Takeaways From the Mammoth’s 2026 Development Camp

The forward is everything as advertised. He’s tall and big and has some pretty good hands. Belchetz also isn’t afraid to use his body, which he showed off during the scrimmage that ended up being more physical than some might’ve expected.

One thing that is to note is that his skating does need improvement. At times, he did look slow. It’s something he’s aware he needs to work on, and he’s up for that task with plans to work on his speed and conditioning this summer.

“I think I need to get leaner, get quicker, work on my conditioning, and work on my strength,” Belchetz said. “I’m a big guy; I want to get up and down and ice quickly enough and work for my playmaking.”

However, Belchetz does look like a future great player for the Mammoth. He’s still a couple of seasons away from the NHL at this point. It wouldn’t be surprising, though, if he stuck around at camp a little bit longer than expected this fall.

“He’s got really good hands; he moves well; he’s an easy player to like,” director of player development Lee Stempniak said. “He’s got all the elements it takes to be a power forward, but just watching some of the video and some games after we drafted him, I think his ability to make plays is what stands out. He’s skilled, he’s big, he moves well for his size, he’s got an edge, but I think his ability to make plays is going to allow him to play with better players and higher up the lineup in time, and really provide a different element. Hopefully in a top six role as a winger that complements those skill guys.”

For newer draft picks in particular, development camp is more important than for guys who have been there before. It gives them a chance to check out their new home, meet everyone, and get used to being with the organization. For Belchetz, that was the goal this week, and it sounds like that goal was met.

“As soon as I walked into this unbelievable facility here, you feel like a brotherhood,” Belchetz said. “From Bill Armstrong all the way down to the equipment managers and the trainers, everyone is so welcoming, and there’s such a good group of guys here.”

It wouldn’t be surprising if the next time we see Belchetz next summer, he’s taken leaps and bounds in terms of his development. His commitment to Michigan State is a big one. He’ll learn a lot in the NCAA, which is a better and harder developmental league than the OHL. 

Tij Iginla Was by Far the Best Player at Camp

There’s no question about it. Tij Iginla was by far the best player on the ice all week for the Mammoth. Even when Cole Beaudoin was skating before the trade that sent him to the New York Rangers happened, the former Kelowna Rocket looked leaps and bounds better than everyone else out there.

Maybe it helps that the last time we saw Iginla fully participate in everything was way back in 2024, since he didn’t get to do everything last summer due to an injury. However, his skating was impressive, his shot was great, and he looked like a player who could challenge in an NHL camp. While that’s still far away and nothing is going to be decided on that in development camp, Iginla did put the thought in most people’s heads that he could challenge for a roster spot come September.

“No one’s making the team out of development camp, but the goal coming in here is to plant that seed and put that in the minds of the people that are watching and stuff,” Iginla said. “You put your best foot forward, try to have some fun with it, and just get better.”

That goal was made harder this past week with the Mammoth acquiring Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, but the belief that Iginla could still challenge for a spot is there. His puck-handling skills, skating, overall physicality, and hockey IQ have come a long way. We all knew last season that the goal for him was to overcome the injuries that he sustained during the 2024-25 season. Now, the goal will be making the NHL roster.

The organization believes in him, too. Stempniak has seen the improvements the forward has made, especially when it comes to becoming a center. While Iginla was always considered a winger, a future down the middle might be possible.

“He’s been physically getting stronger and stronger,” Stempniak said. “He tests well every time he comes in. He’s a confident player. This year, he was challenged to play center. He moved to center; he’s been a winger for his entire junior career, and it was a good challenge for him. He had to learn a different position to play, and I think he made huge strides there. Now there’s some versatility. I think he could potentially play center down the line at some point in the NHL.”

It’ll be interesting if Iginla makes the NHL roster. If the Mammoth are serious about making Iginla a full-time center, he’ll be trying to beat out guys like Trocheck, Logan Cooley, Jack McBain, Nick Schmaltz, and Kevin Stenlund. If they’re putting him on the wing, it’ll be an easier path thanks to the departure of JJ Peterka.

However, if Iginla isn’t going to play in the top six, the team should really consider sending him to the American Hockey League (AHL). It would be better for his development to play top-line minutes with the Tucson Roadrunners on what’s shaping up to be a stacked team than to play in the bottom six in the NHL. The Mammoth have the option to be patient, wait, and let Iginla develop to his highest potential.

The AHL is a great league. The Roadrunners are a well-run team (on the ice, that is). Both Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev benefited heavily from spending time in the AHL this season. It wouldn’t be surprising if both players spend some time there again this season. At the end of the day, you want to have these players go into the NHL lineup 100% ready to play in the league, not scared and shaky, especially on a team that is trying to compete for a playoff spot.

“We’ve taken the mindset from Bill that it’s great to have your players play in the AHL and you’d rather bring them up sort of overbaked than underbaked,” Stempniak said. “A lot of guys have had success by playing in the AHL, being a big contributor there, being a big factor in team success there, and then really learning sort of those details. It’s really hard to get into the NHL and learn on the fly, so you want to be over-prepared for that.”

Overall, though, it was a really good showing from Iginla at camp. He was by far the most notable player during the week. Iginla thought he had a good camp, too, and is ready to head into the rest of the summer, build off of this week, and keep growing.

“I was happy with my numbers in the testing,” Iginla said. “It’s only one game and a couple of skates, but I felt like I was building, and I want to try to keep that momentum rolling into the rest of the summer.”

Most Improved and Notable Players

Obviously, Iginla and Belchetz weren’t the only players at development camp this past week. There were plenty of other standouts as well.

Let’s start with Max Pšenička. Last season, a big issue for him was his reluctance to jump into the offense, which stemmed from an overall lack of confidence. A year later, that is no longer the case. 

“From last year, I improved at getting more offense,” Pšenička said. “I would say I had more points and helped the team way more. That was my focus for the last season, and I think I got better, probably in everything, including speed and strength.”

He’s someone that really improved over this past year. His confidence is obviously stronger; he’s not scared to jump into the offensive zone, and he looks even better defensively. Pšenička showed that in his two AHL games and showed those things again this week. The cherry on top was the defenseman getting the shootout winner during the scrimmage, after which he did an awesome celebration.

Gabe Smith also had a good camp. The big thing everyone will talk about is that he scored two goals in the scrimmage. However, he was another player similar to Iginla who was laser-focused during the camp. He simply looked more like a notable player than he did last season, with his offense and shot improving. Smith is going to be a great addition to the Roadrunners, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can translate his impressive 2025-26 season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to the AHL.

Cal Thomas will be someone to keep an eye on going into the next few weeks. With Matthew Morden returning to Harvard, the defenseman, who finished college last season, will be the lone unsigned rookie who will need a contract by August 15 if the Mammoth wish to retain his rights. Thomas did score a goal during the scrimmage. Perhaps that will be enough to get an entry-level contract.

Owen Allard, along with Iginla, showed that he clearly has done the whole development camp thing before. He once again won the fitness award as the fittest player at camp. Allard is a player who could have a big AHL season. His first season with the Roadrunners wasn’t bad, but in probably a bigger role for the 2026-27 season, surrounded by a better team, the forward’s speed could help him bring more offense to the table.

“The coaching staff wanted me here (at camp),” Allard said. “Anytime you get invited to development camp, it’s always an honor to put on that jersey. I’m trying to come in here and be an older guy, be a leader for the young guys coming in, and it’s been super fun so far. I’m happy to be here.”

In terms of goaltending, Michael Hrabal was much of the same as we’ve seen prior. He made a big notable save in the scrimmage and looked ahead of all the other goaltenders, but that’s what you probably expected from him. The true test of improvement will be in his first full season in the AHL. Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko did stand out in the scrimmage. He made some really good saves and looked like a better overall hockey player throughout the week after an awful 2025 development camp. With the great camp, Tkach-Tkachenko did earn the most improved award.

Finally, Adam Valentini had a good first development camp as well. He had some really good defensive plays in the scrimmage and looked confident throughout the whole week. His shot, in particular, was really notable. Valentini is a guy who wouldn’t surprise me if he takes another step forward next season with Michigan.

On the flip side, two players in particular weren’t particularly impressive or notable. Caleb Desnoyers, though skating pretty well and scoring a goal in the scrimmage, didn’t stand out at the level at which Iginla and Belchetz stood out. He’s a guy that I fully expect to play next season in the AHL, which will be great for him. The QMJHL isn’t a top developmental league, and a season in the AHL will be fantastic for his development, especially his two-way play.

It was disappointing not to see Terrell Goldsmith play in the scrimmage. An injury kept him out of action for the first few weeks of the AHL season. He then played in three games, looked pretty solid, and then got injured again, forcing him to miss the rest of the year. It looks like that injury is still keeping him from being 100%, which is concerning. Goldsmith does have two more years left on his entry-level deal, but he needs to prove he can stay healthy this season.

Top Players Show Up in the Scrimmage

We’ve mentioned the scrimmage quite a bit throughout this article. Let’s actually dissect it. As mentioned, there was a lot more physicality than some anticipated. There were lots of hits, including Yegor Borikov delivering a massive hit on Iginla.

Some of the smaller-name prospects did have a good scrimmage. As mentioned, Thomas scored a goal, and Tkach-Tkachenko looked solid in net. Will Skahan also scored. He’s someone who struggled offensively last season with a six-point decline as a defenseman. Hopefully, he can chip in a goal or two more in his third season with Boston College.

However, it was truly the big names that took over the scrimmage. Desnoyers had a goal, Smith had two, Belchetz had two, and Iginla had the hat trick. 

There were some nice goals split among that group. Smith scored one thanks to a great pass from Tomas Lavoie, who also had a sneakily decent camp. Iginla’s first two goals were great as well. The first one came almost right after Smith won a faceoff in the offensive zone, and Iginla quickly snapped a shot that went into the back of the net. His second goal came right after he stole the puck from a defender in the o-zone and put on some nice moves to get the puck into the net.

Three of the 10 goals that were scored were produced on the penalty breakaway. Iginla’s last goal was an empty-netter. Team White, which included Iginla, Smith, Valentini, Lavoie, and Hrabal, won 6-4. Iginla won MVP of the scrimmage. Meanwhile, Team Black won the shootout with Pšenička getting the lone goal.

“It was fun,” Belchetz said. “You get to know these guys all week, and then you get into a game there, and you’re throwing some big hits, and trying to win a big hockey game there.”

It was indeed a great scrimmage. Sometimes, they can be a bit boring, but this was an entertaining one. Fans who attended certainly got their money’s worth as they got to see goals from all the big-name prospects and got to see a physical and close game.

“It was a good, fast physical game out there,” Iginla said. “I thought it was probably the best one so far out of the two and a half that I’ve been a part of. I didn’t play in the one last year. It was a lot of fun, and it was great to get competing out there with the guys.”

Most Important Development Camp Yet?

At the end of these development camps, the question always becomes, was this camp important or necessary? The ultimate answer is that it’s not detrimental to the team’s success next season, but it is important for three reasons. Introducing the prospects to their new home, creating a bond between them, and seeing if these players are coachable. For a lot of these prospects, it’s the only time the Mammoth staff will see them for the next year. Having a time to catch up and see how they’re doing is important.

Creating a bond between some of these players is especially important. Belchetz, Desnoyers, and Iginla will be some of the top prospects on the Mammoth one day. Creating a connection between the three early is big. Having future Roadrunners players like Noel Nordh, Brandon Holt, Borikov, Allard, Desnoyers, and Hrabal all forming a connection, especially with Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin, could be a nice segue into AHL training camp when it opens up.

Will any NHL spots be decided this week? No, though it might plant some seeds in the back of people’s heads, as Iginla said. Ultimately, it’s to simulate a week in the NHL, which is knowledge that can’t be taught when all of these prospects go back to college or juniors.

“A big thing for us is to get them in, have them form a bond amongst themselves, teach them what it means to play in this organization, sort of that culture, for us to see them as coaches and develop that relationship,” Stempniak said. “The other piece is like educational. It’s teaching them on the ice the fundamentals of what it takes to play in the NHL, off the ice, in the gym, nutrition, mental performance, and team-building stuff.”

With that in mind, it was a great week for the Mammoth and their prospects. From the on-ice drills to the bowling and baseball game, it was a week filled with bonding to the point where some of the prospects were calling the team at camp a brotherhood. If that’s truly the result of the past few days, it truly was a successful development camp.

“I didn’t really know what to expect coming in here,” Belchetz said. “My expectations were to have a good time, have a lot of fun, and meet a lot of new people. It was a lot of fun, a lot of hard work.”