It was announced today that the Utah Hockey Club has finally settled on a permanent name: the Utah Mammoth. Even though the Mammoth didn’t have the most exciting jump in the 2025 NHL draft lottery (Thanks, Islanders), their move to number four is nothing to sneeze at.
This now puts Utah in a position to potentially select yet another cornerstone piece for its already loaded young core. Even though it missed the playoffs in its inaugural season and has some roster holes, Utah has one of, if not the brightest, futures in the NHL.
The Utah Mammoth already has plenty of nice offensive pieces that have been developing quite nicely in their first few years in the NHL. Their youngsters who have been panning out perfectly are Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther.
Cooley, the younger of the two and the third pick in the 2022 NHL draft, has lived up to his high expectations. Notching 75 points in year two while centering Utah’s first line is quite impressive. With both his linemates still having, hopefully, their best years ahead of them, Cooley’s production will only increase.
Guenther spent time in many places in his three years with the Mammoth. In his rookie year, he had 15 points in 33 games before being sent back to the WHL for further development. Then, in year two, he spent time in the AHL, NHL, and rehab due to a lower-body injury. Still, though, the 9th overall pick scored 35 points in his 45 points at the NHL level.
With a breakout year waiting to happen, Guenther delivered, scoring 27 goals en route to a 60-point campaign. He did miss 12 games due to injury, but he’s looked amazing for Utah in his first season as a full-time NHLer. Other young guys still have plenty of promise as well. Barrett Hayton and Matias Maccelli have shown flashes of their potential, but are still fighting with some inconsistencies.
If they can find that consistently in their game, they will have a spot in Utah’s lineup for quite some time. Josh Doan, who is much younger and has more time than the previous two mentioned, is also in a similar boat. Michael Kesselring has shown that he can reliably take on top-four minutes and not be a liability on the blueline.
The Mammoth also has plenty of other high-quality guys that are either just entering their prime years or in the middle of it (typically ages 26-29). Clayton Keller, Utah’s best player and captain, recorded a career-best 90-point season at 26. As Utah’s offensive backbone, there’s no reason to doubt that he will be very good for a long time. Other guys like Sean Druzi and Mikhail Sergachev are staples on the blueline and will continue for the foreseeable future.
Arizona had its fair share of trials and tribulations. Fortunately, for the Mammoth, this allowed them to build a deep and skilled prospect pool featuring guys chomping at the bit to make their NHL debut. Their big-ticket prospect is center Tij Iginla—yes, the son of Jarome Iginla.
Tij is already shaping up to be a fast, skilled center who can shoot the puck. Unfortunately, he’s battled with nagging injuries recently, but once he’s on he ice, he is a game changer. His speed, along with IQ for the game, makes him a big threat to defenders and goaltenders alike. He will provide an amazing one-two punch down the middle with Cooley.
Their next three best prospects are absolute monsters. Their left and right-handed defenseman prospects stand at six feet five inches and six feet seven inches, respectively. The LHD, Dmitri Simashev, perfectly blends physicality and puck-moving. His length gives him the advantage of breaking pucks and rushing up faster than most.
Skating isn’t a concern for him either, as his strides look very clean for someone his size. On the right side, Maveric Lamoureux, standing at an astonishing 6’7, will be a physical pest once he gets to the NHL. He’s looked great at the AHL level, and in his 15 games played with Utah, he has looked pretty solid.
Their young left winger even has size on him. Daniil But is a 6’6 “winger touted for his complete game and ability to put the puck in the net at will. His size and skill set make him a unique fit on this team, whose offensive core is often on the smaller side (in the top six). Regardless, if he pans out, that kind of size and style of play could find him fitting into a middle-six role.
Goaltending is perhaps Utah’s biggest weakness, and reinforcements are even coming in the coming years. Michael Hrabal from the University of Massachusetts has developed into one of the better goalie prospects in college hockey. Like the others mentioned before, he is a bigger guy at 6’7″.
He had a .920 save percentage in his most recent year at UMass and has steadily developed during his time there. Being a bigger goalie, there are still things he needs to work on, which is perfectly natural for a guy his size. That said, there’s a good chance he will be a serviceable starter in the NHL within the next three years.
It is clear that in recent years, the Mammoth have had a clear vision on the makeup of their roster. They already have their top line figured out, and from there, they have been fully committed to building this team with size at the forefront of their priorities. None of the prospects above are bad, but they may have gotten picked higher due to their sheer size. It isn’t a bad decision either, though, if they all pan out, Utah will be an intimidating playoff team.
Playoffs are often known for their heightened physicality and less space, which would perfectly benefit all of the Mammoth’s prospects. The offensive skill players are already there, and if the bigger guys can wear down an opposing team, there’s no question that this team will make the postseason soon.
In addition to who they already have on their NHL roster, Utah’s prospect pool is insanely deep. While they aren’t all surefire NHL players, the more options, the better. The size, blended with the skill of this potential Mammoth team in a few years, is scary to think about. They have already barely made the playoffs this year, so who’s to say when they will finally make the jump to the postseason?
This will be one of the most exciting young and upcoming teams to watch. They already have young players contributing at such a high level, which is a great sign of things to come. Their draft philosophy proves to be different, but if it works out, look out for Utah in May.
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