Liam O'Brien and his wife Adela “couldn't stop smiling” when his future with the Utah Hockey Club was revealed this week.
The 29-year-old forward, who just signed a three-year contract with Utah, said Wednesday he's excited about the opportunity to put down roots in the team's new home.
“I'm very excited to bring my family to Utah. It's a really great place to live and a really great place to have a family,” O'Brien told reporters.
Liam O'Brien's contract
O'Brien joined the Arizona Coyotes during the 2021-22 season after spending several years bouncing between the minor leagues and other NHL teams.
He has since become a key part of the team's rebuild, winning the club's award for most effort player and making a name for himself in the league for his physical strength.
“We are excited to sign Liam to a three-year contract,” Utah Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement. “He will bring energy, grit and a physical presence to our roster every night, especially in his inaugural season, that Utah hockey fans will be excited about. We look forward to having Liam join our team for the next few seasons.”
O'Brien has already made quite an impression on Utah hockey fans at an event celebrating the Utah Coyotes' relocation to Salt Lake City in April.
When it was his turn to take the microphone at the Delta Center, he asked fans to call him “Spicy Tuna,” eliciting a deafening roar from the crowd.
“I can't wait to rock this place! Let's go!” O'Brien said.
O'Brien would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 if a new contract had not been agreed to with Utah Hockey Club officials. Details of the contract were not made public.
O'Brien told reporters on Wednesday that he plans to continue honing his skills in the offseason so he can continue to improve in upcoming seasons.
“Going into this contract, I want to continue to grow as a player,” he said. “Every year I've steadily gotten better. Nothing's going to change that. I'm just going to keep working hard. That's a part of me. I'm very excited to be able to do that.”
Liam O'Brien Family
O'Brien and his family have not yet moved to Utah, as he and his wife are focused on adjusting to raising a child, having welcomed their first child, a daughter, earlier this month.
At the start of Wednesday's press conference, O'Brien called out to the baby girl, Leilani Eva O'Brien, and revealed she was in the room with him.
He said his plans for the rest of the offseason include taking her to see loved ones in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“Going home and introducing my daughter to my family is the last item on my to-do list,” he said.
O'Brien also spoke about his family when asked what new Utah hockey fans should look out for at this weekend's NHL Draft.
“It's really cool how young these kids are. In other drafts, the guys (who get drafted) are a little older, but we have some young guys. It's really cool to see the families excited when they hear their son's name,” he said.
O'Brien told reporters on Wednesday that being a professional ice hockey player is “the best job in the world.”
“I love this sport. I love going to the rink. I love being with my teammates,” he said. “We're privileged to be able to do what we do, and there's nothing else in the world that I'd rather be doing.”
