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It has been a busy offseason for Bill Armstrong, the general manager of the Utah Mammoth. Beyond bringing in JJ Peterka, he also signed Nate Schmidt, Brandon Tanev, and Vitek Vanecek. The Mammoth also had another solid showing in the 2025 NHL Draft. Utah owned seven draft picks this year, including three in the top 100.
Armstrong became the GM of the Arizona Coyotes in September of 2020 and would continue with Utah when Ryan Smith acquired the assets of the franchise. He has had some solid success in the draft. In his first draft with Arizona, Armstrong would bring in Dylan Guenther, along with players who would later be used for trades. JJ Moser would be part of a trade for Mikhail Sergachev, along with 2022 first-round pick Conor Geekie. Josh Doan was also selected in 2021 and would be part of the trade that brought in Peterka. The 2022 draft also saw the franchise bring in Logan Cooley, who has played 157 games in the NHL. None of the picks from the first draft in Utah have made it to the NHL yet, but there are high hopes for Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin.
The Mammoth made seven selections this year, and this is how they grade out.
Caleb Desnoyers was a solid 1st-round pick
Desnoyers was projected as a top ten pick in the NHL Draft this year. The center from Canada has played the last two years for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. It has been a solid two seasons for the Canadian. In 2023-24, he scored 20 times while adding 36 assists. He would improve in his next campaign, finding the back of the net 35 times while also adding 49 assists. Furthermore, he excelled in the playoffs. In 19 playoff games, he scored nine times while adding 21 assists. His performance for the season earned him the Guy Lafleur Trophy, which is given to the most valuable player in the QMJHL.
He is a great playmaker and consistently gets to scoring areas. He is also a solid two-way player and is wonderful in transition. Desnoyers is 172 pounds while standing at 6-foot-2, so he does need to fill out a little bit more to play at the top end of the NHL. Still, his IQ and natural ability made him one of the top prospects in this draft. He should develop into a top-line center in the NHL with time. With Cooley and Barrett Hayton already holding down the top-two lines at center, this move with give the team flexibility as they move forward, and potentially a potent offensive attack.
The Mammoth add defense with their 2nd pick
In the second round, Utah selected Max Psenicka with the 46th selection. The Czech defender comes in at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. After spending time in the Czech junior league, he would play last year with HC Plzen, a professional team in Czechia, and also spent time in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks. He has solid speed for his size and is a plus-defender. He is a hard hitter who is also solid in shot blocking.
While he is good on the powerplay, he still needs to improve his overall offensive game. Psenicka is not a great puck handler yet, but can develop that aspect of his game. If he continues to develop his offensive game while adding some size to his frame, he can become a top rotation defender in the NHL. If not, he will most likely cap out on the third rotation in the NHL.
The rest of the draft and final grade for the Mammoth
In the third round, Utah would take another player out of Czechia. This time it was the winger Stepan Hoch. This could be a bit of a stretch, as Hoch was seen as a potential late-round draft pick. What made him so attractive is his size and defense. At 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, he comes in with a large frame, but still has room to grow in strength. The forward is solid on the penalty kill and uses his size to his advantage. He also has a strong shot, although accuracy has been an issue in his career. His defensive acumen should make him into a valuable prospect, but his cap may be a checking line forward.
In the fourth round with the 110th pick, the Mammoth took Yegor Borikov out of the KHL. The winger is on the older side of drafted players, just finishing up his third season with draft eligibility. He will be 20 years old before the next season starts. The Belarusian has shown growth in his two seasons in the KHL. After scoring just five goals with three assists in 41 games in his first year, he scored 12 times with 13 assists last year. He also excelled in the playoffs, scoring seven times with an assist in just 11 games. He is a quick skater who has a good shot and finishes well. Borikov will need time to develop his physical and defensive game, but he should make it to an NHL roster at some point.
Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko would be the selection of the Mammoth in the fifth round. The Russian goaltender has good size and athleticism. He is 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds. He was solid in the MHL last year, going 23-8-7 with a 2.99 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. The netminder has struggled with consistency, though, and will be overaggressive at times. When he lets in an early goal or there is chaos in front of the net, he struggles to retake command of the game. There is raw talent with this goalie, but he may not make it to the NHL level.
The Mammoth would select twice in the sixth round, using both picks to select defensemen. First was Ludvig Johnson, a defender out of Switzerland. He showed some two-way ability with EV Zug last season, scoring four goals and adding six assists in 31 games. He is not a big-body defender and has to rely on IQ and speed to stay in position. This has not been consistent, and will most likely not result in him seeing the ice in the NHL.
With their second pick of the sixth round, Utah selected Reko Alanko from Finland. He is a large individual, coming in at 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds. The defender is also solid on the offensive end and can run the break from the defensive zone to the offensive zone well. He is not the best skater, and that does hurt him considering his size. He has also yet to play at a higher level, spending most of his last season with a junior league team in Finland. With his size, there could be hope that the talent will develop, and Utah got a solid pick late in the draft.
Overall, Utah had a good draft. They got two players in the first two rounds who should make an impact on an NHL roster at some point. It is possible Desnoyers makes an impact sooner rather than later, and he could turn into one of the top forwards from this draft. They added some size and also defensive depth later in the draft as well. There was a slight reach with Hoch in the third round, though, and he could have been selected later. Regardless, this was a good draft for the franchise and should help them as they continue to grow as a young team and look toward playoff contention.
Mammoth's best draft pick: Caleb Desnoyers, First Round, 4th overall
Mammoth's worst draft pick: Stepan Hoch, Third Round, 78th overall
Final grade for the Utah Mammoth's draft: A-
