The Utah Mammoth announced today that it is continuing the club’s coaching internship program at this year’s 2025 Development Camp. Through the program, Utahns Nick Fornelius, head coach for the University of Utah’s men’s Division II team, and Garrett Metcalf, one of only eight Utahns to be drafted to the NHL and now an assistant coach at Long Island University, will work alongside the Mammoth coaching staff as a way to enhance their coaching skills.
“We are incredibly proud to have Nick and Garret join us for Development Camp this year,” said Chris Armstrong, president of hockey operations for the Utah Mammoth.“ We are committed to growing the game of hockey in the state of Utah and doing our part to assist in the development of future generations of players in this region. This will be a great opportunity for Nick and Garrett to learn from Utah’s NHL coaching staff and to gather knowledge that they can share with their teams.”
Fornelius is set to enter his fifth season as head coach with the University of Utah men’s Division II team. Coach Fornelius was named the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men’s Division II Coach of the Year in 2024-25 and received the 2025 ACHA Western Regional Coach of the Year honors this past March. The Utes gained an automatic bid to the 2024-25 ACHA National Championship for the third time in program history after finishing the regular season as the second-ranked team in the West Region. Prior to serving as the team’s head coach, the Salt Lake City native played for Utah as a forward from 2014-2018, registering 31-62-93 in 146 games. He posted 16-33-49 in 77 contests as an alternate captain over three seasons with the Utes’ Division I men’s team.
Metcalf recently completed his first season as an assistant coach with Long Island University’s men’s Division I team, becoming the first former player to return as a member of the Sharks’ coaching staff. Originally from Salt Lake City, Metcalf was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft becoming one of eight Utah-born players to be drafted in the NHL. He played four collegiate seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Mercyhurst University, and Long Island from 2016-21, and he was named to the watch list for the 2021 Mike Richter Award, given to the top goaltender in Division I. Before starting his coaching career at Long Island, Metcalf spent parts of four East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) seasons with the Utah Grizzlies and had American Hockey League (AHL) stints with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2021-22) and San Diego Gulls (2022-23). He sustained a career-ending injury in his last professional year while under contract with the Colorado Eagles.
As part of the Mammoth internship coaching program, Fornelius and Metcalf will shadow the Mammoth coaching staff, take part in daily coach and player meetings, and assist the staff with on-ice drills. They will also serve as assistant coaches for the team’s Black and White scrimmage on Thursday, July 3.
