The Utah Mammoth held their development camp last week to get a closer look at their prospects and introduce them to the NHL system. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s group included 32 players \u2014 14 forwards, 13 defensemen and five goaltenders. There were two days of on-ice sessions separated by position and a 4-on-4 scrimmage to close out the event. <\/p>\n
Here are the main storylines you should know about: <\/p>\n
1. Caleb Desnoyers arrives in Salt Lake City<\/p>\n
After getting selected fourth overall by the Utah Mammoth on June 28, Caleb Desnoyers<\/a> landed in Salt Lake City the very next day for the start of development camp. The 18-year-old had been in Utah the week before for a secret pizza dinner with general manager Bill Armstrong<\/a>, but now it was official. Desnoyers was a Mammoth. <\/p>\n He walked into his first official news conference with an obvious confidence. It is one of the reasons Utah wanted Desnoyers. He has a winning mentality. <\/p>\n \u201cFirst thing my coach … told me last year is that one thing you can\u2019t buy in the hockey world is experience,\u201d Desnoyers said. \u201cSo far in my young career, I\u2019ve had the chance to be a winner, so it\u2019s something that you bring with you and a mentality that you develop through experience.\u201d <\/p>\n (Damian Dovarganes | AP) Caleb Desnoyers, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the Utah Mammoth during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Desnoyers and the Moncton Wildcats won the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League championship last season. Desnoyers \u2014 who is a 6-foot-2, 178-pound center \u2014 had 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 19 playoff games en route to the trophy. The performance earned him the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the league\u2019s postseason MVP.<\/p>\n If Desnoyers returns to the QMJHL next year, he already has the captaincy, Moncton announced in June. He could also take the college hockey route and skate in the NCAA. Or Desnoyers could make the Mammoth out of training camp. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll see what it takes to make the NHL. My goal right now is to surprise everyone and make the team next year. I\u2019m the first person to realize how tough and hard it\u2019s going to be, but I\u2019m the first person also to do everything it will take,\u201d Desnoyers said. \u201cI\u2019m a big person who trusts the people around him \u2014 agents, family and with the organization here \u2014 we\u2019ll take the best decision.\u201d <\/p>\n (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Goal Keeper Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko defends during Utah Mammoth development camp in Park City, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
<\/p>\n There was some concern around the wrist injuries Desnoyers had been playing with since November, ahead of the draft. However, Armstrong said no surgery is necessary. Desnoyers participated in both on-ice forward sessions during Utah\u2019s development camp; however, he did not play in the four-on-four scrimmage. <\/p>\n \u201cFeeling great. Had a good rest after the long season and taking care of some little stuff that\u2019s going on with the body,\u201d Desnoyers said. \u201cFully energized.\u201d <\/p>\n 2. Cole Beaudoin turns heads <\/p>\n Cole Beaudoin<\/a> came into development camp visibly larger than last year. The 6-foot-2, 209-pound center committed to bettering himself both on the ice and in the weight room last season in the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts, and it is starting to pay off. <\/p>\n \u201cHis work ethic jumps off the chart for me. He\u2019s always been strong. You can tell he\u2019s putting work in the gym to turn that strength into hockey strength, as we call it,\u201d said Lee Stempniak, who is the director of player development. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a non-stop motor and never gives up. You can see the way he plays \u2014 he\u2019s a big, strong guy, he\u2019s hard on the puck. Now it\u2019s getting to the point where that strength is coming in where he\u2019s really tough to contain.\u201d <\/p>\n (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Cole Beaudoin (24) listens to instructions during Utah Mammoth development camp in Park City, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
<\/p>\n Beaudoin, an alternate captain on the team, posted 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) in 52 games for the Colts and took pride in his two-way play. It seems he knows, and has assurance in, who he is as a forward. It was shown in Utah; Beaudoin earned the Excellence Award at the end of the week. <\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot. Kind of like I\u2019ve always been saying, just day after day putting in the work. For them to recognize that, it means a lot. It\u2019s not going to stop. I\u2019m going to keep working hard this summer so that I can make the team,\u201d Beaudoin said. \u201cIt\u2019s just working hard and playing my game. Not changing a single thing about how I am off the ice, how I am on the ice. That\u2019s a culture piece I have \u2014 trying to push everyone in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n The 19-year-old was the 24th overall (first round) selection of Utah in the 2024 NHL Draft. Beaudoin stuck around longer than expected at last year\u2019s training camp. He will make another serious push this time around. <\/p>\n 3. Dmitri Simashev shows his potential <\/p>\n When asked who their favorite player to skate with at development camp was, multiple prospects said Dmitri Simashev<\/a>. Not a shocking answer, but it no doubt emphasizes the anticipation around the defenseman who signed his entry-level contract in May. <\/p>\n Simasehv \u2014 who was the 2023 sixth-overall pick \u2014 is coming off of winning the Kontinental Hockey League championship with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and is officially transitioning his game to the North American style. <\/p>\n Stempniak noticed how Simashev\u2019s puck play improved at development camp. In the KHL, Simashev was committed to a more defensive defenseman\u2019s responsibilities. However, the Mammoth will want him to lean into his offensive instincts. <\/p>\n \u201cHe had more poise with the puck this year than last year, where he was willing to let the play develop a little bit and then distribute it,\u201d Stempniak said. \u201cIt is fun to see because you never know. He\u2019s a young guy in the KHL on a championship team, so the expectations were a bit different, his role was a bit different. Like I said \u2014 I think he has a higher ceiling than we\u2019ve seen and we\u2019re going to push him to get there.\u201d <\/p>\n (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dmitri Simashev during Utah Mammoth development camp in Park City, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.\n <\/p>\n Simashev said he wants to improve his shot and is getting pointers from, arguably, Utah\u2019s best defenseman, Mikhail Sergachev<\/a>. Simashev has been training with Sergachev and Alexander Romanov (New York Islanders) back in their home country of Russia. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s my buddy, actually,\u201d Simashev said. \u201cJust enjoy the process and work on your details. [Sergachev] said you know a lot, but you will come to the U.S. and you will know more.\u201d <\/p>\n It has also helped that Simashev has his teammate Daniil But by his side. But \u2014 the forward who went 12th overall in 2023 \u2014 was also at development camp and signed his ELC the same day as Simashev. The two have played together for the last five years, between the Russian U16 and U17 teams as well as the MHL and KHL. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery day we want to talk in Russian, our language. For Daniil \u2014 he knows English but not good like me,\u201d Simashev said. \u201cI\u2019ve known Daniil since I was like 13, since I was a kid. We are best friends.\u201d <\/p>\n 4. Tij Iginla feels closer to 100%<\/p>\n