Mammoth Recall Zac Jones

After returning Gregor Biber to AHL Tucson before he had a chance to play a game, it seemed likely that the Mammoth would be bringing someone else up to serve as a reserve option.  They’ve now done just that, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled blueliner Zac Jones from Tucson.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with Utah after inking a two-year, two-way contract following a non-tender by Buffalo back in June.  Jones cleared waivers in training camp and has been with the Roadrunners since then.  He’s off to a hot start as well, notching 11 points in 13 games to start the year.

While Jones hasn’t seen any NHL action this season, he has a fair bit of experience at the top level.  He has 115 games under his belt, all coming over parts of five seasons with the Rangers, who drafted him in the third round back in 2019.  Jones has four goals and 24 assists in those outings in a little under 16 minutes per night of playing time.

Even with Nate Schmidt out day-to-day, there’s no guarantee that Jones will see any ice time while on recall.  He could just wind up being the seventh defender which would enable Artem Duda to remain in the lineup.  Alternatively, if they want a bit more offensive upside on the back end, they could try Jones on the third pairing in the coming days.