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 as a member of the Western Conference’s Central Division. Founded in 2024, the franchise entered the league as an expansion team for the 2024-25 season and plays its home games at the Delta Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Utah Jazz. The team is owned by Smith Entertainment Group, led by Ryan Smith and Ashley Smith, and operates with Bill Armstrong as general manager and Andre Tourigny as head coach. The Mammoth’s colors are rock black, mountain blue, and salt white, and the team mascot is a blue woolly mammoth named Tusky.
The franchise was created on April 18, 2024, when the NHL Board of Governors granted an expansion franchise to Ryan Smith. Rather than participating in an expansion draft, Smith acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, including players, coaching staff, and draft picks. The team played its inaugural season under the temporary name Utah Hockey Club before a fan vote selected Utah Mammoth as the permanent name, revealed on May 7, 2025.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Salt Lake City’s connection to professional ice hockey dates back decades before the Mammoth’s arrival. The Salt Lake Golden Eagles called the area home for 25 seasons from 1969 to 1994, competing across multiple leagues including the Western Hockey League, Central Hockey League, and International Hockey League. The Golden Eagles won three Adams Cup championships and two Turner Cup championships before relocating to Michigan as the Detroit Vipers. The Utah Grizzlies subsequently arrived in 1995, winning another Turner Cup championship in 1996 and later joining the American Hockey League. The city also hosted Olympic ice hockey tournaments during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Salt Lake City has been selected to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Salt Lake City emerged as a potential NHL destination in June 2023 following the Arizona Coyotes’ failed efforts to secure a new arena in Tempe. By January 2024, Ryan Smith petitioned the NHL for expansion, with discussions reportedly underway since early 2022. The NHL Board of Governors officially approved the expansion franchise on April 18, 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, the Coyotes’ hockey assets were transferred to Utah while the Coyotes franchise was considered inactive. The team was formally introduced at the Delta Center on April 26, with over 12,000 fans attending a welcome celebration.
Growth Into NHL Competition
The Mammoth moved quickly to establish their hockey operations following approval. The team announced on June 17, 2024, that former Coyotes prospect Noel Nordh signed the franchise’s first player contract, a three-year entry-level deal. Less than two weeks later, the Mammoth made Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla their first-ever NHL draft selection at sixth overall during the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The organization also announced plans to build a practice facility in Sandy, Utah, with a groundbreaking ceremony held on August 12.
The team revealed its temporary identity, colors, and jerseys on June 13, 2024, featuring a roundel logo with the Utah wordmark in mountain blue, rock black, and salt white. Season ticket demand proved exceptional, with over 11,000 deposits sold within four hours of availability. The Mammoth played their first preseason game on September 22, 2024, defeating the St. Louis Blues 5-3 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, followed by their first home preseason game the next day, a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Utah Mammoth Competitive Journey
The Utah Mammoth’s competitive journey represents one of professional hockey’s most rapid ascents from expansion franchise to playoff contender. Beginning with a temporary identity and a roster built from acquired assets, the organization demonstrated immediate competitiveness while building toward sustained success in the Western Conference.
Early Seasons and Development (2024-2025)
The Mammoth named forward Clayton Keller as the franchise’s first captain on October 4, 2024. Four days later, on October 8, Utah played its first regular season game, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 with Dylan Guenther scoring the first goal in franchise history. The inaugural season concluded with a record of 38 wins, 31 losses, and 13 overtime losses, placing the Mammoth sixth in the Central Division and just outside playoff contention. Despite missing the postseason, the record demonstrated the foundation of a competitive team in the league’s toughest division.
Breakthrough in NHL (2025-Present)
On May 7, 2025, the franchise officially adopted its permanent identity as the Utah Mammoth, unveiling a new logo featuring a mountain mammoth with peaks resembling the Wasatch Mountains and an outline of Utah’s state borders. The team also introduced its permanent mascot, Tusky the blue woolly mammoth, on October 15, 2025. The 2025-26 season brought the franchise’s first major competitive breakthrough when Utah clinched the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, earning the Mammoth’s first Stanley Cup playoff berth in franchise history.
During that breakthrough campaign, Utah accomplished a historic feat by becoming the first team in NHL history to complete a full 82-game regular season without any shootouts since that tiebreaker format was adopted in 2005. This achievement demonstrated the team’s ability to win games in regulation or overtime, showcasing their competitive resolve and strategic excellence in close contests.
Modern Program and Current Direction
Under the leadership of general manager Bill Armstrong and head coach Andre Tourigny, the Mammoth have established a sustainable competitive framework. The organization maintains its AHL affiliation with the Tucson Roadrunners, inheriting that relationship from the Arizona Coyotes asset transfer. For the 2024-25 season, the Mammoth also affiliated with the Allen Americans of the ECHL before operating without an ECHL affiliate for the 2025-26 season.
The franchise has invested significantly in broadcasting and media infrastructure, partnering with KUPX-TV for television broadcasts produced by Smith Entertainment Group’s media division. Radio broadcasts air on KZNS through Bonneville International, branded as the KSL Sports Zone. The team also operates a subscription streaming service, Mammoth Plus, which carries game broadcasts and additional team content.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
The Utah Mammoth have built their competitive identity around disciplined defensive structure and offensive depth. The organization emphasizes team-first hockey with strong goaltending and tactical systems designed to compete against the Western Conference’s elite teams. The Mammoth’s approach focuses on earning victories in regulation and overtime situations rather than relying on shootout formats.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
The franchise’s short history includes several landmark moments. The April 2024 announcement brought over 12,000 fans to the Delta Center for a welcome celebration. Dylan Guenther scored the first regular season goal in franchise history during the opening game victory over Chicago. The first playoff berth in 2026 represented the culmination of two seasons of development. The Mammoth’s unprecedented shootout-free 82-game season stands as a unique NHL record.
Utah Mammoth Achievements and Results
As one of the NHL’s newest franchises, the Utah Mammoth have already demonstrated significant competitive progress. The organization captured its first playoff berth in just its second season of existence, establishing a foundation for sustained postseason contention in the Western Conference.
NHL Achievements
The Mammoth have yet to win a Stanley Cup championship or Presidents’ Trophy, but the franchise achieved its first postseason appearance during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team finished the 2025-26 regular season with a record sufficient to claim the first wild card in the Western Conference, marking a significant milestone for the organization. The Mammoth became the first NHL team to complete a full 82-game season without participating in any shootouts since that format was introduced in 2005.
Conference Achievements
The Mammoth have not won a Western Conference championship in their brief history. However, earning a playoff berth in the competitive Western Conference represents substantial progress for a second-year franchise competing against established NHL teams.
Divisional Achievements
The Mammoth compete in the Central Division but have not yet captured a division championship. The team finished sixth in the Central Division during the inaugural 2024-25 season and secured a playoff spot through the wild card system in 2025-26.