Before moving to Utah, the Arizona Coyotes struggled massively as the team failed to reach the postseason for their final five seasons of existence, which led to a pretty big rebuild, which included a move to Utah. Immediately, the Utah Hockey Club saw some nice improvements, but it was the Utah Mammoth that would finally see a 43-33-6 record in the 2025-26 season and a playoff appearance. Even though the team would be eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 4-2 in the series, the team looks like it can only improve. Now, they will begin to enter the stage of a rebuild that is both exciting and critical.
The Utah Mammoth are looking VERY good
Utah may very well have one of the best Top-9's in the sport, at least in terms of balance:
Clayton Keller-Nick Schmaltz-Dylan Guenther
Anders Lee-Logan Cooley-Lawson Crouse
Kailer Yamamoto-Vincent Trocheck-Daniil But
The top nine will be shaken up a bit, as the team has traded away JJ Peterka to the Boston Bruins. Peterka was a disappointment after a 25-goal, 22-assist season, which probably prompted the Mammoth to save 7.7 million by trading him and getting two first-rounders. The team may also lose Barrett Hayton, as the New Jersey Devils have offered a contract to the former 5th overall selection. However, both moves seem to matter little as the team adds significant talent and depth by trading for Vincent Trocheck. The superstar fits perfectly with a team that now feels stacked with players who play hard and want to win badly.
Then, the team also added a veteran and added experience with Anders Lee. Lee managed to rack up 19 goals and 23 assists; he will add goal-scoring, as well as valuable experience and leadership. The team also managed to keep Kailer Yamamoto (13 goals, 10 assists in 59 games) after he had a breakout second half and led the team in points in the playoffs (5). All of these moves are to help the remaining team succeed and dominate. Clayton Keller is one of the best wings in the game, as he scored 26 goals and added 62 assists (88 points). Nick Schmaltz was a superstar with 33 goals and 41 assists (74 points). Dylan Guenther scored 40 goals and added 33 assists (73 points), being the main goal scorer of the offense.
Logan Cooley played in only 54 games but scored 24 goals, adding only 19 assists (43 points). Lawson Crouse rebounded with 24 goals and 20 assists (44 points) this last season. Finally, Daniil But, 21, played in just 29 games and scored 3 goals and added 4 assists, but he can definitely become an effective goal-scorer in the future. Ultimately, the top nine can change, and it might with a huge prospect like Tij Iginla, who could be the future for Utah. Ultimately, the offense looks like it can absolutely destroy every defense next season, even without a massive superstar- it is balanced beautifully.
The Mammoth defenseman are still great
In addition to having an awesome offense, the team also has some pretty good defenseman. The defense will unfortunately lose a couple of players, but the team still has a couple of awesome defenseman, and the depth of the position is elite. The top defenseman are Mikail Sergachev, John Marino, and MacKenzie Weegar. Sergachev can rack up offense while still playing good defense, as he scored 10 goals and added 49 assists (59 points). Marino only scored 4 goals and added 32 assists, but Marino managed to have a 42 +/-, which is insane. The Mammoth also picked up Weegar this last season after he had struggled with the Calgary Flames.
Weegar did better in while playing for Utah and remains a good defenseman. The Mammoth also have two top prospects who could make a massive impact in terms of the defense position. Ultimately, the defense has room for improvement, but it has depth and skill. Utah is in the rebuilding stage, where the team can become one of the best in the NHL. The offense is quite talented with a ton of balance, and the defense has a lot of depth to it. The goalie position is also in a good situation after draft weekend. Ultimately, this Mammoth team is about to become VERY dangerous.
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