One of Utah's brightest spots in the 2025-26 season was Nick Schmaltz... The top center for the Utah Mammoth coming into the 2025-26 season is quite potentially Schmaltz.
Utah would love to see a big breakout from Logan Cooley, but Schmaltz being an offensive force is still nice. Utah would love to see another great season from Schmaltz.
Can Schmaltz continue to be elite in future seasons?
Last season, Schmaltz scored 33 goals and added 41 assists, which was by far the best year of his career. The 30-year-old typically averaged around 20 goals, but last season Schmaltz started the year on fire and kept up the strong play.
Utah even got 41 assists from Schmaltz, among the team's highest totals. Utah wants to see more players total assists, as Clayton Keller didn't get much help having by far the most assists on the team. Schmaltz was also among the team's top goal scorers with 33, a substantial rise from his average of around 20-23.
This last season will lead to a first line of Keller, Schmaltz, and Vincent Trocheck. Utah, for whatever reason, has decided to use the usual center, Trocheck, on the wing, and the Mammoth will also likely have Schmaltz on the first line instead of Cooley. Utah would love to see Cooley break out into one of the better centers in the NHL, but for now, the more experienced Schmaltz works betters with the other experienced wingers.
And of course, the combination of Dylan Guenther and Cooley was very deadly and can be just as effective in the 2026-27 season. Schmaltz's season, though, was awesome, and Utah hopes to see another version of it next season. If Utah can get an elite top line of Keller, Schmaltz, and Trocheck, then the team can be much more lethal.
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