Don Cherry Reveals Which Team He Believes Will Surprise The NHL In 2024/25

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Tom Banks
October 21, 2024 (7:50)

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The 2024/25 season has started with plenty of surprises, but according to NHL personality Don Cherry, it's the Utah Hockey Club that will be the most surprising.

The new NHL season is only a few weeks old, but already we've seen some drama, ups-and-downs and some very surprising starts, with the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets all separating themselves early in the year. However, there's been so many great stories, with veteran analyst and former TV personality Don Cherry revealing the team that he believes will shock the world the most this season.

"Utah," said Cherry without any hesitation on his most recent podcast. "I think [they] will be the biggest surprise. They are in a new town and the whole... and I think they'll be the surprise of the year."

Before the season, the Utah Hockey Club were very divisive among analysts around the league, with many believing that their young core will take a step forward, while some think that they don't quite have the depth of quality players to make a run. So does this mean that they'll be competing for a Stanley Cup? According to Cherry, the answer is an emphatic 'no'.

"Oh I don't think they'll make a run for it but... make the playoffs, that's about it," added Cherry.

Through six games this year, Utah sit at 4-1-1, with all three of their units rolling, and with Dylan Guenther and captain Clayton Keller absolutely rolling, it's hard to deny just how fun this team is, especially at home in Salt Lake City. It's still early however, and there's plenty of time for the ups-and-downs to potentially derail their campaign.

It's hard to argue what Cherry sees however, as this is a team full of dynamic young talent, and if they can stay healthy throughout the year, they'll be right in the mix in the Western Conference this season.