NHL: Utah Mammoth, 2025/2026 review
Utah reached the playoffs for the first time in its history, finishing with 92 points and fourth place in the Central in just its second season under this banner. The spring run ended in round one against Vegas, but even so, that berth is a real milestone for a franchise still carving out its identity.
Key data
2025-2026 record: 43-33-6 (268 goals for, 240 against)
2025-2026 NHL standing: 4th in the Central Division
Top scorer 2025-2026: Dylan Guenther (40)
Top playmaker 2025-2026: Clayton Keller (62)
Top point scorer 2025-2026: Clayton Keller (88)
Average age of roster (2026-2027): 29
Available cap space (2026-2027): 4.58 M$
Recent moves (offseason)
Arrivals:
- Sebastian Cossa (G)
- Anders Lee (F)
- Vincent Trocheck (F)
Departures:
- JJ Peterka (F)
- Ian Cole (D)
- Vitek Vanecek (G)
- Alexander Kerfoot (F)
- Sean Durzi (D)
A front office that suddenly likes players over 30
Utah Mammoth, future contracts and draft picks
Utah has changed its tune this summer. The front office, which had steered clear of players over 30, has added Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, two seasoned pros brought in for leadership and depth after the loss to Vegas. The message is simple: the window is open now, and not just for one season.
On the contract front, the club also locked up John Marino for eight years, with the defenseman seen as a cornerstone of the next phase, while the attack remains built around Logan Cooley, Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther, all signed through 2033-34. The key watchpoint is Clayton Keller, who has just two years left on his current deal, a situation worth tracking for a team banking on him across multiple seasons of contention.
The draft cupboard still looks healthy despite the move for Sebastian Cossa, with a first-round pick and a second-round pick in every year through 2029. Utah has the assets to chase bigger things over the long haul. Whether the extra experience is enough to beat last spring’s quick exit is another matter.
The franchise has found its identity
Utah wasted surprisingly little time in finding a clear identity for such a young franchise. Clayton Keller remains the team’s undisputed offensive driver, posting 88 points to cement his place among the league’s elite scorers, while Dylan Guenther exploded for 40 goals, giving Utah a genuine one-two punch that can go toe to toe with anyone.
Logan Cooley continues to develop down the middle, forming a top line with Keller and Guenther that powered the club to its first playoff berth. At the back, John Marino has emerged as the most reliable piece in the group, earning his new eight-year extension thanks to his ability to control the game when it matters. In net, Karel Vejmelka delivered a solid season that steadied a position that has long been a problem for the organisation.
What Utah lacked against Vegas, according to several voices inside the organisation, was the kind of experience needed to handle playoff pressure. That is where Trocheck and Lee now come in. The young core is in place. The real test is whether these veteran additions can turn a talented team into one built to win in the playoffs, not just show up.
Player to watch: Dylan Guenther (F)
Guenther hit a big personal milestone last season, jumping from 27 goals, already a career high, to 40, a target he set for himself after reaching the halfway point with 25 or 26. He said it himself: once he had beaten his old best, he decided 40 was the next mark, and he got there with three games left.
At 23, and with one of the best releases in the league, some around the game already fancy him to go past that total this season if his shot volume stays high. Guenther has every tool to prove he is one of the NHL’s top pure finishers rather than a one-season burst of scoring.
2026-2027 target
Utah Mammoth projected lines 2026-2027
After reaching the playoffs for the first time, Utah is aiming higher: getting past round one. Bill Armstrong has been blunt about the challenge, saying the team has to learn how to handle the decisive moments, the ones that so often separate winners from losers in the playoffs, if it is ever going to make a serious Stanley Cup push.
In practical terms that means pushing for a better finish in the Central, with Trocheck and Lee expected to bring the experience and bite that were missing against Vegas. Some around the league even talk about a 100-point target, a total that would demand somewhere in the 45-to-47-win range.
A return to the playoffs plus at least one series win would show the franchise is moving in the right direction. Another early exit like last year, even after all these additions, would make people wonder whether experience alone can really close the gap.
My prediction
Same finish for Utah this year. To me that feels like the floor, not the ceiling. The very top of the division is a tough ask, but doing worse than last season would be a real letdown for this group. I have them third or fourth, and it should be tight either way. It looks like a good year ahead, though I still think they need a second goalie. Cossa has upside, but he is heading into his first NHL season, even if it is only in a backup role.
Photo credit: nhl.com
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