Utah Mammoth Overview
The Utah Mammoth are a professional ice hockey team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2024, the team joined the league as an expansion franchise and plays its home games at the Delta Center, an arena they share with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Owned by Smith Entertainment Group and led by Ryan Smith, the Mammoth acquired the hockey assets of the defunct Arizona Coyotes to establish their roster. The team was initially named Utah Hockey Club for their inaugural season before adopting the permanent Mammoth name through a fan vote in May 2025. Their colors are rock black, mountain blue, and salt white, and their mascot is a blue woolly mammoth named Tusky.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Salt Lake City initially emerged as a potential NHL destination in June 2023, following rumors regarding the Arizona Coyotes’ potential relocation after the failure of the New Tempe Arena referendum. In January 2024, Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and co-owner of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, petitioned the NHL to begin the process of expansion to Salt Lake City. Discussions to bring an expansion team to the city had been underway since early 2022, with the Utah State Senate passing tax legislation in February 2024 to support a new ice hockey-capable downtown arena proposed by Smith. The Senate’s only condition was that any potential team be branded Utah to honor the state in general.
On April 13, 2024, it was reported that the Coyotes were making efforts to relocate to Salt Lake City amid concerns about an indefinite timeframe on a new arena and the effects of playing at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena. The deal became official on April 18, 2024, after the NHL Board of Governors granted an expansion franchise to Utah using the Coyotes’ hockey assets. Under the agreement, the Coyotes franchise was officially considered inactive, with Utah regarded as an expansion team rather than a successor to the Coyotes, in a similar arrangement to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.
Although the deal was reported in the media as a $1.2 billion sale, the transaction was actually split into two parts: $1 billion was paid by the NHL to Alex Meruelo for the Coyotes franchise, while Smith paid a $1.2 billion expansion fee to the NHL’s other owners. The $200 million difference served as a de facto relocation fee to be shared equally among the other 31 NHL clubs. Within hours of the announcement, the team sold more than 11,000 season-ticket deposits, with 6,000 sold in the first two hours.
Growth Into NHL Competition
The team was formally introduced at the Delta Center on April 26, 2024, with over 12,000 fans attending a welcome celebration featuring players and coaches. On May 6, the Smith Entertainment Group announced that a practice facility would be built for the team in the nearby suburb of Sandy, Utah, with a groundbreaking ceremony held on August 12 of that year. On June 13, 2024, the NHL announced the official completion of the franchise sale and revealed that the team would be known as Utah Hockey Club for its inaugural season, while also unveiling logos, colors, and jerseys.
Utah made its first official player signing on June 17, 2024, when former Coyotes third-round pick Noel Nordh signed his three-year, entry-level contract. Just under two weeks later, the team participated in its first NHL entry draft and selected Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla as its first-ever draft pick at sixth overall. On October 4, 2024, the team named forward Clayton Keller as its first captain in franchise history, formalizing its leadership structure for the new league campaign.
Utah Mammoth Competitive Journey
The Mammoth’s competitive journey began as an expansion franchise inheriting the personnel, coaching staff, and draft picks of the Arizona Coyotes. Across their first two NHL seasons, the team moved from a development-focused inaugural year to a playoff-caliber campaign, building a young core and refining its on-ice identity in one of the league’s most demanding divisions.
Early Seasons and Development (2024–2025)
Utah played its first preseason game on September 22, 2024, defeating the St. Louis Blues 5–3 in a neutral-site matchup at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The following day, the team played its first home preseason game at the Delta Center, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 3–2. The atmosphere around the new franchise generated significant excitement as the team built momentum heading into its first regular-season campaign under the temporary Utah Hockey Club banner.
On October 8, 2024, the team defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5–2 in its first regular season contest, with Dylan Guenther scoring the first goal in franchise history. The team’s first season ended with a record of 38–31–13, placing them sixth in the Central Division but out of playoff contention. With the transfer of assets from the Coyotes, Utah inherited the Tucson Roadrunners as its American Hockey League affiliate, and on July 31, 2024, the team announced a one-year affiliation agreement with the Allen Americans of the ECHL for the 2024–25 season.
Breakthrough in the NHL (2025–2026)
In its second season, rebranded as the Utah Mammoth, the team reached a new competitive level. Utah clinched the first wild card spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, earning the first playoff berth in franchise history. The achievement represented a major step forward for a franchise still in its infancy, validating the organization’s long-term roster strategy and signaling that the team was ready to compete with the NHL’s established contenders.
During that same 2025–26 campaign, Utah became the first team in NHL history to play a full 82-game regular season without any shootouts since that tiebreaker form was adopted in 2005. The feat underscored the team’s resilience and ability to settle games in regulation or overtime, a hallmark of a competitive and disciplined roster. The playoff qualification, combined with the historic shootout-less season, marked the franchise’s arrival as a credible presence in the Western Conference.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2026–Present)
The modern era of the Utah Mammoth is defined by long-term investment in infrastructure, player development, and a permanent brand identity. Ownership remains under Smith Entertainment Group, controlled by businessman Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley Smith, providing a stable foundation for the franchise. General manager Bill Armstrong oversees roster construction, while head coach Andre Tourigny leads the team’s on-ice operations, bringing continuity from the inherited Coyotes staff into the new Utah chapter.
The team’s roster is anchored by captain Clayton Keller and first-overall franchise draft pick Tij Iginla, alongside other young talents developed through the organization’s scouting and player development apparatus. For the 2025–26 season, the Mammoth operated without an ECHL affiliate, focusing resources on their primary NHL and AHL operations with the Tucson Roadrunners. The franchise continues to refine its practice and player-development infrastructure in Sandy, Utah, supporting long-term growth.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
The Mammoth’s core identity centers on resilience, depth, and the ability to perform under pressure. The team’s historic shootout-free season illustrates a tendency to settle games in regulation or overtime, while the rapid qualification for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs reflects an emerging culture of accountability and late-season competitiveness. Built around a young core and supported by experienced leadership in the coaching staff, the franchise’s strengths lie in skating, two-way play, and the steady development of high-end draft talent.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
The franchise’s most significant milestones include its founding on April 18, 2024, the inaugural regular-season victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on October 8, 2024, and the formal unveiling of the Utah Mammoth name, logo, and uniforms on May 7, 2025. The team also introduced its permanent mascot, the blue woolly mammoth Tusky, on October 15, 2025, before its first home game under the Mammoth identity. The qualification for the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs stands as the franchise’s first postseason appearance.
Utah Mammoth Achievements and Results
As one of the NHL’s newest franchises, the Utah Mammoth have focused on building a sustainable competitive foundation rather than accumulating legacy hardware. The team has yet to capture a Stanley Cup, Presidents’ Trophy, conference championship, or division championship, with all four tallies currently at zero. Their most significant accomplishment to date is earning the first playoff berth in franchise history during the 2025–26 season.
NHL Achievements
Utah’s NHL achievements are anchored by the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs qualification, which marked the first time the franchise reached the postseason. The team has not yet won a Stanley Cup, Presidents’ Trophy, conference championship, or division championship, reflecting the early stage of the organization’s history. The successful launch of an expansion franchise, the sale of more than 11,000 season-ticket deposits within hours of going on sale, and the team’s historic shootout-free 82-game campaign stand as the most meaningful NHL-level accomplishments to date.
Conference Achievements
The Mammoth compete in the Western Conference and have not yet won a conference championship. Their arrival expanded the NHL’s Western footprint into Salt Lake City, and the franchise clinched a wild card berth in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, marking its first sustained playoff push within the conference. Continued growth within the Western Conference remains a central organizational priority as the team matures.
Divisional Achievements
Utah plays in the Central Division and has not yet won a division championship. In its inaugural 2024–25 season, the team finished sixth in the Central Division with a 38–31–13 record, establishing a baseline for divisional competition. Subsequent seasons are expected to reflect the franchise’s long-term investment in roster construction and player development.
Series Achievements
As a young franchise, the Utah Mammoth have not yet accumulated major series titles. Their competitive series milestones are tied to the inherited Arizona Coyotes assets and the team’s own draft and development pipeline. Future divisional, conference, and Stanley Cup pursuits will define the franchise’s series achievements as the team matures within the NHL structure.
