Day 2 of the NHL Draft Complete

The NHL Draft continues on with Day 2 and Rounds 2-7. On Day 1, Utah selected Caleb Desnoyers with the fourth-overall pick. Today, Utah has the following picks:

• Second Round: 46th overall - Max Pšenička
• Third Round: 78th overall - Štěpán Hoch
• Fourth Round: 110th overall - Yegor Borikov
• Fifth Round: 142nd overall - Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko
• Sixth Round: 174th overall - Ludvig Johnson
• Sixth Round: 182nd overall - Reko Alanko

Utah Selects Defensman Max Pšenička with 46th Overall Selection

With the 46th overall selection, Utah selected defenseman Max Pšenička. The 18-year-old is from Praha, Czechia and spent last season playing for the HC Plzeň organization at the U20 and senior men's levels in Czechia, and the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL (Western Hockey League). With HC Plzeň senior men's team, Psenicka had two goals through 16 games while with the Winterhawks he had one goal and six assists for seven points through 24 games. Psenicka is a defensive defenseman who is physical and eager to make plays.

Pšenička discussed who he is as a player after he was selected by the Mammoth:

"I'm a two-way (defenseman). I think I can do a lot of stuff on both sides of the ice. I'm really trying to get into the rushes up the zone & really do something in the offensive style. But also, I think I'm a really good (defenseman) so I’m trying to be really good both sides.”

This past season, Pšenička turned to develop the defensive side of his game after focusing on the offensive side.

“(Last season) I was mostly more offensive. More two-way, more offensive player, but this season when I played in a men’s league in Czechia I played more of a defensive role as well as in Portland. Probably this season for me was mostly defensive, get better at the defensive zone, playing style, pick-ups and stuff like this. So, for this season, I’m looking more for two-way defense, more offensive playing style.”

The Mammoth Add Štěpán Hoch with 78th Overall Pick

With the 78^th overall pick, Utah selected forward Štěpán Hoch. Hoch hails from České Budějovice, Czechia and spent last season playing at different levels within the Czechia professional hockey league. With HC Motor České Budějovice’s senior men’s team, he played 23 games and had three points (1G, 2A). At the U20 level with the same organization, Hoch had 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points through 30 games.

Yegor Borikov Picked 110th Overall by Utah

With the 110^th overall selection, Utah picked forward Yegor Borikov from Luksky, Belarus. Borikov spent the majority of his time in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk. Through 67 games, he had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points. Borikov found a different level of offensive output in the playoffs this season. Through 11 games, Borikov had seven goals and one assist for eight total points.

Utah Add Goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko with Fifth Round Pick

Goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko was Utah’s fifth round pick (142^nd overall). Tkach-Tkachenko played for Tolpar Ufa in the MHL last season. Through 40 games, Tkach-Tkachenko had a 23-8-7 record with a 2.99 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. He recorded two shutouts this season. Hailing from Chernolesovsky, Russia, Tkach-Tkachenko is 6-foot-3 and plays an aggressive game.

Ludvig Johnson Picked in Sixth Round of 2025 Draft

With the 174^th overall selection, the Mammoth added defenseman Ludvig Johnson. Last season, Johnson played for EV Zug in the top professional league (NL) in Switzerland and the U20 levels. Johnson also played 17 games with Switzerland’s national team at various levels, including World Juniors.

With EV Zug (NL), Johnson had four goals and six assists for 10 points through 31 games.

At the U20 level, Johnson had four goals and 13 assists for 17 points through 14 games. Johnson can serve as a quarterback of the power play and is a two-way defenseman.

Utah Selects Reko Alanko with Final Pick in 2025 Draft

Utah traded its sixth-round pick in the 2026 Draft to get a second sixth-round selection in the 2025 Draft (182^nd overall). With their newest pick, Utah selected defenseman Reko Alanko. From Helsinki, Finland, Alanko played for Jokerit at the U18 and U20 levels in the SM-sarja league in Finland. With the U18 team, Alanko had four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 33 games. With the U20 team, Alanko contributed two assists through 13 games. At 6-foot-5, he brings a lot of size to the defensive core.

Day 1 at the NHL Draft

On Day 1 of the NHL Draft, Utah selected forward Caleb Desnoyers from the Moncton Wildcats. Desnoyers won the 2025 QMJHL Championship with the Wildcats this season. He had nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points through 19 games. His 21 assists led the playoffs and he received the Guy Lafleur Trophy, which is given to QMJHL post-season MVP. He also was a member of Canada's gold-medal team at the 2024 Ivan Hlinka Cup and the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship.

Desnoyers played 56 regular season games and 19 playoff games for the Wildcats this season. Through the regular season, he contributed 35 goals and 49 assists for 84 total points. Desnoyers has a familiar face to turn to within the organization as he was teammates with 2024 4th Round pick, Gabe Smith in Moncton.

As the 2025 NHL Draft has wrapped for Utah, the team will shift focus to their Development Camp which starts on Sunday. Several of the Mammoth’s 2025 selections will attend. Follow UtahMammoth.com for full coverage!