Mammoth sign Montana Onyebuchi to two-year contract

Montana Onyebuchi isn’t going anywhere, Utah Mammoth fans.

The Mammoth signed the 25-year-old defenseman to a two-year, two-way contract, with an AAV of $775,000.

Onyebuchi has spent the past four years in the AHL, including this past season with Tsucon. He tied a career-best of 10 points in 64 regular season games, and had 112 penalty minutes to boot. He had an additional one assist in three playoff outings, losing out in the first round to the eventual champions, the Abbotsford Canucks.

The Dugald, Manitoba native has 36 points and 467 penalty minutes in four AHL seasons between Tucson and San Jose. Onyebuchi has yet to play an NHL game since signing his first contract with Arizona in 2023.

Onyebuchi wasn’t drafted to the NHL after his fifth season in the WHL. He had 75 points and 440 penalty minutes in 257 games between Everett and Kamloops. It was there that the 6-foot-3 defenseman developed into an intimidating physical presence, showing a willingness to drop the gloves against anyone.

According to PuckPedia, Utah has just under $15 million in projected cap space. Nick Bjugstad, Michael Carcone and Robert Bortuzzo are all pending UFAs, while Jack McBain is a restricted free agent. Travis Barron, Samuel Walker, Egor Sokolov, Cameron Hebig and Patrik Koch are minor league players who are set to be UFAs

Utah missed the playoffs this season, finishing 19th with 89 points – seven behind the St. Louis Blues, who held the final playoff spot. Utah will enter its first season as the Mammoth this year, following the announcement of the new branding on May 7.