The Utah Mammoth practiced Saturday after making cuts Friday afternoon. Currently, the training camp roster is at 41 players as the team gets closer to the 2025-26 season.
After Saturday’s practice, Head Coach André Tourigny gave some injury updates. Utah’s bench boss shared that both defenseman Olli Määttä and forward JJ Peterka are day-to-day and expected back soon. Forward Liam O’Brien continues to be a full participant at the Mammoth’s practice as he is working his way back from a lower-body injury.
With a smaller training camp roster, the team only had one practice session on Saturday. Here’s who was on the ice:
Forwards: Tij Iginla, Daniil But, Cole Beaudoin, Ben McCartney, Curtis Douglas, Andrew Agozzino, Cameron Hebig, Liam O’Brien, Kailer Yamamoto, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, Michael Carcone, Clayton Keller, Gabe Smith, Kevin Stenlund, Brandon Tanev, Nick Schmaltz
Defensemen: Mikhail Sergachev, Nate Schmidt, John Marino, Nick DeSimone, Maveric Lamoureux, Scott Perunovich, Dmitri Simashev, Ian Cole, Sean Durzi
Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka, Matt Villalta
Pushing for a Spot
Several players who were on the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) last season remain at camp, as they continue their fight for a main roster spot. Tourigny shared about these players and their performances after Saturday’s practice.
“I think (Curtis Douglas) has brought his toughness but as well, he’s pretty sound the way he plays, he’s pretty structured,” Tourigny explained. “(Cameron Hebig) he brings a lot of energy, he can be physical, he has a great shot. He brings a lot of pace in his game. A little bit the same for (Ben) McCartney, who brings even more toughness, plays a gritty game. He can bring that. (Andrew) Agozzino is more of a skilled guy … he’s been around for a long time, so the guys like to play with him. He can connect on a lot of plays; he can play special teams.”
Defense, Defense, Defense
As the defensive-core develops their identity, Alternate Captain Mikhail Sergachev discussed how the d-core wants to play this season following practice.
“We want to be tough to play against,” Sergachev explained. “We want to get a lot of shots through, help our forwards down there, create a lot of chaos, during the rush we want to be fast, mobile, hard to play against.”
Last year, Utah was a strong defensive team and head coach André Tourigny wants his team to keep developing this game.
“We’re really happy about the way we played those situations last year,” Tourigny said of the team’s defensive effort. “We keep working on the chemistry, the understanding of why we’re doing what. I think it’s really good so far. It was really good in Vegas, but we don’t want to sleep on it and get complacent.
“We want to keep getting better at that defensively,” Tourigny continued. “But as well, offensively, we need to get more pucks through, get our stick more active offensively around the net, and get more tips.”
What’s Next
The Mammoth have two more days of practice before the next preseason game on Tuesday, Sept. 30 in Boise, ID against the Los Angeles Kings. Utah’s first home preseason game is Thursday, Oct. 2 against the LA Kings. Tickets are available here!
