Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Jaxson Stauber

Stauber did win two of his final three games of the season, including ending the year on a two-game winning streak. He only allowed one goal on 30 shots in his final start of the year, recording a .968 save percentage. The game put him at 15 wins in the season, putting him at a .500 record. Stauber also moved into fifth place all-time in franchise history in wins (27), shutouts (two), and games played (57).

As mentioned, Stauber ended the season with a 15-15-6 record. He had a .889 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average (GAA). The goaltender ended up playing three more games than Villalta. However, almost every single one of Stauber’s stats was worse than Villalta’s.

Despite Villalta and Stauber rotating in net with Michael Hrabal joining them towards the end of the season, it seemed like out of the three, Stauber was the least favored. It spoke volumes when Villalta got multiple NHL callups, including being dressed for a game against the Calgary Flames while his partner got zero, not even for the playoffs.

The Future

We all know Karel Vejmelka will be the main starter for the Mammoth. We know that Hrabal will be one of the goaltenders for the Roadrunners. However, what we don’t know is what is going to happen with the other goalies, including Stauber.

As of right now, all signs point to Stauber returning to the Mammoth organization. He is the only goaltender between Villalta, Vítek Vaněček, and Dylan Wells who has another year on his contract. Perhaps before this season, the plan was to keep Stauber and let Villalta walk this summer, then pair him with Hrabal for the 2026-27 season. Again, the goaltender’s impressive performance in the postseason really made a good impression.

Throughout this season, though, it seems like the Mammoth favored Villalta over Stauber every stretch of the way. During the Olympic break and the stretch of black aces, it was Villalta being called up.

It’s highly unlikely that Villalta gets the NHL backup job for the Mammoth with one NHL start under his belt. However, that doesn’t mean Stauber immediately will get the Roadrunners gig alongside Hrabal. It’s possible that the Mammoth course correct, trade Stauber, and resign Villalta. 

Stauber didn’t have a horrific season, but he was outplayed by Hrabal and Villalta. The Mammoth clearly didn’t have a lot of faith in him, and while his second half was much better, it is very telling that Villalta got all of the callups.

The Roadrunners are not rocking with three goaltenders again. They’re going to have to choose between Stauber and Villalta. Right now, because Stauber has term, he will more than likely be with Hrabal next season in the AHL. However, anything can change.

Now, the Roadrunners, as mentioned, had a bad penalty kill and not a great blueline. However, Stauber’s bad start didn’t help him at all. Next season, he needs to play better to kick off the year. It’s as simple as that. He did face a high volume of shots throughout the season, but Villalta, as mentioned, had the same team in front of him. 

We know Stauber can play well under pressure and face a high volume of shots. He did it with the Roadrunners in the postseason last year. However, that play needs to translate into the regular season. This is the second straight season where Stauber finished with a below .900 save percentage. If he does return to the Roadrunners next season, that needs to change. Otherwise, it will be all Hrabal going forward.

Final Grade

It wasn’t a fantastic season for the Roadrunners. It wasn’t a fantastic season for Stauber either. Though he played nearly an equal number of games as Villalta, Stauber essentially was made out to be the second goaltender in the Roadrunners’ rotation, later the third when Hrabal joined the team.

Goaltenders are weird. They can have a fantastic season one year and a mediocre one the next season. Stauber started in a hole with six straight losses at the beginning of the year. While he crawled out of the hole, he didn’t gain a lot of confidence with the Mammoth organization despite the inconsistency in the middle of the season, followed by a decent end to the season.

Overall, Stauber is getting a C-minus for this season. It was a mediocre year for the goaltender, who had a lot of inconsistent starts throughout the middle of the season, which was overshadowed by the bad start. There were no NHL call-ups, and Villalta was the main third goaltender within the organization, while last season, it seemed like Stauber was the Mammoth’s choice after Vejmelka and Connor Ingram.

As of right now, Stauber is set to return to the team for the 2026-27 season. If that happens, he’ll more than likely back up Hrabal as he’s the future starter for the Mammoth. That doesn’t mean Stauber can’t reinstate some confidence in himself within the organization. If he can come out and play well next season, he could very well be the next goaltender in line behind Vejmelka and whoever they choose to be the NHL backup. However, that all relies on whether the goaltender can rediscover the strong game he had during the Roadrunners’ postseason series against the Canucks.