SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Mammoth opened their season with a statement that carried from the ice to the stands at Delta Center, rolling past the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0 on Thursday. As the final seconds ran down, the building rose and “Wooly Bully” filled the arena while a new-look Utah club celebrated the kind of clean, complete start it had been chasing.
Captain Clayton Keller called it the right beginning, but quickly turned the page toward the work ahead. Utah will head out on a lengthy road swing after opening with a result that left little doubt about which club controlled the night.
The Mammoth were sharp in the details. They owned the faceoff circle 39-15, a 72.2 percent rate, moved the puck crisply and maintained their pace even after the score got out of reach. Coach Andre Tourigny liked that his group did not loosen its habits once it built a lead, saying the team kept playing its structure rather than taking shortcuts.
That mindset matters for a club entering the year with considerably more attention than it had a season ago. Utah reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in only its second NHL campaign, then lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Western Conference First Round. Vegas went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final, giving the Mammoth a close look at the standard required deeper in the spring.
Tourigny believes the next step is rooted in leadership and a group that can read off one another over long stretches. He pointed to championship-caliber teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers as examples of clubs whose players anticipate the next play and stay connected even when the schedule tests them.
New veterans make an immediate impression
Fourteen Utah skaters recorded at least one point against Chicago, with Dylan Guenther scoring twice. The production was especially notable considering the Blackhawks had gone 4-0-0 against Utah last season, outscoring the Mammoth 13-5 while Utah went 0-2-2 in the season series.
Guenther said the room had been eager to get the season underway and viewed the win as momentum to take on the trip. He also welcomed the heightened expectations around the team, saying Utah wants to establish itself among the League’s stronger clubs.
The offseason additions were involved right away. Vincent Trocheck set up Nick Schmaltz at 9:47 of the second period, and Anders Lee scored his first Mammoth goal at 13:06 of the middle frame. Utah acquired Trocheck from the New York Rangers on July 1 in exchange for defenseman Sean Durzi, forward Cole Beaudoin and a third-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft. That same day, Lee arrived as a free agent on a three-year contract worth $16.2 million, carrying a $5.4 million annual cap hit.
Keller praised both newcomers as intelligent, dependable players whose leadership should grow as they settle into a new system and new teammates. Their first night in Utah offered an early glimpse of why the Mammoth targeted veteran help.
There will be no easy route through the Central Division, with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild among the teams Utah will be chasing. But after a six-goal opener, a dominant night on draws and a shutout result, the Mammoth have put the kind of first entry in the notebook they wanted.
