2026 Season Preview: Utah Mammoth
The Mammoth took a big step last season, but are they capable of building on that to become a contender in the Central Division?
The Utah Mammoth were one of those teams that weren’t expected to make the playoffs, but were a common pick for a team that could surprise some people and squeeze into the postseason. Sure enough, that’s exactly what they did.
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 43-33-6
Postseason Results: Lost 4-2 to Vegas
A total of 92 points for fourth in the Central Division is rather impressive for a team that nobody expected that much from, especially when you consider that one of their best players in Logan Cooley was limited to just 54 games because of injury. An over-a-point-per-game season from Clayton Keller, a 40 goal campaign from Dylan Guenther, a career year from Nick Schmaltz, and solid depth scoring up and down the lineup made up for it, and resulted in a promising run for the rebranded Arizona Coyotes.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
A couple of big changes here in Utah, and I feel that you can have an honest debate about whether they actually improved or not. If we’re talking about who these players could and should be on paper, losing J.J. Peterka and Sean Durzi for older players isn’t the best trade-off. However, given the type of team Utah is trying to be—and the amount of young stars they already have—it’s a trade-off they can certainly stomach.
Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee bring leadership and experience to a team that can absolutely benefit from it, and will play key roles in helping this team remain a playoff team. Andrew Peeke is not on the same level as Durzi, but could be an underrated replacement. They get a bit younger at depth positions with Sebastian Cossa and Zac Jones, but also lose veterans Ian Cole, Alex Kerfoot, and Vitek Vanacek.
