Hats of all kinds rained down onto the ice for the first time at Delta Center, thanks to a remarkable showing from Nick Schmaltz, who secured Utah’s first home hat trick in a 6–3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
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Though it was Schmaltz’s second career NHL hat trick, it was only the second ever in Utah Mammoth history and the first to have tossing their own hats onto the ice. Schmaltz joins Barrett Hayton as the only players to register a hat trick for the Mammoth, with Hayton’s coming last year on the road against the Kings.
“It was awesome, especially [with] our home fans,” said Schamtlz. “And shout out to my grandpa. He’s watched me play two times now in Arizona and here and he’s seen a hat trick both times. It’s pretty cool, it’s special to have him here.”
Unfortunately, Schmaltz wasn’t able to secure one of his goal pucks to give to grandpa, but able to delivering a historic hat trick performance was already quite the entertaining gift.
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It was an impressive showing from Schmaltz, made even more gratifying by the fact that all of his goals came from looks he had been getting in previous games.
Before his outburst against the Sharks, Schmaltz had yet to score a goal this season, entering the game with only three assists. Considering the number of Grade-A chances and power play looks he had been getting, it was a surprise he hadn’t found the back of the net yet.
But against San Jose, those same shots finally went in, with the most important coming on Utah’s two-man advantage.
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Through Utah’s first four games, Schmaltz has consistently sat net front in the middle of the ice on power plays. But as all Utah Mammoth fans know, power play goals have been hard to come by, with Utah going just 1-for-16 with the man advantage.
So for Schmaltz to score his first goal on the power play positioned in a similar way was not only important for his own offense—it was critical to the Mammoth’s power play scheme.
“Honestly, since the start of the season, he’s been playing really good,” said André Tourigny. ” He’s had a lot of opportunity… So it was only a matter of time.”
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Utah’s season total on the power play may still be just 2-for-20, but the Mammoth look more on track. And thanks to the mammoth performance from Schmaltz, Utah’s offense is beginning to awaken as well.
Along with Schmaltz, three other Utah players also registered their first goals of the season against the Sharks. Joining Schmaltz were Michael Carcone, Clayton Keller—with Schmaltz assisting, of course—and none other than fan favorite Liam O’Brien, who notched his first goal since the team moved to Utah.
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Momentum was fully on Utah’s side after Schmaltz gave the Mammoth a 2–0 lead in the first period. The team was drawing penalties and aggressively taking the puck away from the Sharks.
But after a sudden second-period burst saw San Jose tie the game in just 1:50 of game time, the momentum had completely vanished for the Mammoth… that is, until Liam O’Brien capitalized on a critical error from Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov.
“There’s a little sense of relief,” said O’Brien. “Took longer than I wanted, but felt good, and I’m just happy we got the win too.”
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O’Brien’s goal first Utah goal was important as it stole all momentum San Jose had gained in the second period and clearly swung back to Utah in the third when it added three more goals to the score.
“I think for me, it was proving that I can be put in an uncomfortable situation, like last year I didn’t play for almost two to three months, and they threw me in in Edmonton, at the last minute,” said O’Brien. “So I think it’s just proving that I can play in these situations, and I feel like I was okay tonight. I have another level for sure in my game, but I think as the game went on, I felt more and more comfortable.”
Oct 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth center Liam O’Brien (38) celebrates after scoring his first Utah Mammoth goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Delta Center. Â (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
And if the Mammoth game wasn’t already entertaining enough for fans, Logan Cooley certainly brought the crowd to life with his second-period entanglement with San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, which sparked a full-on brawl.
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Five total penalties were handed out—including a 10-minute misconduct to rookie Dmitri Simashev for his response to Vincent Desharnais—but the loudest cheers came when Cooley shoved Celebrini to the ice.
Oct 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) and Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) fight during the second period at Delta Center. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
After picking up a win against San Jose, Utah is now 2–0 at home and sits at six points in the standings.
Better yet, it heads into its next game against the Boston Bruins looking like a team capable of combining high-powered offense with lockdown defense. If Utah can consistently deliver these kinds of complementary performances, it will be on track for playoff hockey.
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But for now, Utah will need to be ready for a tough test when the Boston Bruins come to town this Sunday, Oct. 19. It will be a big challenge for Utah’s defense, as the Bruins have yet to play a game where they score fewer than three goals.