The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.
With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Egor Sokolov.
Last Season
Sokolov started the 2023-24 season with the Belleville Senators in the AHL after failing to make the Ottawa Senators’ main roster. He scored his first goal of the season in his second game and recorded eight points in his first 12 games.
In December, Sokolov went on a three-game goal streak. Later that month, he went on a five-game point streak. A two-point night against the Toronto Marlies would be the first of four multipoint games for Sokolov in the next couple of weeks, including a two-goal outing against the Manitoba Moose.
With five points in his final five games of the season, Sokolov helped the Senators clinch the fourth spot in the North Division. In the first round, the Senators beat the Marlies in three games to win their first-ever playoff series. Sokolov had one assist in the series.
In the second round, Sokolov opened up the series for the Senators by scoring the first goal of the game against the Cleveland Monsters. He also assisted on the game-tying goal for his team in Game 2 that sent the two into overtime, which the Monsters eventually won.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Dylan Guenther
Sokolov capped off his playoff run with an assist on the lone Senators’ goal in Game 4, but the Monsters eventually won the game 3-1 to win the series 3-1 and eliminate the Senators.
In 71 regular-season games, Sokolov had 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points. His 21 goals tied his career high set in the previous season. It also placed him second on the Senators, right behind Angus Crookshank. His 46 points tied him with Crookshank for second on the team. Sokolov also led the Senators in power-play goals with 10.
After four seasons within the Senators organization, Sokolov was traded. In July, he was shipped off to Utah for Jan Jeník. He was signed to a one-year, two-way contract a couple of days later.
This Season
Sokolov was sent down to Tucson late into training camp. He didn’t wait long to impress in his new threads, scoring the Roadrunners’ first goal of the season in a loss to the Colorado Eagles.
His season-opening goal started a six-game point streak, where Sokolov tallied eight points, five of which were goals. Two of those goals ended up being game winners. He was named the AHL Player of the Week on Oct. 28 and was the first Roadrunner to receive that honor since October 2022.
🏆AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK🏆@RoadrunnersAHL forward Egor Sokolov has been named @TheAHL‘s Player of the Week after a four-goal weekend and two game-winning goals🚨#AHL #LetsGoTucson #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/bNaqjv7qe1
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) October 28, 2024
After his point streak ended in game seven, Sokolov proceeded to score six points in the next three games. His offense was dialed back a little bit after his first 10 games, but he still produced well. In January, he had a four-game point streak. In February, Sokolov scored three goals in a series against the Rockford IceHogs.
Sokolov did struggle throughout the final couple of games in the season. He only had three points in his final 10 games, but one of those points did come in the playoff-clinching win against the Eagles.
Egor Sokolov, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)
In 72 games, Sokolov had 44 points, which placed him third on the Roadrunners. His 22 goals, a career high for him, were second best on the team. His seven power-play goals tied him with Andrew Agozzino for first place on the Roadrunners. He was also tied with Cameron Hebig for second place in game-winning goals.
Something Sokolov improved on during the season was the amount of time he spent in the penalty box. In the prior season, he had 69 penalty minutes. However, during this season, Sokolov only had 16 penalty minutes, allowing him to spend more time on the ice. His two-way play has continued to be questionable, though, after finishing the season as a minus-20, by far the worst on the Roadrunners.
In the playoffs, Sokolov failed to register a single assist as the Roadrunners were swept by the Canucks. He finished the series as a minus-2.
The Future
With the completion of the 2024-25 season, Sokolov is now an unrestricted free agent. The question of whether the Mammoth should or shouldn’t bring him back is an interesting one, though.
Sokolov was the best goal scorer on the Roadrunners this season, besides maybe Kailer Yamamoto. He’s a very good offensive player in the AHL, especially on the power play, and comes up big in clutch moments. On the flip side, his defensive play has not been the best throughout his career, and like many Roadrunners, Sokolov did not do much in the playoffs.
An intriguing question to be asked about Sokolov is if the Mammoth considered calling him up to the NHL this season. Based on his offensive stats alone, especially his wicked start, you have to say he had to be at least considered for a call-up. It’s not like he doesn’t have NHL experience either. He’s played 13 games in the NHL in his career, all with the Senators.
However, Sokolov just completed another season where he scored 20-plus goals and 40-plus points in the AHL, and for the second straight season, he didn’t get a single NHL appearance. Do NHL teams have no faith in him because of his lack of two-way play?
Whatever the case is, Sokolov is about to turn 25. His time to become a full-time NHLer is likely almost over. At this point in his career, he has to make a decision. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Roadrunners offer him an AHL contract, but an NHL contract with the Mammoth is debatable. It wouldn’t be surprising if a rebuilding NHL team offers him a two-way contract and gives him one more shot in the NHL, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if he gets offers from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Sokolov’s future is intriguing. If you ask me, after his great season with the Roadrunners, he deserves one last shot in the NHL. It honestly should’ve been given to him during this season after Utah was eliminated from the playoffs, but as mentioned with Hebig, for some reason, management decided not to change up their roster much.
It will be interesting to see if the Mammoth extend Sokolov. As of right now, it feels like it could go either way, but as they sign more and more prospects who are expected to make the NHL, it seems more and more like Sokolov won’t be returning.
Final Grade
There were a lot of highs for Sokolov throughout his first season with the Roadrunners. He reached a new career high in goals, worked on reducing his penalty minutes, and had another solid AHL season, marking three consecutive seasons where he has reached the 20-goal and 40-point plateau.
However, his plus/minus stats are still jarring to look at. He was questionable at best in his own zone, and it could be a reason why NHL teams hesitate to call him up. Having one bad plus/minus season could be considered a fluke. Having one of the worst plus/minus stats throughout your whole career on multiple different teams that have made the playoffs does show there is something to improve on.
Overall, Sokolov is getting a B for this season. It was a successful campaign in the AHL for him, and he should’ve gotten a call-up to the NHL for playing a critical role in helping the Roadrunners make the playoffs. He’s a highly talented offensive player, and it would’ve been interesting to see if he fit into the Mammoth’s system more than he did with the Senators and his 13 games with them.
While Sokolov’s future is unknown at this point, everyone knows what he needs to work on. Wherever he goes, it seems like that will be the issue that will continue to follow him. However, he would be a smart pick-up for any AHL team looking for an elite scorer and perhaps an NHL team who needs an extra forward in case of injuries, where he could potentially finally prove he belongs somewhere in the NHL.
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