Hockey is in the air! All hockey fans across the world are hungry for hockey and about to scratch that itch by the end of this week. At least, Utah Mammoth fans can sleep peacefully knowing that the first rookie camp game will be played on Friday at South Suburban Sports Complex.
The weekend will be the unofficial start to the NHL campaign for some teams, and Utah's rookies will face off against the rookies from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. The players will gather tomorrow to start training for the weekend events officially.
After a successful rookie camp this past summer, the Utah faithful will get another look at some of the new, "hot" prospects. The roster will feature 27 players, including a few players on professional tryouts. The most anticipated names will be the recent fourth overall draft choice, Caleb Desnoyers, and the 2024 sixth overall draft choice., Tij Iginla.
Two intriguing players that are likely to make the big squad are Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev. The two prospects signed together from Russia to head to America and have a good shot at making the NHL club with a strong rookie camp and NHL camp.
Although most of the players involved in the games this weekend will end up in the AHL or return to their junior clubs, don't be surprised to see a handful of these young Mammoth players make an NHL appearance this season.
Defender, Maverick Lamoureux, is a player who made 15 appearances for Utah last season. Lamoureux is sure to be the first call-up from Tucson if a defender were to be injured or does not perform up to par.
Either way, this will be a tune-up for the young players heading into NHL camp and for the Utah fans to get back into hockey and see the new uniforms in action on the ice.