Throughout the summer, I have posted a couple of versions of what the Utah Mammoth roster could look like for the 2025-26 season. The first came out in June, before the NHL Entry Draft and the trade for J.J. Peterka. The second came out after free agency, once they had made all of their moves.
In the first part of this series of lineup projections, I had “Prospect Development Creating Tough Decisions” in the title. However, after watching the Mammoth’s rookie camp this past week, that may not be the case.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 8-1 Rookie Showcase Loss to Golden Knights
Before training camp kicks off, let’s take one more stab at predicting the Mammoth’s opening night roster.
Mammoth’s Forwards
In both the first and second versions of this series, I left holes in the projection, marking areas where the Mammoth could use an upgrade. But after the one trade and a few free agency signings, the Mammoth’s moves appear to be done for the summer. These are the line combinations I am expecting.
Clayton Keller – Barrett Hayton – Nick Schmaltz
Dylan Guenther – Logan Cooley – J.J. Peterka
Tij Iginla – Jack McBain – Lawson Crouse
Alex Kerfoot – Kevin Stenlund – Brandon Tanev
Extra Forwards: Michael Carcone, Liam O’Brien
Over the seasons, we have seen head coach Andre Tourigny put his lines in a blender on a nightly basis, like some NHL coaches do. Tourigny will switch his combinations slightly, but likes to keep duos together.
Last season, Keller’s most common linemate was Schmaltz. The two played more than 700 minutes together, and both set career highs in points. Hayton was also the most common center to play between these two wingers, logging over 350 minutes as a trio at five-on-five. Hayton may not be the ideal top-line center. However, he excels in this area, averaging the fourth most high-danger chances per 60 minutes among players who played 300 minutes of five-on-five hockey last season, and is a tremendous defensive center.
Another duo that Tourigny kept together for most of last season was Guenther and Cooley, who played more than 500 minutes together at five-on-five. I expect these two to play together again this season, and the newly acquired Peterka will be the perfect fit to play with this dynamic duo.
Last season, Guenther showed he has the potential to be an elite goal scorer in this league, having 27 goals in his first full season in the NHL. Peterka has demonstrated the same over the past two seasons, scoring 28 and another 27 last season. Both are excellent shooters who can score from anywhere on the ice. Having Cooley center these two goal scorers, the Mammoth will make the most of Cooley’s elite playmaking skills.
The other duo we saw a lot of last season was Crouse and McBain. They played over 350 minutes together. They bring a ton of size and physicality. The concern with these two is the offensive production, especially after Crouse only scored 12 goals last season. The Mammoth will need more depth scoring this season, and while Crouse is capable of that, he needs to have a highly skilled offensive player to work with. After seeing Iginla, who Utah drafted sixth overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, consistently produce scoring chances in the Mammoth’s rookie showcase games, it appears he is ready to make the jump and could be the spark they need to find some depth scoring this season.
The trio of Kerfoot, Stenlund, and Tanev is the perfect veteran combination for a stabilizing fourth line. Stenlund was excellent in the faceoff circle last season, winning 59% of his faceoffs. Tanev finished second among forwards in blocked shots, and Kerfoot is always in the right place at the right time.
Throughout the summer, I was leaving spots open, thinking more prospects might have a chance to make an impact. However, Iginla was the only standout at rookie camp, and with the reliability the Mammoth have in their bottom six, it will be hard for others to crack the roster right out of camp.
Mammoth’s Defensemen
The Mammoth’s defense core is pretty much set. Over the summer, I have speculated that Dmitri Simashev, a first-round pick from the 2023 Draft, had a good chance of cracking the roster. But after a mediocre showing at their rookie showcase, I am not so sure when he will be competing for a spot against a reliable 15-year veteran like Ian Cole.
Here are the combinations I think the Mammoth will start the season with.
Mikhail Sergachev – John Marino
Nate Schmidt – Sean Durzi
Olli Määttä – Ian Cole
Extra Defenders: Nick Desimone, Scott Perunovich, Juuso Valimaki
Despite missing half of last season, Marino ended up being Sergachev’s most common defensive partner. These two worked very well together, having a 53% expected goal share while on the ice together, typically against the other team’s best players. Both are excellent defensively, but Marino’s ‘stay at home’ nature allows Sergachev to get more involved in the rush offensively. These two will spend the most minutes on Utah’s blue line this season.
The next pairing should be the perfect combination of offense and defense. Last season, Schmidt was lights out defensively, finishing with a plus-5.4 net defensive rating, which ranked in the top 30 among NHL defensemen. Durzi finished the season with a plus-2.2 offensive net rating; he and Scott Morrow of the Carolina Hurricanes were the only two defensemen in the NHL to finish inside the top 60 who had 30 or fewer games played (via Hockey Stat Cards). This would be a high-energy pairing that could have an impact at both ends of the ice.
In the first two editions of my roster projections, I had left a spot open for Dmitri Simashev. After watching him in the rookie showcase, the Mammoth will lean towards letting him adjust to North American play in the American Hockey League (AHL). Last season, Määttä graded as one of the best puck movers in the NHL, and Cole led all defensemen in blocked shots. Between the two, they have 28 seasons of NHL experience, and while he is talented, I don’t think Simashev’s game is polished enough to justify sitting one of these two in the press box. Maybe at some point this season, but I think the Mammoth start with these six on opening night.
All line combination information via Money Puck
Mammoth’s Goalies
There has been a lot of conversation around the Mammoth’s goaltending group this summer. Much of it was due to the uncertainty surrounding Connor Ingram’s return. However, it has been announced that he will return for the 2025-26 season. This could lead to a goaltending battle in training camp for the second spot after the Mammoth signed Vitek Vanecek as an insurance piece earlier this offseason.
Vanecek may make for fascinating conversation throughout the preseason, but I don’t think he’ll be able to beat out Karel Vejmelka or Ingram for a consistent spot in this rotation. My prediction is:
Starter: Karel Vejmelka
Backup: Connor Ingram
I have talked about the Mammoth’s goaltending a bunch recently. People expect Vanecek to be one of this team’s goalies for whatever reason. But the Mammoth will go with Ingram, who finished the 2023-24 season tied for the league lead in shutouts, over Vanecek, who has allowed 23.2 goals above expected to be scored on him over the last two seasons.
Mammoth 2025-26 Expectations
While I initially expected more prospects to have a chance of cracking the Mammoth’s roster, it would take some special development for multiple players to do so. While several of them likely possess the necessary skillset to make the team, the Mammoth cannot afford the mistakes that many young players must learn before achieving success in the NHL.
The Mammoth are genuinely in a unique spot; they are loaded with young prospects knocking on the door of the NHL, but also have a full roster of players that could make the playoffs without any of this young talent infused.
It will be tough for the Mammoth to balance their prospects’ development and trying to push for the playoffs at the same time. However, after getting a taste of meaningful hockey down the stretch last season, the expectation for the Mammoth will be the playoffs this season.
After watching a couple lackluster performances from their prospects, I am inclined to believe that the Mammoth will be relying on their veterans in depth roles rather than elevating prospects to make this push for the playoffs.
