Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Alex Kerfoot

The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name, so we start with Alex Kerfoot.

Kerfoot Last Season

During the 2023-24 season, Kerfoot broke out and had one of the best seasons of his career in his first season with the Arizona Coyotes. After signing a two-year deal with the team, Kerfoot fit in well with the forward group, scoring 45 points, which was his second-best season in that category in his career.

Kerfoot scored 13 goals during the season, which put him ninth on the team. His 32 assists were the second most in his career, and it put him in the top five in that category on the Coyotes. His 45 points tied him with Nick Bjugstad for fourth place on the team.

The veteran forward’s offensive stats were good, but his great two-way play provided some much-needed support on the penalty kill. During the month of November, the Coyotes improved on the PK, rocketing up to the top 10 in the entire league. 

Kerfoot’s strong 2023-24 season and his first within the Coyotes’ organization was a great one. With one final season remaining on his contract in 2024-25, it was expected Kerfoot wouldn’t improve by much but remain a strong defensive presence while chipping in some offense and being a massive leader in the young team’s locker room.

Kerfoot This Season

The 2024-25 season was a mixed one for Kerfoot. Offensively, his totals dropped off a decent amount. He scored 28 points across the entire season, which tied his 2019-20 season for the second-worst season of his career. His 11 goals weren’t bad, but his 17 assists, which were almost half of what he produced the prior season, weren’t great.

However, Kerfoot’s defensive play was once again the star of the show. He helped anchor Utah’s penalty kill, which ended up operating at a 79.3% success rate. That was good enough for 15th overall in the league. He also scored two shorthanded goals, which led the entire team.

Off the ice, Kerfoot was even more important. He received the role of assistant captain and was a massive leader in the locker room, which was important considering the team had just relocated to a brand-new market.

Kerfoot was also a big part of Utah being a part of their new community in Salt Lake City. With his wife Marissa, Kerfoot donated his personal game tickets to female hockey players all season long. He also invited them to sit on the bench during warm-ups, where he could chat and fist-bump them. 

Kerfoot has also helped numerous youth hockey groups in the Utah community while also supporting other Utah nonprofit organizations. Those groups include the Ogden Lady Mustangs, Utah Olympic Oval Wildcats, Lady Grizzlies, Primary Children’s Hospital, Make-A-Wish, Granite Education Foundation, Utah Hockey Club Learn to Play, and Utah Hockey Club Youth. 

For his hard work in the community, Kerfoot was named Utah’s King Clancy Trophy nominee. While he ultimately wasn’t a finalist, his involvement during the team’s inaugural season was incredible, and many will not forget his contributions.

“It was an awesome experience and opportunity to be a part of the first season in Utah,” Kerfoot said. “The way that the city and organization rallied around this team was awesome and a great experience. Lots of fun to be part of.”

Kerfoot’s Future

Kerfoot was re-signed to a one-year deal before the trade deadline, solidifying his role with the Mammoth next season. With potential free agent moves, Kerfoot will more than likely slot back into his fourth-line role with Kevin Stenlund while providing his usual expertise on the penalty kill.