Utah Mammoth Reassign Dmitriy Simashev
The Utah Mammoth no longer needs an extra defenseman on the roster. According to a team announcement, the Mammoth have reassigned Dmitriy Simashev after recalling him earlier today, and activated newcomer MacKenzie Weegar from the non-roster list.
Simashev was reassigned yesterday to ensure his playoff eligibility in the AHL. He was subsequently recalled this morning in case Weegar couldn’t resolve his visa issues before tonight’s contest. As it turns out, Weegar is good to go and will make his Mammoth debut tonight.
It appears that Simashev will get an extended stay with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, unless Utah runs into injury trouble. The Mammoth have plenty of cap space for Simashev on the NHL roster, but there’s little need for him since they already have seven healthy defensemen.
He’ll return to a Roadrunners club where he has had a phenomenal season. In 30 games, Simashev has scored eight goals and 28 points with a +2 rating. His performance this season has likely alleviated concerns about his offensive game, as the former sixth overall pick registered only one goal and six points in 56 games for the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl last season.
Most importantly, Simashev will help Tucson with its mission to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs. The team is currently in eighth place in the AHL’s Pacific Division, but only three points separate them from fifth place.
Meanwhile, the Mammoth will see their big deadline acquisition in the lineup for the first time. Weegar is in his 10th professional season this year, split between the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames. He’s scored three goals and 21 points in 60 games with a -35 rating, averaging 23:07 of ice time. Additionally, he’s registered 143 blocked shots and 130 hits.
AHL Assignments: 3/6/25
Today’s trade deadline also has minor-league implications. Players must be on an AHL roster at 2:00 p.m. Central in order to be eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs. As such, teams will be ferrying a large number of waiver-exempt players to the minors this morning and afternoon before recalling them before the end of the league day for cap counting at 4:00 p.m. That allows them to bypass the new rule that players must play at least one game in the minors after being reassigned before they’re eligible for a recall again.
Here’s the rundown of today’s reassignments that will be announced during the blizzard of other moves today:
- The Flames will ferry winger Matvei Gridin to the Calgary Wranglers, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reports. The 2024 #28 overall pick is in his first professional season and is already beginning to look like a natural fit in the Flames’ top nine, posting seven points through his first 18 NHL games while averaging 14:18 of ice time per night. Gridin’s 4.17 shot attempts per game are fourth on the team after Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar were traded away. He’s also got 10 goals and 29 points in 36 games for the Wranglers, but with the Flames’ roster thinning out as they sell pieces off, he’ll be up in the NHL for the stretch run before returning to the playoff-bound Wranglers after the regular season ends.
- The Jets announced they’ve sent winger Walker Duehr and defender Isaak Phillips to AHL Manitoba. Both may find their way back down to Manitoba on a full-time basis before the end of the season as Winnipeg gets some of its IR-bound players back in the lineup, but for now, they’ll serve as depth pieces for the Jets as they potentially subtract more talents from their roster today.
- The Mammoth sent defenseman Dmitriy Simashev to Tucson, per PuckPedia. The 2023 sixth overall pick got into the Utah lineup for the first time since December last night. The rookie has been exceptional in the minors but has just one assist with a -9 rating through his first 25 career NHL outings.
- The Blackhawks assigned defender Ethan Del Mastro to Rockford, per PuckPedia. He’ll be back up after being recalled earlier in the week to replace Connor Murphy on the roster after he was dealt to the Oilers.
- The Penguins have sent down winger Avery Hayes to make him post-season eligible, per Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 23-year-old rookie has two goals through his first six NHL contests over the past several weeks, both of which came in his debut.
- The Avalanche have demoted winger Gavin Brindley to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Brindley is in his first full NHL season after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 47 games, averaging 9:51 of ice time per game.
- The Rangers are making sure that AHL Hartford has reinforcements for the playoffs. New York has reassigned forwards Jaroslav Chmelar and Juuso Pärssinen. The former scored the first goal of his NHL career in a lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Cole Clayton to AHL Abbotsford. Tolopilo has been a mainstay between the pipes for Vancouver over the last little while, managing a 3-5-2 record in nine starts this season with a .901 SV% and 3.27 GAA.
- Unlikely to make the playoffs this season, the Panthers are making sure the cupboards are stocked for the Charlotte Checkers’ playoff run. The Panthers have reassigned Tobias Björnfot and Sandis Vilmanis, allowing them to remain eligible for the postseason.
- The Kraken have reassigned forwards Jacob Melanson and Ryan Winterton to the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The pair have combined for four goals and 19 points in 82 games for Seattle this season.
- According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, the Buffalo Sabres have assigned Zach Metsa to the AHL’s Rochester Americans in a paper transaction. Metsa, 27, is in his first full NHL season, scoring two goals and four points in 31 games, averaging 9:45 of ice time per game.
- The best team in the AHL may be even better during the playoffs. To maintain their eligibility for the postseason, the Grand Rapids Griffins announced that captain Dominik Shine and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka have been reassigned in a paper transaction.
- According to Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports, the Flyers have reassigned Denver Barkey and Adam Ginning to AHL Lehigh Valley. Barkey has been an encouraging story of late, scoring two goals and 10 points in his first 26 games of NHL action.
- Murat Ates of The Athletic confirmed that the Winnipeg Jets reassigned defenseman Elias Salomonsson to retain his postseason eligibility. Salomonsson has been relatively disappointing for AHL Manitoba this season, registering one goal and nine points in 29 contests.
- Pushing back on the earlier report today indicating that the Canucks had recalled Ty Mueller, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared that he won’t be joining the Canucks. Vancouver will run with a bare-bones roster tonight against the Blackhawks.
- Missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs are making sure AHL Toronto has additional firepower for their postseason run. According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs have reassigned Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan in a paper transaction. Despite being a higher-regarded prospect, Cowan only has two games of AHL experience.
- As expected, the Edmonton Oilers have reassigned forward Josh Samanski to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to ensure his postseason eligibility. Samanski has been exceptional for AHL Bakersfield this year, registering eight goals and 31 points in 43 games with a +6 rating.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Mammoth Reassign Dmitri Simashev, Maveric Lamoureux
Feb. 25: Evidently, Simashev’s and Lamoureux’s recalls yesterday were to get them one last practice in before the Olympic break ended. The team announced today that both have been returned to Tucson, giving them the space to activate Cooley and Kerfoot before tonight’s game against the Avalanche.
Feb. 24: The Mammoth announced today that they’ve recalled defense prospects Dmitriy Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux from AHL Tucson. They opened up roster spots yesterday with a bevy of reassignments and thus don’t need corresponding moves today.
Simashev got out to something of a slow start to his NHL career. The 2023 sixth overall pick signed out of Russia last offseason and made Utah’s opening night roster, but was sent down to Tucson after being limited to one assist and a -9 rating through 24 outings. He was averaging 15:28 of ice time per game but was seeing some top-pair deployment alongside countryman Mikhail Sergachev, although the results weren’t great with a 48.3 xGF% and 33.3 GF% at 5-on-5.
The reassignment lit a fire under him. Touted as a low-offense shutdown D-man, he bucked those expectations with a gargantuan 7-18–25 scoring line in 27 games for Tucson. He already got a brief recall before the break that didn’t result in any playing time, but now that he’s in a groove, he’ll look to usurp Nick DeSimone for more consistent playing time down the stretch amid the Mammoth’s playoff push.
Meanwhile, Lamoureux still grades out as Utah’s clear-cut #2 defense prospect behind Simashev. Also a first-rounder, going 29th overall to the Coyotes in 2022, he was viewed as more of a puck-mover than Simashev was, but it hasn’t worked out that way yet. He’s still a towering physical defense-first threat that’s gotten a lot of ice time in the minors and hasn’t looked out of place in his previous NHL call-ups, either.
Lamoureux has 20 NHL games to his name since debuting in October 2024, including five this season. During that span, he has four points and a +7 rating with a highly promising 54.3 CF% at even strength, averaging 15:45 per game. He’s got 14 points and a +4 in 42 AHL games this season, but is already near hitting his floor as a stable third-pairing shutdown righty who can kill penalties.
It’s worth noting that while Utah has a full roster, it includes 12 forwards and nine defensemen. With Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot expected to come off injured reserve in short order, more roster spots will be needed.
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.
Utah Mammoth Reassign Dmitri Simashev
1/30/26: The Mammoth announced that Simashev has been reassigned to AHL Tucson just two days after he was recalled. Simashev was a healthy scratch for Utah’s loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night. Returning Simashev to the AHL gives him the chance to play in the pair of games scheduled for the Roadrunners this weekend.
While he averages just 15:28 time on ice per game at the NHL level, Simashev has been trusted with a far more significant role in Tucson. He’s got 20 points in 20 games in the AHL this season, and letting Simashev continue to play a big role at that level could aid the development of the 2023 No. 6 pick.
1/28/26: Before last night’s win over the Panthers, the Mammoth announced they’ve recalled defenseman Dmitriy Simashev from AHL Tucson. He takes the roster spot of center Cameron Hebig, who’s on his way back down to Tucson in the corresponding move.
Simashev, who turns 21 next week, will get his second crack at NHL ice time in his rookie season. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft cracked Utah’s opening night roster and spent the first couple of months in a rather expanded role, riding shotgun with countryman Mikhail Sergachev on the Mammoth’s top pairing while Sean Durzi dealt with an upper-body injury.
The experiment didn’t go all too well. Drafted as a smooth-skating shutdown piece, Simashev had one assist and a -9 rating in 24 outings while averaging 15:28 of ice time per game. Despite owning a 6’4″, 200-lb frame, the lefty didn’t leverage it often and only recorded eight hits.
Sergachev ended up faring much better with Durzi than he did in several weeks of play with Simashev. The Sergachev-Durzi pairing has controlled 54.0% of expected goals at 5-on-5, while the Sergachev-Simashev unit posted a 48.3 xGF%, per MoneyPuck.
As such, Simashev was sent down to Tucson in early December. Since going down, he’s been nothing short of dominant. Most expected his lack of offense in Russia’s top league to be a concern, but he’s rattled off a point per game in 20 appearances with a +3 rating. He’s more than earned a second look and will get one now, likely competing with Nick DeSimone and Olli Määttä to take on a third-pairing job with fellow lefty Ian Cole.
As for Hebig, he’d been up as an extra forward for the last week after Utah sent veteran Kevin Rooney down. The 29-year-old didn’t end up playing and is thus still awaiting his NHL debut. The 5’10” pivot has enjoyed a career-best campaign in Tucson, where he ranks second on the team in scoring with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 35 games.
Mammoth Recall Daniil But, Reassign Dmitri Simashev
The Mammoth are swapping a pair of their top prospects. The team announced they’ve recalled winger Daniil But from AHL Tucson while sending down defenseman Dmitriy Simashev in a corresponding move. Center Kevin Rooney was also placed on waivers and will be assigned to Tucson if he clears.
But and Simashev were both top-15 picks in the 2023 draft, the last premier prospects drafted under the Coyotes moniker before the franchise’s hockey operations were sold and reestablished in Utah. Simashev went sixth overall, while But went 12th. The two spent their entire careers in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s system in their native Russia, winning a Gagarin Cup championship together last year before signing their entry-level contracts and heading to the Mammoth for 2025-26.
While Simashev managed to wrestle a roster spot on the blue line, But was left on the outside as one of the Mammoth’s final roster cuts. He took the demotion in stride. After netting back-to-back 20-point seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv, he’s rattled off eight goals and 17 points in 19 games with Tucson to lead the club in scoring.
After a hot start to the season, Utah’s offense has cooled off. They’re now 19th in the league with 2.96 goals per game. Some of that can be attributed to a power play that’s languishing at a league-worst 13.2%, but their 10.3% finishing rate is also below average by a few ticks. Chance generation hasn’t been much of an issue – they’re 12th in shots per game and have the fifth-most scoring chances in the league at 5-on-5 – but the offensive output outside of their top five forwards leaves a little to be desired. Alexander Kerfoot‘s persisting absence has been a contributing factor there, as well as underwhelming performances from middle-six centers Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, who have five points each in 24 and 27 appearances, respectively.
But isn’t a guaranteed fix, but the 20-year-old’s smooth adjustment to North America shows he’s worth a shot. Most will see him listed at 6’5″ and 203 lbs and assume a high-ceiling power forward – he is not. Physical elements aren’t entirely absent from But’s game, but he’s a skill guy first and foremost. In their draft-year scouting report of But, Elite Prospects highlighted “his ability to chain difficult pass receptions into handling moves and handling moves into passes or shots” and praised his release as well. He’s another name in a star-studded Mammoth forward pool that’s now also gained Tij Iginla at sixth overall in 2024 and Caleb Desnoyers at fourth overall this year. Those two are viewed as slightly higher-ceiling talents, pushing But down to the No. 4-ranked prospect in Utah’s pool last offseason by Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff and by NHL.com.
As for Simashev, the writing was on the wall regarding his demotion. He’s run into a recent string of healthy scratches following Sean Durzi‘s return from injured reserve, sitting in the press box three times in Utah’s last eight games. His first NHL sample didn’t change his status as the Mammoth’s No. 3 prospect behind Iginla and Desnoyers and as their top young defenseman. Also of hulking stature at 6’4″ and nearly 200 lbs, he’s a shutdown man who’s never put up flashy point totals – he scored just once in 29 junior games in his draft year – but does have some good first-pass ability.
His initial audition, though, shows that some minor-league time wouldn’t be the worst thing. Rarely does a defender with his skillset make a smooth adjustment to the NHL at age 20. In 24 appearances, he notched one assist and a -9 rating while averaging 15:28 of ice time per game. He got some top-pairing deployment with countryman Mikhail Sergachev, but also saw significant time lower on the depth chart with Ian Cole. The lefty was outscored 15-7 at 5-on-5 and controlled 47.5% of shot attempts, 7.1% worse than how Utah fared without him on the ice. With Durzi back in the fold and veteran Nick DeSimone posting better possession impacts in a limited sample, it was hard to justify keeping Simashev in a regular role – at least for now.
Rooney’s waiver placement signals the end of his third stint on Utah’s roster this season without receiving much playing time. He finally made his Mammoth debut last week on Friday against the Stars, notching a goal in 9:44 of ice time. The 32-year-old has served as a No. 14/15 forward for much of the year after signing a two-way deal at the end of training camp. It’s his second time on waivers after he cleared them following his signing. Across a few brief loans to Tucson, the 6’2″ pivot has five goals and an assist in eight appearances.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Pacific Notes: Prosvetov, Mammoth, McCarthy
Earlier this month, goaltender Ivan Prosvetov was released from his KHL contract to pursue an NHL opportunity. It appears that opportunity might be coming with Calgary as Sport-Express’ Mikhail Zislis reports that the Flames are the main contender to sign the 26-year-old. Prosvetov posted a 2.32 GAA and a .920 SV% in 38 games with CSKA Moscow this season. He has 24 career NHL appearances under his belt between Arizona and Colorado plus another 146 outings at the AHL level. With Daniel Vladar eligible for unrestricted free agency, Prosvetov, if he ultimately signs, could have a chance to battle with Wranglers veteran Devin Cooley for the backup spot behind Dustin Wolf next season.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- The European Assignment Clauses that the Mammoth gave to Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev this week are a little different than usual. Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune relays that the two are only able to execute that clause after the first 18 months of the contract, or January 1, 2027. That ensures that Utah will have full developmental control over the first rounders for the first year and a half in North America but if the two aren’t full-fledged NHL regulars by then, they will then have the opportunity to return home if they desire.
- The Sharks have signed AHL head coach John McCarthy to a contract extension, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). The 38-year-old has been a fixture with the Sharks going back to his playing days which started back in 2009 and ended in 2018 when he retired from playing to become an assistant with the Barracuda. McCarthy has been in charge of the Barracuda for the past three seasons with the team making the playoffs for the first time in that stretch this year.
Mammoth Sign Dmitri Simashev To Entry-Level Contract
11:31 a.m.: Simashev’s deal includes a base salary of $855K, a signing bonus of $95K, and up to $1MM of Schedule “A” performance bonuses each season for a cap hit of $950K, per PuckPedia. Notably, the contract includes a European Assignment Clause, meaning Simashev could trigger a loan back to Yaroslavl next season if he’s not on the NHL roster.
11:04 a.m.: The Mammoth announced today they’ve signed their top defense prospect, 2023 sixth overall pick Dmitri Simashev, to a three-year entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Simashev was technically selected by the Coyotes two years ago but had his signing rights transferred to Utah when Arizona’s hockey operations assets were sold to Smith Entertainment Group last summer to establish the Mammoth franchise. A 6’5″, 207-lb stay-at-home defender, he was widely expected to sign his entry-level deal with Utah shortly after his season in his native Russia ended.
This season was his second full professional campaign with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League, and it ended in a Gagarin Cup championship for the 20-year-old. He was a bottom-pairing fixture for Lokomotiv, averaging just under 16 minutes per game in the regular season, and suited up in all 21 postseason contests for them while recording one assist and a minus-one rating.
While Simashev may have a future in Salt Lake as a high-end shutdown piece in the top-four, he doesn’t have the offensive upside we’ve come to expect out of defensemen selected that high in the draft. Over the last two regular seasons in Yaroslavl, he’s been limited to a 5-6–11 scoring line in 122 games. His +19 rating during that time is promising, though, especially considering his limited minutes.
In his 2025 prospect pool rankings, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler labeled Simashev as the second-best prospect in Utah’s system and called him “a potential top-four defenseman who can play minutes and drive results with his defensive play, length and skating.” Whether the lefty makes the immediate jump to the NHL next season remains to be seen – but at his peak, he’s likely averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the Mammoth with heavy penalty-kill deployment.
At first glance, it seems likely he’ll start his professional career in North America with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The Mammoth have their left side on defense locked in for next season with Mikhail Sergachev, Olli Määttä, and Ian Cole, with Juuso Välimäki still in the mix as a potential healthy extra as well. Cole and Välimäki are slated for unrestricted free agency in 2026, though, paving the way for Simashev to graduate to full-time NHL minutes a year from now after a season of adjustment in the minors.
“It feels amazing. I had a goal to win the Gagarin Cup and then go to the NHL and try to be the best player I can be,” Simashev told Utah freelance beat writer Craig Morgan. “I watched highlights of every Utah game. I know every player in Utah and how they play. Coming to Utah, for me, it’s basically like a dream.”
Simashev is too old to be slide-eligible, so his deal goes into effect next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays. He’ll be a restricted free agent following the 2027-28 campaign.
International Notes: Radulov, Simashev, Forsell, Kämpf
According to a report out of Russia, Alexander Radulov is transferring from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl to SKA St. Petersburg only a day after winning the second Gagarin Cup championship of his career and being named the playoffs’ MVP. The news confirms that Radulov will suit up in his fourth consecutive KHL season after leaving the NHL after the 2021-22 season.
It’ll be a one-and-done year for Radulov. He joined Lokomotiv after two years as captain for the Ak Bars Kazan, scoring 41 goals and 97 points in 120 games from 2022 to 2024. His scoring dissipated this year, putting together an 18-goal, 34-point season in 60 contests.
Still, Radulov left some gas in the tank for the postseason. He finished fourth in playoff scoring with seven goals and 16 points in 21 games, leading the next closest on Lokomotiv by two points. He’ll join a St. Petersburg club that hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals in two years and has former NHL players such as Mikhail Grigorenko, Valentin Zykov, and Nikita Zaitsev on the roster.
Other international notes:
- Confirming a report from a month ago, Utah Mammoth prospect Dmitri Simashev said he’ll be coming to North America next season (Tweet Link). Alongside Radulov and fellow Utah prospect Daniil But, Simashev became a first-time winner of the Gagarin Cup yesterday. Still, his offensive struggles continued throughout the KHL postseason, tallying only one assist in 21 playoff contests with a -1 rating. There shouldn’t be any guarantees that Simashev will make the Mammoth’s roster out of training camp in September.
- Per a report from Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic, the Vancouver Canucks are content with letting 2021 seventh-round pick, Lucas Forsell, join a different organization this summer. Vancouver selected Forsell with the 201st overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and he’s been playing SHL’s Färjestad BK since. Still, it’s unlikely Forsell will gain much traction once his contractual rights expire on June 1st, given he’s failed to score more than 10 points in any SHL season since being drafted.
- Team Czechia couldn’t defeat Team Sweden today despite having an extra reinforcement. TSN’s Chris Johnston reported yesterday that Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kämpf joined his home country for the quarterfinals. He managed one shot on net in 17:09 of ice time with a -1 rating in the loss.
Utah Hockey Club Notes: Cooley, But, Simashev, Maccelli, Ingram
After managing a 38-31-13 record in their first season in franchise history, the Utah Hockey Club will be an exciting team to follow this upcoming offseason. They have abundant financial flexibility, and some of those dollars will undoubtedly go to a player they’ll look to build around for the long haul.
Brogan Houston of Deseret News shared a note from Utah General Manager Bill Armstrong earlier, indicating the team will look to begin extension negotiations with center Logan Cooley this summer. Cooley becomes eligible for an extension on July 1st, as he enters the last season of his three-year entry-level contract signed in 2023.
There’s no questioning the desire for an extension from Utah’s perspective. Cooley has been flat-out electric since jumping from collegiate to professional, scoring 45 goals and 109 points through his first 157 contests, with a 19-point improvement year-on-year. All four of Utah’s top-scoring forwards are signed to contracts at or below $7.15MM per year, so they may be ready to make Cooley their highest-paid player as well.
Other updates out of Utah:
- Just over two weeks ago, Armstrong suggested that Utah’s two 2023 first-round selections, Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev, might debut for the team next season. In a follow-up, Cole Bagley of KSL Sports received confirmation from Armstrong today that the team would begin contract negotiations with the pair once their KHL season had concluded. Those negotiations could start relatively soon, given that their current team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, will play Avangard Omsk in Game 7 of Round Two of the Gagarin Cup playoffs on Wednesday.
- After notching 78 assists in his last 146 games, much was expected from Matias Maccelli this season. Unfortunately, the 2024-25 season became one to forget, as Maccelli finished with eight goals and 18 points in 55 contests, becoming a frequent healthy scratch. The diminished production sparked trade rumors regarding Maccelli around the deadline, and that doesn’t appear likely to fade this offseason. Concerning Maccelli’s future with the organization, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune quoted Armstrong saying, “We’ve got some evaluation to do. Your team becomes better every year. There are certain things that happen — sometimes your players have to keep up, sometimes roles change.“
- Fraser also received a quote from Armstrong about netminder Connor Ingram‘s status, who entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on March 9th. Armstrong said, “A lot of it is unknown. When players go into the program, we don’t have any contact with him so it’s hard for us to speculate. The good news for us as we sit here in this room is we know he is in a good place at the program. We wish him the best.” Ingram’s starting status for Utah’s 2025-26 season is uncertain, but he is signed through next season with a cap hit of $1.95MM.