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Last year, the Utah Mammoth missed the playoffs in their first year in Salt Lake City after Ryan Smith acquired the assets of the Arizona Coyotes franchise. The team was then known as the Utah Hockey Club and has officially rebranded as the Mammoth. In their first summer under the new name, it would be a busy one for GM Bill Armstrong. While he made multiple moves, one was the best.
Armstrong joined the Coyotes franchise as the general manager in September 2020. The franchise was coming off a playoff berth in 2019-20, but would not make it for the next four seasons, and then, in their first year in Utah, they would also miss the playoffs. Still, this group of players has made strides in the last few years. In their final three years in Arizona, the team improved each season, and last year's Utah team had 89 points and missed the playoffs by just seven points. While technically two different franchises, the players have remained the same and improved year by year.
If Utah wants to make its first playoffs as the new franchise, they needed to make some major transactions. They now have just over $2 million in cap space plus plenty of draft capital. They have also built a team that can compete.
The Mammoth made some big moves this summer
The franchise started the summer with a trade. Matias Maccelli had requested a trade away from the club, and this was granted. The front office moved Maccelli to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a draft pick. Utah would also look to improve its defense. They finished 17th in the NHL in goals against per game while also sitting 15th on the penalty kill.
The team addressed just that. They added Nate Schmidt on a three-year deal, bringing a solid defender to replace Michael Kesselring and one who has playoff experience. The American-born blue liner has played in 99 playoff games in his career, going to the Stanley Cup Final twice, and hoisting Lord Stanley in 2024-25 with the Florida Panthers. The club also added a defensive-minded forward with Brandon Tanev. Tanev is not a big offensive threat, but he has had a season in which he lit the lamp 16 times. Still, he is solid on the penalty kill, and consistently is a leader on his team in hits and plus/minus rating.
The franchise also added some depth in goal, signing Vitek Vanecek to back up Karel Vejmelka. With Vejmelka still being a young netminder, having a veteran presence behind him to step in when needed was a great move. But the most significant move for the Mammoth was bringing in another bonafide top-six forward in German sniper JJ Peterka.
JJ Peterka addition was the perfect move for the Mammoth
The perfect move this offseason was the acquisition of Peterka. The front office would acquire the forward from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Kesselring and Josh Doan. They then signed the youngster to a five-year deal worth $7.7 million per year. This was a massive upgrade for the roster. He was the 34th overall pick of the Sabres in 2020. The forward would break into the NHL, playing two games in 2021-22 before becoming a mainstay on the squad. Over the next three seasons, he would miss just 10 games, scoring 67 goals and adding 83 assists.
This past season was his best. He lit the lamp 27 times, just one shy of his career high, but he had a career high 41 helpers, amassing 68 total points, the most of his career. He is a major upgrade over Doan. Both players are the same age, but Doan has just 51 games of NHL experience with 19 total points. Utah would also lose Kesselring in the deal, but has replaced him with Schmidt. Peterka is expected to join Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton on the second line this upcoming season. Those two were third and sixth on the team in points in 2024-25. He could also be a candidate to play on the top line alongside Clayton Keller, and there is a chance that Peterka, Schmaltz and Keller all play together.
Can Utah compete for a playoff berth in 2025-26?
According to odds provided by FanDuel, fans in Utah should be excited. At the time of writing, the Mammoth were set at -128 to make the playoffs, meaning they are slight favorites to be one of the eight teams standing in the Western Conference to have a chance to chase the Cup. The odds also placed them eighth in the conference in odds to make it to the dance next spring.
Utah improved this offseason. The defense got better with the addition of Schmidt, while the forward group got some sandpaper with Tanev. But the move to get Peterka was monumental. They get a top-line talent on a solid deal. Further, it gives the Mammoth two lines of big-time scoring options. With an excellent group of top-six forwards consisting of Peterka, Schmaltz, Keller, Hayton, Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, the Mammoth will have two very dangerous lines in 2025-26. The group is also young. Schmaltz is the oldest of the bunch at 29, and is also the only one who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. The future is bright in Salt Lake City, and Peterka should be a major part of that for the foreseeable future.
