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Los Angeles Kings forward Quinton Byfield. Bob Frid-Imagn Images

One player to root for from every NHL Western Conference team

By Alex Wiederspiel | Last updated 10/8/24

With a new NHL season underway, ardent fans are eager to watch their favorite teams and hate on rivals. But for the teams you don't dislike but don't know much about, this guide may help you when your favorite team isn't playing.

Here's a player on each Western Conference team to root for:

Anaheim Ducks | Cutter Gauthier | Winger

Gauthier forced his way out of Philadelphia, which resulted in fans showing up to heckle him at Boston College games. Now Gauthier finds himself with one of the best troves of young talent in the sport in Anaheim as a reward.

Calgary Flames | Dustin Wolf | Goaltender

Wolf is an undersized goalie (6-foot, 156 pounds), among the smallest in the league, and plays for a team expected to be at the bottom of the standings. So he's an easy sell, right? Doubters have forced Wolf to prove himself at every level of hockey.

Chicago Blackhawks | Taylor Hall | Winger

Hall is coming off a significant knee injury that cost him nearly all of last season. He was signed to help insulate future franchise superstar Connor Bedard, but fans didn't see too much of them together. The league will be better off with Bedard reaching the height of his powers as quickly as possible, and Hall can help make that happen.

Colorado Avalanche | Oliver Kylington | Defenseman

In the offseason, Kylington left Calgary — the only team he had played for — following a turbulent two years in which he played only 33 games after stepping away from the team to deal with a family issue. Kylington was open about dealing with mental health issues during that period. Now he's back with a team uniquely qualified to use his unbelievable skating ability.

Dallas Stars | Matt Dumba | Defenseman

Before suffering a shoulder injury in 2019 in a fight with then-Calgary winger Matthew Tkachuk, Dumba was among the elite shooting defensemen in the league. Now a journeyman, he has the chance to find his game on the other side of the Minnesota-Dallas rivalry.

Edmonton Oilers | Ty Emberson | Defenseman

Emberson's whirlwind past few seasons led from him being something of a long-shot prospect to being traded in one of the many dominos to fall as a result of St. Louis's surprise dual offer sheets on then-restricted free agents Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Now he's back with Kris Knoblauch, who coached him at Hartford in the American Hockey League. He's expected to play big minutes for the current Stanley Cup favorite.

Los Angeles Kings | Quinton Byfield | Center

The No. 2 overall pick in 2020 was written off a few times because of injury issues limiting the first phase of his career. Last season, Byfield finally arrived, and it feels like the sky is the limit for the 6-foot-5, 220-pound behemoth.

QUINTON BYFIELD, OH MY. WHAT A GOAL. pic.twitter.com/5RCquDDksT
— NHL (@NHL) February 21, 2024

Minnesota Wild | Jared Spurgeon | Defenseman

Spurgeon is one of the smaller defenders in the league at 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds, but he has long since overcome questions about his ability and toughness as he closes in on his 14th season in Minnesota. After playing just 16 games last season, the Wild captain is looking to prove there's still something in the tank after undergoing surgery on his back and hip.

Nashville Predators | Scott Wedgewood | Goaltender

If former Nashville goalie Yaraslov Aaskarov turns out to be a Hall of Famer in San Jose, Wedgewood must be the answer to the trivia question that has driven Predators fans nuts for years. For that reason alone, he deserves extra fan support as the backup this season to Juuse Saros.

San Jose Sharks | Cody Ceci | Defenseman

Like Emberson, Ceci was a victim of the game of dominos created by the St. Louis Blues offer sheets. He went from a team that finished one goal shy of forcing overtime in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to a franchise coming off a historically bad season.

Seattle Kraken | Shane Wright | Center

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has come along slower than Seattle fans care for, but he has a shot at earning significant playing time this season. Plus, it's hard not to root for someone who had one of the stranger draft floor experiences.

The behind the scenes debate for who should go #1 pic.twitter.com/ybt9j1V70q https://t.co/692g9ooZwI
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) November 3, 2023

St. Louis Blues | Robert Thomas | Center

Thomas might be on the cusp of becoming the new sexy answer to who the most ridiculously underrated player is in the NHL. He was fifth in assists (60) among centers last season, behind Edmonton's Connor McDavid, Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, Vancouver's J.T. Miller and Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl.

Utah Hockey Club | Clayton Keller | Winger

This 26-year-old rising superstar somehow is the longest-tenured member of this team. Now captain, Keller would be talked about in the same breath as some of the league's more explosive offensive players if he hadn't played his entire career in Arizona.

Vancouver Canucks | J.T. Miller | Center

Miller has gone from a league-wide punching bag into a beloved franchise superstar. It's best to ride it with him because no one knows where it heads next for the late-blooming star.

Vegas Golden Knights | Tanner Pearson | Winger

No one will ever confuse Pearson with a superstar, but his career looked like it could be over after Vancouver appeared to mishandle an injury to the pesky winger, costing him 68 games in the 2022-23 season. After playing part of last season in Montreal, Pearson should consider every game a gift.

Winnipeg Jets | Gabriel Vilardi | Winger

Winnipeg can take a victory lap after getting what is looking like the best player in the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade. That feels like appropriate karma for an organization constantly facing existential threats. Vilardi is a big, hulking winger (6-foot-3 and 216 pounds) who looks poised to be a 30-goal scorer if he can put together a season fully healthy.

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