We are just over a month away from the Utah Mammoth opening their training camp and officially starting the 2026-2027 season. The team looks to build on the past two years of play and avenge their loss to the eventual Western Conference winners in the Vegas Golden Knights. General manager Bill Armstrong has gone out and made some great additions to help bolster the leadership on this team and also add that nasty play that is needed in front of the net as well.
Looking at the projected lines that NHL.com put out. They are very predictable, with Trocheck playing on the 1st or 3rd line as a winger/center. Anders Lee is projected to start on the 2nd line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. With the return of Barrett Hayton, there is your 3rd line center. With Michael Carcone and Kailer Yamamoto playing some wing time on the 3rd and 4th line.
Where does this leave the up-and-coming players in the pipeline? According to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, he as the Mammoth ranked 6th in the prospect pool ranking. GM Bill Armstrong has done great at drafting players and bringing them along. But when can we expect to see them make that jump to the NHL and join that main club? Here are some of the players that could have a chance to make the opening-day roster. Most of these players will see time on the ice with injuries. But who will latch on to the team from the start?
Dmitri Simashev
This is the perfect year for Simashev to make the ultimate jump to the NHL. He started with the club last year before being sent down to the AHL, where he was selected as the All-Star for the Tucson Roadrunners. At times, Simashev looked like he belonged when he was alongside countryman Mikhail Sergachev. His play faltered, and he started to look like he hit a wall before being sent down. This offseason, Bill Armstrong challenged him and everyone to be ready to take a spot from the established players on the team.
Simashev will be the one to for sure make the team this year. There is no doubt about it. The team traded away Sean Durzi. Ian Cole was not retained and eventually signed with Chicago. There is an opening for Simashev to make the opening roster on that 3rd D pairing. He will play alongside Nick DeSimone or Andrew Peeke.
Chances to make the Opening day roster: 100%
Tij Iginla
The first pick in the history of the Utah franchise was Tij Iginla. The team already started by ruffling feathers, taking the son of Jerome Iginla just before the Calgary Flames could possibly select him. After missing a lot of time in the WHL due to injury, he bounced back after double hip surgery to lead his team with 90 points on 41 goals this past season in the WHL.
Tij went on to be the MVP of this year's rookie development camp. He finished the day with a hat trick and looked like he was going to do whatever he could to show the front office that he belongs on the opening day roster. The biggest question surrounding Iginla is where he slots in with this team. I think he could eventually be on the second line with Cooley and Guether. He would play great with them. But he would start down a line or two while he gets used to the NHL speed. There is a logjam at his spot. Carcone and Yamamoto seem to be placeholders for Tij and will be switching out with him in the years to come.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 95%
Danill But
Another Russian who made the jump last year, But is a big physical player who will wreak havoc when he finally fine tunes his game. He looked great at times, and there were times when he looked lost. He is young and still coming into his body. He is tenacious at the net front and has multiple chances to score or put back rebounds, and he reminds me of Jack McBain. He is always around the puck. He will score more than McBain does when he is finally comfortable and gets his body to where it needs to be.
But did damage in the AHL and was nearly a point-per-game player. He is another one who just needs reps to get better at playing the NHL game. Coming from the KHL to the NHL is a big jump. He will be one of the first call-ups when there is an injury and will see plenty of ice time in the NHL when that happens. To start off the season, I see him with the Roadrunners.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 50%
Maveric Lamoureux
This is a make-or-break type of year for Maveric Lamoureux. He is coming up on the last year of his ELC and set to be an RFA at the end of the year. He has shown flashes. But he has spent much of his time in the AHL. He needs to show up this offseason to show he is ready for more time in the NHL as opposed to the AHL. He is a big body that needs to show he will impose his will against other teams' offenses. Lamoureux will have an uphill climb with the offseason additions and Simashev taking that last defensive spot. There is a spot where he could be on the same line with Simashev and those two be the 3rd D pairing. He should get his shot, but I don't expect it out of the gate.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 30%
Caleb Desnoyers
This is the one that I went back and forth with before he was injured at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Now, I would be shocked if he has a shot. While there has been no mention of how long he will be out by the Utah Mammoth, that injury could hold him back from participating in camp. If he doesn't, his chances of making the opening day roster are at zero. Desnoyers has all the tools to be a top-line center in the league. Playing in a limited year at Moncton, he still put up 78 points in 45 games and added 25 more points in the playoffs. He will be on the roster soon. He will learn from some of the team's greats and eventually slide into a center role when a spot opens up. As for now, he will go down and start his ELC with the Roadrunners before he gets a shot at a spot with the Mammoth.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 50%
Now, there are many others that were not listed here. There will be a few other names you will see at camp that could push for a spot on the roster. These are guys that could get the call-up if the injury bug really hits this year. We would be happier to see their names stay in Tucson all year. One of the names that we could see on the roster if something does is Gabe Smith. He just had an amazing year in Moncton and is surprising everyone for a 4th-round pick. So don't be surprised if we see his name in the transaction log throughout the season.
The future is bright for the Mammoth. We get to enjoy this team coming together to hopefully win a Stanley Cup. Now, it's time for the coaching staff to build these players, and the front office's job is to get them up when they are ready.
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