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Cole Beaudoin, Utah Hockey Club (Photo credit: LA Kings)

3 Utah Mammoth Prospects Dominating the Canadian Hockey League

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jeremy Schouppe | Last updated Feb 24, 2026 11:10 AM ET

The Utah Mammoth has one of the brightest young cores in the NHL. They came into their inaugural season in Salt Lake City with the third-youngest roster. Since then, their average age has crept toward the league average after trading for and signing some veterans to help this team emerge from its rebuild and compete for the playoffs, which they are on pace to make this season, sitting in the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Regardless of the results at the end of the season, it’s likely we see the Mammoth get younger heading into the 2026-27 season. Between several top prospects lighting it up at the junior hockey level and a few older veterans on contracts that expire at the end of the season, this team is about to be in another transition period, where a lot of young talent will be infused into this lineup together.

Let’s get caught up on what a few of these potential Mammoth stars are doing to make their case to be in the NHL next season.

Tij Iginla – Kelowna Rockets

Since being drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2024, Tij Iginla has battled injuries, and it was somewhat unclear how they would affect his development.

However, after being sent back to the Kelowna Rockets, he has been back on the ice consistently, only missing some time in December. Iginla currently leads the Western Hockey League (WHL) with 1.83 points per game, having 35 goals and 66 points in 36 games.

He sits fifth across the league in goals scored and five behind the league leader, Cameron Schmidt, who has played 23 more games than Iginla. He continues to prove to be an efficient scorer with an elite shot, which would be a huge asset to the Mammoth’s struggling power play.

The Rockets currently sit fourth in the WHL’s Western Conference. They are comfortably in a playoff position with 12 games left in the regular season. It will be interesting to see how far Iginla can lead this Rockets team, which will likely have to battle the Everett Silvertips and Penticton Vees, both ranked in the Canadian Hockey League’s top 10, before reaching the Final.

Iginla would be eligible to play one more season in the WHL, but it’s hard to believe that the Mammoth won’t give him an extended look next season after nearly scoring a goal per game at the junior level, when their only weakness has been scoring goals with the man advantage.

Cole Beaudoin – Barrie Colts

Cole Beaudoin is the other player the Utah Hockey Club selected in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. After being selected, he posted somewhat underwhelming numbers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), similar to his draft year.

He’s alleviated any concerns about his development this season, leading the OHL with 1.75 points per game, with 26 goals and 51 assists for 77 points in 44 games.

The most interesting part of his season is ranking third across the league with 22 power-play assists. He is only three behind the league leader, Christian Humphreys, a Colorado Avalanche prospect, who has played 10 more games than Beaudoin.

With the Mammoths’ biggest weakness being their power play, they have to be loving what they’re seeing from Beaudoin quarterbacking the Barrie Colts’ power play. Combine that with the size, speed, energy, and work ethic that have always made him a valuable prospect, and he could be another guy in the running for a full-time NHL role next season.

The Colts and Beaudoin are in a loaded Eastern Conference in the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs and Ottawa 67’s. Wearing the ‘C’, Beaudoin has high expectations to lead a Colts team ranked in the CHL’s top 10. It will be interesting to see if this team can fight through for a Memorial Cup spot.

Caleb Desnoyers – Moncton Wildcats

To round out the Mammoth trio of prospects leading the CHL’s three leagues in points per game, Caleb Desnoyer is leading the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in points per contest (if you exclude Ivan Ryabkin, who has only played 11 games since being sent down from the American Hockey League (AHL)).

Much like Iginla, Desnoyers got a late start to the season, still rehabbing injuries from the season prior. However, through 34 games, he has scored 16 goals and recorded 40 assists for 53 points. That puts him on pace for 74 points and what would be a QMJHL career high of 53 assists if he were to play out the remainder of the Wildcats regular season games.

Currently, the Wildcats are ranked second in the CHL’s top 10 rankings and one of two QMJHL teams in the top 10. After a Memorial Cup berth last season, there are big expectations in Moncton again this season, and it will be interesting to watch and see if the Mammoth’s 2025 fourth overall pick can lead this team to back-to-back QMJHL championships.

NHL Outlook For Mammoth Prospects Still Playing Junior Hockey

With these three prospects, it doesn’t seem like a if, but more of a when they will make an impact at the NHL level.

All three have shown they can compete with the best of the best at their level, looking like some of the most impactful players in their respective leagues and standing out on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship earlier this year.

I could see these three all factoring into the Mammoth’s lineup next season, with depth pieces like Alexander Kerfoot, Kevin Stenlund, Michael Carone, and Kailer Yamamoto on contracts that expire at season’s end.

The Mammoth have big contract decisions to make, one with Barrett Hayton and the other, more significant, being Nick Schmaltz. If all three of Iginla, Beaudoin, and Desnoyers make the team, that would be a great way for the Mammoth to fill holes in their lineup cheaply while keeping money open to make a pitch to bring back Schmaltz in the offseason.

Regardless, the future is bright in Salt Lake City when you also think about Dimitri Simashev and Daniil But, two other first-round picks playing with the Mammoth’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.