Throughout the 2025-26 regular season and playoffs, the Utah Mammoth’s defensive core was impactful and consistent. Utah’s blueliners have plenty of experience, including five Stanley Cup wins, under their belts. This experience helped Utah stay calm and even keel throughout the highs and lows of games and the season as a whole. On the ice, Utah was tied for the tenth-fewest goals against per game in the NHL (2.93).
It takes a lot for a defensive core to be successful on the ice. Part of Utah’s success was related to the team’s depth. The Mammoth had plenty of players who could slot into the lineup and have an impact, no matter who they played with. That depth is key to not only win in the regular season, but in the playoffs as well.
“I think we did a good job this year,” Ian Cole reflected. “I think there were a lot of very positive aspects of the season. I think the way we think about it in here, I think our six or seven guys that we have, I think we’re one of the deepest d-cores in the league. In our ability to create offense, but also defend, just being really good well-rounded hockey players. I think you saw that with guys having great point totals, but also being one of the best teams on the defensive side of things. I think there’s a lot of positives there … I think we did a good job and obviously continue to strive to be better.”
“I do believe that a good d-core does win championships and having that deep roster, we have more than six guys, seven, eight guys that can play in big moments in a lot of situations,” Sean Durzi explained. “That’s going to push us over the edge, but I’m biased. I think it’s so important to have that and I think us pushing each other every day and having that competitive edge of ‘I want to be out there’, competing with each other in practice, competing with our forwards, that’s going to drive our team. That’s something I think we have on our back end, that competitive edge, and it’s how can we push our team and how can we be the drivers of this team.”
One of Utah’s pairings was also a top pairing in the NHL as Nate Schmidt and John Marino found plenty of success on the ice and chemistry off the ice. As a pairing, Schmidt and Marino finished the regular season with the best d-rating in the NHL at +29. They were on the ice for the second most goals for in the league with 63. Both defensemen set new career-highs in plus/minus this season (Marino +42, Schmidt +31).
These two defensemen found plenty of success despite having opposite personalities. Schmidt is talkative and has an outgoing personality while Marino is more reserved and quieter. However, the two clicked and had a strong season.
“One of us communicates a lot and really pulls the other one out of his shell so I like to thank him for doing that to me every day,” Schmidt laughed. “That is something that I find is a very important part of any relationship, partnership in this life. Him and I, I think when it comes down to it, we have a good understanding of what each other needs with the puck, without the puck, spots for each other … we had a good year together, but I actually am quite excited about what could be in store moving forward.”
“On the ice, kind of speaks for itself,” Marino said of his partnership with Schmidt. “The way our games just kind of meshed together. And then, off the ice we were able to communicate pretty well too, just personalities and everything. That goes a long way too.”
In addition to the strong play on the ice, the d-core is incredibly close away from the rink. Being comfortable with one another and having strong chemistry as a group is special. Throughout the year, the d-core grew that strong bond, and it translated on the ice. Having this close group was important to alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev.
“We're a tight group,” Sergachev said. “That's what matters to me the most. We're tight off the ice. We have D-dinners, D-meetings all the time. We feel like we separate ourselves from the forward group a little bit. It's not a bad thing. I think it's a good thing because we're back there, we're defending.”
