Jack McBain
Jack McBain heads into 2026-27 as a physical, faceoff-capable middle-six center for Utah, valuable more for his role and secondary counting stats than for power-play production.
Role
Through training camp (NHL.com notebook, Sept. 17, 2026) and the first four preseason games, McBain has consistently paired with Barrett Hayton, with Lawson Crouse or Michael Carcone rotating as the third forward; Daily Faceoff's line page (checked around Sept. 19, 2026) and the club's own live blog from the Sept. 26, 2026 preseason game against Colorado both slot that trio as Utah's third forward line, behind the Keller-Schmaltz-Trocheck and Cooley-Guenther groups. He scored a goal in that Sept. 26 exhibition game, assisted by Hayton and Nate Schmidt. No camp or preseason line report has placed him on either of Utah's power-play units, which currently look built around Keller, Schmaltz, Cooley and Guenther.
He has held the same middle-six running mate, Hayton, since the very first day of camp and was trusted alongside offensive winger Lawson Crouse in the fourth preseason game, where he scored, suggesting coach Andre Tourigny sees him as more than a bottom-six checker this year.
An offseason team preview (Dobber's Offseason Fantasy Grades, published Aug. 8, 2026) projected McBain in a fourth-line, faceoff-complement role next to Kevin Stenlund rather than on the third line, and with no power-play reps showing up in any camp or preseason report, his offensive counting stats look capped regardless of which forward line he ultimately settles on.
Where analysts split
The specific disagreement is whether the third-line, Hayton-Crouse look he has shown in training camp and the last two preseason games is his real regular-season assignment, or whether he settles into the fourth-line, matchup-heavy role that at least one offseason preview projected for him before camp opened.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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