SALT LAKE CITY — Logan Cooley is just getting started in Utah.
The 21-year-old third overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft signed an eight-year, $80 million contract extension Wednesday with the Utah Mammoth to remain in the Beehive State through 2033.
“Choosing to play with this group of teammates was the easiest part of this decision, and living in Utah has been amazing since day one,” Logan Cooley said. “We have an opportunity to do something special here thanks to the incredible people in the organization. This is an awesome day for me and my family, and I am proud to commit to the state of Utah and to the Mammoth.”
The deal makes Cooley the highest-paid player on the Mammoth with an average annual value of $10 million, which the young forward has backed up with eight goals through 11 games this season, good for the second-most in the NHL.
Cooley scored the second hat trick of his three-year NHL career last week in St. Louis and followed it up with two goals in the first period just two days later against the Minnesota Wild.
The hot start to the season could have the Pittsburgh native knocking on the door of the U.S. Olympic team ahead of the Milano Cortina games in February, as Cooley joins Las Vegas’ Jack Eichel and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor as one of the highest-earning Americans in the NHL.
Cooley is now one of three Mammoth players signed through at least the 2030 season, joining defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and fellow forward and line-mate Dylan Guenther.
“(Logan) is one of the most exciting young players in the league, and the fact that he’s chosen to plant roots here in Utah says everything about what we’re building,” owner Ryan Smith said. “He is part of an incredible core of young players that will have a major impact on the future of this franchise.
“Utah is a place where the community shows up, where the energy is through the roof and where players know they can win,” Smith continued. “Logan choosing to put his roots down here and commit for the long-term is another important milestone in building a championship-caliber team.”
Cooley’s eight goals have Utah leading the Western Conference and Central Division through 11 games, coming off a franchise-best seven-game win streak that was snapped on Tuesday in Edmonton. The team returns to Utah for a home game at the Delta Center on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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