Kailer Yamamoto Brings AHL Playoff Experience to Mammoth Postseason

Heading into the playoffs, the Utah Mammoth have quite a few players who have played in the postseason before. Sean Durzi with the Los Angeles Kings, Mikhail Sergachev with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nate Schmidt with the Florida Panthers, and, of course, the Mammoth’s first-round opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights.

However, someone who doesn’t get much attention and has played in quite a few playoff games is Kailer Yamamoto. In fact, he’s one of the few players who have played playoff games within the Mammoth’s system. Seeing what he did last season with the Tucson Roadrunners, Yamamoto might end up being an important player in the postseason for the Mammoth.

A Revival Season Full of Experience 

Before his time with the Mammoth and his hometown Seattle Kraken, Yamamoto played on some pretty good Edmonton Oilers teams at the beginning of their window. Of course, everyone knows now that the Oilers are a Stanley Cup contender with their back-to-back Western Conference championships. However, Yamamoto was a part of those earlier teams that were finding out what it takes to win in the playoffs.

Yamamoto was part of four postseason runs with the Oilers. The first two runs ended in disappointment as his team was bounced in the play-ins by an upstart Chicago Blackhawks team in 2020 and in a tight round one series that ended in a sweep in 2021 against the Winnipeg Jets. Yamamoto only had a single point in those eight games.

The next two seasons, the Oilers made deeper runs. In 2022, they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, and in 2023, the team made it to Game 6 in the second round. Yamamoto had better production, producing 11 points in 26 games, including his first playoff goal.

However, most fans will remember Yamamoto’s postseason appearance with the Roadrunners last season. In a transition season for the team with the departures of Michael Kesselring, Dylan Guenther, and Josh Doan (for most of the season), Yamamoto stepped up after earning a two-way deal late into training camp, producing 56 points in 54 games.

What was more impressive was that Yamamoto did it all while practically living out of a suitcase. On some weekends, he would be recalled to Utah, play an NHL game, and then sent back down to Tucson to help them win games. That especially came true down the stretch when Yamamoto was sent down to help the Roadrunners sweep a series against the Bakersfield Condors, two wins that proved to be critical to their playoff clinch.

After a couple more trips up and down from Tucson, Yamamoto played in the final series against the Colorado Eagles and scored the empty net goal in the final game of the season, a 7-4 win that punched the Roadrunners’ ticket into the playoffs. Despite all the travel, Yamamoto says he learned a lot from his time in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing some of the highest minutes in his career, and understanding the grind of being a top player trying to propel your team into a playoff spot.

“I played a lot of minutes and became a better player,” Yamamoto said. “I relearned how to feel that confidence, learn how to lead, and all the little things that go into hockey.”

In the Roadrunners’ first-round series against the Abbotsford Canucks, not a lot of players had a good postseason. Yamamoto was not one of those players. The forward played his heart out, scoring one of the few Roadrunners goals of the playoffs, a goal in which he showcased his speed and his willingness to do whatever it takes to score, slamming hard into the boards after he scored.

Here’s that Yamamoto goal.
pic.twitter.com/7dAyP1OuFb

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 25, 2025

With his contract expiring, Yamamoto expressed his willingness to return to the Mammoth organization, especially because of the chance they took on him. That eventually came true when the forward inked another one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season.

A Perfect Piece for the Postseason

While Yamamoto learned a lot during his time in the AHL, going into the season, the goal was to stick in the NHL for the full season. Especially with his incredible production during the prior season, he believed he had earned that right, and so did a lot of people around the organization. That goal was met as Yamamoto spent the whole season with the Mammoth, putting up 23 points in 59 games.

“It’s definitely been nice to be up here,” Yamamoto said. “Last year, being down in Tucson, I worked on a lot of things. I had a really fun year last year. It was great. The guys were great down there. I had a lot of fun. But up here, I’m playing a little bit more confidently, and I’m trying to prove myself every day…I firmly believe that I should be up here. I’m definitely trying to prove it every day.”

HOT. YAM. 👏

1-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/aC7FgfZ5L9

— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 10, 2026

That experience that Yamamoto had during the 2024-25 season with the Roadrunners came in handy, too. Until the conclusion of Game 71, every game was important for the Mammoth to lock down a playoff spot and the first wild card in the Western Conference.

Yamamoto’s ability to play under pressure and come up big in meaningful games ended up being extremely useful for the Mammoth. The forward had five points in the final eight games of the season, including a goal in the game against the Nashville Predators, which helped his team clinch their playoff spot that night. Head coach André Tourigny noted just how important Yamamoto is to the team, especially his ability to fit anywhere in the lineup.

“What we like about Yami is that he’s really competitive,” Tourigny said. “He wins battles. He goes to dirty areas and plays well on both sides of the puck…He’s playing well, and he can play with good offensive players. He can read the game with those guys at the high level. He has a high IQ. Every time we call him to play in our top six, he responds really well.”

That label of being a Swiss Army Knife for the Mammoth allowed Yamamoto to be promoted to the second line alongside Guenther and Logan Cooley. He ended up being the perfect linemate for the two young forwards thanks to his ability to keep up with them and his great puck-moving skills.

“They’re young guys, but young, unbelievable players,” Yamamoto said. “Their hockey sense, the way they control the puck, it’s pretty amazing what they can do.”

That trio could be one of the most dangerous lines for the Mammoth in the playoffs should they stay together. Their fast-paced energy and excellent passing could beat out the Knights’ defense, making them potentially one of the main offensive generators for the Mammoth.

With the playoffs coming, that means Yamamoto’s contract is also coming to an end soon. Free agency is nothing new to him, but like last season, the forward hopes to return to the Mammoth. Especially after he and his family spent most of this season in Salt Lake City, it’s a place where he wants to stay for a while.

“I love this city,” Yamamoto said. “The guys are great in the locker room. My wife loves the city. So this is definitely a place I could see staying in for a while.”

Even after proving he’s an everyday NHL player and spending all season in Utah, Yamamoto hasn’t forgotten his time in Tucson and the people who helped him prove he’s an effective player again. He still talks to a lot of the players who remain on the team. Yamamoto was actually planning to visit the city and see a couple of his former teammates again before other plans got in the way. 

“I know our tough line last year, they’re all in different places, but I’ll try to text them every once in a while,” Yamamoto said. “Obviously, all the guys that come up like Matty (Matt Villalta), Benny (Ben McCartney), Scotty Perunovich, and those guys, I say hi and have lunch with them. It’s a lot of great guys down there.”

Yamamoto’s career revival was one of the best stories to come out of the Mammoth organization last season. This season, his full return to the NHL was one of the most important stories for the team. Yamamoto has been a reliable forward for the Mammoth, accepting whatever role he’s given on a nightly basis.

Oh hot yam! 🍠🔥

Tied up, 1-1. pic.twitter.com/NCMXDH3rTk

— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 4, 2026

His stats and play have backed that up, and he’s been rewarded, getting promoted into the top six consistently for the first time since his time in Edmonton. Heading into the playoffs, his skill and knowledge are going to be extremely important for the Mammoth, and one that even the coaches will rely on in big moments.

“It’s not like it’s his first rodeo,” Tourigny said. “We like his IQ, how he plays under pressure. We’re excited to have him.”

The AHL isn’t just a great league for rookies to develop. It’s also a great place for players to rediscover themselves and get experience playing top-line minutes. For Yamamoto, not only did his time in Tucson revive his career, but it also gave him the experience of playing top six minutes during a playoff push and in the playoffs. If he starts scoring in the playoffs this season, don’t be surprised. He came up big in critical times for the Roadrunners last season, and he’s looking to do it again with the Mammoth this postseason.