For some NHL players, their jersey number is part of their identity. For others, itâs just a random set of digits assigned to them at some point.
We spent the last few months asking each Utah Hockey Club player how he chose his number. Note that there are a few missing â some tend to slip out of the locker room faster than others after practice.
2: Olli Määttä
Olli Määttä has always worn low numbers: 2, 3 and 6. He said thatâs simply because those are widely regarded as defenseman numbers. When he plays for Team Finland, he always takes number 3.
6: John Marino
Like Määttä, John Marino just wanted a low number as a defenseman. Nice and simple.
7: Michael Kesselring
Michael Kesselring is a big fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, which is his inspiration for wearing number 7.
When he joined the Arizona Coyotes, he couldnât wear that number because it was honored for franchise legend Keith Tkachuk. But the move to Utah opened the number back up. Maybe, decades from now, a future Hockey Clubber will have to switch numbers because 7 is reserved for the man they call The King.
9: Clayton Keller
Growing up, Clayton Keller wore numbers 9 and 19. He couldnât wear 19 in Arizona because it belonged to Coyotes all-time great Shane Doan, so 9 was an easy choice.
He said he contemplated switching back to 19 for about a day after moving to Utah, but he ultimately decided to keep it the same.
11: Dylan Guenther
As is the case for many, Guenther wore a different number unit that was no longer available. In his case, the preferred number was 8 until it was occupied by a teammate when he was a child.
He chose number 11 because it fit both criteria: He liked the way it looked, and so did his mom.
15: Alexander Kerfoot
Alexander Kerfoot was assigned number 14 at some point before his NHL days. He kept it until he got to the Colorado Avalanche, where Blake Comeau was already wearing it. He switched to 13, but then got traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where 13 is hallowed for none other than Mats Sundin.
They assigned him 15 and heâs stuck with it ever since.
22: Jack McBain
As you may have read last week, Jack McBainâs preferred number, 11, was reserved for his now-housemate, Dylan Guenther. And, as Guenther poetically described, he did not get a Rolex as compensation for switching numbers.
The rationale for 22 was simply that itâs 11 doubled.
27: Barrett Hayton
Brian Hayton wore number 27 in the OHL in the 1980s. Some 30 years later, his son, Barrett Hayton, followed in his fatherâs footsteps, wearing the same number in the same league.
When Barrett got to Arizona, 27 was reserved in honor of Teppo Numminen, so he switched to 29. But, as was the case for Kesselring, everything was made available when the team moved to Utah, so he went back to his preferred digits.
28: Ian Cole
Ian Cole wore number 14 until he got to the Compuware AAA team as a teenager, where someone else had already claimed it. So, he doubled it and went with 28.
He didnât mind, though.
âThe higher numbers were the bigger jerseys, I was a bigger kid,â he said.
38: Liam OâBrien
Not everyone gets to choose their jersey number. That was initially the case with Liam OâBrien, who was assigned number 38 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
He was glad, though, to have that number instead of the one the Washington Capitals gave him at his first NHL training camp: 87. For those who arenât familiar, thatâs Sidney Crosbyâs number, and itâs frowned upon for anyone but him to wear it nowadays.
50: Sean Durzi
Like OâBrien, Sean Durzi was assigned number 50 in training camp when he was a member of the Los Angeles Kings. He didnât like it.
âIâm like, âUgh, this is the worst number ever,ââ he said. âAnd then I made it to the NHL and they still had 50 for me and I kept it.â
It grew on him when he realized that the numerals form his initials, SD.
57: Nick DeSimone
When Nick DeSimone signed with the San Jose Sharks to kick off his NHL career, they assigned him number 57. His favorite number is 7, so he didnât mind â a third of the teams in the league have retired number 7 and many others actively have people wearing it, so it wonât be available most places.
He also finds it funny that his family is friends with the Van Riemsdyks, as Trevor Van Riemsdyk wears 57 for the Capitals.
63: Matias Maccelli
Matias Maccelli had always worn number 72, but when he joined the Arizona Coyotes, the number was occupied by Travis Boyd. The staff assigned him 63, and offered him 72 when Boyd signed with the Minnesota Wild this season. He decided to keep 63.
67: Lawson Crouse
Growing up, Lawson Crouse wore number 77. When he got to the OHL, though, veteran teammate Warren Steele already had it. He chose 67 because he knew it would be available most places heâd ever play.
82: Kevin Stenlund
Kevin Stenlund idolized Mikael Samuelsson growing up. Samuelsson played for a number of teams and wore plenty of numbers over his 19-year pro career, but the one that stands out most in Stenlundâs mind is 28, which he wore at times in both the Swedish Elitserien League and the NHL.
Stenlundâs number, 82, is 28 flipped.
91: Josh Doan
Like Stenlund, Josh Doanâs number is that of his childhood idol, flipped. Unlike Stenlund, Doanâs idol is his father, Shane Doan.
92: Logan Cooley
Logan Cooleyâs preferred number was 18, but when he got to the University of Minnesota, it was already taken by Mason Nevers. He didnât want to overstep, so he switched.
âI didnât have the money to give him a Rolex like guys do now,â Cooley said with a laugh.
There was no particular rhyme or reason to choosing 92, other than the fact that Cooley likes higher numbers and that he thought it looked good.
He also likes being unique.
âItâs cool to kind of have your own number,â he said. âIâve seen a couple guys have it, but I think it just stands out a little bit. Itâs different than the single-digit numbers, or the ones that everyone wears.â
98: Mikhail Sergachev
Mikhail Sergachev was born in 1998, so he chose to wear 98. Heâs one of just four players to don those digits this season.