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Utah Mammoth's 2024-25 Report Cards: Kailer Yamamoto - The Hockey Writers Utah Mammoth Latest News, Analysis & More



The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks. With the season in the books, it's time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons.

Source: https://thehockeywriters.com/utah-mammoths-2024-25-report-cards-kailer-yamamoto/
 
Utah Mammoth make their first stop in Park City



Last year, Utah's NHL team, then named the Utah Hockey Club, stopped in Park City a couple of times for a prospect camp and practice. Defenseman Sean Durzi and general manager Bill Armstrong gushed about the town's warm reception, saying they'd be excited to return in the future. Tuesday afternoon, the team indeed returned to town, now as the Utah Mammoth. Park City was stop three of a seven-stop Utah tour known as “Mammoth Week.”

Source: https://www.parkrecord.com/2025/08/01/utah-mammoth-make-their-first-stop-in-park-city/
 
Offseason grades: Utah Mammoth



Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong has repeatedly made it known that “winning the summer” means nothing to him if it doesn't translate into success in the winter — but like it or not, he's had a pretty good summer. The Mammoth had a lot of middle-six forwards and bottom-four defensemen — too many to keep long-term. As beloved as Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring were in Utah, JJ Peterka's ceiling is probably much higher than either of theirs, meaning this was an upgrade.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/08/02/utah-mammoth-offseason-grades/
 
What Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller has been doing during the NHL offseason



Clayton Keller is a product of a local commitment to grow hockey. The Utah Mammoth captain — and Chesterfield, Missouri, native — was one of the five players selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft who were brought up through the St. Louis youth hockey system. The burst of talent from the area was fueled by the commitment of former Blues players, like Keith Tkachuk, Jeff Brown and Al MacInnis, to stay within the community and develop kids to the next level. Following the Mammoth's inaugural season in Salt Lake City, Keller is hoping to make a similar impact as one of the faces of the league's newest franchise.

Source: https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-hockey-club/2025/08/03/what-utah-mammoth-captain-clayton/
 
Why Logan Cooley should NOT sign yet



No matter what happens, Logan Cooley is about to become an extremely rich man — he and his family will have the means to live comfortably for generations — but his plan of attack when it comes to his next contract negotiation will determine just how many beach houses and supercars he can afford. Utah Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong subscribes to the evermore popular theory that when you believe in a young player, you should sign him as soon as you can for as long as you can. Armstrong's most notable example of this was Dylan Guenther, whom he gave an eight-year deal before even playing a full NHL season. Cooley already has two full NHL seasons behind him.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/08/04/logan-cooley-contract-negotiation/
 
Utah Mammoth Prospect Reko Alanko Faces First Test in Pitsiturnaus Tournament



Pitsiturnaus is Rauma's annual preseason hockey festival that brings six teams together every August in Kivikylän Areena. First held in 1993 as part of the city's Lace Week celebrations, it has grown into a must-see event where Liiga clubs and invited guests test new lineups and give fans an early look at the season ahead. On the other side of the pond, the Utah Mammoth are in the middle of their own rebuild. This year, they drafted Reko Alanko 182nd overall and will be tracking his development closely as they look to assemble a core that can challenge for years to come.

Source: https://thehockeywriters.com/utah-m...-faces-first-test-in-pitsiturnaus-tournament/
 
Utah Mammoth making good on goal to expand youth hockey



The Utah Mammoth is hosting youth hockey camps statewide to help expand the sport's reach. Camps vary in cost and format, with some, like the one held in Riverdale Tuesday, allowing kids to keep gear they receive. RIVERDALE, Weber County — The Utah Mammoth are making good on a goal to bring hockey to more kids across the state. The Utah Mammoth street hockey clinic on Tuesday in Riverdale is teaching kids hockey drills and skills, and kids got some real time playing against each other.

Source: https://www.ksl.com/article/51356562/utah-mammoth-making-good-on-goal-to-expand-youth-hockey
 
Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Patrik Laine

The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/projecting-sabres-trade-cost-patrik-160428393.html
 
1 move Utah Mammoth should've made in 2025 NHL offseason



The Utah Mammoth had an active offseason. Firstly, they have a name now, dumping Utah Hockey Club in favor of the new moniker. And then, they made a trade for former Sabres forward JJ Peterka and signed him to an extension. But the Mammoth should have done more to improve their offense through a trade for either Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Mammoth did more than just the Peterka trade this offseason. They had already extended Sean Durzi, Olli Matta, and Karel Vajelmka at the trade deadline. In the summer, they signed Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek from the Florida Panthers to bring veteran experience to the locker room. They were also interested in Brad Marchand,

Source: https://clutchpoints.com/nhl/utah-mammoth/1-move-utah-mammoth-shouldve-made-in-2025-nhl-offseason
 
Who's winning the Mikhail Sergachev trade?



Utah Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong made the biggest splash of anyone at the 2024 NHL Draft when he acquired star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning. What did Utah give up in the Mikhail Sergachev trade? The trade saw Sergachev add black to the blue and white that he'd become accustomed to wearing in Tampa. In return, the Lightning secured top prospect Conor Geekie, defenseman JJ Moser, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/08/08/utah-mammoth-mikhail-sergachev-trade-one-year-later/
 
This Utah author interviewed 65 NHL broadcasters. Here's what they have to say



Utah-born author Kirk McKnight capitalized on that, writing a book after interviewing 65 NHL broadcasters, past and present. McKnight's goal was to focus on the “crazy, zany and bloody parts of hockey, to make it a lot more interesting,” he told the Deseret News in an interview, and it's all told from the perspective of people who talk for a living: the broadcasters. One example, which can be heard for free via audio sample on Apple Books and Google Play, is a story told by Bob Costas, who primarily broadcasted other sports over his lifetime but started his career in minor league hockey in 1973. Costas shared the story of a series of fights breaking out on the ice, then in the stands, then mixing and turning into all-out mayhem.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/08/09/voices-of-hockey-book-kirk-mcknight/
 
NHL Summer Splash Rankings: No. 9 Utah Mammoth



TheHockeyNews.com’s exclusive summer splash series continues, as we rate the off-season of every NHL team. In these rankings, we’re looking at each team’s additions, departures, hirings and firings – and from there, we’re slotting them into one of three categories: (1) teams that have improved over the summer, (2) teams that have regressed, and (3) teams that are somewhere in the middle of those two categories.

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nhl-summer-splash-rankings-no-231238517.html
 
5 Mammoth players who could surprise in 2025-26



For example, did anyone expect Karel Vejmelka to be as impactful as he was for the Utah Mammoth last season? With that in mind, here are a few Mammoth who could surprise people next season, based on the public's expectations versus their respective abilities to impact the game. It was only three seasons ago that Vítek Vaněček backstopped the New Jersey Devils to a second-round playoff berth.

Source: https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/08/10/utah-mammoth-potential-risers-2025-26/
 
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