Since Bill Armstrong took over as the Arizona Coyotes’ general manager in 2021, he has had a phenomenal track record of drafting and developing talent. During the 2022-23 season, Dylan Guenther, the Coyotes’ 2021 first-round pick, made his debut. Then, the following season, Logan Cooley, drafted by the Coyotes third overall in 2022, debuted and played all 82 games.
Then, last season, after the move to Utah, Maveric Lamoureux, the second of their 2022 first-round picks, was thrust into an NHL role amid an injury-riddled blue line, and he fit right in. That brings us to this season, where Dmitri Simashev, who was drafted sixth overall in 2023, has been a staple on the Utah Mammoth‘s blue line, playing big minutes.
Despite all of these highly anticipated debuts from top prospects the Mammoth have drafted since Armstrong took over, they still have several more first-round picks lighting up the American Hockey League (AHL) and the junior ranks on the brink of cracking into the NHL.
Let’s check and see just how well these future Mammoth are developing.
Daniil But
One of the standouts from the preseason was the Coyotes’ second first-round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He scored a goal and finished third on the team in expected goals through the exhibition schedule, and now, Daniil But is catching fire at the AHL level with the Tucson Roadrunners.
Related: Roadrunners Report: The “Kids” Are Alright, Ingram’s Return to the Desert, & More
But is on a four-game point streak, where he has two three-point games, with his most recent being his first AHL hat trick. This recent hot streak has him up to seven goals and 13 points in 12 games this season.
With the way But is playing in the minors, it is hard to believe he’ll spend a whole season down there, especially with Armstrong already hinting at him planning his NHL debut this season on an episode of Frankly Hockey before this point streak started.
But is still raw, and giving him time to get more comfortable playing with the puck on his stick at the AHL level will prove to be huge for his development. However, his combination of size, vision, and elite release gives him the most potential to be a game breaker and, in my opinion, the most intriguing prospect they have.
Tij Iginla
After missing the majority of last season due to an injury, Tij Iginla, who was the first player drafted to the Utah ‘Hockey Club’ in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, finally got back on the ice with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in mid-October.
In his season debut and first game with the team since November of last year, Iginla had two goals and an assist in a 6-5 loss to the Victoria Royals. After his debut, Iginla missed another 10 days with an illness. He made his return against the Medicine Hat Tigers and was held pointless for the only time so far this season in six games.
Since being held pointless, Iginla has four straight multi-point games and now three straight multi-goal games. He is now up to nine goals and 12 points in six games. That is an 89-goal and 119-point pace if he were to play in the rest of the Rockets’ games this season. If he were able to maintain that pace, Iginla’s 89 goals would be tied for the fourth-most in a single season in WHL history.
Missing last season hurt his chances of making the Mammoth this season. However, it’s clear he has made significant strides in his development and has the potential to make a huge impact offensively for the Mammoth as soon as next season.
Cole Beaudoin
After being an alternate captain for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the past two seasons, Cole Beaudoin was named co-captain of the Colts this season alongside Kashawn Aitcheson, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Islanders in 2025. He was the second of Utah’s first-round picks in 2024.
Since returning from the Mammoth’s training camp, he has played 15 games with the Colts. He has points in 14 of those 15 games; he is currently on a 10-game point streak, with seven of those 10 games being multi-point efforts. Over this stretch, he has 21 points total, and for the season, he is now up to eight goals and 21 points.
Beaudoin’s 29 points in 15 games put him on pace for 122 points, which is more than double the 51 he put up in 52 games last season and nearly double the 62 points he put up in 67 games the season prior. Since being drafted in 2024, Beaudoin has been most praised for his strength, motor, and work ethic. However, now he is turning into an exceptional passer and a dynamic offensive weapon.
With Beaudoin starting to overpower the best junior hockey league in North America, I would expect this to be his final season at the junior ranks before challenging for an NHL roster spot next season, given his playstyle, which can fit anywhere in any lineup.
Caleb Desnoyers
Let’s briefly touch on the Mammoth’s 2025 first-round pick, Caleb Desnoyers, who they selected fourth overall after winning the NHL’s Draft Lottery and moving up 10 spots.
Desnoyers missed a lot of the Mammoth’s training camp, rehabbing a wrist injury he played through at the end of last season. He was sent back to his junior team, the Moncton Wildcats, which plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
After being sent back, he missed some more time before being cleared for game action. However, he finally got back into the lineup to make his season debut in late October. In his first game back, Desnoyers unfortunately had to leave with another injury after taking a hit to the head midway through.
Luckily, it was nothing too serious and Desnoyers returned to the Wildcats’ lineup after missing one game. Since then, he has had one goal and three assists in his three games since returning. Desnoyers is picking up right where he left off last season.
Mammoth’s Incredibly Bright Future
The Mammoth have already locked up a couple of these recent draft picks long-term with Guenther signing a seven-year extension last season and Cooley signing an eight-year extension earlier this season. With much of their core locked up, these young stars will just be adding to the strong foundation that Armstrong has built since taking control of this franchise.
There may be a few, but not many teams in the league have this much talent waiting to be added to their lineup.
