On June 22, the Utah Mammoth announced the addition of Adam Foote to the team’s coaching staff. Foote brings years of experience as a player and coach to his assistant coach role. Learn more about the newest member of the Mammoth’s coaching staff below!
Get to Know: Adam Foote
Learn more about Utah’s newest assistant coach
New Mammoth assistant coach Adam Foote discussed joining Utah's staff and his career
The Basics
Foote was born in Toronto, Ontario but grew up in Whitby, Ontario about 36 miles away. In addition to playing hockey, Foote also played lacrosse during his childhood.
The Path to the Pros
Foote spent his entire junior career in Ontario, first with the Whitby Wildcats and then as a member of the Soo Greyhounds (OHL). The Québec Nordiques selected Foote with the 22nd overall pick (2RD) in the 1989 NHL Draft, and after two more seasons with the Greyhounds, the defenseman made the jump to the pros during the 1991-92 season.
Professional Hockey
The 1991-92 season was Foote’s first year of professional hockey. Foote played 46 games, the majority of his season, with the Nordiques and six games with the Halifax Citadels (AHL). On Oct. 19, 1991, Foote made his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings. A month later, he registered his first NHL point, an assist, against the Montreal Canadiens. Foote’s first NHL goal was on Jan. 14, 1992, against the Calgary Flames.
Foote played 207 games with Québec over his first four seasons in the NHL before the franchise moved to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Avalanche. For the next nine seasons, Foote played a total of 592 regular season games. He won his first of two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche during the 1995-96 season, which was the organization’s first year in Denver. Foote was also a part of Colorado’s second Stanley Cup Championship during the 2001 postseason. From the 1996-97 season to the 2003-04 campaign, Foote was an alternate captain for Colorado.
Starting with the 2005-06 season, Foote played parts of three seasons for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he served as the team’s captain during that time. In total, Foote played 197 games for the Blue Jackets before he was traded back to Colorado on Feb. 26, 2008.
Foote remained with the Avalanche for the rest of his career, and was named the team’s captain for his final two seasons. A credit to his leadership, Foote wore a letter for the final 14 seasons of his 19 year NHL career.
Through 1154 regular season NHL games, Foote had 66 goals and 242 assists for 308 points. He finished his career as +99, and 1534 penalty minutes. Foote went to the NHL playoffs 13 times in his career: twice with the Nordiques and 11 times with the Avalanche. He played 170 NHL playoff games and contributed 42 points (7G, 35A) in the postseason.
International Experience
Foote represented his home country of Canada many times throughout his hockey career. He was a member of the Nagano 1998, Salt Lake City 2002, and Turin 2006 Canadian men’s Olympic ice hockey teams. Foote won an Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City which snapped a 50-year gold drought for the Canadians.
In addition to the Olympics, Foote competed in two World Cup of Hockey tournaments. He won a silver medal at the first ever World Cup in 1996, and brought home gold at the 2004 event.
Coaching Experience
After retiring from the NHL on Apr. 8, 2011, Foote transitioned to coaching and player development. He started as an assistant coach with the Colorado Thunderbirds during the 2012-13 season. The following year, Foote joined the Avalanche organization as a development consultant for the next four seasons. During the 2017-18 campaign, Foote transitioned to the Director of Player Development role for Canada’s Spengler Cup team.
Foote started his coaching career with the Kelowna Rockets (WHL) and was the team’s head coach for one and a half seasons. His first coaching job in the NHL was two years later as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks. After three years as an assistant, Foote became the Canucks head coach for the 2025-26 campaign. The 2026-27 season will be his fifth season as an NHL coach and his seventh year as a coach.
Mammoth Connections
This will be the second time Utah Mammoth head coach André Tourigny and Foote have worked together. Tourigny was an assistant coach for the Avalanche during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, while Foote served as a development consultant for Colorado. Tourigny discussed his relationship with Foote after signing a new multi-year contract to remain Utah’s head coach.
“I had the opportunity to work with (Adam Foote) when I was with the (Colorado) Avalanche for two years,” Tourigny recounted. “He’s a really, really smart positional (coach) for the defensemen. He has obviously tremendous experience: Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold medal, World Cup, all those kind of things. He brings a lot to the table. He’s been a head coach, he’s been in the trenches, he’s been an assistant coach. (He’s) been an assistant coach on two staffs who won the Coach of the Year … I think that (has) shown how great he is and (I’ve) always had a good relationship with him since 2013. So, I’m really happy to work with him again.”
