Connor Ingram & Lawson Crouse to Be Mammoth’s X-Factors in 2025-26

After returning from the program and establishing himself as a full-time player in the NHL, Ingram won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2023-24 when he started 48 games for the Coyotes, saved 5.2 goals above expected, and finished tied for the league lead in shutouts.

When going into the program this past season, in a post on social media, Ingram said, “At this point in my life, I need to put my health first and take the proper time I need away to come back at 100%.” Still, he was sure to highlight that “Though many view the program as a resource for substance abuse, I want to recognize all that they do. I am once again privileged to have access to their network of world class health professionals to hopefully avoid long-term negative effects of putting your health second. With the program’s assistance, I look forward to getting the medical help I need and returning to a happy and healthy life.”

With Ingram prioritizing his well-being and getting back to 100% and also having training camp to get back up to speed, it is more than likely we will see Ingram return to his consistent form from his first two full seasons in the NHL. If this is the case, and Karel Vejmelka can maintain his level of play from last season, the Mammoth are in an excellent position, goaltending-wise.

Lawson Crouse’s New Depth Role

Going into last season, Lawson Crouse was named the associate captain of Utah, a special designation from the traditional alternate captain. This would have added some pressure on Crouse. However, before the season started, Crouse and his wife, Claire, welcomed their first child to the world, which would have added significant pressure outside of the game and likely contributed to his struggles on the ice.

In addition to becoming a father for the first time, Crouse was cast into a different role last season with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther starting to eat up more ice time. Ultimately, he lost more than three minutes of ice time per game and finished the season with 12 goals and 18 points.

These 12 goals are compared to his three prior seasons where he scored 20 or more goals each time. While he may not be expected to score 20-plus in his new role as a depth forward, what is interesting with his drop in goal scoring last season is it did not coincide with a decline in scoring chance volume, but more so came from a lack of aggressiveness with the puck.

Without a drop in chance volume, it is reasonable to expect Crouse to improve on his 9.2% shooting percentage last season considering Crouse had a shooting percentage north of 13% in four of the past five seasons. Crouse excels at getting into high-danger areas of the ice and if he can consistently produce offence on the Mammoth’s third line, they will become much more dynamic offensively.

Crouse & Ingram Could Be Mammoth’s X-Factors This Season

Last season, Utah narrowly missed the playoffs by just seven points. Despite their best depth offensive weapon struggling for most of the season and being without Ingram, a capable starting goaltender, they still improved drastically from their last season in Arizona.

The combination of a fully-healthy Ingram and Vejmelka’s performance continuing from last season is a tandem strong enough to lead the Mammoth to the playoffs this season. Add in a bounce-back season from Crouse to improve the Mammoth’s depth scoring and further development from players like Cooley, Guenther, and newly acquired J.J. Peterka, and this could be the season the Mammoth break through and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After stabilizing their blue line, depth scoring and a second goaltender was all the Mammoth were missing. A better season from Crouse and having Ingram back could solve those issues.

All stats via Natural Stat Trick