Mammoth Reassign Ben McCartney, Kevin Connauton, Maksymilian Szuber
The Mammoth announced Monday they’ve reassigned forward Ben McCartney and defensemen Kevin Connauton and Maksymilian Szuber to AHL Tucson. That wipes their active roster of all the players they’ve summoned for practice purposes over the Olympic break, signaling they expect both of their Olympian skaters who advanced to the medal games, Clayton Keller and Olli Määttä, to be available Wednesday night against the Avalanche.
McCartney, 24, is in his fifth pro season, all in the Utah and Arizona organizations. He was a seventh-round pick by the Coyotes in 2020 and has panned out nicely for them and now the Mammoth as an impact winger for Tucson. He only has two NHL games to his name, coming with Arizona back in 2021-22, but has been a consistent scoring piece for Tucson in the interim and has been an alternate captain for the club since 2023.
This season, the physical winger’s game has assumed new heights. He’s already set new career highs with 21 goals and 46 points in 47 games and leads Tucson in scoring. Along with 2023 first-rounder Daniil But, who Utah returned to Tucson last week, he’ll be among the Mammoth’s top forward recall options down the stretch.
While McCartney had been practicing with the Mammoth for the better part of a week, Connauton and Szuber were both just summoned over the weekend. The two defenders are at polar opposite stages in their careers and have had wildly different campaigns in Tucson. Connauton, who turns 36 today, is a veteran of 360 NHL games but hasn’t played at the top level since 2022. He likely won’t be adding to that total as he’s had a nightmarish season in the AHL, recording just two assists and a -11 rating in 23 games.
Szuber, meanwhile, continues to build his way toward competing for an NHL roster spot. The 23-year-old has far outpaced the development the Coyotes expected of him when using a sixth-round pick on him in 2022. The Polish-born German ranks sixth on Tucson in scoring this season with a 10-14–24 line in 44 games, along with a +5 rating. That’s promising production for someone touted as a potential third-pairing shutdown piece on the left side.
Mammoth Recall Several Players From AHL
Feb. 20: All these players were returned to Tucson on Friday morning aside from McCartney, the team announced.
Feb. 17: Earlier this afternoon, the Utah Mammoth announced that Daniil But, Ben McCartney, Dmitri Simashev, Matt Villalta, and Maveric Lamoureux have been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. As NHL teams return to practice today, several clubs have added players to have the opportunity to skate with the big club this week while the Olympics come to a conclusion.
All bring NHL experience to the table, with But, Simashev, and Lamoureux standing out as top prospects chosen in the first round.
But is in his first North American season, coming over from the KHL. At just 21, he was reassigned prior to the Olympic Break in order to get more ice time. But appeared in just one game, not finding the score sheet, but otherwise, he’s been quite productive in the AHL with 17 points in 20 games. In the NHL, the Russian forward has played a variety of roles, recording a respectable seven points in 28 games. It’s all solid production for the former 12th overall selection in 2023. At 6’5″ with a wicked shot, But is still coming along, but he has intriguing upside.
Simashev, a defenseman, stands out as the highest drafted of the bunch, sixth overall in 2023. Similar to But, he came from Russia, as the two were teammates with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, taking home the KHL title last season. Simashev has had a great start to his North American career, with 23 points in 25 games for Tucson. That strong performance has earned 24 games with Utah this season, but the 21-year-old has just one assist. Still, he has serious top-four potential.
Lamoureux also has a striking frame at 6’6″. The former 29th overall selection by the Arizona Coyotes in 2022 has 20 NHL games so far. Not surprisingly, given his stature, the righty has a simple game which may lead to a more high-floor, low-ceiling outlook. Lamoureux has dealt with various injuries in his young career, but when healthy, he has looked the part in Tucson.
McCartney, 24, is not a prospect at this point, but the Manitoba native has carved out a nice career with the organization. Chosen in the seventh round by the Coyotes in 2020, he leads Tucson with 46 points in 47 games in 2025-26. McCartney managed to get into two NHL games as a ‘Yote in 2021-22, and is now vying to make his debut as a Mammoth at some point. As is important for any such player trying to break through into the NHL, McCartney is a relentless forechecker not afraid to get under opponents’ skin.
Villalta, a goaltender, was drafted by the Kings in 2017 before catching on with the Mammoth organization. The 26-year-old has three NHL games under his belt between the Coyotes and Mammoth, otherwise playing in the AHL. This season, Villalta has split duty with Jaxson Stauber, where he has held the edge with a better record and statistics. Standing at 6’4″, he is a free agent this summer, but until then, he will serve as an extra body in practice this week as #1 netminder Karel Vejmelka is representing Team Czechia.
Utah currently has one open roster spot, so in theory, one of the five could stay aboard post-Milan, before the next game on February 25 against Colorado. Most likely, though, the prospects, AHL top scorer, and respectable netminder will be evaluated and return to the 17th-ranked Roadrunners after the Olympics.
Waivers: 10/2/25
There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.
Calgary Flames
F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen
Seattle Kraken
F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens
Utah Mammoth
F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt
Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.
Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.
Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.
As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.
Mammoth, Ben McCartney Agree To Two-Year, Two-Way Deal
The Mammoth have signed winger Ben McCartney to a two-year, two-way contract, per a team release. He was a pending restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He’ll earn the league minimum $775K salary if in the NHL for both seasons, but his minor-league salary wasn’t disclosed.
McCartney, 24 in July, gets some more runway to climb back up to the NHL after debuting way ahead of schedule for the Coyotes in 2021-22. A 2020 seventh-round pick by Arizona, he made a strong first impression upon arrival in AHL Tucson in 2021 and got his first call-up amid a rash of injuries early in the season. He recorded four shot attempts and seven hits in two games while averaging north of 14 minutes per night, but didn’t get on the scoresheet outside of a few penalty minutes. He’s stuck in the minors ever since, regressing offensively since his initial 18-17–35 showing in 57 games in 2021-22. After posting 0.61 points per game in that rookie season, he’s operated at 0.45 points per game over his last three seasons.
After battling some injuries during that time, McCartney showed more signs of life in 2024-25. The Manitoba native is now an alternate captain with the Roadrunners, where he returned after clearing waivers for the first time in his career back in October and posted a 16-17–33 scoring line in 63 games. He finished seventh on the team in scoring and fourth in PIMs (86) en route to his best offensive campaign since that rookie showing.
That isn’t enough to make him a legitimate candidate for a roster spot in the fall, but he may have at least earned a longer look in training camp to help push himself up Utah’s list of potential call-ups. If he doesn’t log 80 career NHL appearances by the time his deal is up in the summer of 2027, he’ll qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency. The Mammoth now have 40 of 50 possible standard contracts on their books for next season.
Waiver Wire: 10/3/24
All 12 players placed on waivers yesterday passed through unclaimed, Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN reports. PuckPedia relays that 17 new names hit the wire today for teams to claim over the next 24 hours:
Calgary Flames
F Walker Duehr
F Dryden Hunt
D Jarred Tinordi
Florida Panthers
F Rasmus Asplund
D Tobias Björnfot
F Zac Dalpe
D Jaycob Megna
Nashville Predators
Seattle Kraken
Toronto Maple Leafs
Utah Hockey Club
F Andrew Agozzino
D Patrik Koch
F Ben McCartney
Winnipeg Jets
F Axel Jonsson-Fjällby
D Simon Lundmark
F Mason Shaw
F Dominic Toninato
Utah Re-Signs Ben McCartney
Over the past few weeks, Utah has been busy re-signing several pending free agents. They continued that on Monday as the team announced that they’ve inked winger Ben McCartney to a one-year, two-way deal. While financial terms were not disclosed, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the contract pays $775K in the NHL and $100K in the minors, meaning he took less than his qualifying offer to secure a higher guaranteed AHL portion.
The 22-year-old finished up his entry-level contract this season, playing exclusively in the minors with Tucson although he did have a brief early-season recall to Arizona. McCartney played in 46 games with the Roadrunners in 2023-24, picking up six goals and a dozen assists.
In his rookie year, McCartney had 35 points in 57 games in the minors, earning him a two-game stint with the Coyotes. However, even if you add in his output from 2022-23, he has just 37 AHL points since then which made him a possible non-tender candidate if GM Bill Armstrong decided he wanted to give someone else a shot. Instead, McCartney will get another chance to prove his worth, assuming he clears waivers in the fall to return to the Roadrunners (who remain Utah’s affiliate for next season).
Coyotes Assign Ben McCartney And Jan Jenik To AHL
Sunday: McCartney’s stint with the Coyotes was short-lived as he was assigned back to the minors today.
Saturday: The recent roster shuffling in Arizona has continued as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Ben McCartney from AHL Tucson. He takes the place of forward Jan Jenik who has been returned to the Roadrunners.
This is McCartney’s first recall in nearly two years with his only previous NHL action being a pair of appearances early in the 2021-22 season. The 22-year-old has played in five games in the minors so far this season and is still looking for his first point. McCartney’s best showing down there came a couple of years ago when he posted 18 goals and 17 assists in 2021-22, his first professional campaign.
As for Jenik, he is no stranger to these back-and-forth transactions; it’s the fourth one he has been involved in since Monday. The 23-year-old served as Arizona’s extra forward last night against Los Angeles and has yet to suit up for the Coyotes this season. Jenik has three points in as many games in Tucson so far after clearing waivers at the beginning of the month. Players can be on an NHL roster for 10 games or 30 days cumulative without needing to clear again. This assignment stops the clock for the time being.
The Coyotes aren’t back in action until Monday so there should be a reprieve on the day-to-day transactions tomorrow before potentially resuming in advance of their game against Chicago.