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Curtis Douglas, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)

Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Curtis Douglas

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 9:35 AM ET

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. Next up is Curtis Douglas.

Last Season

The 2023-24 season wasn’t much of a standout campaign for Douglas. In fact, it was another usual season for the former Toronto Marlies forward who was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes’ franchise in the Conor Timmins trade. He started the season off slow, not scoring a point until his seventh game, but for those who know Douglas’ game, they know that he’s not the flashiest player.

Douglas is a physical bottom-six centerman who can win puck battles and is usually a great two-way player. That’s a role usually every champion has on their team, and for the Roadrunners, Douglas is that player for them.

Douglas had some good stretches offensively throughout the season, including in December, when he scored a point in four straight games. He ended the season with five goals and 16 assists for 21 points, which beat out his totals from the previous season, where he only had 15 points with the Roadrunners and Marlies combined.

As mentioned, Douglas is a very physical player, which led to him being third on the team in penalty minutes per game with an average of 2.60. He led the entire team with 148 penalty minutes.

In the playoffs, like the prior season, Douglas recorded an assist in two games as the Calgary Wranglers swept the Roadrunners. Funny enough, his singular point tied him for first place on the team in playoff scoring.

In the offseason, with his entry-level deal expiring, Douglas was re-signed to a two-year, two-way contract.

This Season

With his new contract in place, Douglas entered his third season with the Roadrunners. He started on injured reserve and was quickly sent down to the AHL once activated in late October. In only his second game, Douglas recorded his first point of the season.

Similar to the prior season, Douglas didn’t have a lot of stretches with points. However, he did score five goals in four games during March, including a two-goal game against the San Jose Barracuda, which was his first career multi-goal game. Those games were massive for the Roadrunners as they were battling it out with the Bakersfield Condors for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division during that time. Sometimes, it’s the unexpected players that show up when you need someone, and for Douglas, his best hockey was played during a critical stretch for his team.

Once again, the forward was one of the team’s leaders in penalty minutes. Douglas recorded 117 of them, which was good enough for second on the team. However, it was also good enough for the Roadrunners’ franchise record in penalty minutes as he took over that title with 384 penalty minutes in his 170 games with the Roadrunners.

#HFtop50 • by user vote NUMBER
0⃣9⃣ • #AHL202425
Tucson Roadrunners –
Curtis Douglas Chad Hillebrand
– Colorado Eagles
2025 MAR 22 • 3rd Period – 17:35https://t.co/gGeFPFEa0Y
Vid via @flohockey pic.twitter.com/YcSkjHIC8t
— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) May 21, 2025

Douglas’s five-goal streak was a big one for him, as it helped him get to 10 goals for the season, which was the second highest in his career, only behind his 13 goals during the 2021-22 season. He ended up recording 23 points, which was his best season offensively as a Roadrunner and only second to his 34-point season, once again in 2021-22 with the Marlies.

In three playoff games against the Canucks, Douglas failed to record a point. However, he did register two penalty minutes.

Perhaps the best part of Douglas’s season was his work in the community. Since 2021, he has been a big voice in the mental health community with his March Mullets 4 Mental Health fundraiser. Proceeds go to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, which is Canada’s largest mental health hospital. This season, Douglas raised nearly $5,000 CAD.

Every season he’s done the fundraiser, Douglas has made sure to grow out a mullet to grow the topic and the hashtag around the fundraiser. Whenever he’s asked about it, he makes sure to talk about the importance of mental health and how it’s a conversation that can really impact a person’s life in a very positive way.

Curtis Douglas, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)

For his significant work in the community, especially with March Mullets 4 Mental Health, Douglas was named the Roadrunners’ winner for the AHL Man of the Year and was named as one of the 32 finalists for the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award, which is awarded to the player who best represents the spirit of Dupré (who tragically died after a 16-month battle with leukemia) with his involvement in the community.

The Future

Douglas has one more year left on his contract with the Mammoth. He’ll probably be back in the AHL next season, fulfilling his usual role that he’s played for the Roadrunners the past three seasons.

There’s not much else to say about Douglas’s future. More than likely, he’ll be with the Roadrunners for the entire 2025-26 season. While he’s not a bad player, and he serves his purpose well, the reality is that it’s tough to crack an NHL lineup. Especially, on a good team like the Mammoth, who just signed Daniil But out of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), there are a lot of players ahead of Douglas on the depth chart.

Now, anything is possible, but right now, the odds of making his NHL debut next season aren’t good. It will be a big season for Douglas as it’s the final year of his two-year deal. If he performs well, he might just get another contract from the Mammoth. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return to the Roadrunners in 2026-27, at worst on an AHL deal. He’s a well-liked player in Tucson, especially with his devotion to work within the community.

Final Grade

While Douglas has yet to regain the offensive consistency that he once had with the Marlies, his 2024-25 season with the Roadrunners was his best yet. Not only was he a menace physically, but he also improved his game to get to the double-digit goal plateau for the first time in three years. Not to mention, his off-ice charity work was impressive and important.

In deciding if Douglas had a great season, most will look at his stats and scoff. However, you have to realize he is not a player who is going to put up high offensive totals. As mentioned earlier, Douglas is a gritty bottom-six player who will defend your team, no matter what. While he had an impressive offensive streak going when the Roadrunners needed it most, it’s not his usual type of play.

Overall, Douglas is getting a B-minus for his season. It was his best season with the Roadrunners so far in his career. Offensively, he contributed more than he had in the past three years. Defensively and physically, it was the same decent play that the Roadrunners have consistently relied on.

Going into next season, the next step for Douglas is to hopefully take another step towards making his 34-point 2021-22 season look less and less like a flash in the pan. If he can score just a bit more and continue his usual play, another two-way contract for him might be an easy one for the Mammoth and the Roadrunners.