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He's done it. Alex Ovechkin has broke the legendary Wayne Gretzky record.
Scoring his 895th goal midway through Washington's game against the Islanders, causing the game to stop midway through the second period, Ovechkin slid on the ice, emperor penguin style, to celebrate achieving the remarkable feat.
Ovechkin has put his name in history and will continue to do so with more games to play this season and next, as long as he finishes out his contract into the 2025-26 season.
Nobody knows when the day will come for Ovechkin's retirement, but what the world does know is that he will now be the historic player that future NHL players will attempt to surpass for years to come.
Among those players is the relatively young roster of Utah Hockey Club, who are years, even decades, away from matching the sheer number of games Ovechkin has played, let alone the goals he's scored.
And yes, it is way too soon to be talking about whether anyone else can break Ovechkin's record, especially since he will continue to extend his record through the remaining games he plays in the future.
But what better way to celebrate a once "impossible" achievement than to highlight how much work it will take for anyone to overtake it, specifically with a young team like Utah.
While it will take a serious amount of effort, here are the Utah Hockey Club players most likely to break Ovechkin's record... or at least get closest to his mark.
Logan Cooley
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Cooley may be the most likely player to break Ovechkin's record simply because he is the youngest player on Utah's roster.
As Utah's first-line center, and selected third overall, his position on the team most aligns with Ovechkin’s as he too was drafted with the goal of becoming the franchise player despite not being the overall first pick in the draft like Ovechkin.
While the former NHL All-Rookie Cooley is nowhere near the 98 goals Ovechkin had in his first two seasons, having totaled 42 goals in his own first two seasons, he still has the greatest chance of closing the gap.
After all, Cooley was drafted with the intention of becoming one of the marquee franchise players for years to come. The opportunities will be there, and Cooley has shown great flashes of talent all year with his speed and elusive puck play. With captain Clayton Keller recording a career-high in assists, Cooley is in a great position to score lots of goals for years to come, and he’s only twenty years old.
The question will be whether Cooley’s health will allow him to play near the sheer number of games Ovechkin has, and if Cooley can develop into a fifty-goal scorer for Utah. Because in the end, Cooley could be a fantastic player for this team, but he won’t get anywhere near Ovechkin’s mark if he doesn’t put up similar numbers across a 20-year career.
Dylan Guenther
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Similarly, Guenther is another young talent, only 21 years old, whom Utah expects to be one of its star players for years to come.
The production Guenther has had this year is already promising, as he is currently tied for the team-high in goals with Keller, both having 26 goals on the season. Guenther is already showing the ability to be a leading goal scorer.
As a top-10 draft pick for Utah, the expectations were high, but are already being met by Guenther, with Utah already inking him to an 8-year contract extension earlier this season.
Guenther’s scoring ability, often marked by his one-timer goals, plus his clutch factor, make him a great goal scorer and someone Utah will rely on to win in the coming years.
But simply put, Guenther being able to pass Ovechkin's record will already be more difficult for him than for Cooley, simply because of his age — which is crazy to say, considering there is only a one-year difference between the players.
However, if Guenther were attempting to break Ovechkin's mark, he would already be at a significant disadvantage.
What’s good for Guenther is that he has already increased his goal production every year as he has played more games for Utah. So, if the trend continues, Guenther could be on his way to reaching a high goal mark for Utah, especially since he is already one of the best goal scorers on the team.
If Utah continues to improve as a team, with young guys like Cooley and Guenther getting better each year together, and the team itself improves to a playoff-caliber team, Guenther’s stats will only get better as a result."
Clayton Keller
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As the leader in all-time goals for Utah, Keller is currently in a position to be the closest Utah HC player to getting near the record with his current total of 192 goals.
Though, at the age of 27 and having already played nearly 600 games, Keller will have to be consistently average roughly 50 goals per season over the next 14 years to even get near Ovechkin's current mark.
Clayton Keller can REALLY shoot the puck
: @espn+https://t.co/S5tPrXCygmpic.twitter.com/miQTz7oyRE
— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2025
And while being Utah HC's first captain in history and having already been an All-Star is sure to get you lots of touches, along with already having the skill to lead and score for a team, Keller still isn’t matching the level of production of Ovechkin.
That’s not to dismiss Keller’s skill and value as a player; his four All-Star appearances were the most in Arizona Coyotes history, after all. But there is a reason why Ovechkin's feat of passing Gretzky is one of the most incredible moments a player can have in their career.
But still, Keller, as the focal point of the offense and leader of this team, puts him in a position to continue scoring goals.
Though, it could end up with Keller getting more assists in the years to come, with scoring threats like Cooley and Guenther right alongside him; he has already recorded his career-high in assists.
But while Ovechkin's record may end up being unbreakable or take a seriously long time for anyone to get close to, it took only 26 years for Ovechkin to break Gretzky's record.
It is never smart to say 'never say never,' considering how sports always finds a way to have surprising moments and new talent break through records.
Maybe the player that ends up breaking Ovechkin's record isn’t even in the league right now, if it ever happens. Who knows, it could end up being a future Utah HC player who breaks the record.
But for now, let’s just appreciate the sheer magnitude of what Ovechkin’s done and celebrate how beautiful sports can be. Utah HC may not have any of its players break Ovechkin's record, but they'll be sure to have their own impressive accomplishments.
Congratulations, Alex, and thank you for showing the world that the impossible is possible.
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