Schmidt high on Mammoth taking step forward as Stanley Cup contender

EDINA, Minn. -- Nate Schmidt, no stranger to experiencing Stanley Cup Playoff atmospheres with fledgling organizations, said he's hoping to help the Utah Mammoth take the next step toward a sustained run as a Cup contender this season.

The defenseman, who turned 35 on Thursday, said the Mammoth are looking to build on their first trip to the postseason, which ended with a six-game loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round following a 43-33-6 finish last season, good for fourth place in the Central Division.

“That excitement and energy was really hard to quantify because it was all over the place,” Schmidt said Wednesday between games at Da Beauty League, a summer hockey league featuring NHL and collegiate players with ties to Minnesota, played at Braemar Arena. “That’s all you ever want as a hockey player.” 

Schmidt said seeing the first-time jitters and excitement from his mostly younger Utah teammates was a reminder of “why you play.” 

A Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers in 2025 and a member of the Golden Knights team that reached the Cup Final in 2018 following its inaugural NHL season, Schmidt said the Mammoth, as well as their fans, should be excited about the elevated expectations of a team looking to rise toward their ultimate goal.

“You have to have that moving forward as a group, otherwise you never get out of the murky middle,” Schmidt said. 

Utah has taken a significant step in that direction with the additions of 36-year-old center Anders Lee, who signed a three-year, $16.2 million contract (average annual value $5.4 million) on July 1, and 33-year-old center Vincent Trocheck, acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers the same day. 

Lee, who had played 14 seasons with the New York Islanders and was their captain the past eight, had 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games last season. He's fifth in Islanders history in games (923), fourth in goals (308), and 10th in points (549).

“He’s another fantastic human, and another captain to boot,” Schmidt said. “You add a teammate like that to your team, it makes a big difference.” 

Adding Trocheck, “fresh off a gold medal” with the U.S. men’s hockey team in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, brings another veteran presence to Utah, Schmidt said. Trocheck has played 13 seasons in the NHL and had 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 67 games last season, his fourth with the Rangers.

“I just think he can play anywhere,” Schmidt said. “A Swiss army knife and go anywhere in the lineup and do anything.

“You can never have too many guys that could do that in your lineup that can give you so much value in other places.” 

Schmidt said he's looking forward to watching continual growth from the Mammoth's youthful players, including 23-year-old center Dylan Guenther, who had an NHL-high 73 points (40 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games last season, and 22-year-old center Logan Cooley, who had his third straight season with at least 20 goals (43 points; 24 goals, 19 assists in 54 games).

“For them to be able to experience not only the playoffs and the intensity that comes in, but how their game has elevated over the last year, it’s my job just to steer," Schmidt said. "They’re going to take off. That’s pretty much all you ever want as a teammate.” 

Mammoth fans have something else to anticipate this season: Hosting the 2027 NHL Winter Classic against the Colorado Avalanche on New Year's Eve at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on the campus of the University of Utah.

Schmidt said he's “fired up” about playing in his first Winter Classic, which he said should make for “a good mountain-range rivalry.”

He wouldn’t mind a little falling snow, either. 

“I hope it’s adverse conditions," he said. "It’s almost more fun.”