UTAH Hockey Club Notes

Marino (back) participated in Monday’s practice session in a regular jersey, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports reports.

Marino has been sidelined since the start of the regular season due to a lower-back injury that required surgery in late October. However, his participation in Monday’s practice in a regular jersey is certainly an encouraging sign. The 27-year-old will likely need some time to ramp up given his lengthy absence, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Cole logged an assist, three shots on goal, three hits and five blocked shots in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars.

Cole has a helper in back-to-back contests and four assists over his last six games. The 35-year-old defenseman may be worth considering in deeper fantasy formats due to his non-scoring production, but the offense is likely to fade eventually. For the season, he’s at 12 points, 43 shots on net, 47 hits, 110 blocked shots, 41 PIM and a minus-1 rating through 39 appearances in a second-pairing role.

Kerfoot notched an assist in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars.

Kerfoot has three points over his last four games. The 30-year-old has picked up the pace a bit on offense but remains in a fourth-line role, so he may not be able to sustain his recent play over a longer stretch. For the season, he’s collected 15 points, 53 shots on net, 26 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 39 appearances.

Bjugstad notched an assist, five shots on goal and four hits in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars.

Bjugstad has two helpers over two games in January after being limited to a single assist in December. The 32-year-old center’s lack of offense hasn’t cost him a spot in the lineup, but he has been limited to the third line and second power-play unit. He has a modest 10 points with 53 shots on net, 47 hits, 19 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating through 31 appearances this season.

Crouse notched an assist in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars.

Crouse has three points over two games in January, already matching his total from all of November and December combined. The winger remains in a third-line role, but if Utah starts getting more offense from its depth, Crouse will likely have significant involvement. He’s had a poor first half of the campaign with six goals, four assists, 57 shots on net, 69 hits and a minus-4 rating through 39 appearances.