The Utah Mammoth’s prospect pipeline is deep enough that opening night could feature at least a little youth, and maybe more than a little if the roster breaks the right way.
Training camp is still a little more than a month away, but the picture is already starting to form around who has the best chance to stick with the big club when the 2026-2027 season opens. General manager Bill Armstrong has added veteran help and more bite around the crease, while the projected NHL.com lineup looks fairly set up front with names like Vincent Trocheck, Anders Lee, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Michael Carcone and Kailer Yamamoto in the mix.
That leaves the next wave. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the Mammoth sixth in the prospect pool, and Armstrong has built a system with enough talent that some of these players could force the issue sooner rather than later. Injuries will almost certainly create opportunities, but a few prospects have a real shot to be there from day one.
Dmitri Simashev looks like the safest bet.
He got a taste of the NHL last season before heading to the AHL, where he was selected as the All-Star for the Tucson Roadrunners. At times, he looked comfortable next to Mikhail Sergachev.
At other points, the pace caught up with him and he seemed to hit a wall before the demotion. This offseason, Armstrong made it clear he wanted players ready to take jobs from the veterans.
The path is open for Simashev. Sean Durzi was traded away, Ian Cole was not retained and later signed with Chicago, and that creates a clear lane for Simashev on the third defense pair. He could line up with Nick DeSimone or Andrew Peeke.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 100%
Tij Iginla is another name that jumps out immediately.
The first pick in franchise history, Iginla carries a little extra spotlight with him, and he already gave the organization a taste of why. After missing significant time in the WHL because of injury and then returning from double hip surgery, he put together a huge season with 90 points and 41 goals. He then turned around and was named MVP of this year’s rookie development camp after scoring a hat trick.
The question isn’t whether he has the talent. It’s where he fits.
Long term, he could wind up on the second line with Cooley and Guenther, and that would be a dangerous trio. For now, though, the NHL game may be a little much right out of the gate, and the logjam around his spot means he may have to start a line or two lower.
Carcone and Yamamoto look like the placeholders until Iginla is ready to take over.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 95%
Danill But is closer to the middle of the pack, but there’s still a real case for him eventually becoming a useful NHL player.
He’s a big, physical forward who can cause problems around the net, and he’s always around the puck. There are times when his game looks sharp and times when he looks a step behind, which makes sense for a young player still filling out his frame and learning the league. He has drawn comparisons to Jack McBain, though the expectation here is that But could score more once he settles in.
But produced at a near point-per-game clip in the AHL and showed enough to suggest he just needs more reps. The leap from the KHL to the NHL is a major one, and for now he looks like a Tucson player who will be among the first to get the call when injuries hit.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 50%
Maveric Lamoureux is in a different kind of year.
With the final season of his ELC approaching and RFA status waiting at the end of it, this has to be a season where he shows he belongs in the NHL picture more than the AHL one. He has flashed ability, but most of his time has still come with Tucson. The challenge now is proving he can handle bigger, tougher minutes and use his size to push back against opposing offenses.
The roster math is not especially friendly. Simashev appears to have the inside track on that last defensive spot, and the offseason additions only make the climb steeper. Lamoureux could still end up in a pairing with Simashev on the third unit, but he’ll have to earn it.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 30%
Caleb Desnoyers was the toughest call before injury entered the picture.
The World Junior Summer Showcase injury changes everything. There hasn’t been any word from Utah on how long he’ll be out, but if it keeps him from camp, his chances of making the opening-night roster drop to zero.
That’s a shame, because the talent is obvious. In a limited year with Moncton, he posted 78 points in 45 games and added 25 more in the playoffs.
He has the look of a top-line center down the road.
For now, though, the safer expectation is that he starts his ELC with the Roadrunners and waits for his NHL opportunity to come later.
Chances to make the Opening Day roster: 50%
There are other names in the system worth watching, too, even if they didn’t make the main list. Camp will almost certainly bring a few surprise pushes, and some of those players could get a shot if injuries pile up. The ideal outcome, of course, is that most of them stay in Tucson and keep developing.
Gabe Smith is one name to keep in mind. He had a big year in Moncton and continues to outperform expectations as a fourth-round pick, so don’t be shocked if his name shows up in the transaction log at some point during the season.
The bottom line is that Utah’s future looks strong. The organization has the talent, the coaching staff has the job of shaping it, and the front office has to know when to bring these players up.
In Other News...
Mikhail Sergachev Just Sparked A Debate Coyotes Fans Know Well
Mikhail Sergachevs latest season has given NHL observers another familiar reminder of how quickly blue-line production can get judged differently from one list to the next. After putting up 59 points with 10 goals and 49 assists and averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game, the former Lightning defenseman, now with the Mammoth after his 2024 trade from Tampa Bay, still found himself left out of a recent top 20 defensemen scoring list.
For Coyotes fans, it is the kind of omission that hits an old nerve, because recognition for high-end defensemen has long depended on more than points alone. Some of the players placed ahead of Sergachev logged fewer games, which only sharpened the debate around where he fits among the leagues most productive defensemen and why his impact can still be easy to overlook. [Read more 🡒]