SLC Puck!

The most interesting thing in Mammoth camp right now isn’t just that preseason starts in Colorado. It’s that 21-year-old Daniil But got a real look with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, and Andre Tourigny basically admitted this is a legit evaluation window to see whether he’s ready now or still a few months away. But is 6-foot-6, 216 pounds, played 29 NHL games last year, and was nearly a point-per-game guy in Tucson with 39 points in 41 games. If he can do the simple top-line stuff Tourigny described — go to the net, open ice, forecheck, win loose pucks, and get his shot off faster — he might force his way into the opening-night conversation. Subscribe and listen for the full episode breakdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Chase Beardsley joined me after Utah’s rookie showcase in San Jose, and the big takeaway was hard to miss: Dmitri Simashev looked like a guy with a real opening-night case. Chase loved the way he ran the power play, used his voice on the ice and wore the captaincy, and he thought Utah’s power play looked rough once Simashev sat in game three. We also got into why Tucson matters so much here. The Roadrunners aren’t just a holding pen. They’re a real development environment, and that matters for guys like Simashev and Daniil But, even if Simashev may be closer to Utah right now. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen to the full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOG1PiRMk-k This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

The funniest thing from Utah Mammoth media day was also somehow the most perfect snapshot of hockey life: Dylan Guenther showed up after sleeping on the floor because his mattress still hadn’t arrived. So yes, we got a real live millionaire goal-scorer getting sold out by Mattress Firm before breakfast. But the bigger takeaway was how settled this team sounds. Bill Armstrong talked about Utah’s depth and cap flexibility while other teams throw huge money at stars, and the whole day had a calm, serious, ready-to-work feel around the Mammoth. Subscribe and listen for the full media day breakdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Trevor Lewis is back in Utah, and this is bigger than a feel-good alumni story. The Mammoth hired the Cottonwood Heights native and two-time Stanley Cup champion as a video scout and youth/amateur hockey ambassador, which means they’re adding somebody who knows exactly what winning looks like and actually cares what hockey becoming bigger here would mean. Austin gets into why Chris Armstrong’s line about Lewis knowing what it would mean to bring a Stanley Cup to Utah is the whole point. Lewis has already brought the Cup home before, he played 17 NHL seasons, skated in 1,034 career games, and now he’s putting that experience back into the state that made him. Subscribe for more SLC Puck, and listen to the full episode for the Trevor Lewis breakdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Vegas fans are furious, and honestly, I get why. Gabe Smith sent Trevor Connelly hard into the boards at the rookie showcase, got ejected at 10:33 of the second, then somehow added a second round of punishment in the fight that followed. It was not clean. It was not subtle. It was also the clearest sign yet that Utah’s system is done playing summer hockey. That’s the part I keep coming back to. Steve Potvin called it “big boy hockey,” Dmitri Simashev is wearing the C in San Jose, and the whole vibe around this team feels like guys are sick of hitting their own teammates and ready for something real. Opening night against Calgary is close enough now that even the weird little rookie games are starting to feel spicy. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen wherever you get your podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Brogan Houston from the Deseret News joined me to talk through the actual first-day rookie camp questions that matter: no Tij Iginla, no Caleb Desnoyers, what Dimitri Simashev’s role looks like, and why Mammoth fans should probably calm down a little on the Tij timeline. We also took a detour into one of the most beautifully random hockey stories imaginable: Brogan once worked on Carey Price’s vehicle at Kal Tire, recognized him from across the shop, and kept the work order like the sicko he is. Tremendous scene. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen to the full episode here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

The Connor Hellebuyck-to-Utah chatter sounds fun until you apply even five seconds of real-world logic. Austin breaks down why the Mammoth may have the assets on paper, but Bill Armstrong is not about to mortgage the future for a 33-year-old goalie on a massive deal after already paying a painful price to get Vincent Trocheck. There’s also the part the rumor machine keeps skipping: Winnipeg and Utah are in the same division. Why would the Jets trade their best player to a team they’d have to see in huge Central Division games for years? Austin says the whole thing is being stretched way past what was actually said, and yes, he puts his hair on the line if he’s wrong. Subscribe and listen for the full rant, the Delta Center detour, and the live-on-air head-shaving wager. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin lays out the math on Dylan Guenther’s path to 50 goals, starting with last season’s 40 goals in 79 games, 242 shots, and a 16.5 shooting percentage. The case is straightforward: the finishing talent is already real, but the volume has to jump from 3.06 shots per game to roughly 3.4 or more. The bigger point is tactical. Utah has to treat Guenther’s left-circle one-timer spot like sacred ground, with teammates creating space and feeding him across the slot line the way Nate Schmidt did last season. Austin thinks 50 is possible, even if 45-46 is the more realistic call. Subscribe and listen for more Utah Mammoth deep dives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

NHL 27 is here, and honestly, this is when hockey season starts feeling real. Austin jumped into the early-access version, looked at EA’s default Utah Mammoth roster, and found a team rated as a legit offensive problem: Clayton Keller at 91, Dylan Guenther and Nick Schmaltz at 89, Logan Cooley at 88, and Utah sitting at 91 on offense overall. The weird part is where EA got nervous. Utah’s defense comes in at 84, and the goaltending drops all the way to 78 because Karel Vejmelka is strong but Sebastian Kosa gets just a 74. There’s also a lot to argue about in the default lines, from Vincent Trocheck centering the third line to Brandon Tanev being scratched, plus no Tij Iginla in the opening roster unless you import him yourself. Subscribe for more SLC Puck, and listen to the full episode here: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Logan Cooley gets pushed into the corner during a three-on-three summer game in Pittsburgh, knocks an opponent’s stick away, loses his helmet and winds up in the middle of a scrap before a teammate jumps in. He is playing for Team Raising Cane’s, which somehow makes the whole thing even better. The clip is funny, but Austin’s point is that Cooley’s competitive edge is already in midseason form. From there, the episode zooms out to Cale Makar’s new $20 million deal and Utah’s cap position. For about the price of one Makar, the Mammoth can stack together Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Michael Carcone, and Karel Vejmelka. Utah may not be a true Cup favorite this season, but its championship window looks a lot more real. Subscribe and listen for the full Cooley summer-league chaos, the cap-space spiral and Austin’s case that a changing of the guard is coming in the Central. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Connor Hellebuyck formally requested a trade, and Austin’s whole argument is simple: Utah has to at least explore it. Not because Karel Vejmelka isn’t good, but because Vejmelka was pushed into 64 appearances last season and a Hellebuyck-Vejmelka tandem would instantly change how seriously the league talks about the Mammoth. The episode walks through the actual thought exercise: move Sebastian Cossa, attach first-round picks, clear cap by moving Kevin Stenlund, and suddenly Utah looks a lot more like a real Stanley Cup threat than a cute playoff team. Austin still thinks Buffalo is probably the favorite, but the point is that a team serious about winning has to make the call. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

The main question in this episode is pretty simple: what actually happens to the Utah Mammoth this season, not what we hope happens. Austin and Sam make three predictions each, and the biggest thread is obvious — Utah needs a real plan behind Karel Vejmelka after he played 64 games last year, because asking him to carry that kind of load again feels like a good way to wilt by spring. They also get into whether Andre Tourigny survives the season, why Logan Cooley feels like a real All-Star skills candidate, and why 99 points might be the honest prediction even if everybody wants to say 100. Plus: the unexpectedly intense Delta Center concessions discourse, including Cafe Rio over Costa Vida and Apollo Burger invading Crown Burger territory. Subscribe for more and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin found a real little jersey-number scoop at the Mammoth Ice Center team store: Tij Iginla jerseys are already being pressed with No. 77, not 12. After Tij wore 12 in earlier Mammoth appearances, this looks like the clearest sign yet of what he’ll wear when he reaches the NHL roster. My read is simple: this is Tij trying to forge his own path. He wore 11 with Kelowna, Dylan Guenther already has 11 in Utah, and 77 opens up after JJ Peterka was moved out. More than anything, I think passing on Jarome Iginla’s famous 12 says Tij wants his own story. Subscribe for more weird little Mammoth breadcrumbs and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

The Utah Mammoth license plates are officially here, and honestly this is the exact kind of offseason content gift I live for. Austin digs into the new DMV plate, the $25 initial contribution, the six-character vanity limit, and the deeply important civic duty of using government records to make strangers laugh in parking lots. Then it turns into a full-blown brainstorming session: ASMAN, OUTLAW, YETIS, SLC PUK, PUCKME, BIG TSK, VEGGIE, ARCHIE, GUNNER, and more. It’s weird, extremely Utah, and exactly what late-night SLC Puck was built for. Subscribe for more and listen to the episode now. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin digs into The Hockey Guy’s Utah Mammoth season preview and lands on a take that feels very Utah: being liked is nice, but being feared is better. The big stat that set him off was Utah getting just 0.42% of the vote as the NHL’s most hated team. From there, it turns into a challenge for the two young stars. Austin wants Dylan Guenther to score 45 goals and drop the gloves once, and he wants Logan Cooley to turn 54 hits in 54 games into 100 hits over an 84-game season. A little more villain energy, please. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin’s argument in this one is simple: Utah Mammoth season doesn’t just feel close on the calendar, it feels close because the Delta Center is visibly transforming right now. He talks through Ryan Smith’s August 13 arena photos, the stacked party deck, the absurdly steep new section, and why year three might give Utah its third straight opening night that feels historic in the room. He also says goodbye to the original Sugar House SLC Puck studio, shouts out Eric Jensen for the text that sparked the episode, and leans into the bigger idea that this team is changing weekends, downtown Salt Lake, and sports culture across Utah. Subscribe and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin breaks down Vincent Trocheck’s positioning, faceoff ability, and why his veteran game could help Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Caleb Desnoyers left the World Junior Summer Showcase needing help off the ice after a brutal collision, and that’s the whole story right now for Mammoth fans. Austin breaks down the clip, why it looked so alarming in real time, why he doesn’t think Wyatt Cullen meant to injure him, and why this still feels like a massive, infuriating setback for a fourth overall pick who was supposed to be pushing toward Utah. He also gets into the worst part of it: we may not get a real update until rookie camp in September. That uncertainty is what makes the whole thing so maddening, especially when leg and knee injuries can mess with a player’s development at exactly the wrong moment. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and watch or listen to the full episode above. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

Austin goes deep on why the JJ Peterka era ended so fast in Utah, and why this feels less like a total player failure and more like a role problem that got worse as the season went on. The numbers are rough: 68 points in Buffalo dropped to 47 in Utah, his power-play production cratered from 18 points to 5, and he finished the playoffs with zero points in six games. There’s also the bigger trade picture now. Utah gave up Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring to get Peterka, then flipped Peterka to Boston in the deal path that eventually brought back Sebastian Cossa and a future first. Austin’s grade for the whole Peterka era: a flat C. Subscribe and listen for the full breakdown. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com

The argument in this episode is pretty simple: Logan Cooley already has the tools to be a superstar, but if he’s going to make the jump, he has to shoot more. Austin points to Cooley’s 99th-percentile speed, his 23 points in 29 games before the injury, and the fact that he still only projects to about 1.89 shots per game on an 82-game pace. That’s not enough for a player this explosive. There’s also the bigger Utah Mammoth angle here. If Cooley stays healthy, locks in a bigger power-play role, and spends real time with Dylan Guenther — maybe with Anders Lee doing the dirty work — Austin thinks the breakout changes the whole trajectory of the team. Subscribe for more SLC Puck and listen to the full episode. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slcpuck.com