{"id":474609,"date":"2025-09-28T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=474609"},"modified":"2025-11-04T11:59:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:59:37","slug":"puck-drop-preview-2025-26-utah-mammoth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/09\/28\/puck-drop-preview-2025-26-utah-mammoth\/","title":{"rendered":"Puck Drop Preview: 2025-26 Utah Mammoth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Word on Hockey\u2019s\u00a0Puck Drop Previews\u00a0are back for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team\u2019s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We\u2019ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we\u2019re previewing the 2025-26\u00a0Utah Mammoth.<\/a><\/p>\n

2025-2026 Utah Mammoth<\/h2>\n

Utah Mammoth 2024-25 Season Recap<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Mammoth, formerly known as the Utah Hockey Club, narrowly missed making the Stanley Cup Playoffs during their inaugural season. They finished just seven points behind the St. Louis Blues<\/a> for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. This gave them a 38-31-13 overall record. The Mammoth were disappointed for not making the postseason, but it was still a fantastic year that certainly exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n

Utah captain Clayton Keller<\/a> led the team with 30 goals and 90 points, while missing just one game all season. Karel Vejmelka<\/a> was superb in the crease. He carried a heavy workload all season, having played in 58 games. The Czech native finished with team-highs in wins with 26, a .904 save percentage, and 2.58 goals-against-average.<\/p>\n

2025 Off-Season<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Mammoth had a somewhat busy off-season this past summer. First, they moved up from the 14th pick to fourth in the NHL Draft lottery. Utah selected Caleb <\/a>Desnoyers with\u00a0that pick. The Mammoth then made their biggest move<\/a>, trading Michael Kesselring<\/a> and Josh Doan<\/a> to the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> for JJ Peterka<\/a>. The German is the type of player who could push the Mammoth into the playoffs for the first time in their history.<\/p>\n

During free agency, Utah added a few depth pieces in forward Brandon Tanev<\/a> and defenceman Nate Schmidt<\/a> on three-year contracts. The Mammoth also filled the need for a backup goaltender, signing Vitek Vanecek<\/a>. Both Schmidt and Vanecek won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers<\/a> last season.<\/p>\n

Michael Carcone<\/a> re-signed with Utah after testing the open market. While it was reported he was not coming back, he did not receive much interest from other teams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Projected Lineup <\/span><\/h3>\n

Forwards<\/span><\/h4>\n

Clayton Keller – Logan Cooley<\/a> – Nick Schmaltz<\/a><\/p>\n

Dylan Guenther<\/a> – Barrett Hayton<\/a> – JJ Peterka<\/p>\n

Alexander Kerfoot<\/a> – Jack McBain<\/a> – Lawson Crouse<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Carcone – Kevin Stenlund<\/a> – Brandon Tanev<\/p>\n

Top Six<\/span><\/h4>\n

Although preseason is still ongoing, the top six for the Mammoth are already set in stone. It will be almost the same as last season. However, the biggest change will be having Peterka in the mix. All eyes will be on the 23-year-old winger as he hopes to become a star in Utah. Cooley and Guenther are each looking to build off their career years for the Mammoth. The former finished with 65 points, while the latter finished with 60. Peterka was recently paired with Guenther and Hayton for their preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for the top line, Keller and Cooley will be on it. They spent the majority of the season together and showed great chemistry. Schmaltz was also with the pair, so it should remain the same this time as well.<\/p>\n

Bottom Six<\/span><\/h4>\n

The bottom six is up in the air for Utah. Those six players will most likely be in it, but the question is, how will the pieces of the puzzle fit? Kerfoot and McBain were up and down the lineup much of last year, sometimes sliding into the top six due to injuries. It would be best for Utah if it joined Crouse, creating a more defensive and physical third line. Kerfoot and McBain are both currently out due to separate injuries.<\/p>\n

As for the fourth line, Carcone, Stenlund, and Tanev are perfect for the role. Carcone is a smaller forward at 5-foot-9, but he is scrappy. He loves to get in on the forecheck and occasionally hits. He had 21 goals two years ago, so he can also put the puck in the net. Stenlund is a prototypical fourth-line centre. He is responsible defensively, great at faceoffs, and can put up some points. Stenlund had a faceoff rating of 59.1%<\/a>, fourth-best in the NHL. Lastly is Tanev. He can play both left and right-wing, while hitting everything that moves, and is not afraid to sacrifice his body. Tanev blocked 105 shots.<\/p>\n

Defensive Pairings<\/h3>\n

Mikhail Sergachev-Sean Durzi<\/a><\/p>\n

Ian Cole<\/a> – John Marino<\/a><\/p>\n

Nate Schmidt – Olli Maatta<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Four
\n<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Mammoth defence is something that is up for heavy debate. With Durzi and Marino back, they are locks in the top four, but can they stay healthy? Durzi will undoubtedly be paired with Utah’s best defenceman in Sergachev, while Marino’s partner remains unclear. The two right-handed defencemen are hoping to prove themselves as they will have to play big minutes for the Mammoth. Cole and Maatta rotated between the second and third defensive pairings, so that could happen again. As for Sergachev, he will play 24-25 minutes a game on the top pair.<\/p>\n

\n

Bottom Pair<\/span><\/h4>\n

With the addition of Schmidt, Utah gained much-needed help on the blue line. The Mammoth had many different faces on the bottom pair last year they were Juuso Valimaki<\/a>, Maveric Lamoureux<\/a>, Robert Bortuzzo<\/a>, Nick DeSimone<\/a>, and Vladislav Kolyachonok<\/a>. Schmidt, 34, is as reliable as they come, still a good skater, and has a high hockey sense when defending. It is difficult to fully predict the bottom pairs, but three of the four spots are interchangeable. Lamoureux could also force his way into the lineup if he has a strong training camp.<\/p>\n

Goaltending<\/span><\/h3>\n

Karel Vejmelka<\/p>\n

Vitek Vanecek<\/p>\n

Vejmelka will be the starter again for the Mammoth, but this time he will have a reliable backup behind him. He will not have to play as many games as last season, taking a lot of the weight off. There was a point where Vejmelka started in 23 consecutive games during the second half of 2025. That is a heavy burden for any goalie. He will also have more opportunities to rest and stay fresh as the season goes on. Vejmelka signed a five-year deal this year, so he is Utah’s starter now and for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

Vanecek struggled last season, winning just five games out of the 25 he played in. He began the year with the San Jose Sharks,<\/a> but was traded to the Panthers. Vanecek has not been the same since his time with the New Jersey Devils<\/a>, where he had 33 wins in 2022-2023. Though he is only signed for one year, Utah could be the best place for the 29-year-old netminder to revive his career.<\/p>\n

Players to Watch<\/h3>\n

JJ Peterka<\/h4>\n

As mentioned already, all the attention will be on Peterka and how he performs. He is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young players in the NHL. Peterka had 68 points on a Sabres team that finished seventh in the Atlantic Division. He now moves on to Utah, who hopes that he brings additional speed and skill to their already dynamic and talented team. One issue for Peterka is his all-around game. He needs to become a player who can play on both sides of the puck. If that happens, then Peterka will fit seamlessly into the Mammoth lineup. Look for him to score at least 30 goals.<\/p>\n

Lawson Crouse<\/h4>\n

Crouse is a player who is desperate for a bounce-back season. After having back-to-back 40-point campaigns, he had just 18. While his ice time dipped, that is very low for a player making more than $4 million<\/a> for two more years. Crouse scored at least 20 goals in three straight seasons, from 2021-2024. At 6-foot-4 and over 215 pounds, he brings size and a relentless motor. If he can find his offensive game again, Crouse will provide Utah with depth on the wing. He will be aiming for a comeback this year.<\/p>\n

Prediction for the 2025-26 Utah Mammoth<\/span><\/h3>\n

Utah has mostly the same team as last season, minus Kesselring and Doan. They added a top player in Peterka and depth pieces in Tanev and Schmidt, plus a new backup goaltender in Vanecek. Expectations are much higher this year for Andre Tourigny’s group, which hopes to make the playoffs for the first time. Can the promising Utah team prove itself?<\/p>\n

The Mammoth have a team that can score goals, a defence that is now healthy, and a capable goalie between the pipes in Vejmelka. However, we predict that Utah misses the playoffs in 2026. There is stiff competition in the Western Conference, so do not be surprised if Utah falls short. The Mammoth still need one more season to grow as a team. If they do make it, they would likely finish in a wild-card spot. Utah will need to be at its best and must try to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

Main photo by: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Word on Hockey\u2019s\u00a0Puck Drop Previews\u00a0are back for the 2025-26 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team\u2019s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We\u2019ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we\u2019re previewing the 2025-26\u00a0Utah Mammoth. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5373,"featured_media":473116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4547,4548,21],"tags":[4611,1071,1063,7736,7025,4203,6926,5708,8219],"class_list":["post-474609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-mammoth","tag-andre-tourigny","tag-brandon-tanev","tag-clayton-keller","tag-j-j-peterka","tag-karel-vejmelka","tag-lawson-crouse","tag-logan-cooley","tag-puck-drop-preview","tag-utah-mammoth-analysis"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5373"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474609"}],"version-history":[{"count":74,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474932,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474609\/revisions\/474932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}