SALT LAKE CITY – Hockey has officially returned to the Wasatch front as the Utah Mammoth hosted the first day of rookie camp at their brand-new training facility in Sandy.
As the majority of their recent first-round picks and other top prospects took to the ice, spirits were incredibly high as the young skaters broke in the spectacular new space.
Here are three takeaways from day one of Utah’s rookie camp:
Players and staff rave about new Utah Mammoth practice facility at rookie camp
Despite being the newest team in the NHL, the Utah Mammoth may already have the nicest practice facility in the entire league.
Not only are the two ice sheets absolutely stunning, but the rest of the building is simply immaculate.
Unreal. pic.twitter.com/swbF428iYI
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
“To be an elite organization you have to have an elite training center and we do and we are very fortunate,” General Manager Bill Armstrong said.
“It’s truly a special place…Ryan & Ashley Smith crushed this…I do believe this is the best in the National Hockey League.”
Located at southeast end of The Shops at South Town, this new NHL training facility has been fully outfitted with the latest and greatest ice surfaces, training and medical facilities, team offices, a spectacular locker room and spaces for visiting teams.
Additionally, player’s will also have access to a fully equipped lounge space, kitchen, gym, recovery pools and a sauna amongst other areas.
Related: Take A First Look At The New Utah Mammoth Practice Facility In Sandy
As one can imagine, spirits were remarkably high at rookie camp as the young skaters were visibly giddy to be playing at such an elite facility.
Here come the boys in their new threads at the new Utah Mammoth practice facility. pic.twitter.com/KOnMxelXwe
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
“The facility is unreal,” Tij Iginla said. “It’s really cool. Definitely makes the day to day a little bit nicer…super grateful for what they’ve done here.”
As Ryan Smith promised, SEG went above and beyond to give the Mammoth players an elite new home.
Not only was it obvious today, but the NHL skaters are also overjoyed to have been provided with such an impactful asset.
Towering size is on the way as size and length are a common theme amongst Mammoth prospects
When you look at the Mammoth’s NHL roster, specifically their top six, size is very obviously lacking.
With an average height of roughly six feet amongst those top forwards, Utah clearly needs to get bigger and more physically assertive.
Take one look at the ice during rookie camp and it’s clear, size and physicality is in fact on the way.
When you look out onto the ice at rookie camp, the sheer size and length of Utah’s prospects jumps out at you.
For an NHL team that lacks size, especially in their top 6, it’s clearly on its way through the pipeline. pic.twitter.com/LMSLg8c7om
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
With players like Dmitriy Simashev, Maveric Lamoureux, Daniil But, Gabe Smith, Terrell Goldsmith, Tomas Lavoie and Max Psenicka, whose average size is almost 6-foot-5, the Mammoth are legitimately growing size within their prospect pool.
“I’ve got some tall buddies with me, so I am happy now,” Maveric Lamoureux said. “Bill definitely likes big boys. He likes tall players who are big and play like me. I think that’s what he’s trying to bring on for Utah in the future.”
For Utah, that’s huge, literally.
While they’re a very talented team with just as much skill as any NHL squad, size was an issue for them last season.
Sure, they beat plenty of teams with their finesse and speed, but they were also outhit most nights and struggled to push back in physical moments.
Looking ahead to the future, that shouldn’t be a problem too much longer as several of these towering prospects begin to push for NHL minutes with even more on the way.
Mammoth prospects are ready to start pushing as they add weight and become healthy
Stepping into year five of the rebuild, Utah now has a handful of former first-round draft picks who are beginning to knock on the door of seeing NHL minutes.
While Armstrong has been clear that But and Simashev will likely see time for the Mammoth this season, several other prospects will begin pushing even harder for a spot this fall.
Now, although it is important to note that But and Simashev will likely be the only young prospects to see NHL ice this season, that doesn’t mean that other players can’t push harder than before or even force the coaching staff to make some seriously tough decisions.
For a guy like Maveric Lamoureux who saw some time with the club last season due to some injuries on the back end, he too could have a solid chance to see even more this year, especially after adding 15 pounds of muscle.
According to the young defenseman, this summer was all about getting stronger as he adjusted his diet to intake roughly 5000 calories per day.
Lamoureux explains how he gained 15 pounds this summer: “Food doesn’t taste good for me. My diet was close to 5000 calories a day.”
“It was four meals, two shakes, snacks. I had an alarm on my phone. Breakfast at 6:30, 10:30, 12, 3, 5, 7, 9…it definitely paid off.” pic.twitter.com/MtVM0byGBv
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
For Lamoureux, thriving in the AHL this season is the most likely scenario and would allow him to develop a bit more before really having a chance to crack the roster.
However, nobody should be surprised if he pushes hard enough to show he’s ready a bit sooner.
“He did a phenomenal job when he played for us in the NHL. We’d like to see more of that.”
“He’s got to bring a physical presence; he’s got to be able to move the puck clean…& just be a really great shut down D for us…he’s got a chance.” Armstrong explained.
Lamoureux on how he can make Utah’s roster: “Battle every day…don’t think it’s going to be given to me but don’t think I don’t have my place here. I believe I can play for this team.”
“I got to be hard to play against defensively. I’ve got to be mean, I’ve got to be physical.” pic.twitter.com/nz4K0uB54t
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
Another player that’s been busy becoming “hockey strong” this summer is former 2024 first-round selection Cole Beaudoin.
While not as tall as Lamoureux, Beaudoin shared that he has gained approximately five to 10 pounds this offseason in an attempt be more of a physical threat on the ice.
“My main focus was to get hockey strong like Utah has been telling me…I’ve been putting on weight so at the next level I hopefully make the team,” Beaudoin noted.
Beaudoin confirmed that the photo of him on Instagram the other day was not photoshopped. Also said he’s gained 5-10 pounds.
“My main focus was to get hockey strong like Utah has been telling me…I’ve been putting on weight so at the next level I hopefully make the team.” pic.twitter.com/b1O0UGEvJJ
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
As a player who already battles intensely hard in the dirty areas and claws for every inch of ice, becoming bigger and stronger will only allow to thrive even more.
Similarly to Lamoureux, making the roster is likely a stretch as another year in the juniors would greatly benefit his game.
However, Beaudoin is also a player that’s getting closer and will likely put a lot of pressure on the coaches during training camp with his relentless non-stop motor.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address Tij Iginla and his status.
As of right now, Iginla is reportedly 100 percent healthy and to that point, was a full participant in all the drills.
Where does he excel?
In the offensive zone, and specifically, putting the puck in the back of the net.
Tij Iginla on the ice of the new Utah Mammoth practice facility 👀 pic.twitter.com/nPZWOe8JRy
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
Top cheddar snipe from Tij Iginla on a quick rush drill. Followed by some ooh’s and ahh’s from the rest of the prospects.
Might have the best release at the camp.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) September 10, 2025
For the young forward, rookie and training camp present a unique opportunity.
After missing the majority of those events last season and then undergoing dual hip surgery, rookie camp is the first time he’s skated fully healthy in some time.
What do the coaches want to see? His passion, playmaking, scoring and whether or not he’s ready to make the roster.
“We’ve watched him bomb around here for the last couple days and he’s got a little bit of fire in his belly and he’s eager to prove,” Armstrong said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do scoring wise, playing wise, & see if he can make our team.”
However, just like the other two prospects, he’s still probably not quite ready to put on a Mammoth sweater this season.
But, for all the young skaters, this is exactly what you want.
Immense competition, intense battles and tough decisions when final cuts come around.
For now, each of these guys will take the new few weeks to work on their game and who knows?
Maybe one of them will surprise us all.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
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