The Utah Mammoth are one of the hottest teams in the league to start the 2025-26 season, sitting in a tie for second in the Western Conference with the Winnipeg Jets. It has been a long time coming for the franchise, as the Arizona Coyotes-turned-Mammoth haven't been in the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, when they advanced through the qualification round due to the COVID-19-shortened season.
If you're looking for the organization's last playoff appearance in a legitimate season, it'd be in 2011-12, when they advanced to the Western Conference Final. The former Coyotes put the Mammoth in a great spot to succeed, as they created one of the league's best young rosters. Fortunately for the Mammoth, the city of Utah is now reaping the benefits of the great work.
The offensive talent is off the charts, as Nick Schmaltz surprisingly leads the group with 18 points, but Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther sit not far behind.
Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther are emerging stars
Cooley's hot start to the season earned him an eight-year, $80 million contract extension. It's a deal that could become a steal for the Mammoth, as he and Guenther have been developing a chemistry that they could use for many years. The pair combined for 24 points over the team's first 13 games.
The Western Conference isn't an easy gauntlet to get through, and teams must be able to score to keep pace. The Mammoth have two elite lines after acquiring JJ Peterka from the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason. They have five forwards with 10 or more points to start the year, while Barrett Hayton has been a steady two-way presence on the first line between Schmaltz and Keller.
Stanley Cup experience on the backend
The Mammoth have a veteran blue line to complement the young stars up front. Defense wins championships when the games get tougher near the postseason, and Utah's defensemen have been there before. They currently have four defenseman who already own a ring, which will be a massive help for Karel Vejmelka in his first postseason grind as a starter.
Olli Maata and Ian Cole are a reliable third pairing who won Stanley Cups together with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Their first pairing features Mikhail Sergachev, who gained plenty of experience in multiple Stanley Cup runs with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Finishing it off, the most recent champion on their blueline is Nate Schmidt, who won it last season with the Florida Panthers.
Vejmelka hasn't been as good as the Mammoth would like this season, owning a 2.60 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. However, that is the type of start that a veteran defense corps can improve as the season progresses. The Western Conference featured some predictable playoffs over the past few years, but the Mammoth are looking like a team that could upset the norm and make some noise in April and May.
