JJ Peterka Is the Utah Mammoth’s X-Factor

Who would be the general manager’s target? Rumors suggested ex-Toronto Maple Leaf Mitch Marner would go to the Beehive state. On a quiet summer’s night, shocking news greeted Mammoth Nation.

Was it Marner signing a huge deal to join the Mammoth? No, on June 26, 2025, the Mammoth front office traded for forward JJ Peterka. The trade received mixed reactions, as many Mammoth fans were excited due to Peterka’s potential. Other fans were not, as the trade included fan favorites Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring–a heavy price to pay for a player. 

During the inaugural season, Doan amassed a fan following known as Doanher Nation. Devastated by the trade, they all drank Red Bull, the group’s favorite drink, to mourn his departure. Lately, Peterka has been under a microscope by Mammoth fans and the league. His previous team, the Sabres, has finally taken off in the playoff race because of the contributions of Doan this season. 

Many media members are clamoring that the Sabres won the trade and that Doan has been the better player. While Peterka has elevated a Mammoth squad into the playoff hunt, he can disappear at times.

Who’s The Better Player?

On paper, the players’ head-to-head stats are fairly even. Peterka has a total of 35 points so far this season, while Doan has 36. Both are well-rounded players with the ability to score and generate assists. Doan is slightly better in the assists category, having 20 so far to Peterka’s 16 assists. Peterka, meanwhile, is the better goal scorer with 19 goals compared to Doan’s 16. 

Breaking down their stats even more, both players’ ppg has a positive impact. Doan this year has a whopping seven power play goals, showing he affects the Sabres points production immensely, while Peterka has two power play goals. What Peterka lacks on the power play, he makes up for with his plus-minus stat.

Peterka’s plus-eight plus-minus indicates a real positive impact for the Mammoth. When on the ice, Peterka helps the Mammoth score more than being scored on, while Doan’s negative two plus-minus tells an opposite story. All in all, the trade seems to be pretty fair across the board. Both teams received excellent players to aid in their goal of making the playoffs once again. 

The most recent question in Mammoth land is whether Peterka is doing enough to help the team.

Needed Contribution

Last year, the Mammoth narrowly missed the playoffs by seven points. The team was ravaged by injuries, with both defensemen, John Marino and Sean Durzi, sitting out for a significant amount of time. The Mammoth only had one 90-point scorer on the team, captain Clayton Keller, with 30 goals and 60 assists. Logan Cooley was the team’s second-best point producer with 25 goals and 40 assists.

After that, not many other players on the team hit the 60-point mark last year. Just by watching this season and last, Mammoth Nation knew this team needed one other high scorer to help Keller in their playoff aspirations. 

Peterka can be that key contributor, which is especially important with the likes of Cooley being out due to injury. Ever since he entered the league, he’s managed to increase his point production by 18 points each year. 

When given open ice, Peterka is a speed demon with the puck. He showed this ability in the home opener against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 15, 2025, when he stole the puck and broke a stalemate between the Flames and Mammoth. He’s also a sniper when it comes to scoring, able to weave through traffic and score from a distance. He especially showed this skill against the Sabres on Nov. 12, at the Delta Center.

He kept the puck in the offensive zone and skated past two defenders to bury a wide-open shot. Last year, Peterka added playmaking to his arsenal with a total of 41 assists. This season, his assists aren’t quite at that number, but he’s shown to have the skill. He had two big assists to help win games this year, one in Winnipeg on Oct. 26, and another against the New York Islanders on Jan. 1.

Warranted Criticism 

All of this said, Peterka hasn’t fully lived up to the hype fans gave him. At times, the forward can disappear in the Mammoth roster. During a four-game losing streak from Nov. 26 to Dec. 1, Peterka recorded one goal, no assists, and eight shots. A stat line clearly a far cry from what he was doing a season before, when he had six goals on the power play.

Peterka is also known to give up the puck at inopportune times, especially near the Mammoth’s defensive zone. The Mammoth are sixth in the league when it comes to giving away the puck, and Peterka contributes to that stat. When he was with the Sabres, Peterka became a key cog in scoring goals. What it comes down to is that Peterka is learning a new system and trying to create chemistry with his new teammates. 

He plays a lot like Cooley, using his immense speed and puck handling to weave through defenders and make a quick score. In Utah, he’s had to learn to play with so many other players who hold on to the puck. It also doesn’t help with all the line changes this year by the coaching staff to see who gels together. Even with all these flaws, the forward has been showing flashes of his potential. 

In the last five games from Jan. 24 through Jan. 31, Peterka is fourth best in scoring goals on the team. In fact, the night this article was written (Jan. 31), Peterka recorded two assists with teammate Kailer Yamamoto in a home game against the Dallas Stars, getting him to 100 assists in his NHL career.

Dormant Potential

Peterka is starting to develop chemistry with his teammates and make pivotal connections with them. Much like soccer, it sometimes takes a player a while to figure out his surroundings. Plus, Peterka will be playing for Team Germany in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Sometimes playing in different tournaments helps players find their groove.

The Four Nations did that for Jordan Binnington on the St Louis Blues. In the tournament, Binnington faced up against the best players from each country. Each night, he had to be on his game to help Team Canada win.

In the last game of the tournament Binnington made fewer mistakes and made huge saves. This immaculate goaltending became a trend for the keeper, and he helped the Blues sneak into the playoffs. So, if Binnington can do it, why can’t Peterka? 

His points are going up by 18 each year, and that’s huge for any player. If Peterka can continue to adapt his game, he can prove he is the piece the Mammoth needed to make the postseason once again.