Utah Strengthens Its Present and Future During 2026 Draft

After thousands of miles traveled, countless hours debating, and more games attended than anyone can count, the Utah Mammoth entered the 2026 NHL Draft eager and prepared. As General Manager Bill Armstrong always says, the goal is to get the best available player and keep stacking talent.

During the 2025-26 season, Utah qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history, during the team’s second-ever season. As a result, the Mammoth’s First Round pick was outside the top-10, a change from recent years. However, Utah made significant moves to add to the current roster’s depth and grow its established prospect pool. 

Utah’s moves started on Friday before the Draft. The Mammoth traded forward JJ Peterka to the Boston Bruins for the 2026 23^rd overall pick and a conditional first round pick in 2028. Utah flipped this 2026 first round selection for goaltender Sebastian Cossa. These transactions will benefit the Mammoth in multiple ways.

“JJ (Peterka) was a great player for us. To get two first round (picks) for him, it’s a great value,” Armstrong explained. “One first rounder allowed us to go get one of the goaltenders we’ve been hunting for the last few years (Sebastian Cossa) and then I think, with the other pick, it allows us to have some ability to make some bigger deals down the stretch with another first rounder in the bank.”

Cossa brings size, consistency, and a lot of wins to the Mammoth. Over the last four seasons, Cossa has played in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Through 123 regular season games played, he has a 2.46 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and eight shutouts. Before making the pros, Cossa and Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther were teammates on the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL). His experience and time in the AHL strengthens Utah’s goaltending depth, and Cossa could back up Utah’s Karel Vejmelka next season.

“If you look at his work in the American League over the last few years, he’s at the point where he’s accumulated enough games in the (AHL) and his age is absolutely perfect,” Armstrong said. “And now he’s going to have that opportunity to take that next step … he’s a goaltender that we moved towards and he has a chance to really step in here and be a huge piece for our club next year.”

This trade also created space so prospects like Caleb Desnoyers, Cole Beaudoin, Tij Iginla, and Gabe Smith, can fight for a spot during training camp in September.

“Those guys are going to come into camp excited, and they know there’s a spot there and there’s opportunity for them,” Armstrong said. “They’re going to come in fired up and ready to go. I think for them, having a little bit of that opportunity is a great thing. You never know, one of those kids could have a huge impact.”

Utah remained busy as the Draft kicked off Friday night. During the First Round, Utah traded up from 19^th overall to 17^th overall to draft forward Ethan Belchetz. Based off the Mammoth’s research, interactions, and scouting, the organization felt it necessary to make a trade to move up two spots and draft Belchetz. 

“I guess it’s a feel,” Darryl Plandowski, Utah’s Director of Amateur Scouting, said on moving up for Belchetz. “You know how the draft’s kind of going. We have a certain amount of players that we really like and we covet. And sometimes you worry about (the) teams that are in front of you and what they’ve picked in the past and then what they like and we’re looking at teams that we were worried about it. So, for a Third Round pick, we thought it was worth to go get a guy that we really like.”

Based on Utah’s growth as an organization, the Mammoth aren’t focused on getting a high volume of prospects and guarding every asset. At this point, Utah is focused on adding talented players that can make an impact and be a part of the team’s future.

“We’re kind of in our development phase where we don’t need quantity, we need quality,” Plandowski said. “So, we saw these guys, especially like (Belchetz), we really wanted this player. I know he’s a big player but he’s a good player. Former number one pick in the OHL and there’s a reason he was a number one pick.”

Belchetz just finished his second season in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and took steps forward with his game. He set new career-highs (OHL) in games played (57), goals (34), assists (25), and points (59). He went from -3 his first season to +19 this year. To put a cherry on top for his season, the 6-foot-5 forward averaged over a point per game. The Mammoth are excited for him to fit right in. 

“He’s a power forward,” Armstrong said of Belchetz. “When they say power forward, he’s power forward. He’s got a lot of great hockey sense. I love his game. He thinks the game at a high level. He’s a big, big man. He can do a little bit of the nasty sometimes and take care of business too. He’s a great kid. We did a lot of work on him. We weren’t sure that he was going to be there when we were picking and we had to trade up to get him. We love who he is. We love the size, the hockey sense, the ability to play tough and hard. He’s going to fit right into our culture.”

On the second day of the Draft, Utah added more depth to its prospect pool with five selections: three forwards, one defenseman, and one goaltender. With the 96^th overall pick (3 RD) Utah selected forward Adam Valentini from the University of Michigan (NCAA). 19 picks later, the Mammoth added a goaltending prospect, Carl Axelsson (115^th, 4 RD) to their player pool. Utah had two Fifth Round selections, defenseman Theodor Knights (130^th) and Florent Houle (147^th). The Mammoth’s final selection of the 2026 NHL Draft was Artem Prima (211^th). 

Saturday wrapped up months of hard work and years of scouting these eligible prospects. After it’s all said and done, the Mammoth were happy with their selections.

“We’re always excited with the guys we get,” Plandowski shared. “It’s amazing how we battle all year to get our guys in the right order. We lose some, but in the end, everybody’s pretty happy with what we got.”

Although each prospect is from a different place and have had different paths, there was a common theme between these six prospects, each player can push the team forward in some way. Five of the six selections are at least six-feet tall, with three of those five 6-foot-4 or taller. Some are physical, some are gritty, but all six players are expected to align with Utah’s culture.

“You want guys that drive the team in some way,” Plandowski explained. “Whether that’s offense, scoring goals, whether that’s playing defense, whether that’s playing a physical brand of hockey, I think you’re always looking for somebody that can make a difference. Size is nice, but you’re not always going to get the biggest guy later in the draft. You have to decide, do you want the skill, the physicality, or the character. Those are things we’ve always talked about with all these players and that is what are they going to bring to the team? How are they going to beat someone out? They have to bring something special.”

Now that the Draft has wrapped, focus turns to the Mammoth’s development camp from June 28 to July 2. Afterwards, Utah’s prospects will return home, continue their training, and prepare for their 2026-27 seasons. However, in a few short weeks the Mammoth’s amateur scouting staff will go back to work and start their preparations for next year’s Draft. It’s a process and one that Utah uses to feel confident and ready for when they’re on the clock at the following year’s Draft.

“Our process doesn’t change,” Plandowski shared. “Our guys do a good job of weeding out the guys that they don’t like, and putting forward the guys they do like, and then paying attention to the kids that improve (during) the second half of the year. And that’s always the kind of kids that we’re after, the kids that are improving.”