SLC Puck!

Austin Facer

SLC Puck! Powered by BigTuskEnergy.com From the mountains to the madness on the ice, SLC Puck is your go-to podcast for all things Utah hockey. Hosted by Austin Facer — part fanboy, part chaos agent — we cover the Utah Hockey Club, the NHL, the local youth leagues that keep the dream alive, and everything in between. Think Last Week Tonight meets SportsCenter. Twice a week, we bring you hot takes that will age terribly, and a whole lot of local hockey love. If it skates in Utah, we’re talking about it — sometimes with actual insight. Streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever hockey nerds hang out. Potential advertisers can inquire at austin@slcpuck.com www.slcpuck.com

  1. 9 hr ago

    Should the Utah Mammoth Trade for Dylan Larkin This Summer?

    Dylan Larkin is on the market, and that immediately raises the biggest Utah Mammoth question of the offseason: do they have the assets to trade for him… and should they even want to? On this episode of SLC Puck, Austin digs into the Detroit Red Wings captain’s situation after reports that Larkin wants out, and why the fit in Utah is a lot more complicated than just "big name available, go get him."Austin breaks down Larkin’s profile in detail: 29 years old, 808 career games with Detroit, 643 points, and a team-friendly $8.7 million cap hit through 2031. He also reacts to Cole Bagley’s proposed trade package of Barrett Hayton, Sean Durzi, Caleb Desnoyers, Utah’s 2026 first-round pick (19th overall), and a conditional 2028 second-rounder. The big takeaway? That price feels too rich for Dylan Larkin, especially if Caleb Desnoyers is part of the deal.There’s also a bigger strategic question here for the Mammoth. If Utah is going to cash in major assets, should that swing be saved for Robert Thomas instead? Austin explains why Thomas may be the better fit, why Desnoyers and Tij Iginla should be close to untouchable, and why names like Daniil But, Dmitri Simashev, or Maveric Lamoureux make more sense in a Larkin conversation. Plus: a little birthday talk, some men’s league soreness, and live reactions to the Stanley Cup Final while Brandon McNabb takes an 88-mile-per-hour slap shot to the face in Carolina vs. Vegas.SLC Puck is powered by BigTuskEnergy.comCONNECT WITH SLC PUCK!🤝 Patreon ➡️ https://www.patreon.com/slcpuck🛍️ Merch ➡️ https://www.bigtuskenergy.com🤑 SLC Picks (DFS) ➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck🎥 TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck☕️ Buy Me A Coffee ➡️ https://buymeacoffee.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    29 min
  2. 4 days ago

    SLC Puck End-of-Season Awards for the Utah Mammoth

    Jack McBain is our SLC Pucker of the Year, and honestly, there was no other choice. This episode is SLC Puck’s annual Utah Mammoth end-of-season awards show, where we hand out eight honors to the players who defined the 2025-26 season. McBain gets the big one after leading the team with 84 penalty minutes, setting the tone physically, and delivering one of the best fights of the year against Alexei Toropchenko after the hit that injured Logan Cooley. We also hand out Electric Factory to Dylan Guenther after his 40-goal, 73-point season, including the kind of late-game moments that make the building shake. Lawson Crouse takes Bounce Back Player of the Year after jumping from 18 points to 44 and swinging from minus-4 to plus-20. Nate Schmidt is our Newcomer of the Year after arriving from the Florida Panthers and posting a ridiculous plus-31 while bringing instant stability and veteran edge. From there, we get into Karel Vejmelka as Mr. Reliable after 64 appearances and 38 wins, Logan Cooley as Mr. Rent Free after putting up 24 goals in just 54 games and constantly becoming The Topic, and Clayton Keller as our Most Valuable Mammoth after leading Utah in scoring again while carrying the emotional weight of the season. Sammy is back, Disneyland gets mentioned, Tusky almost steals an award, and yes, Michael Carcone gets love as the team’s full-time chaos merchant. SLC Puck is powered by BigTuskEnergy.com CONNECT WITH SLC PUCK! 🤝 Patreon ➡️ https://www.patreon.com/slcpuck 🛍️ Merch ➡️ https://www.bigtuskenergy.com 🤑 SLC Picks (DFS) ➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck 🎥 TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck 👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck ☕️ Buy Me A Coffee ➡️ https://buymeacoffee.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    52 min
  3. 29 May

    What the Utah Mammoth Can Learn From the Vegas Golden Knights

    The team that knocked out the Utah Mammoth is now playing for the Stanley Cup, and that’s exactly why this episode matters. On SLC Puck, Austin digs into what the Mammoth can actually learn from the Vegas Golden Knights — a team that keeps making ruthless, win-now moves and keeps getting rewarded for it. Vegas swept the Colorado Avalanche to reach the Stanley Cup Final after eliminating Utah, and Austin makes the case that the Mammoth may be closer than people think. He breaks down Vegas’ depth and why it worked: Mitch Marner leading the way with 21 points, Jack Eichel sitting at 18, and both Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden scoring 10 goals in the playoffs. There’s also a look at how close Utah really was in that first-round series, with Game 4 going to double overtime and Game 5 going to overtime before the Golden Knights took control. Austin also talks through what a more aggressive Utah timeline could look like, from adding another true top-pair defenseman to getting heavier in the top six, with names like Sean Durzi, Mikhail Sergachev, Barrett Hayton, and Tij Iginla all part of the conversation. Then the show pivots to a wild stat off the ice: Salt Lake City jumped from No. 44 to No. 12 in Sports Business Journal’s best sports cities rankings, with the Mammoth, the 2034 Olympics, and Utah’s MLB push all helping reshape the city’s sports identity. SLC Puck is powered by BigTuskEnergy.com CONNECT WITH SLC PUCK! 🤝 Patreon ➡️ https://www.patreon.com/slcpuck 🛍️ Merch ➡️ https://www.bigtuskenergy.com 🤑 SLC Picks (DFS) ➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck 🎥 TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck 👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck ☕️ Buy Me A Coffee ➡️ https://buymeacoffee.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    42 min
  4. Free SLC Puck+ Preview: I Will Defend These Youth Hockey Parents To The Death

    28 May

    Free SLC Puck+ Preview: I Will Defend These Youth Hockey Parents To The Death

    This is a free preview of SLC Puck+ — the members-only bonus show for the SLC Puck sickos. Right now, we have 25 paid members helping build this thing. The next goal is simple: 50 paid members before next season. That’s not some random vanity number. That’s the next step in turning SLC Puck from a fun local hockey podcast into a real Utah hockey media operation. The main SLC Puck show covers the Utah Mammoth: games, roster moves, prospects, reactions, watch parties, interviews, and everything happening around hockey in Utah. SLC Puck+ is where we let it rip. It’s the bonus show where we get into the weirdest corners of the hockey world: league-wide chaos, hockey internet nonsense, unhinged fan behavior, strange player lore, media drama, goalie crimes, youth hockey madness, and whatever else makes this sport the greatest content machine on earth. This free preview is a perfect example. A viral U12 hockey clip involving the Vaughn Panthers, angry parents, glass-banging, alleged locker room drama, and one red-hat guy with the energy of a man defending Helm’s Deep. Most people saw bad behavior. I saw reasonable doubt. Maybe the parents were out of line. Maybe the ref missed something. Maybe the Zamboni left the ice too wet. Maybe this is simply a proud youth hockey program defending decades of sacred glass-banging tradition. The point is: we do not have all the facts, your honor. If this clip makes you laugh, you’ll like SLC Puck+. And if you already watch SLC Puck, coming over to Patreon is the best way to help us grow the show, improve the production, build more live events, make more weird hockey content, and keep pushing toward something bigger. We’re at 25 paid members. Help us get to 50. Join SLC Puck+ here: www.patreon.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    12 min
  5. 25 May

    Utah Mammoth Need More Edge

    Utah Mammoth fans have a real question to wrestle with this summer: do you want a team full of lovable guys, or a team built to win ugly? On this Memorial Day edition of SLC Puck, Austin reacts to the Vegas Golden Knights going up 3-0 on Colorado and uses that as the jumping-off point for a bigger Utah hockey debate. If Vegas is rolling with Carter Hart in net, Mark Stone back in the lineup, and the Avalanche suddenly on the brink, what does that say about what it actually takes to contend? Austin gets into the contrast between the Mammoth and Vegas: Utah has a roster fans genuinely like, from Lawson Crouse’s dog Butter Pig to JJ Peterka apparently moonlighting as a house DJ under Turks.DJ, to Dylan Guenther spending part of his summer at Disneyland. Meanwhile, Vegas keeps making ruthless moves, from the Marc-Andre Fleury trade to firing Bruce Cassidy late and bringing in John Tortorella. It turns into a blunt fan-first conversation about whether Mammoth fans would accept more edge, more nastiness, and maybe even more baggage if it meant a real shot at a Stanley Cup. There’s also some jersey chaos in here, because of course there is. Austin talks about Utah’s 2026-27 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium against Colorado, plus the leaked reporting around a new light blue “Hometown Remix” alternate jersey that could feature the tusk-heavy U logo. So yes, this episode has Carter Hart, Vegas villainy, Mammoth identity, and future sweater damage to your credit card. SLC Puck is powered by BigTuskEnergy.com CONNECT WITH SLC PUCK! 🤝 Patreon ➡️ https://www.patreon.com/slcpuck 🛍️ Merch ➡️ https://www.bigtuskenergy.com 🤑 SLC Picks (DFS) ➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck 🎥 TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck 👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck ☕️ Buy Me A Coffee ➡️ https://buymeacoffee.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    25 min
  6. 22 May

    Tij Iginla’s Big Moment Is Here

    Tij Iginla’s junior hockey career could be headed for a storybook ending. The Utah Mammoth’s top prospect and first-ever draft pick is set to lead the Kelowna Rockets into the Memorial Cup, one of the biggest stages in Canadian junior hockey. Kelowna didn’t win the WHL title, but as the host team, the Rockets get one more shot — and Iginla gets a massive opportunity to put a stamp on his junior career before taking the next step toward the NHL. On this episode of SLC Puck, Austin breaks down why Mammoth fans should be locked in on the Memorial Cup, how Iginla’s development has taken off like a rocket, why his return from hip surgery makes this moment even more impressive, and what this tournament could mean for his path to Utah. Plus, Austin looks at the Memorial Cup field, the Utah prospects involved, the massive stage waiting in Kelowna, and why this week could become a major chapter in the future of the Utah Mammoth. SLC Puck is powered by BigTuskEnergy.com CONNECT WITH SLC PUCK!🤝 Patreon ➡️ www.patreon.com/slcpuck🛍️ Merch ➡️ www.bigtuskenergy.com🤑SLC Picks (DFS)➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck🎥TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck☕️Buy Me A Coffee (Support the show!) https://buymeacoffee.com/sl This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    28 min
  7. 18 May

    My Mom Helped Build SLC Puck

    Join the SLC Puck+ tier on Patreon for bonus episodes! ➡️ www.patreon.com/slcpuckIt’s a very special Mother’s Day edition of SLC Puck — just one week late, because every day should be Mother’s Day if you’re brave enough.Austin is joined by his mom for an annual SLC Puck tradition to talk about the Utah Mammoth season, the family’s growing hockey obsession, and how SLC Puck has turned into a weird, wonderful little family business in the basement.On this episode, Austin and his mom talk about:how the Utah Mammoth took over the familyBig Tusk Energy hats and the chaos of launching merchwhy the Mammoth name ended up being perfectwatch parties, 3D-printed mammoths, hype chains, and family creativitySammy becoming one of Utah’s biggest Mammoth fansKevin growing up around hockeyplayoff memories from the Delta Centerwhy Game 6 felt so emotionally flatthe future of Delta Center seating and affordabilitywhat the Mammoth can learn from Vegas’ in-arena storytellingand why Clayton Keller’s Mother’s Day tribute hit so hardThis episode is about hockey, family, community, and the little basement podcast that somehow became part of the Utah Mammoth fan experience.CONNECT WITH SLC PUCK!🤝 Patreon ➡️ www.patreon.com/slcpuck🛍️ Merch ➡️ www.bigtuskenergy.com🤑SLC Picks (DFS)➡️ https://www.slcpuck.com/t/slc-picks📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/slcpuck🎥TikTok ➡️ https://tiktok.com/@slcpuck ✳️ Spotify ➡️ 🐦 Twitter ➡️ https://x.com/slcpuck👍 Facebook ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/slcpuck☕️Buy Me A Coffee (Support the show!) https://buymeacoffee.com/slcpuck This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

    47 min

About

SLC Puck! Powered by BigTuskEnergy.com From the mountains to the madness on the ice, SLC Puck is your go-to podcast for all things Utah hockey. Hosted by Austin Facer — part fanboy, part chaos agent — we cover the Utah Hockey Club, the NHL, the local youth leagues that keep the dream alive, and everything in between. Think Last Week Tonight meets SportsCenter. Twice a week, we bring you hot takes that will age terribly, and a whole lot of local hockey love. If it skates in Utah, we’re talking about it — sometimes with actual insight. Streaming on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever hockey nerds hang out. Potential advertisers can inquire at austin@slcpuck.com www.slcpuck.com

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