Mammoth’s Max Pšenička Hungry for More AHL Games After Making Pro Debut

Going into development camp, a lot of the Utah Mammoth prospects only had junior hockey experience. Most of the prospects, like Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers, are expected to get their first taste of pro hockey this season. However, a couple of names had made their pro debuts over the past two seasons. Noel Nordh, Michael Hrabal, Brandon Holt, and Owen Allard all played in the American Hockey League (AHL) last season.

Joining that group very late in the season was the Mammoth’s second pick in the 2025 draft, Max Pšenička. Though it was the Portland Winterhawks’ early exit from the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) playoffs that made the defenseman’s AHL debut possible, it’s something that wouldn’t have happened without a breakout season from Pšenička, who showed the Mammoth could have another solid future NHL blueliner in their organization.

First Taste of the AHL Proves to Be Valuable

The 2024-25 season was a developmental one for Pšenička. Midway through the season, he decided to head to North America and the WHL to increase his draft stock and improve in ways he couldn’t in Czechia. It paid off. The defenseman was drafted 46th overall by the Mammoth after seven points in 24 games with the Winterhawks.

The 2025-26 season was one where Pšenička was expected to build off of his early success in the WHL. A goal of his was to get better offensively, which was something that he was given every tool to do so as one of the top defensemen on the Winterhawks.

Pšenička achieved that goal. In 53 games, he produced 30 points, operating at a 0.57 points-per-game rate, second among defensemen behind only overager Carter Sotheran. Pšenička also got time on the power play and penalty kill. Despite his rookie season with the Winterhawks being solid, the defenseman had arguably one of the biggest growths among prospects in the Mammoth system.

“Last year, I was talking about getting more offensive, so I think that got better a lot,” Pšenička said. “I would say I had more points and helped the team way more. That was my focus for last season. I think I got better, probably in everything. The speed, strength, even in the mind.”

Also happening in the world of hockey, Mammoth 2025 second round pick Max Pšenička had a four point night for the Portland Winterhawks (2G-2A). #TusksUp https://t.co/rDfnnHTwRD

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) October 5, 2025

Despite his great season, the Winterhawks took a step back from their 36-win season a year prior. The team finished with a 30-30-7-1 record, clinching the last playoff spot in the U.S. division. Their reward was facing the best team in the entire WHL, the Everett Silvertips, who quickly dispatched the Winterhawks in the first round via a sweep.

It seemed like Pšenička’s 2025-26 season would end on a low note after the embarrassing playoff performance by the Winterhawks. However, just 12 days later, it was announced that Pšenička was signing an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Tucson Roadrunners. It was a smart move by the Mammoth organization, as it would allow the defenseman to play in the AHL for the remainder of the season without forcing them to sign him to an entry-level deal and burn a year off of it.

If you know anything about Portland, you know it rains a lot there. If you know anything about Tucson, you know there’s not a lot of rain there, especially as summer approaches. It’s nearly a 30-degree difference in weather, which Pšenička found out firsthand in his first couple of days with the Roadrunners.

“I came here right after we got knocked out,” Pšenička said. “I’m so hot here. It was a huge change from Portland, where it always rains.”

First look at Mammoth 2025 second round pick Max Pšenička as a Roadrunner. #TusksUp #LetsGoTucson pic.twitter.com/2D7PvePOZm

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 19, 2026

It wasn’t the only massive change that Pšenička faced. In front of him was a brand new group of guys locked into a big uphill battle for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division. That meant Pšenička had to learn new systems and playing structure on the fly in the toughest level of hockey he had played in during a crucial stretch.

However, not everything was brand new to the defenseman. He knew a couple of the guys from development camps over the years, including head coach Steve Potvin, who runs the camps. Most importantly, he knew Hrabal, another Czech prospect joining the Roadrunners on an ATO late in the season. Having him, as well as Michal Kunc (another Czech player), added some comfort in living and playing in a place Pšenička was not used to.

“We met in dev camp, so I got to know him (Hrabal) a little bit more there and here,” Pšenička said. “Of course, Michael Kunc too. They were such a great help, even in dev camp, training camp, and when I came down here. I think it’s really important to have someone you know and someone who speaks the same language as you here.”

Pšenička played his first AHL game on the road against the San Diego Gulls. In a game where the Roadrunners dominated, the defenseman had his ups and downs. He had a bad giveaway early on but became more comfortable as the game went on, even producing his first AHL point, an assist off Allard’s seventh goal of the season.

Pšenička has his first pro point on a assist on Allard’s goal. #TusksUp #LetsGoTucson https://t.co/aDLqid2ojy

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 16, 2026

Despite a solid debut game, Potvin didn’t put Pšenička back into the lineup immediately. Having the defenseman down in the AHL was a unique situation. If the Roadrunners made the playoffs, he probably wouldn’t have played any games, with the team sticking to their best lineup. It’s a situation that Allard and Nordh both faced during the 2024-25 season, where both forwards didn’t appear in any AHL games after joining the team when the Soo Greyhounds season ended.

However, by the time the final home series rolled around for the Roadrunners, they were mathematically eliminated from the postseason. That allowed Potvin to throw Pšenička into the lineup one last time against the Henderson Silver Knights. 

His second and final AHL game of the season was a much-improved one. Though the defenseman didn’t register a point, he had four shots and showed a lot of physicality, especially on the forecheck. Against one of the best teams in the AHL coming out of the all-star break, Pšenička played like a veteran, and Potvin liked what he saw.

“He can obviously escape,” Potvin said. “He can take hits. He takes a hit to make the play, which is great. Today, he found the middle of the ice and played against their fourth line, which isn’t easy on breakouts. They’re a team that’s going to forecheck hard, especially that fourth line, and he was able to find the interior a couple times with some poised plays. He’s a player we’re going to be watching in the next year or two, and we’re glad that he had the opportunity to play. It was the best-case scenario for him.”

In his two AHL games, Pšenička learned quite a lot. Compared to the WHL, everything is different and elevated. It was an experience that exposed what he needs to work on if he wants to continue playing at the AHL level and eventually beyond.

“It’s a lot different from junior level,” Pšenička said. “It’s men, so it’s way stronger, way faster. It was a lot of fun. It was a great experience for me to play there, to play those two games. It showed me what I have to work on, and it was just a great experience.”

One of his biggest takeaways was the everyday life of a pro. Pšenička got to learn what it takes to be in the AHL. Bus trips, back-to-back games followed by days without games, and on-the-spur call-ups make it one of the toughest leagues to play in.

It’s experience Pšenička really valued gaining. He was welcomed into the team with open arms as well. In just a few weeks, the defenseman made some good friends and developed a yearning to return to Tucson as soon as possible.

“The guys have been a real help,” Pšenička said. “Everybody on the team; coaches, staff, players. They turned out to be such great friends in those two weeks. I think it helped me really quickly adjust to the tempo and to the game in the AHL.”

Hungry for a Return to Tucson

When Pšenička arrived at development camp this summer, he had more pro experience than most of the prospects there, including Desnoyers and Iginla. That’s not because the defenseman is better than those two forwards. Rather, it was just a unique circumstance that Pšenička found himself in.

What that AHL experience did give him, though, was confidence. Compared to his prior development camp, Pšenička looked way more notable and overall improved. The cherry on top was the defenseman scoring the shootout-winning goal during the scrimmage, which he followed up with an enthusiastic celebration.

Max Pšenička gets the shootout winning goal for Team Black and finishes off the scrimmage with an elite celebration 😂 #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/ZOSxZqzuHR

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) July 2, 2026

With two AHL games under his belt, the question becomes: where does Pšenička end up next season? Well, those two games have him hungry for more with the Roadrunners as he sets his sights on rejoining the team at the start of next season.

“The main focus is to play in Tucson right away, so that’s my focus right now, Pšenička said. “I want to play there this season. I want to show the coaches that I have all it takes to play there, so I’m trying my best. If it doesn’t work, I’ll go back to Portland, but we’ll see how it goes.”

To do so, Pšenička will likely have to earn a roster spot and an entry-level deal with the Mammoth. This season’s Roadrunners camp is expected to be one of the more difficult ones in recent memory. While defensemen like Kevin Connauton and Max Szuber are no longer with the team, the Mammoth and the Roadrunners have brought in players like Zac Jones to help bolster the AHL depth. Not to mention, Tomas Lavoie and Gregor Biber will be joining the team as well, both of whom already have entry-level deals.

Pšenička has arguably grown out of the WHL, but is he ready for a full-time gig in the AHL? Only time will tell, but growth needs to continue. One of the big things about the AHL is it’s a very physical league. You need to have muscle and weight if you want to survive.

That is something Pšenička wants to improve on heading into next season. To do so, the Mammoth coaching staff has put the defenseman on a very rigorous and intense diet. The same one that they put Maveric Lamoureux on to bulk him up. A diet which includes nearly nine meals a day, ice time two to three times a week, and hitting the gym every single day.

“The coaches want me to put on weight,” Pšenička said. “I have to drink protein shakes, eat more. Even when you don’t want to, you just got to put something in.”

It’s not an easy thing to do. Last summer, Lamoureux’s similar diet had him eating nearly 5,000 calories a day with alarms set to notify him when he was supposed to eat. Food got tiring for him taste-wise. At the end of the day, he put on 15 pounds and became stronger, leading into a much improved second season in the AHL.

It will likely be the same grueling summer for Pšenička. Luckily, he now has someone in his corner who has been through the same situation.

“I talked a lot to Lam,” Pšenička said. “He had a similar problem. He has a similar belt to me, so we’re talking about getting the weight up and getting stronger, just eating a lot and stuff like that.”

If Pšenička can come into rookie camp showing that same confidence he had in the AHL, while improving his weight, a chance for a spot on the Roadrunners might be in his future. While there are a lot of hurdles in his way, it’s not an impossible task.

The defenseman is up for it too. He wants a spot back on the Roadrunners. Getting a taste of the next step up makes someone want to do anything to stay there full time. Those two games weren’t enough for Pšenička. He’s ready and hungry for more.

“It’s been great playing in front of the Tucson home crowd,” Pšenička said. “I love it here, and I hope to stay here for next year.”

Pšenička’s urge to turn pro full-time is something that will help him for years to come as he continues to grow and develop into another weapon for the Mammoth for what’s bound to be a deep blueline for years to come. One day, that urge to be in the AHL will be an urge to be in the NHL. 

Pšenička might surprise some with his play one day when he appears in his first few NHL games, as he did last season in the AHL. Still, until he’s permanently where he wants to be, he’ll continue to do his best to improve and fight his hardest for a roster spot, a mentality that could ultimately win him his first pro contract in the near future.