🎙️ Summer Coolers – Utah Mammoth | New Name, New Home, Same Expectations
the Utah Mammoth. So, before we start talking the team and the players, the new market and all this other stuff, they were the Utah hockey club a year ago. They’re the Utah Mammoth now. And I’ve got to know some of the quirks and the likes and dislikes that you have, Neil. And one of the aversions that you have are teams that don’t end with the letter S. And so of the six finalists for the eventual team name and of course they end up as the Mammoth. The other five contenders were to keep Utah Hockey Club, the Blizzard, Outlaws, Venom, and the Yeti. So, is it safe to say that given your preference of the letter S that your nickname of choice was going to be the Outlaws? Oh, absolutely. And I said that on Utah radio. I said I want an S at the end of that. There are a number of teams in the league now that have that do not have an S at the end. There’s the Avalanche, the Wild, the Lightning, and there’s and I’m probably not remembering a few others. The Kraken. I’m old school. I like the original six all had an S at the end or have an S at the end. And I just like to see an S. I I find it hard to think that Clayton Keller walks around Salt Lake City and says, “I’m a mammoth.” I like you you walk around New York, you say I’m a ranger or walk around Toronto, I’m a leaf. Even I’m a blue. I’m one of the blues, but I’m one of the mammoth. Anyway, do you like the logo at least with the woolly mammoth, the profile, the tusks? I guess so. I Yeah, sure. It’s a little bit It’s a little bit like the team we’re going to talk about after the Mammoths and their logo. meaning the prehistoric saber-tooth tiger. But we are really digressing here. So, let’s jump into a team that I think has a lot of promise. And they finished last season sixth in Central 89 points, but probably the biggest bugaboo that they had was an 1815 and eight mark at home. And if we’re doing real math, that’s 23 losses in 41 home games. And that was essentially the difference between them really knocking at the door and them ending up on the fringes. Yeah, there that certainly was. And that was talked about a lot. Why their home record wasn’t as good as it had been the year before when they played in that little band box in Phoenix, the Mullet Arena where the college team plays. That’s something that Coach Torney is going to have to look at and try to figure that out because you can lose on the road and your fans don’t get mad. They don’t like you losing at home. Yeah. Where they’re watching it. So, that’s one thing that Utah’s got to get turned around. And I think for this club also, it’s time because they’ve missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons and 12 out of 13 years, including their time back in Arizona. They do make a very significant offensive acquisition, picking up right-wing JJ Purka. They trade with the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Josh Stone and Michael Kessle ring. Beta then turns around and signs as an RFA for five years at 7.7 EV. They also bring in leftwing Brandon Tan is a UFA from Winnipeg. Scott Peronovich, defenseman that was not qualified by the New York Islanders. and a pair from the defending champion Panthers. Defenseman Nate Schmidt, three years, three and a half million on average and backup goalender for Carol Vla. VTEC Vanichek signed for one year and 1.5 million. So you got a little bit championship pedigree there and I thought that was pretty significant. Then in addition, players that they managed to resign from their own organization, pending UFA’s Kaylor Yamamoto and defenseman Nick D. Simone, and also left-wing Michael Carone. And terms of RFA’s center Jack McBain, who you may remember probably had his biggest piece of notoriety last year because he was the player that collided with Alex Ovetkin and broke Oie’s leg. Yeah. And that was really a unfortunate situation. And Obie never thought that the guy did it on purpose. They just happened to hit legs together right at center ice. I remember that obviously Ovetchkin came back no worse for wear when he did rejoin the Capitals, but this is an organization and a team that’s got to get into the playoffs. Not necessarily this year, but they better be banging on the door this year. They got to be banging on the door. They got a coach in Andre Torres who’s never made the playoffs coaching their team and he’s going into his fifth season. And it’s tough in the NHL to get it five seasons as a head coach and never make the playoffs. I think Bill Armstrong is going to have a short leash here because he’s put a lot of pieces in place. They really didn’t lose a lot. Addition to Don and Kessering, who we said before, Matias Michelli was traded to Toronto for a third round pick in 2027. And we had just mentioned that Nick Buchad signed as a UFA with the St. Louis Blues and Robert Bortuso who has not officially retired but he’s not expected to come back on the Utah backline. But I look at the personnel on this club and I see a coach that has four full seasons under his belt now. And how many of those coaches failed to make the playoffs each of those years and still keep their job? So I believe Trees got to get this club off to a good start or I could see a change by Thanksgiving in Utah. That could very well happen. The only thing that you got to remember though, Vic, is that Bill Armstrong and Torres go back to Phoenix days together. So it’s they’ve been together quite a while and it’s not as if Bill Armstrong acquired Toura from a previous regime. One of the things that we really need to touch on is the Utah goalending and let’s go back a year. Connor Ingram was supposed to be the hair apparent to be the number one. Carol Vila was his backup. They were going to try to give it to Ingram. It didn’t work. Ingram had some issues, off ice issues that were disturbing him and got him off his game. He ended up going into an assistance program, not for drugs and alcohol, but for some other situations that he had. Vamela, Carol Vilka played very well for Utah when he came in and took over as number one. And I guess because of that’s why they signed VTEC Vanichek to make sure that they had two capable goalies all year long because they can’t trust that Ingram will be there. And I’m not criticizing him or saying anything that he’s done is wrong or bad. I’m just saying when you go through a year like they had last year and he completely leaves a team, you got to be worried starting this season. So that’s why they’ve got the three. What impresses you about this forward group? Because I think there’s a lot to like here. And when I went through this team and I did the research, so much of Utah looks a lot like St. Louis to me just in terms of the amount of depth that they have both on forward and defense. I think they’re a younger team. I really like the Peturka move by Bill Armstrong bringing him in. I think that was I don’t understand Buffalo trading Purka. I really don’t. I like Clayton Keller. He’s a upandcomer budding star. Dylan Gunther can shoot the puck a ton. Logan Culie is a good centerman for them. After that, they don’t have real great offensive weapons other than Peturka Schmaltz Payton and are okay. Lawson and Crows and you can go on through the rest of them. They’re the bottom six and they’re not real great scorers. You get some good offensive efforts out of their defense. When you talk about Sergachef, who they brought in from Tampa, Ole Mata can do some offensive things. I really like the Nate Schmidt signing. I thought he was fabulous for Florida in the playoffs. And how do they compare to St. Louis? I think they’re younger than St. Louis and they’re going to be right in there and they got to be banging at the door as we said. Yeah. My only suggestion was that it just like looks on paper to me that the structure of the teams, their composition is somewhat similar. And I think as you made the point, I think they’re going to be banging heads for one of those two wild card spots. Couple of prospects to look for. TJ Gindla center was the sixth overall pick in 2024 and 32 points in 21 games and was a plus 18 for Colona in the Western League last year and he’s of course is the son of Hall of Famer Jerome Gidla and also goender to look out for Michael Robble who split his time last year actually the last couple of seasons between the Czech under 20 league and UMass Amherst. He’s got a potential to crack into that lineup perhaps later in the year. Yeah. So, you got to look and you know what, this is a young organization that’s trying to build the right way. They’re trying to build it through the draft and player development. And so, that wouldn’t surprise me if one of those guys could either again or the goalender could show up in Utah. I’m looking forward to this year now that the adjustment has been made, the players are entrenched in the community, and now they should enjoy all the comforts of home, which obviously they didn’t do in year one in Salt Lake City. No, they didn’t enjoy winning in Salt Lake City, but from what I hear from everybody, it’s a great place to play, and Salt Lake is getting used to having a major league hockey team, and that’s going to take a while.
In this Summer Coolers edition of NHL Wraparound, Neil Smith and Vic Morren break down the newly renamed Utah Mammoth—formerly the Utah Hockey Club—who enter their first season with a permanent identity and rising expectations.
Despite a rebrand and a new home in Salt Lake City, the pressure remains: make the playoffs for the first time in six years. With a talented forward group, fresh additions on defense, and three NHL-level goaltenders, this team may be young—but they’re no longer rebuilding.
🧊 IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00] Why Neil hates team names without an “S”
[01:00] From Arizona to Utah: A franchise reset
[02:30] 23 home losses last season: What gives?
[03:00] Offseason moves: JJ Peterka trade, Schmidt, Vaněček, Timmons
[04:15] Peterka re-signs (5 years, $7.7M AAV)
[05:00] Returning core: Keller, Schmaltz, Gunther, Cooley, Crouse
[06:00] Goaltending shuffle: Vejmelka, Vaněček, and Ingram
[07:00] Coach Tourigny’s last shot? Playoffs or bust
[08:30] Depth chart resembles St. Louis Blues: Is that a good thing?
[09:30] Young guns: Tij Iginla + Michael Hrabal prospect watch
[10:00] Locker room chemistry, community support, and the road ahead
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
JJ Peterka is a huge addition, giving Utah much-needed top-six scoring and grit.
Goalie situation is crowded but upgraded: Vaněček adds stability behind Vejmelka and the uncertain Connor Ingram.
Defense is deeper with Nate Schmidt, Olli Määttä, and Scott Perunovich joining the mix.
Utah’s home record must improve (18–15–8 last year), especially with a passionate Salt Lake fanbase now fully engaged.
Coach André Tourigny is on the hot seat: This will be his fifth year without a playoff appearance—rare for any NHL bench boss.
🎯 FINAL WORD:
With a fresh brand and a full NHL arena, the Utah Mammoth are no longer an experiment—they’re a team with expectations. The playoff drought has to end, or sweeping changes may come next season. Between a hungry fanbase, solid core, and new energy, this team could make noise in the West—but only if they start strong.
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🏒 HASHTAGS
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