The Utah Mammoth started building this program during their latter days as the Arizona Coyotes. Now, the product's not finished, but it's looking up. Playoffs? I wouldn't put it past them, and that's why, much like the rest of the Central Division, the Blues must watch their backs when they square up against a team that's become more of a geographic rival starting last year.
The Mammoth are still more top-heavy, but they've gotten deeper in recent years, especially after enjoying one of the more successful offseasons in the league. If things come together early for Utah, they're gonna fight for a wild card spot this year.
Forwards
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
Clayton Keller | Logan Cooley | Dylan Guenther |
Nick Schmaltz | Barrett Hayton | JJ Peterka |
Lawson Crouse | Jack McBain | Alex Kerfoot |
Liam O'Brien | Kevin Stenlund | Brandon Tanev |
Michael Carcone |
Here's how Daily Faceoff's stacked the lines, and to have someone like JJ Peterka on the second line shows you how much of a scoring threat those top three are. Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther finished in the top four last season in points scored in Utah, with Keller leading the way with 90 points and 30 goals.
Peterka's presence is only gonna add to that scoring onslaught, and Nick Schmaltz is a playmaker that'll likely give Peterka another career high in points, or at least in goals. Barrett Hayton's not as much of a points producer, but he's solid in that realm and reliable at the face-off dot to kick off sequences.
Neither Lawson Crouse, Jack McBain, nor Alexander Kerfoot are gonna put up many points. And ths is where I say the Mammoth are top-heavy. That said, I can see them adding the intimidation edge. Two of them are big hitters, and Kerfoot's one of the more versatile players.
Kevin Stenlund's one of the best in the business at taking face-offs, and Liam O'Brien carries old-school enforcer vibes. Those are two forwards you want in your defensive zone when you need a quick win at the dot or someone to land a bone-shattering hit. That's probably why they added Brandon Tanev - he might be scared of ghosts, but he's not afraid to show off a mean streak.
Defensemen/Goaltenders
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Mikhail Sergachev | John Marino |
Olli Maatta | Sean Durzi |
Nate Schmidt | Ian Cole |
Juuso Valimaki | |
G: Karel Vejmelka | G: Connor Ingram |
Mikhail Sergachev showed us why he's one of the best two-way blueliners in the league with a stellar debut season in the Wasatch Range, and John Marino has the potential to be one of the better positioning guys out there after showing promise through 35 games.
Ditto for Olli Maatta, who thrived in lower second-pairing minutes. Sean Durzi lasted just 30 games in 2024-25, but he can be a great two-way player on middle-pairing minutes. Ian Cole was a solid pickup, and he'll bring a veteran presence, plus he's someone who can block shots and land body checks, both in the triple digits.
Finally, there's Nate Schmidt, who will bring more than just high-quality third-pairing minutes to Utah. Schmidt's coming off a Stanley Cup-winning campaign with the Florida Panthers, and he's bound to bring some of that culture to Utah.
Karel Vejmelka's coming off his best season yet, and with an even better team in front of him, he could put up even greater numbers in 2025-26. Connor Ingram's shown in the past he can be an effective netminder, but he'll need to hold off Vitek Vanecek, who's also had some success in the past.
Overall, Utah's deeper on the blue line and at netminder than they are at forward. Something that could give the Blues and their fans migraines when they square off against one of the league's more underrated up-and-coming teams.