The Utah Mammoth made the postseason in 2026 and seeks to do it again. This time, though, Utah's group will look a little different, with some key additions. Here's how the starting lineup looks for Utah, according to NHL.com. Much of this is still speculation and might not happen, but it is still notable to see how others believe the lineup will shape out to be.
The NHL projects the starters
The NHL projects the top 12 for the offense to look like this:
Clayton Keller -- Nick Schmaltz -- Vincent Trocheck
Anders Lee -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther
Lawson Crouse -- Barrett Hayton -- Michael Carcone
Jack McBain -- Kevin Stenlund -- Kailer Yamamoto
Interestingly, the Mammoth two, Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, remain among the top wingers. Controversially, Utah apparently will start Trocheck, one of the best all-around centers in the NHL, on the wing. Schmaltz was a great goal scorer last season with 33 goals and 40 assists, but that might not be the best decision. The depth at the center position is definitely elite, though, with Schmaltz, Cooley, and Hayton. Lee himself adds experience and depth at the winger position with Guenther being on that line as well.
Guenther scored 40 goals last season and should be great again this next season. The Mammoth also has dangerous offensive scorers in Crouse, Carcone, and Yamamoto. At any point next season, the top prospect Tij Iginla could have a major impact. At the very least, though, this offense looks pretty good and balanced.
The NHL projects the defense to look like this:
Mikhail Sergachev -- MacKenzie Weegar
Nate Schmidt -- John Marino
Dmitri Simashev -- Andrew Peeke
The Mammoth hopes to use strong defensive depth and get some offense from its top guys. Both Sergachev and Weegar have shown offensive brilliance in the past, and the Mammoth hope to get offense from both again. Schmidt adds veteran experience, while the newly re-signed Marino was very elite defensively last season. The newest addition on defense is Peeke, who brings both depth and veteran experience. The youngster of the group is Simashev, who will definitely have a lot on his plate in the 2026-27 season. The Mammoth added Adam Foote as an assistant coach to help improve the defense next season. The defense, too, doesn't look at all bad.
Utah is trying to not just reach the postseason in the 2026-27, but compete for the Central Division. In order to do that, they need to get better production from their offense and better defense. This lineup has improved and simply put, it will be exciting to see what the team can do.
Add us as a preferred source on Google