Roadrunners Announce 2025-26 Opening Roster

Tucson, Arizona – The Tucson Roadrunners today announced the team’s roster ahead of the 2025-26 season opener against the Ontario Reign on Friday at Toyota Arena.

The Roadrunners arrived in California on Wednesday to open a two-game weekend series against their Pacific Division and I-10 rival. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. AZT on Friday and 3:00 p.m. AZT on Sunday.

Fans can listen to Friday’s games live onFOX Sports 1450 AM and the iHeartRadio app, and watch on AHLTV on FloHockey. Sunday’s matchup will be broadcast on KXEW 1600 AMand the iHeartRadio app, and streamed on AHLTV on FloHockey.

Following the weekend series, Tucson returns home to open a six-game homestand at Tucson Arena, beginning with the home opener against the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. AZT. Tickets can be purchased using the link here.

The Roadrunners’ opening roster features 24 players: 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. Head Coach Steve Potvin’s group includes 17 returning players from last season along with seven newcomers, including three rookies and four veteran additions

Players in bold are new
Players in italics are rookies

Forwards:

#12 Owen Allard
Enters his first full season with Tucson after joining the team ahead of the Calder Cup Playoffs last spring. Played four seasons with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL (2021–25) and was teammates with fellow Roadrunners rookie Noel Nordh last year. Recorded 28 points in 31 games with the Greyhounds during the 2024–25 season and added four points (2g, 2a) in five playoff games, tying for second on the team in postseason scoring. Earned the Fittest Player Award at 2025 Utah Development Camp and was originally selected by Utah in the fifth round (135th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

#16 Ryan McGregor
Enters his sixth season with Tucson, ranking eighth all-time in games played as a Roadrunner (197), 14th in points (68), and 15th in assists (42) among forwards. Originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round (172nd overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.

#17 Ty Tullio
Enters his first season with Tucson and fourth in the AHL after signing a one-year AHL contract with the Roadrunners this offseason. Split the 2024–25 campaign between Calgary and Rochester, recording 15 points (3g, 12a) and 36 penalty minutes in 43 games. Spent his first two AHL seasons with Bakersfield (2022–24). Originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round (126th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

#21 Kevin Rooney
Enters his first season with Tucson after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on Oct. 6, 2025. Last season, he recorded 10 points (5g, 5a) and 14 penalty minutes in 70 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, ranking third on the team in shorthanded ice time per game (1:53) and fourth in hits (109) among forwards. Over 10 pro seasons, Rooney has played 330 NHL games with the Flames, New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, along with 242 AHL games with the Calgary Wranglers and Albany/Binghamton Devils. Rooney also won a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

#22 Ben McCartney
Signed a two-year, two-way contract with Utah on June 11, 2025, ahead of his sixth season with Tucson. Served as an alternate captain in each of the last two seasons (2023–24 and 2024–25). Last season, led the Roadrunners with three shorthanded goals and nine total special-teams goals, while ranking third on the team with six power-play tallies. Enters the season ranking sixth in team history in both goals and games played, sixth among forwards in points, third all-time in power-play goals (17), and fourth in penalty minutes. Originally selected by Arizona in the seventh round (204th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

#23 Michal Kunc
Enters his first season with Tucson after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on April 24, 2025. Marks his first professional season in North America following six seasons in Czechia. Last season, led HC Olomouc in assists (22) and points (35), while his +22 rating ranked fourth in the league.

#25 Sammy Walker
Enters his first full season with Tucson after signing a one-year AHL contract in the offseason, marking his fifth professional season. Joined the Roadrunners midseason last year following a trade from the Minnesota Wild to Utah on February 3, 2025, recording 22 points (8g, 14a) in 31 games with Tucson. During that stretch, he ranked second on the team in points, tied for third in assists, tied for fourth in goals, and fourth in shots (60). Previously spent three seasons with the Iowa Wild (2022–25), setting Iowa rookie records in 2022–23 for goals (27), power-play goals (9), and plus-minus (+19). Before turning pro, played four seasons at the University of Minnesota, serving as captain for three years — the first in program history. Originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round (200th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.

#27 Austin Poganski
Enters his third season with Tucson and second as team captain. Set career highs in 2024–25 with 15 goals, 41 points, a +15 rating (tied for second on the team), and 71 games played. Leads the team with 34 career Calder Cup playoff games and helped guide Coachella Valley to Game 7 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals.

#39 Cameron Hebig
Enters his sixth season with Tucson and first as an assistant captain after signing a two-year, two-way contract with Utah in July 2025. Set career highs in 2024–25 with 26 goals and 21 assists, leading the team in goals and finishing second in points. Named to the 2025 AHL All-Star Team for the first time in his career. Franchise all-time leader in games played (287), ranks third all-time in both goals (63) and points (133), and seventh in assists (70).

#43 Julian Lutz
Enters his second season with Tucson. One of six Roadrunners to make his AHL debut in 2024–25, Lutz is close friends with Utah Mammoth forward and fellow countryman JJ Peterka. Originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft and won the DEL championship in 2023 with teammate Max Szuber while playing for Munich EHC.

#45 Noel Nordh
Enters his first full season with Tucson after skating in the first two games of the 2024–25 season before finishing the year with the Soo Greyhounds (OHL), where he was teammates with fellow Roadrunner Owen Allard. Represented Team Sweden in the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. Originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with Utah ahead of the 2024–25 season — becoming the first player in franchise history to sign a contract.

#50 Daniil But
Enters his first season with Tucson after signing an entry-level contract with Utah on May 28, 2025. Last year, he helped Lokomotiv Yaroslavl capture the franchise’s first KHL championship alongside Utah Mammoth rookie defenseman Dmitri Simashev, recording an assist on the double-OT, series-clinching goal in Game 7 of the second round vs. Avangard Omsk. He also set career highs in assists (19), points (28), power-play goals (2), and average ice time per game (11:47), ranking fifth on the team in assists and seventh in points. His father, Anton But, was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round (119th overall) of the 1998 NHL Draft. Daniil was originally selected 12th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2023 NHL Draft.

#71 Sam Lipkin
Enters his second season with Tucson, originally joining the Roadrunners in spring 2024 after completing his final collegiate season with Quinnipiac University, where he helped the Bobcats win the 2023 NCAA National Championship. During his time at Quinnipiac, Lipkin earned ECAC All-Rookie Team honors in 2023 and ECAC Second All-Star Team honors in 2024. He was originally selected in the seventh round (223rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Draft.

#94 Miko Matikka
Enters his second season with Tucson after making his AHL debut in 2024-25. Was one of six Roadrunners to appear in their first AHL game last season after signing a three-year entry-level contract with Utah (NHL) prior to the season. Matikka joined the organization following a standout freshman year at the University of Denver (NCAA) in 2023-24, where he won the National Championship, ranked second on the team in goals (20), fourth among all NCAA freshmen, and second among NCAA rookies in power-play goals (6). Originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the third round (67th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Defense:

#5 Robbie Russo
Enters his fourth season with Tucson (2018–20, 2024–25) after returning to the Roadrunners last year for his second stint with the team. One of just two Roadrunners to appear in all 72 games during the 2024-25 season, Russo led all Tucson defensemen in points (34) and assists (30). He also reached two major milestones last year, skating in his 600th career pro game and recording his 300th career point. Roadrunners All-Time Ranks: Russo is 4th among all skaters and 2nd among defensemen in assists, 2nd among defensemen in points, and 4th among defensemen in games played. Originally selected in the fourth round (95th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 2011 NHL Draft.

#7 Scott Perunovich
Enters his first season with Tucson after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on July 1, 2025. Has appeared in 108 career NHL games with the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders, along with 39 AHL games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Helped lead the University of Minnesota Duluth to back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2018 and 2019. Originally selected by St. Louis in the second round (45th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

#8 Artem Duda
Enters his second year with Tucson after leading all Roadrunners rookies in scoring last season with 29 points, the 10th-most by a rookie in team history and the third-most by a rookie defenseman. Was the only Tucson player to record points in multiple games (1g, 1a) during the First Round series against Abbotsford. Originally selected by Arizona in the second round (36th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

#10 Maveric Lamoureaux
Enters his second year with Tucson and was the only Roadrunner to make both his AHL and NHL debuts last season, appearing in 42 games with Tucson and 15 with Utah. The tallest player on the team at 6-foot-7, he recorded his first career AHL goal and multi-point game (1g, 1a) in his Tucson Arena debut on October 19, 2024, against Texas. Originally selected by Arizona in the first round (29th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

#42 Lleyton Moore
Enters his third season with Tucson after signing a one-year AHL deal ahead of the 2025–26 campaign. Last season, he recorded 8 points (2g, 6a) in 32 games in his first full AHL season and was one of two Roadrunner defensemen to score a game-winning goal (alongside Montana Onyebuchi). The year prior, Moore led Wichita Thunder (ECHL) defensemen in points with 39 (2023–24) before joining Tucson and adding 4 points (2g, 2a) in 14 AHL games. Before turning pro, Moore tallied 143 points (21g, 122a) in 226 OHL games across four seasons with the Niagara IceDogs (2018–19), Oshawa Generals (2019–23), and Kitchener Rangers (2023). In his final junior season, Moore served as Oshawa’s team captain in 2022–23 before being traded to Kitchener midseason.

#44 Kevin Connauton
Enters his second season with Tucson after signing a two-year, two-way deal with Utah in July 2024. Last season, he tied for second among team defensemen in goals and ranked second in penalty minutes (PIM) in 2024–25. Connauton has played 185 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes from 2015–19. Entering his 16th professional season, he has totaled 801 pro games, including 360 NHL and 441 AHL contests. Originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.

#55 Max Szuber
Enters his third season with Tucson after playing nearly 100 professional games in Europe, competing in Austria and Germany. He has represented Team Germany in the last three IIHF World Championships (2023–25) and in two World Junior Championships (2021–22). Last season, Szuber tied for first among Roadrunner defensemen in power-play assists (12) and ranked second in power-play points (13), while setting career highs in assists (25) and points (32) in 2024–25. He was originally selected in the sixth round (163rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft.

#79 Montana Onyebuchi
Enters his third season with Tucson after signing a two-year, two-way deal with Utah on June 30, 2025. This year marks his fifth AHL season, following two years with the San Jose Barracuda (2021–23). In 2024–25, Onyebuchi matched career highs in goals (3), assists (7), points (10), and game-winning goals (1), while setting a new personal best with 88 shots. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in penalty minutes by a defenseman (257), ranking fifth all-time overall, and has led all AHL defensemen in penalty minutes in each of the last two seasons (145 in 2023–24 and 112 in 2024–25).

Goaltenders:

#30 Jaxson Stauber
Enters his second season with Tucson after signing a two-year, two-way contract with Utah in April 2025. In 2024–25, he made six NHL appearances with Utah, going 2–1–1 with a 3.26 GAA and .892 SV%, including his first career shutout—and the first in Utah franchise history—on Nov. 30, 2024, a 6–0 win vs. VGK with 29 saves. Stauber also made 21 starts with Utah, posting a 12–7–2 record, 3.14 GAA, and .892 SV%. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, he set a playoff career-high and franchise record with 38 saves in Game 2 vs. Abbotsford for his first postseason win, stopping 72 of 77 shots over two playoff games and finishing the series 1–1 with a .935 SV%. Before joining the Roadrunners, he played in six NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks (2022-23) and appeared in 48 games with the Rockford IceHogs across two AHL seasons (2022-24). Prio to turning pro, he recorded eight shutouts across two college seasons at Providence.

#31 Matthew Villalta
Enters his third season with Tucson, ranking third all-time in franchise history in wins (49), games played (94), and minutes (5,580), and second in shutouts (7). In 2024–25, he led the team with 43 starts (second most in the AHL) and posted a career-high four shutouts (tied for sixth in the AHL). Villalta also notched his first NHL win in his debut start with Utah, a 7–3 victory at Nashville on April 14, 2025, making 28 saves. He set Roadrunner records in wins (31), games played (51), minutes (3,048), and saves (1,328) in 2023–24. Originally selected in the third round (72nd overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL Draft.