Utah Mammoth Players Shining at IIHF World Championship

Keller has carried his strong finish to the season into the IIHF World Championship. Playing alongside teammate Logan Cooley, he has tallied nine points in seven games, including two goals, one in the USA’s 5-0 win over Denmark and the other in a 6-3 victory over Germany.

Keller was named captain of Team USA and has lived up to the high expectations, finishing second in points through the round robin stage. If his strong play continues, he will be in consideration for Team USA’s roster at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, considering he is the fourth-youngest active player born in the United States to reach the 500 career point milestone in the NHL.

Logan Cooley (Team USA)

In his sophomore season in Utah, Cooley scored 25 goals and 65 points – 21 more points in seven fewer games than in his rookie season with the then Arizona Coyotes. This is Cooley’s second time representing his country at the IIHF World Championship. He also participated in the U18 tournament in 2022.

He scored four goals through the group stage along with four assists – against Germany, Hungary, Denmark and Team USA’s final round robin game against Czechia, when he scored on his teammate, goaltender Karel Vejmelka. He has also been trying to utilize his shot more in this event, averaging 2.42 shots per game compared to 2.1 in the NHL this season.

Cooley leads all Team USA’s forwards in average ice time and is gaining the coaching staff’s trust. He is the fifth-youngest active American skater in the NHL to have back-to-back 20-goal seasons. He could be another candidate to represent the United States at the Olympics.

Michael Kesselring (Team USA)

Michael Kesselring was a staple on Utah’s blue line this season, which was depleted by injuries. He played all 82 games and recorded a career high of seven goals and 29 points. He is currently on Team USA’s third pairing, although he’s had five different partners through the round robin.

Kesselring started the tournament with Minnesota Wild defenseman Zeev Buium before playing two games with Mason Lohrei of the Boston Bruins, then playing one game with Jackson Lacombe from the Anaheim Ducks. Kesselring then paired up with Brady Skjei from the Nashville Predators before playing Team USA’s final two round robin games with Alex Vlasic, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Despite the changing linemates, Kesselring was tied for the team lead with a plus-7 rating. He also scored a goal against Kazakhstan and tallied three assists in the round robin stage while only averaging 15:20 minutes of ice time per game. Unlike Keller and maybe Cooley, Kesselring is unlikely to challenge for an Olympic roster spot. However, it’s encouraging for Mammoth fans to see him have success on the international stage.

Josh Doan (Team USA)

After being added to the roster, Doan struggled to find his footing with Team USA. Throughout the round-robin stage, he played on the fourth line, averaging less than 10 minutes per game. He was a healthy scratch in the United States’ third game against Team Switzerland, when his team was shut out.

Doan was pointless through his first five games. However, Doan finally scored his first goal of the tournament in the final round-robin game against Mammoth teammate Vejmelka. This goal opened the scoring for Team USA, who beat Czechia 5-2.

Doan’s goal came on a rebound. Vejmelka made the initial save, but Doan’s screen forced him out to the right of the crease, and when the rebound popped out to the middle of the ice, Doan shoveled it through Vejmelka’s legs as he was trying to recover. This is something the Mammoth could use more of next season. If he can get to the high-danger areas more often and create chaos in front of the net, Doan will be much more consistent offensively.

Keller, Cooley, Kesselring, Doan and the rest of Team USA will face Team Finland in the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22.

Barrett Hayton (Team Canada)

Barrett Hayton had another streaky season in Utah’s inaugural campaign, yet he still set a career high of 46 points and showed much more offensive potential by finishing fifth in the NHL in expected goals and third in high-danger shot attempts at five-on-five. This improvement is likely why Team Canada invited Hayton to the tournament despite being loaded at the center position, with stars like Nathan Mackinnon, Sidney Crosby, Bo Horvat, Ryan O’Reilly, and Adam Fantilli.

Given the team’s depth, Hayton has not been given much of an opportunity, playing under 13 minutes per game in six of Canada’s seven round robin games. He was taken out of the lineup for prospect and potential Mammoth first-round draft pick Porter Martone.

In six round-robin games, Hayton scored a goal in Canada’s 7-1 win over Latvia and added an assist for two points. Despite limited opportunity, he continues to look dangerous offensively, averaging 2.3 shots per game, up from his 1.89 per game average during the NHL season. We will see if Hayton draws back in for Team Canada’s quarterfinal matchup against Denmark on Thursday.

Karel Vejmelka (Czechia)

Vejmelka was a question mark as the backup goalie heading into the team’s inaugural season in Utah. In his first three NHL seasons, he had a career .897 save percentage (SV%), 3.48 goals-against average (GAA), and allowed 31.6 goals above expected. However, he looked like a completely different goalie in Salt Lake City this season, finishing with a .905 SV%, a 2.58 GAA, and 5.8 goals saved above expected.

Given his rocky history, some speculated that Vejmelka might regress after a hot start to the campaign. But he stepped into the starting role when Connor Ingram was out and played 58 games (starting 55), the most of his career. He has sustained his high level of play at the IIHF World Championship, his fourth straight trip to this tournament with Czechia.

Vejmelka played four games during the round robin stage, with three wins. He made 51 saves in his only loss, to Team USA. In four games, he has a .916 SV% and a 2.48 GAA. Despite his solid record, Vejmelka might still hear it from Doan and Cooley, who scored on him when Czechia matched up against the USA. Vejmelka was the top-performing Czech goalie in the NHL this season and should be in consideration for the 2026 Olympic team.

Czechia will face Team Sweden in the quarterfinals on Thursday.