\u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Hockey is all about creating odd-man situations.<\/p>\n As fast as the game is and with so little space, man advantages often create premier scoring opportunities.<\/p>\n Generally, that makes scoring shorthanded nearly impossible as teams will spend the majority of the two minutes fighting for their lives to simply keep the puck out of their own net.<\/p>\n However, occasionally, a well-executed play by a PK unit can flip the script and light the lamp at the other end which is exactly how Utah kept themselves in the contest early on.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat jump by Colesy off the draw,\u201d Crouse said. \u201cDid a great job sucking coverage down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe talk about when we get looks on PK\u2019s, not selling the farm. So, just trying to be a little bit patient. Colesy made an incredible play to me, and I saw Stenny driving back door. Just had to beat one guy and make the pass over so it worked out well.\u201d<\/p>\n After Stenlund won the initial draw in Utah\u2019s zone, Cole beat his man to gain possession of the puck which then kickstarted a 3-on-2 the other direction.<\/p>\n From there, the Mammoth played it perfectly as Cole dumped it off to Crouse who split the defense, waited for Philip Grubauer to bite and then fed Stenlund on the doorstep for an easy tap-in.<\/p>\n Again, it wasn\u2019t a bad start by any means as they found the back of the net early, but that goal proved to be critical as they weathered another slow start while facing an onslaught of shots by the opposition.<\/p>\n Lawson Crouse is playing some of the best hockey of his career for the Mammoth<\/p>\n After back-to-back years with 40 plus points in Arizona, last season was certainly forgettable for Lawson Crouse.<\/p>\n Recording just 18 points in 81 games (lowest production in as many games in his career), No. 67 struggled to make an impact as he lacked energy, urgency and confidence.<\/p>\n However, fast forward to this season and Crouse has arguably been Utah\u2019s most consistent player as he\u2019s rediscovered his game while playing some of the best hockey of his career.<\/p>\n \u201c[He\u2019s playing with] a ton of confidence,\u201d Tourigny explained. \u201cRight now, he\u2019s in a zone. He does his job. He\u2019s confident because he does his job. When he makes a mistake, it doesn\u2019t faze him because he\u2019s focused on what he has to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows he does everything right.\u201d<\/p>\n With 25 points through 49 games, Crouse is currently on pace to register 42 points (tied for second-most in his career) for Utah this season.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just his scoring that\u2019s making an impact but his approach to the game.<\/p>\n His physicality in the offensive zone, the way he closes down space throughout the entire rink, his presence around the net and his overall urgency as he\u2019s often been a primary driving force every night.<\/p>\n Against the Kraken, it was his patience on the shorty and then his ability to be in the right spot to put the game out of reach with a late goal.<\/p>\n The Sheriff \ud83e\udd20<\/p>\n Crouser makes it 5-3, Utah! pic.twitter.com\/arZ4o7LGKT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Crouse is a high impact player.<\/p>\n As he struggled last season, so did the team.<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s thriving, the team has made notable progress and are trending towards a playoff berth.<\/p>\n Nate Schmidt is quietly having a phenomenal season for the Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n Amidst a busy offseason this past summer for the Utah Mammoth, Nate Schmidt may have been the best signing in terms of value and performance.<\/p>\n After agreeing to a three-year, $10.5M contract, No. 88 has been a reliable defensive anchor for Utah from day one.<\/p>\n \u201c[He\u2019s] A wise veteran who brings a lot to our locker room, and a very hard-working, team-first guy,\u201d Lawson Crouse said. \u201cObviously, very happy to see him get rewarded, and we were all cheering for him to get that empty-net at the end there, but the defenseman made a nice play grabbing it down.\u201d<\/p>\n According to moneypuck.com, Schmidt and John Marino have the highest defensive pairing plus\/minus in the NHL at plus 23.<\/p>\n Per @MoneyPuckdotcom<\/a>, John Marino and Nate Schmidt have the highest plus\/minus (as a D pair) in the NHL at +23.#TusksUp<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/BlIOsXU2I4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mike Folta (@mike_folta) January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s pretty remarkable, especially considering the company they\u2019re in with guys like Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard all beneath them.<\/p>\n Notably, both defensemen also lead the Mammoth in individual plus\/minus as Schmidt boasts a plus 26 behind only Marino with a plus 31.<\/p>\n \u201cThat pairing plays lights out almost every night,\u201d Head Coach Andre Tourigny said.<\/p>\n \u201cSchmidt is a really good pro. He\u2019s smiling every day, bringing energy every day, focus every day, urgent every day\u2026from the moment he stepped in the building everything he does, his therapy, his prep, his training, his practice\u2026nothing goes unrewarded in life and he\u2019s a good example of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Tourigny pointed out, Schmidt is the definition of a true pro.<\/p>\n He\u2019s experienced, steady, wise, grounded, makes the right plays and lifts his team on a nightly basis.<\/p>\n Against Seattle, his impact was even greater than usual as he netted two goals, two assists and scored the eventual game winner to lift his team in a critical Western Conference matchup.<\/p>\n Nate Schmidt\u2019s third of the season! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com\/heDAnlH4FZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Schmidt tallies his second of the game off a BEAUTIFUL feed from Keller! \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/eViOz8wwmm<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Successful NHL teams need those kinds of players on their roster.<\/p>\n Reliable professionals who show up to the rink the same way, play a positively predictable game and occasionally step up in big moments.<\/p>\n So, with two more years left on his deal, the Mammoth can expect a lot more of the same from No. 88 as they transition out of the rebuild and push for consistency in the playoffs.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for the Utah Mammoth?<\/p>\n The Utah Mammoth will conclude their seven-game home stand against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. MT.<\/p>\n The game will be available on Mammoth+.<\/p>\n All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM\/1280 AM).<\/p>\n Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports.\u00a0Keep up with him on X here<\/a>.\u00a0You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
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