The Utah Mammoth are heading into next season with youth baked into the roster, and a few of their youngest pieces could end up shaping the team in a big way. With the moves Utah has already made, there’s a real path for a blend of current talent and emerging players to push the Mammoth toward becoming one of the NHL’s best teams in 2026-27.
One of the most interesting additions is Sebastian Cossa, the goalie prospect Utah grabbed on the first day of the NHL draft in exchange for the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NHL draft. Cossa, 23, was taken 15th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2023 NHL draft and was brought along carefully.
He made his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season and picked up a win, but he didn’t get into the league last season after Detroit added another goalie. Utah made the move because it needed a strong backup option, and that’s the floor here.
The ceiling is higher, though, because Cossa could push for the starting job if he performs well. The Mammoth clearly believe he can be their goalie of the future.
On the blue line, Utah is leaning on Dmitri Simashev. The 21-year-old was selected 6th overall in the 2023 NHL draft, and the Mammoth expect him to help fill depth after allowing a couple of defensemen to walk.
Simashev’s game is built less around offense and more around size and disruption. At 6'5'', he gives Utah a defender who can make life harder for opposing attacks, and the team sees him as a cornerstone on defense next season.
Then there’s Tij Iginla, one of the most intriguing prospects in the league. The 19-year-old son of Hall of Famer Jerome Iginla was chosen 6th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he may be ready to make his NHL debut next season.
Iginla wants to get there soon, and his production in the 2025-26 WHL season makes the case. In 48 games, he scored 41 goals and added 49 assists for 90 points.
He brings speed, intelligence, athleticism, and the ability to finish plays and create them. Of the young players on the verge of NHL time, Iginla looks like the one who could be the most electric to watch.
One thing is clear: he can help right away.
In Other News...
Utahs JJ Peterka Gamble Carries A Brutal What If For Coyotes Fans
The JJ Peterka swing was supposed to give Utah a young scorer with room to grow, the kind of move that can change a rosters ceiling overnight. Instead, the early return has turned into a reminder of how thin the margin is when a team parts with promising talent, especially when one of the pieces heading out the door was Josh Doan.
Peterkas play did not match the bigger expectations Utah had when it made the deal, while Doan has looked like the steadier and more productive side of the exchange. Utah later moved Peterkas contract to Boston for two first-round picks, then used one of those assets to address another pressing need in goal, but for Coyotes fans watching from afar, the more painful part is still the same: the trade left behind a lingering what if. [Read more 🡒]
Mammoth Prospects Just Earned The Kind Of Buzz Fans Crave
Scott Wheelers mid-July ranking of the top 100 NHL prospects offered a useful snapshot of where the Utah Mammoths pipeline stands, and it was a strong one. Five players tied to the organization made the list, with Tij Iginla leading the way at No. 7, followed by Caleb Desnoyers at No. 22, Ethan Belchetz at No. 30, Dmitri Simashev at No. 41 and Daniil But at No. 77. For a franchise still shaping its long-term identity, that kind of spread across the prospect board is exactly the sort of attention that can make a rebuild feel a little more real.
The appeal here is not just volume, but variety. Iginla gives the group a high-end headline name, Desnoyers adds another premium piece near the top of the class, and Simashev already has 28 NHL games on his resume, which gives him a different kind of credibility than a pure lottery-ticket prospect. Belchetz and But round out the picture with more developmental intrigue, and together they give Utah a future roster conversation that feels deeper than one or two blue-chip names. The next question is how many of these prospects can turn buzz into actual NHL impact, and how quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Fans Can Finally Dream Bigger On Logan Cooley
Logan Cooleys season had the kind of jolt that can slow a young player down, but it didnt really change the direction he was headed. Before the injury interruption, he had given Arizona a glimpse of a forward whose game was starting to tilt toward something bigger, and even after missing nearly two months, he still finished with 24 goals and 19 assists in 54 games. For a player still early in his career, that kind of production only adds to the sense that the Coyotes may already have a legitimate centerpiece taking shape.
The more interesting part for Arizona is what comes next if Cooley keeps climbing at the same pace and stays on the ice. His goal-scoring rate has risen steadily, and the projections now point to a player who could be in the 40-goal neighborhood by 2026-27 if development and health line up. For a franchise looking for reasons to think bigger, that is the sort of trajectory that changes the conversation from promise to expectation. [Read more 🡒]