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Maksymilian Szuber, Tucson Roadrunners (Photo credit: Bennett Silvyn)

Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Maksymilian Szuber

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 10:05 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 Maksymilian Szuber.

Last Season

After three seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with EHC München, Szuber came over to North America for his first pro season. He was assigned to the Roadrunners by the Arizona Coyotes for the start of the season.

Szuber played his first AHL game against the Texas Stars, producing his first-ever pro point via a goal in the second game of the series. The defenseman’s first couple of games were rough, but he quickly adjusted and found himself almost never dipping into the minus side of the plus/minus category.

Offensively, Szuber had one of his best stretches of hockey towards the end of November, where he had four points in five games to finish out the month. In December, Szuber had his first multi-point pro game against the San Jose Barracuda. He had his second multi-point game once again against the Barracuda two weeks later.

In January, Szuber scored his first goal since November. While he struggled defensively throughout February, he redeemed himself with a two-point night during the first game in March. His defensive numbers gradually improved again as well throughout the month.

The end of the season brought another great offensive stretch for Szuber. He produced seven points in his final seven games, including a three-point outing against the Barracuda to conclude their season.

During the final stretch of games in April, Szuber was recalled by the Coyotes for their upcoming Pacific Northwest road trip. With the team out of the playoffs, it gave them the ability to award some of the Roadrunners players who had made an impact over the season, and that included Szuber. Travis Dermott was also injured, making it the right time for the defenseman to make his NHL debut.

Szuber made his NHL debut against the Seattle Kraken, becoming the first Polish native to do so since 2013. He logged 16:59 of ice time and ended the game as a minus-1 with one shot on net. Szuber was sent down soon after, with Vladislav Kolyachonok replacing him in the lineup.

In his first season with the Roadrunners, Szuber finished with 28 points in 70 games, which included two game-winning goals. His 70 games played led all Roadrunners. He also finished the season as a plus-14, which led the team and also set a franchise record for the best plus/minus stat in a rookie season.

In the postseason, the Roadrunners took on the Calgary Wranglers. Szuber’s only impact was in Game 2, where he produced his first playoff point in the form of an assist. The Roadrunners were swept in the series, ending Szuber’s first pro season.

This Season

Szuber made his season debut against the Bakersfield Condors and got his first point during that game. In the next three games, he produced three points, including his first goal of the season.

Like the rest of his team, Szuber’s defensive numbers weren’t the best. It helped that he was usually paired with Montana Onyebuchi, who ended the season as one of the better defensive defensemen on the team.

After a game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, where Szuber registered an assist and ended the night as a plus-3, he was recalled by Utah for his second NHL call-up. He spent a couple of days on Utah’s roster but ultimately didn’t play a single game and was sent back down to Tucson.

Szuber had a mediocre December with only three points in 10 games. He was also a minus-1 to finish out the month. His January was a bit better with four points in 12 games, yet his defensive stats didn’t improve as he ended the month as a minus-4.

It was Szuber’s March and April where his stats really improved. In his final 19 games, he produced 16 points. That included a seven-game point streak, the longest in his pro career so far. He also wasn’t a minus player, which isn’t something most Roadrunners defensemen could say during that stretch of games.

Szuber finished the season with 32 points in 65 games, a four-point increase from his rookie season. It placed him second amongst Roadrunners defensemen in points. He led all Roadrunners defensemen in goals with seven.

Szuber found the pot o' gold #LetsGoTucson pic.twitter.com/VTghbVsklw
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) May 19, 2025

The Polish defenseman finished out the season as a minus-3, which wasn’t great, but after the down year the team had defensively, it’s understandable. Finally, Szuber led all defensemen in power-play points with 13. It’s an area where he improved from the prior season, as he earned more time on the special teams.

In the postseason, Szuber didn’t register a single point. However, he was one of the few Roadrunners who walked away from the series as a plus player in the plus/minus category, ending the series as a plus-1 player.

Szuber’s season didn’t end with the Roadrunners. He was named to Team Germany for the World Championship. It was his third consecutive time representing the country in the tournament. He played six games, failing to produce a single point, and ended the tournament as a minus-1.

The Future

It’s hard to tell if Szuber will be an NHL defenseman one day. Maybe with another team, sure. In the Mammoth’s system, it’s a tough road ahead. The team currently has six NHL-caliber defensemen on the blue line, most of whom are locked down for the next couple of years. Then they also have Dmitriy Simashev, Maveric Lamoureux, and Artem Duda awaiting their time in the NHL, all of whom are arguably higher on the depth chart than Szuber.

Szuber is a fantastic defensive prospect for the Mammoth. He was one of the best offensive defensemen for the Roadrunners this season, besides arguably Robbie Russo, who is nearly a decade older than Szuber.

On top of his offensive gifts, he’s not too shabby at defending as well. Keep in mind, he was a plus-14 with the Roadrunners last season, which led the whole team. Even when the defense took a turn for the worse this past season, he still stayed around zero.

Szuber is also a solid part of special teams for the Roadrunners. He was extremely effective on the power play on the backend, putting up the most points among defensemen on the man advantage.

Szuber seems to improve every pro season that he has in almost every category. It paints a good picture for 2025-26 in which another step forward will continue the pattern. If he didn’t have an absurd amount of defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart, it’s arguable that Szuber would have an NHL spot by now. There is a reason, after all, why he was one of the first call-ups when injuries struck down Sean Durzi and John Marino.

As Szuber enters his third pro season, his contract is nearing its end. After this season, he’ll be a restricted free agent. While he’ll most likely stick around in Utah, it will be interesting to see how long the Mammoth keep him in the AHL for. Another season fully with the Roadrunners will certainly help his development, but the time is nearing when a full-time promotion should be in order.

Next season, another five or more points increase from the past season’s totals should be the goal. Improvement in the plus/minus category should also be the expectation with the new and more defensive-minded players being brought in. While NHL time isn’t expected, if it gets to that point, Szuber should be one of the first candidates to be called up alongside Scott Perunovich.

Final Grade

As perhaps one of the most underrated prospects in the Mammoth’s pipeline, Szuber had another great year of development as he trends towards the NHL. While he didn’t appear in an NHL game, he did become a big part of Tucson’s blue line and could be one of their top defensemen next season.

While his 2024-25 season wasn’t anything outstanding, it showed a lot of improvement offensively and on special teams. His seven-game point streak to round out the season also leaves fans on a cliffhanger that keeps them excited for 2025-26. You could argue that out of Lamoureux and Duda, Szuber was the better and all-around more consistent defenseman, despite good seasons from all three young blueliners.

Overall, Szuber is getting a B-plus for his season. Outside of his defensive stats, there isn’t much to complain about with his 2024-25 season. He’s a strong two-way defenseman who looks to have a potential NHL future ahead of him. His appearance in the World Championship further proves that. While Germany isn’t a powerhouse yet in the hockey world, it still takes a good amount of skill to make the team, and that’s what Szuber possesses.

Next season should be one to watch for Szuber. He’ll more than likely improve on his game from this past season. As mentioned, he’ll also probably get more ice time and be surrounded by an improved group featuring the likes of Perunovich and possibly Simashev. Yes, being surrounded by those bigger names will cast a shadow on Szuber, but if he can continue his upward trajectory, one of the most overlooked Mammoth prospects might surprise some and carve out an NHL roster spot sooner rather than later.