Mammoth Recall Scott Perunovich And Kevin Connauton
With Olli Maatta still taking part in the Olympics, the Mammoth have brought up some extra defensive depth for practice. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defensemen Scott Perunovich and Kevin Connauton from AHL Tucson.
Perunovich is in his first season with Utah after signing a one-year, two-way deal with them back in free agency. A veteran of 108 career NHL appearances, he has yet to make one this season as he has played exclusively with the Roadrunners, his first extended AHL run since 2022-23. The 27-year-old has been quite productive in Tucson, notching three goals and 27 assists in 43 games to lead all team blueliners in scoring.
As for Connauton, he has 360 career NHL outings under his belt but none since the 2021-22 campaign. The 35-year-old is in the second and final season of his two-way deal and has suited up in 23 games with the Roadrunners this season where he has two assists. At this point, it seems likely that both he and Perunovich’s time with the big club will be short-lived with Utah’s back end fully healthy coming out of the break.
With the recalls, Utah’s active roster now sits at 22 players, one shy of the maximum. It’s worth noting that the team has moved Maatta and winger Clayton Keller to non-roster status, so it’s possible that another player will be brought up for practice purposes over the next couple of days.
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.
Latest On Logan Cooley, Alex Kerfoot
- Mammoth forwards Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot were both regular participants in practice today, but still working their way back to game shape, as reported by Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Cooley hasn’t played since early December after a scary lower body injury which thankfully avoided season-ending designation. Meanwhile, Kerfoot underwent a procedure in October, delaying his start to the campaign until January. The 31-year-old found the back of the net once in nine games, the 99th goal of his career, but appears to have had a setback. Both players returned to the ice February 2 in non contact jerseys, with another step in recovery today. Even without their young star and a veteran role player, Utah is marching along toward the playoffs this spring.
Mammoth Reassign Danil But
The Utah Mammoth have assigned rookie winger Danil But to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners ahead of the NHL’s three-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. But received his first extended run in the NHL lineup after a call-up in mid-December – but earned a healthy scratch in Utah’s latest game. The Mammoth will now stick to that decision with one game left on the docket before the break.
But has gone through ups-and-downs through what is officially his rookie year in the NHL. He didn’t manage any scoring through his first six games, then pulled together seven points in 17 games, before landing in another scoring drought over his last five games. He has rotated throughout the lineup accordingly, filling roles from the second-line to the fourth-line.
Now, But will return head for his first minior-leagues games since December. He scored eight goals and 17 points in 19 games with the Roadrunners to start the year. That mark ranks third on the Roadrunners’ offense in points-per-game (0.89) behind Ben McCartney (0.98) and Cameron Hebig (0.92). Even with struggles at the top flight, the Russian rookie has adjusted well to North American pros after scoring 28 points in 54 games with 2025 KHL champions and hometown club Yaroslavl Lokomotiv last season. He should step right back into a top role with the Roadrunners, who play seven games before the Mammoth return on February 25th.
Mammoth Unlikely To Acquire Artemi Panarin
In his update, Pagnotta suggested that the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks remain interested in acquiring Panarin with an extension. In contrast, the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers view him only as a rental. Additionally, Pagnotta mentioned that unless something changes relatively soon, the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Utah Mammoth, and Washington Capitals are no longer in the running.
Latest On Logan Cooley, Alexander Kerfoot
As the NHL’s Olympic break inches closer, it is becoming increasingly clear which injured players are likely to be able to return to the ice once the NHL returns to action later in the month. Two names included in that group are Utah Mammoth forwards Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot. Both Cooley and Kerfoot were non-contact skaters at Utah practice today, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Bagley also noted that today was the first instance of Cooley actually participating in drills at a Mammoth skate.
While getting Kerfoot back will certainly be a boost for the Mammoth, the return of Cooley is undoubtedly the most significant part of this development. Cooley, 21, is the Mammoth’s emerging star forward, someone who signed a $10MM AAV contract extension in late October. The 2022 No. 3 overall pick scored 14 goals and 23 points in 29 games this season, a solid follow-up to his 65-point sophomore campaign from 2024-25.
Cooley has been out since Dec. 5 with a lower-body injury. It was announced on Dec. 11 that Cooley would miss a minimum of eight weeks, which means he’ll soon be within that originally projected return window. Of course, since the NHL will be on a break and Cooley is not headed to the Olympics in Italy, he has some extra breathing room to work his way back to game fitness at his own pace.
While Nick Schmaltz has certainly acquitted himself well as Utah’s No. 1 center in Cooley’s absence, Cooley’s return to the lineup figures to give the Mammoth a massive boost. He’s one of the team’s deadliest offensive creators, and his return would have a ripple effect on the rest of the lineup that would allow certain players to slot into more appropriate roles. 2018 No. 5 pick Barrett Hayton has been playing as Utah’s No. 2 center, but has just 19 points in 50 games this season. Getting Cooley back would have the effect of giving Utah an enviable level of depth in terms of its bottom-six centers, as they also have Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund in the lineup.
Kerfoot’s return isn’t quite as significant as Cooley’s, but it’ll help Utah nonetheless. Since the relocation to Utah, the 31-year-old has struggled to replicate his scoring pace from his days in Arizona and Toronto. But even as his numbers have declined, he’s nonetheless managed to carve out a useful role in the team’s lineup. Kerfoot, who has been out since Jan. 11 with an upper-body injury, is a regular penalty killer for the team, and averaged the second-most shorthanded minutes of any Utah forward in 2024-25.
Utah has managed to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race despite the lengthy absences from Cooley and Kerfoot. Getting them back should make the team a serious threat to claim a playoff spot in the conference.
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 Cameron Hebig
Ahead of their home tilt tonight the Utah Mammoth updated that Cameron Hebig has been recalled from AHL Tucson. No corresponding transaction was made, as the club sent Kevin Rooney back down two days ago.
On his 29th birthday, no less, it’s a call up which has been years in the making for Hebig who is midway through his eighth consecutive season in the AHL, including stints in the ECHL from 2019-2021. Although he’s a depth forward for now, if Hebig is able to get into a game, it would be a great story, becoming his first NHL action after 419 games in the AHL, including six years of duty with the Roadrunners. Hebig has made his mark in Tucson, standing as the franchise’s leader for games played as well as goals.
The undrafted center has had steady production throughout the years, managing to earn a two-way deal last March, and has continued to contribute. Through 35 games this season, the 5’10” WHL alum has 33 points, his best output as a pro. Hebig ranks second in team scoring, just behind Ben McCartney, the two proving to be a formidable duo, although the Roadrunners rank 19th in the league.
Hebig is not expected to appear tonight against the Flyers, but the transaction is a well-deserved call up for a respected longtime AHLer. Signed through next season, he will hope to debut for the Mammoth at some point, enjoying a nice pay bump while at the highest level.
Afternoon Notes: Robinson, Gostisbehere, Rooney
A new injury hit the Carolina Hurricanes during Monday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Forward Eric Robinson left the game with roughly eight minutes left in the first period after being awkwardly knocked down by former teammate and Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin. Robinson appeared to be nursing his left shoulder as he left the ice and has been designated with an upper-body injury.
Robinson has continued to offer all-around utility in a bottom-six role this season. He has 10 goals, 15 points, and a plus-seven in 43 games this season. His performance has been a nice continuation on a strong debut with the Hurricanes last season. Robinson recorded 14 goals, 32 points, and a plus-14 while playing in all 82 games last season – all career-highs. He missed his first games as a Hurricane in late October, when an upper-body injury forced him out of six games.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Hurricanes were again without defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on Monday per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. It was Gostisbehere’s fourth straight absence due to a lower-body injury and illness. The 32-year-old defenseman has now missed 14 games on the season. Despite that, he still leads the Hurricanes blue-line in scoring with six goals and 32 points in 35 games. He has 10 more points than K’Andre Miller, who ranks second. Gostisbehere will have a clear path into an important role when he returns from another absence.
- The Utah Mammoth have assigned center Kevin Rooney to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He has served as an extra forward all year long and played his only NHL game in late November. Rooney has built a more prominent role in Tucson, where he has seven goals and 10 points in 20 games. He will slot back into a familiar role with the Roadrunners and could be a top call-up option when Utah needs another hand.
Utah Mammoth Recall Kevin Rooney, Place Alexander Kerfoot On IR
The Utah Mammoth announced today that they have placed forward Alexander Kerfoot on injured reserve. He’s out with an upper-body injury on a week-to-week basis.
In a corresponding move, the club recalled forward Kevin Rooney from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
Kerfoot left Utah’s Friday game against the St. Louis Blues after suffering the injury. This isn’t Kerfoot’s first week-to-week absence of the season. He underwent core muscle surgery in October and it cost him the start of the season. He made his 2025-26 debut on Dec. 19.
Things weren’t quite right for Kerfoot even after his original activation off of IR. He only managed one goal for one point in nine games, and he only played 10:20 time on ice per game. Kerfoot averaged 15:15 time on ice per game in 2024-25.
A key penalty killer for the Mammoth, Kerfoot has typically been good for steady middle-six production over the course of his NHL career.
He scored 45 points in the final season of the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, but that production didn’t carry over to Utah as he took on a more defensive role.
Now slated to miss at least a few weeks, the Mammoth will turn to Rooney to fill Kerfoot’s vacated fourth-line spot in head coach Andre Tourigny’s lineup.
The 32-year-old is a veteran of over 300 NHL games and skated in 70 games for the Calgary Flames last season. He’s scored 10 points in 20 games at the AHL level this season and has a goal in his lone NHL contest of 2025-26.
Rooney is playing out a one-year, league-minimum two-way contract, one that carries a $325K AHL salary. If Rooney gets an extended look on the NHL roster as a result of Kerfoot’s absence, that run of NHL games would hold significant financial benefits for the veteran forward.
For Kerfoot, while these injuries are undoubtedly frustrating from an on-ice perspective, the financial implications of the injury are also unfortunate. Kerfoot is a pending UFA, and this injury will now set back his efforts to put together the kind of production fans grew accustomed to seeing from him in Arizona and Toronto.
Now 31 years old, Kerfoot has a chance to be one of the better center-capable players on this summer’s open market. This injury is certainly a setback, but he should still have a chance to return to the ice and string together some quality games to end his platform season on as high a note as possible.
Photos courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images