It’s been a big season for Utah Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz. Through 65 games he’s already set a new career-highs in goals (24), is second on the team in goals, assists, and points, and has played significant minutes all season long. When center Logan Cooley was injured in December, Schmaltz shifted from the wing to center where he excelled with the added responsibility and continued to make an impact.
Schmaltz has shown his value on and off the ice. As Utah continues to chase the organization’s first Stanley Cup in franchise history, he will be a part of the push. With his current seven-year contract that he previously signed while playing for the Arizona Coyotes in its final season, the Mammoth and Schmaltz came together to find a deal that would keep the forward in Utah. Months before free agency, Schmaltz signed an eight-year extension to remain with the Mammoth.
“I remember talking to Nick early in the year and just said, ‘hey Nick, there’s no question that you need to be here. We want you here,’” Ryan Smith, governor of the Utah Mammoth, recalled. “I’m just so thrilled that we both were able to see that. And really, his desire to want to be in Utah.
“…we’re just super proud of you (Nick), and we’re excited for the future,” Smith continued. “I think also, if you look at the commitment with Logan (Cooley), with Dylan (Guenther), with Nick, and where we’re going now, it’s just getting started.”
Schmaltz’s love for the organization, the state of Utah, and his teammates made this the right decision for him.
“I love playing in Utah, I love being here,” Schmaltz reflected. “I think it’s a great place to live. My fiancée and I love it here so we’re super excited to get settled down, and hopefully find some real estate here.
“…we have guys locked in long term, which just shows the commitment to winning here,” Schmaltz continued. “We’re right on the edge of being a really great team. We got all the piece in place. I know we’re only going to get better. I’m super excited to be here and do whatever I can to make sure I live up to the commitment you guys made to me.”
To build a strong, championship culture, and achieve the ultimate goal of winning, an organization can bring in new pieces. However, the most important part is keeping a strong core of the team together for multiple years. Schmaltz is the seventh player who has signed a contract with Utah that is four years or longer. He’s the eighth when you include MacKenzie Weegar who has five years remaining on his contract and waived his no trade clause to come to Utah last week. These contracts will keep a significant group of players together and keep the strong chemistry in place.
“It takes a long time to win a championship in the NHL,” Armstrong shared. “I think the average is 12 years. It takes a long time. So, you have to keep your group together. When you find players that have the right chemistry, you have to try to fight to keep them together. Hockey is a different breed. Just with trying to build teams and getting them to all work together and the synergy that is produced, that gets you over the hump in Game Seven, sometimes is players being together for seven, eight years.
“So, it does take a while for your team to forge that bond, and I believe we have that,” Armstrong continued. “When you get guys locked in for a long term, you give yourself a bigger window to win a championship.”
The window is just starting for Utah. The Mammoth are in the first wild card spot and pushing for the first playoff berth in franchise history. It has been a process for a core group of Utah’s players, Armstrong, head coach André Tourigny, and others to make it to this point. However, through the rebuild, Schmaltz’s commitment to the plan never wavered.
“When you go through a rebuild as we did, you really understand the character of a person,” Armstrong explained. “We had a lot of people bail on us, we had a lot of people not play well, not (play) hard, didn’t want any part of it. Nick was actually the opposite. He bought into it, he embraced it, and he drove through it. He’s one of the reasons right now we’re sitting in an opportunity to get into the playoffs.”
There were some difficult seasons for Schmaltz along with Clayton Keller, Lawson Course and Barrett Hayton in Arizona. However, on the other side of it as Utah takes the next step, going through those challenging times has made the successful times more meaningful, and it was important for Schmaltz to finish what he started.
“I wanted to see it through and be a part of the rebuild and kind of build it from the ground up,” Schmaltz explained. “Then, you can see the steps we’ve taken, it’s been fun to see. The new guys we’re bringing in, the young talent, and I’m super happy that I did (stay). I think it means a lot to grind through those years because then it makes the good times that much better.
“I’m looking forward to keep getting better every year and hopefully get to that goal of winning one day. That’s our goal.”
