The NHL season is nearing the end with the Stanley Cup Finals just around the corner. The Utah Mammoth hockey team fell short of the playoffs, but many members of the team went to compete in the IIHF Hockey World Championships. A common occurrence is for NHL players to join their respective countries in the competition, even after being eliminated from the NHL playoffs.
Luckily for Utah fans, all the players played for their home country. It was a proud moment for everyone involved when Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Michael Kesselring, and Josh Doan put on the red, white, and blue. Keller, the captain, donned the "C" for Team USA. Cooley and Kesselring played important roles for the team, while Doan was an extra player, but he scored a goal in the tournament.
The team brought home the gold in the tournament for the first time in 92 years. Fitting that Cooley's number is 92, as he assisted on Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson's game-winning goal in overtime. Cooley had twelve points in the tournament with 4 goals and 8 assists. This earned us the 9th-best spot in the tournament.
Switzerland also had a strong tournament and played well in the final game against Team USA. A team mostly made up of non-NHLers, Switzerland did have Timo Meier from the New Jersey Devils and Kevin Fiala from the Los Angeles Kings.
Utah's representatives for Team USA failed to make the USA roster for the Four Nations Tournament this past winter. However, it will be difficult to leave Keller and Cooley off the Olympic roster in 2026. How the team and players perform in the 2025-26 campaign will have a lot to say for their consideration with the Team USA officials.
The amount of experience and success gained in the Hockey World Championships will benefit this group for the next NHL season as they look to achieve their first NHL playoff birth. The extended amount of time in turmoil for the Coyotes caused a lack of expectation and "big game" experience. Utah hopes to have many important games next spring, so these players will be battle-tested.