Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Liam O’Brien

Again, O’Brien had to wait nearly a month to produce his next point. In that time span from November to late January, he fought six times, including against known enforcers Nikita Zadorov, Jonah Gadjovich, and Brendan Dillon.

February was a pointless month for O’Brien and almost a fightless one, too. However, in the Coyotes’ final game of the month, he fought Ryan Reeves in a much-anticipated fight between two of the biggest heavyweights in the league.

To kick off March, O’Brien produced three points in the Coyotes’ first five games of the month. While he was in two fights in March, his final point of the season came in the Coyotes’ last-ever game, where O’Brien scored the opening goal, which would eventually result in a 5-2 win for his team.

2023-24 was O’Brien’s best season in the NHL to date. He played 75 games, which was a career high. His five goals and nine assists (making up 14 points) were also career highs. His final career high was his 153 penalty minutes. Throughout the season, O’Brien carved himself out a role as a solid bottom-line guy on a line with Alex Kerfoot and Michael Carcone that chips in a bit of offense and provides a bunch of physicality.

With the Coyotes’ hockey operations relocating to Salt Lake City, O’Brien was part of the team that went up to the new city to be introduced to the fanbase. He made his way into Utah hockey fans’ hearts when he introduced himself by his nickname, “Spicy Tuna,” and yelled how excited he was to play in the Delta Center the next season.

Shortly after the first trip to Utah, O’Brien was signed to a three-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) worth $1 million.

This Season

After recording his first fight in a preseason game against the Kings, O’Brien was named to the opening night lineup on the fourth line alongside Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund. Fans even chanted his nickname after making some physical plays during the game.

O’Brien was replaced by Carcone in the lineup for the next two games before coming back against the New Jersey Devils. After that game, he only played in two more games in 2024. One of which was against the San Jose Sharks, where he fought Givani Smith, which brought down Spicy Tuna chants from the crowd.

After being brought back into the lineup in early January, O’Brien appeared in most of Utah’s games throughout the month. He had two fights before entering February and engaging in an anticipated match against Nic Deslauriers. A game later, O’Brien got his first point with Utah via an assist.

Throughout the rest of February and early March, O’Brien was once again a fixture in the lineup. He had a nice tilt against Dillon and produced his second point of the season. However, in a game against the Seattle Kraken, O’Brien sustained a lower-body injury that would keep him out for the next four weeks.

O’Brien appeared in just one more game before the season ended. In 28 games, he only produced two points, both of which were assists. His PIM also took a dip from the prior season as he only racked up 50.

The Future

With the Mammoth improving every season and bringing in more of their top prospects and established NHLers into the lineup, O’Brien’s role diminishes further. While he missed some time due to being injured in the latter portion of the season, going from 75 games to 28 is telling.

In the offseason, the Mammoth signed Brandon Tanev, who takes up a spot in the bottom six. They also re-signed Kailer Yamamoto and Carcone, who are better offensive players and arguably deserve a spot in the lineup ahead of O’Brien. Cole Beaudoin and newly signed Daniil But will also press for one of the 12 forward spots. It creates a list of players ahead of O’Brien that he’ll have to try to beat out in training camp.

O’Brien is a big team guy. He’s an important figure in the locker room and on the bench due to his personality and selfless dedication to stand up for his team, no matter how much ice time he has or how bloody he is. He is also great with the younger players, being seen teaching players like Logan Cooley how to fight. On top of that, O’Brien is a great guy to have for the fans. It showed throughout the season how beloved Spicy Tuna is in Utah with the numerous chants and the merchandise with his face and literal tunas plastered on shirts, pucks, and socks.

However, at this point in the Mammoth’s road to contention, they don’t need O’Brien in the lineup every day. Their younger players have grown a little tougher, and they have brought in guys like Tanev, who can produce more than O’Brien and can still provide the fighting and physicality that he provided.

Having an extra guy who can come in and be a nuisance to the other team is fine, but we’re also getting to the point where even the usual healthy scratches should be placed in the lineup before O’Brien due to their better offense and speed. 

O’Brien’s contract isn’t necessarily bad. His $1 million AAV will look like league minimum soon enough, and the Mammoth have the cap space to spare as of right now. It’s the fact that it’s a one-way deal that takes up a roster spot for two more seasons that hurts. It’s arguable that O’Brien getting time in the AHL with the Roadrunners would’ve benefited everyone. He would get playing time and defend younger players, while the Mammoth don’t have to put him in cold whenever they call him up.

For now, O’Brien will remain in Utah. He’ll most likely see some playing time this season, but with guys like But and Beaudoin making a push for the roster and Yamamoto and Carcone trying to get a permanent spot as well, it’s hard to predict just how many games O’Brien plays. We could see a scenario where the Mammoth trade him in the next year to find him a place with more NHL playing time and to free up a roster spot.

Final Grade

When evaluating a player’s year, a couple of things come to mind. Did the player stay consistent with the prior season, or did his play elevate/fall off? Is this player producing or living up to his contract? What more could the player have done or improved on?

For O’Brien, it’s hard to judge his season. He played a lot fewer games because he was forced out of the lineup and was also injured. However, he’s not an everyday player anymore at this point in his career. The Mammoth also don’t need him to play 75 games with more offensive players as options to choose from. O’Brien makes almost league minimum. Did he live up to that? Two points and six fights in 28 games, it’s debatable.

Overall, O’Brien is getting a C-minus for this season. His offensive game did fall off, even though there is the argument that he only played 28 games. However, O’Brien isn’t an offensive guy, and he did what many expected him to do, which was provide a physical presence and fight occasionally.

While the question of whether O’Brien should be in the NHL full-time can be discussed, everyone knows his main attribute is his physicality, and that’s exactly what he provided this season, albeit in a much more limited capacity than his time in Arizona. When the Mammoth run into a guy like Reeves or Deslauriers in 2025-26, Spicy Tuna will most likely be unleashed on them. However, it won’t be surprising if O’Brien plays a similar number of games that he did in 2024-25, if not fewer.