Ever since purchasing an NHL team, Utah Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have been hard at work doing a lot. There are two areas in particular where they’ve worked the hardest. Ensuring the entire Mammoth staff is treated well, along with growing and taking care of the community they are part of.
Earlier this year, Smith pledged to add 20 ice rinks around Utah to help grow the sport of hockey, something no expansion owner has ever done. During this time, the first rink built by the Smith Entertainment Group was more than halfway done. When the team first landed in Salt Lake City, the ownership group immediately acquired 111 acres of land in Sandy to construct the best possible facility for the new team.
Now, 13 months after Smith bought the land, the newest practice facility in the NHL is complete. What they have constructed honors the two things they’ve really focused on since the beginning. The complex not only gives the Mammoth staff the best practice facility they’ve ever been in, but also gives the community another outlet to play hockey in, along with providing a place to get together to support the team they’re bonded by.
Inside the Mammoth’s New Practice Facility
It’s hard to choose where to start in the massive facility. Why not the ice?
The Mammoth’s practice facility has two NHL-sized sheets of ice. Both will be used during Mammoth practices to run multiple on-ice sessions and also keep the ice prime for any conditioning or skill practices. Similar to the team’s old practice facility in Scottsdale, AZ, the Mammoth will be able to use one rink to start practice and then finish out on another, so the quality of the ice doesn’t affect their play.
Visiting teams will also be able to use the facility. Last season, opponents usually did morning skates at the Delta Center. Only a couple of times did the teams opt to use the temporary Olympic Oval rink.
There is also a local positioning system, which is above each rink to track player data. A way to keep the players performing at their best.
Fans will also be able to watch practices thanks to bleachers around the ice that can seat up to 500. That was an issue when it came to the Oval with the minimal seating. Now, when the team has open practices, a good number of fans can watch their team skate.
It’s not just about the Mammoth as well. Smith expects the facility to operate every hour it can. He told the media that he expects recreational leagues and other events to be hosted immediately after the Mammoth end their practices.
“The second our guys are off the ice, we want the community on the ice,” Smith said.
That will be accomplished thanks to the seven locker rooms the community will have access to. On top of that, nearly 600 pairs of skates have been ordered to provide ice time for everyone who wants to skate. The new sheets of ice, along with all the equipment ordered, will provide a massive boost to youth hockey and the interest in hockey in the state of Utah.
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“To have somewhere where youth hockey kids can come and see us on the ice, can come and interact with us, and have their own time to skate and build and develop through the minor hockey system, I think that you’re going to see a boom in youth hockey in this area and in Utah in general,” Alex Kerfoot said.
That brings us to the two additional locker rooms that will be used for the NHL. One is the visitor’s locker room, which has 26 stalls in it. It is positioned right next to the main locker room, which will help during training camp when the Mammoth will have their full roster on standby.
The main locker room is a massive and beautiful room that replicates the Delta Center’s very own locker room to try to keep the game-day environment going in Sandy. Neon Mountain Blue lights adorn the bottom of the stalls and the top of the ceiling. Logos and wordmarks are placed around the room. Overall, just like the Delta Center’s locker rooms, it’s one of the best in the league.
Some photos from the new practice facility in Sandy. Gorgeous. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/k1U5UJK1KK
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) September 17, 2025
The coaches also have their own office filled with desks that are in a bullpen with breakout rooms for private meetings. There is also a video room for them.
Going outside the locker room, there is an 8,082 square foot dry gym. In it, there is 40 yards of turf with the Mammoth logo imprinted on it. There are also numerous machines, camera-based squat racks, and resistance systems that provide immediate data, along with TVs installed in the ceiling.
“The gym is enormous,” Kerfoot said. “It’s the biggest gym that I’ve been in an NHL locker room.”
Heading into the medical wing, there is a detailed concussion room and other medical suites that are designed to meet the highest standards of player health and wellness.
Included in the wing are some of the players’ favorite parts of the facility. That includes a red light therapy bed, a 22-foot therapy pool with underwater treadmills, a hot tub (which Clayton Keller is looking forward to), a cold tub, a soundproof room, and a sauna and steam room big enough to fit the entire team.
“There were no expenses spared,” Kerfoot said. “Everything that you would want in a facility, from a recovery standpoint, from a training standpoint, they’ve put in, they’ve invested in, and on top of that, it’s the top of the line of everything that you would want.”
The kitchen/lounge area is the final wing of the practice facility. The state-of-the-art kitchen will be fully open to the players. The Mammoth will be able to order à-la-carte items via a mobile app. They’ll also have the ability to get buffet-style meals, smoothies from a smoothie station, and a cold bar.
With the nationalities of the players differentiating, the kitchen staff will be prepared to cook culturally divisive meals, tailored to individual players. That includes seasonal soups and specialized recovery dishes.
“With a full kitchen for the players, skills rooms, incredible weight rooms, pools, you name it, recovery rooms,” General manager Bill Armstrong said. “You have it all, and that makes us an elite organization.”
Complementing the kitchen, the dining room resembles a living room. There is a sofa at one end with a TV, coffee table, chairs, and multiple other tables with chairs around them. Behind it all is a large and long dining table where every player can sit together during meals, something the players specifically requested.
The dining room also has multiple espresso stations, specialized brewing equipment, and kegerators with cold brew and kombucha.
Other amenities in the facility include a barber shop, a stick wall, an automatic skate sharpener, and most importantly, a ping pong table. Specialized Mammoth decals are also sported all around the building.
“It’s our new home,” Keller said. “It’s got every resource that you could possibly ask for, between the gym, the recovery, and the lunch area. It’s a place to hang out. There’s a ping pong table, so I’m sure we’ll be doing that a lot, but it’s just great to have every resource we need to be successful.”
As mentioned, it’s not just about the players. It’s about the community, too. The complex will have a merchandise/pro store where fans can pick up Mammoth apparel and hockey equipment. There will also be a restaurant for fans where Smith hopes watch parties for away games will be held.
A New Home for the Mammoth
The new facility is an elite home base for the Mammoth. It immediately becomes not just one of the best practice facilities in the NHL but in all of sports. The fact that it was built in just 13 months just shows the commitment the Smiths have to the team and the community.
It’s here! 🤩
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 17, 2025
Introducing the new Mammoth Practice and Training Facility, a state-of-the-art building we’ve brought to life in just 13 months. pic.twitter.com/WywXFVArJ2
“Every detail of the space was designed with the athlete experience in mind, giving players the ultimate environment to succeed and creating amazing spaces for them to rest and recover,” the Smiths said. “I am so proud of the incredible work done by the SEG team to not only build something so amazing, but to also do it so quickly. This facility represents our commitment to building a championship-caliber environment that positions the Utah Mammoth for long-term success in the NHL while connecting us more deeply to the community.”
The complex is the nicest practice facility players like Keller will ever step foot in. Better than anything the team had in Arizona. Even better than the revitalized Olympic Oval. It makes the Mammoth a truly competitive and top-of-the-line organization.
“To be an elite organization, you have to have an elite training center, and we do, and we are very fortunate,” Armstrong said. “It’s truly a special place…Ryan & Ashley Smith crushed this…I do believe this is the best in the National Hockey League.”
Keller christened the arena by cutting the ceremonial ribbon…in a unique way. He actually shot a puck into an empty net instead of the traditional ribbon-cutting. It’s fitting that he was the one to do so.
Ribbon cutting: hockey style 🏒 pic.twitter.com/E6Dph73EFW
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 17, 2025
Along with Lawson Crouse, Keller is the longest tenured player who has been on the Arizona Coyotes/Mammoth. For the first time in his career, he’ll have a practice facility that is close to where he lives and a fully state-of-the-art arena. It’s a feeling of belonging and family that spreads throughout the whole organization.
“It means the world to us,” Keller said. “Ever since day one, since we came to Utah, it’s been an amazing feeling. They made us feel like family. It means everything to us, and now it’s on us to give back to them.”
For the community, it brings them the first of many ice rinks that will be some of the best in the country. It also brings them a place where they can be connected to the team closely than they ever have before. They can truly be a part of the NHL experience.
For the team, it provides them with the best facilities to win games and eventually the Stanley Cup. That is why the facility was built. That’s why management has brought in the best of the best on and off the ice. That is the main goal.
“We’re serious about this,” Smith said. “We want to bring a Stanley Cup to Utah.”
The practice facility already hosted rookie camp last week. The next event will be the Mammoth’s training camp, which starts on Thursday.
