When deciding on the school I want to go to, I want to see how much effort they put in and how much they care—not just offering me a spot because of talent, but caring about me as a person and as an athlete.”

Despite the distance from Utah to Michigan, Tuitupou is familiar with the Michigan State program.

“Living out in Utah, I’ve still been able to see and be aware of Michigan State and the kind of program it is,” he said. “It’s a school you hear about nationally because of its history, the Big Ten competition, and the receivers that have come through there.”

Hawkins’ track record has also resonated.

“I know how respected he is as a developer of talent,” Tuitupou said. “He’s coached guys like Jayden Reed and Keon Coleman, who earned big roles in the NFL. Seeing that history makes me confident that if I were coached by him, I’d be pushed, developed, and given a real chance to reach my highest potential.”

Tuitupou added that a visit to East Lansing is likely in the future.

“Yes, there are plans to head out to East Lansing,” he said. “No for-sure date yet, but there will be one soon. Florida is the biggest school I’m eyeballing right now, with Duke and Kansas also up there.”

As Pat Fitzgerald continues to reshape Michigan State’s program, early recruiting efforts—especially at wide receiver—show a clear emphasis on development and relationships. With Courtney Hawkins leading the charge, the Spartans’ offer to Brawley Tuitupou signals an intent to stay aggressive nationally as they begin laying the groundwork for future recruiting classes.

Keep up with all our content when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on Caudill and Whitings’ reaction to MSU retaining Wozniak when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Don’t forget to give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.

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Michigan football rumors: Utah HC Kyle Whittingham a ‘fixture’ in Wolverines’ coaching search appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It has been nearly two weeks since Michigan fired Sherrone Moore in the middle of another scandal for the program. Biff Poggi has made his case to have the interim tag removed from his title. Regardless, soon-to-be former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham remains a name that frequently surfaces as a potential candidate to fill the job.

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According to John Brice of Football Scoop, Whittingham remains a “fixture” at the center of the coaching search for the Wolverines. Whittingham has announced he will be stepping down from the job at the end of the season, with Morgan Scalley taking over as the new head coach of the program. The Utah coach will still coach his team one more time, as Utah faces Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31st.

A coach like Whittingham may be a perfect fit for a Michigan program looking for stabiltiy, and to move away from the disfunction and scandals of recent years. He has been a coach at Utah since 1994, and was the defensive coordinator from 1995 through 2004. He would take over for Urban Meyer starting in 2005, as Meyer left for Florida.

Since then, he was gone 177-88 at Utah, won two Pac-12 Titles and a Mountain West crown. Beyond the stability he has brought to that program, he has a spotless track record with the NCAA.

Michigan needs to move on a new head coach soon. The NCAA Transfer Portal opens on January 2nd and runs through the 16th. Further, players can enter the portal for five days following the announcement of a new head coach. With the portal about to open, Michigan needs to give some certainty about the future of the program, or risk losing players elsewhere. Signing a coach like Whittinham would give a lot of certainty to the future.

Related: You won’t believe what Alabama football’s Ty Simpson would do to win a national title

Related: 2026 O-Line recruit follows Matt Campbell to Penn State

The exhausted Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies met up in Utah after playing on the back end of back-to-backs, and the Grizzlies won out 137-128.

Utah, who rested Lauri Markkanen from a nagging groin injury, wasn’t able to keep up with the firepower of Santi Aldama and the Memphis Grizzlies. Aldama scored 37, shooting 7/13 from three and 13/21 from the field. The Grizzlies, in general, were good across the board, shooting 42.2% from three as a team, and Utah couldn’t keep up. They also have length at so many positions, and it was too much for the Jazz to overcome.

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For Utah, they had some nice performances from Kyeonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Kyle Filipowski. George continues to build himself into the leader this team needs. George looked visibly winded because of the back-to-back and still managed to shoot 50% from the field, 50% from three, and 8/9 from the free throw line. Kyle Filipowski also took advantage of his minutes with a team-leading 25 points on great efficiency. Finally, Taylor Hendricks got some real run and was extremely efficient with it. He shot 7/10 from the field and 2/4 from three. He also grabbed 4 rebounds, threw 1 assist, and had 3 steals. It’s just an issue of time and comfort for Hendricks, who is proving to be a high-level three-point shooter. The biggest issue for Hendricks, and the team in general, is defense. But that might be something that the Jazz worry about next season.

Finally, we have to talk about Ace Bailey, who had a nice bounce-back game with 17 points on 7/12 shooting. Bailey is proving that, at worst, he’s going to be an elite shooter. But each game he shows a little more and more in his game. The only thing holding him back is time and reps, because he’s going to get better and better as time goes on. If he can start handling the ball more as the season progresses, that would be so good for his game because it’s clear that the catch-and-shoot element is already great.

For Utah, they are now on the right track to keeping their pick and hopefully rising in the ranks to get more lottery balls. It’s the right thing to do and something they will continue this season as they continue to hope for a chance at someone like AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.

One final game fore a three-day holiday break concluded at Ball Arena with the Colorado Avalanche facing their budding rival in the Utah Mammoth. As many of their matchups have gone over the last few years, this was a hard-fought contest with the home team emerging victorious in the 1-0 shutout win.

Scott Wedgewood was excellent making 32 saves in his second shutout of the season but the true hero was Samuel Girard who scored the only goal of the game unassisted on a steal and gorgeous backhand finish to give the Colorado Avalanche their 27th win prior to the holiday break.

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The Game

It began as a spirited affair with chances for both teams. Each squad also had the chance to show off their power play in the first period. Colorado looks like they are making an effort to move more on the man advantage but are still dancing around the perimeter. Utah got a couple good looks on theirs but Scott Wedgewood stood tall. The best chance in the opening frame was perhaps Martin Nečas on a breakaway who hit the crossbar behind Vitek Vanecek but the period ended in a scoreless tie.

In the second period the Avalanche finally broke through and from the unlikeliest hero as Sam Girard crafted a dandy steal and breakaway with a backhand finish for his second goal of the season to put Colorado up by one.

Later on in the period there was a lengthy review after it appeared Utah’s Clayton Keller scored on a second effort shot but the puck was in Wedgewood’s glove as he outstretched his arm at the goal line. The puck was probably just barely in the net but with no definitive proof the call on the ice wasn’t overturned, thus no goal. The second period ended with Colorado still holding a one-goal lead.

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The Avalanche uncharacteristically held on just to survive in the third period and were outshot 12-4 in the process. Utah possessed the puck for an entire two minutes with the extra attacker but couldn’t get the equalizer. Colorado couldn’t find the back of the net again either but Girard’s goal was enough to earn the 1-0 win.

Takeaways

Subject of endless trade rumors, Sam Girard proved his value tonight. The left handed defenseman has been quietly putting up points since his return to action and has scored six points in his last six games. In fact, at just four points behind, Girard is coming up on passing fellow defenseman Devon Toews in production. If we go by the ever-popular pace Girard is already there at 31 points over a full season to Toews’ 27.

Utah required the use of an Emergency Backup Goaltender as Karel Vejmelka was unable to dress for this contest. Utah native Colten McIntyre who is just 21-years-old was chosen for the honor and signed a try-out agreement prior to the game so he could serve as the backup.

Upcoming

A Merry Christmas and then a showdown in Vegas at 8 p.m. MT on Saturday, December 27th.

DEER VALLEY, Utah (ABC4) — The World Cup Events at the Intermountain Health Freestyle International have been moved out of Utah due to unseasonably warm weather.

The aerials and moguls World Cup Events that were scheduled to take place at Deer Valley Resort will now take place at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort. Additionally, the aerials World Cup will be held in Lake Placid, New York

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“In partnership with USS&S and FIS, we made the difficult, but ultimately the right decision to shift Deer Valley’s annual World Cup competition to other venues. This year’s event was scheduled nearly three weeks earlier than in recent seasons, and sustained warm temperatures, unlike anything we have ever seen before, limited our ability to build the aerial and dual mogul venues to the standards our staff and athletes deserve,” said Todd Bennett, President & COO, Deer Valley Resort.

Deer Valley Resort and Intermountain Health to host Freestyle International Ski World Cup

Bennett said that the environment at Deer Valley this season does not meet the standards of athlete safety, performance, and quality.

The aerials World Cup will be held on Jan. 11-12, 2026, and the moguls and dual moguls World Cup events will take place Jan. 15-16, 2026.

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The events serve as the final qualifier to determine who will compete in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Utah women’s basketball is 1-0 in Big 12 play by the narrowest of margins, thanks to a dominant second-quarter surge led by senior guard Lani White.

After building a 16-point halftime lead on the back of a 24-4 second quarter, the Utes needed a final-possession stop to beat Arizona 63-62 at McKale Memorial Center on Monday afternoon in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

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“We had a great first half, followed by not-so-much third quarter, and definitely not-so-much fourth quarter. But I’ll take the win as we head into break,” Utah coach Gavin Petersen said in his postgame interview on ESPN 700 AM.

A truly dominant second quarter opened things up

It’s safe to say that Utah (10-3, 1-0 Big 12) owned the second quarter against Arizona.

After the Wildcats held a 19-15 lead through one quarter, the Utes took control of the game in the second, going on a 17-0 run in the period.

At one point, after Maty Wilke hit a 3 with 56 seconds left in the halftime — a shot that gave the senior guard 1,000 career points — Utah led by a game-high 18 and had only allowed a single field goal in the period.

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The Utes ended up shooting 57.1% in the quarter, made three of their five 3-pointers in the game during that period and had seven assists on eight field goals in the quarter.

White scored 11 of her career high-tying 26 points in the second quarter, and at one time, she had outscored Arizona by herself, 20-19.

“I felt good in my shot,” White said in a postgame interview on the ESPN+ broadcast. “We were picking apart their defense, and we found the holes, and we just attacked their mistakes.”

The Wildcats, meanwhile, shot a frigid 2 of 13 in the second and turned the ball over six times.

The Utes were ahead 39-23 at halftime, and it looked like Utah would send itself into the Christmas break with a blowout.

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“Lani had a great first half, and you know, we rode her that entire first half,” Petersen said.

Lani White was on fire for a half on a career day

White finished the first half with 20 points, and she made eight of nine field goals, including a trio of made 3-pointers, while adding three assists.

Simply put, the Wildcats didn’t have an answer for the shifty senior in the opening 20 minutes.

After halftime, White had more modest numbers — she scored six second-half points on 3-of-8 shooting, while Utah was outscored 39-24 in the final two periods.

Her 11 field-goal makes set a career high, and her layup two minutes into the second half helped stem a 7-0 Wildcats run.

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Though the Utes shot 50% from the field in the first half, they were considerably cooler in the second half, shooting 30.6%.

That allowed Arizona to stick around.

Reese Ross led a dominant effort on the boards for Utah. She had her second straight double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, as the Utes owned a 45-31 rebounding edge.

Despite that advantage, Utah couldn’t pull away, even with solid contributions from Chyra Evans (10 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Wilke (nine points, five rebounds, one assist), who was clearly hampered by a shoulder injury that’s been an issue for weeks.

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“We’re banged up. Maty Wilke is playing with one shoulder and kept having to come out of the game,” Petersen said. “… You talk about the grit of a kid like that. I mean, she needs some rest. But we don’t win this game without a Maty Wilke.”

The Utes survived an Arizona rally

Thank goodness, for the Utes’ sake, that the Wildcats struggled finishing at the rim — otherwise, this likely would have been a win for Arizona (9-3, 0-1 Big 12).

The Wildcats slowly fought their way back into the game, despite shooting 37.3% from the field.

Late in the third quarter after Arizona cut its deficit to 47-41, the Utes got key scores on a 3-pointer from Grace Foster, followed by an and-one from LA Sneed to make it a double-digit lead again.

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Both teams struggled shooting in the fourth, but eventually Arizona scored five straight points to make it a five-point game going into the final minute.

Utah, which had four turnovers over the game’s final five-plus minutes, got a timely layup from Sneed and appeared safe with a 63-56 lead with 39 seconds to play.

The Utes had to sweat it out, though — Mickayla Perdue, who led the Wildcats with 16 points and two rebounds, was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three, then Arizona forced a turnover.

With 12 seconds left coming out of a timeout, Perdue then hit a 3 from the corner to make it 63-62.

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The Wildcats fouled the freshman Sneed, and she missed both free throws.

“At some point, our freshmen and newcomers, they’re going to have to figure it out. You were brought here for a reason,” Petersen said. “You need to be able to do what we ask in closeout games. When we get there, we’re going to be a hard team to beat, but we’re not there yet.”

That gave Arizona possession with 8.4 seconds to play and a chance to win, though the Utes only allowed a poor shot underneath the hoop — one that hit the underside of the rim — as the buzzer sounded on a solid defensive possession.

It allowed Utah to survive and start Big 12 play with a win before taking a holiday break. Their next game is Dec. 31 at home against Arizona State.

“We were able to close the game today, but we got a lot of things to get back to Salt Lake and fix. But we played hard today, good first Big 12 win,” White said.