Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Maveric Lamoureux

Lamoureux played the next four games with the Mammoth, going pointless across that stretch. After a game against the Florida Panthers, the defenseman was sent back down to the Roadrunners with Olli Määttä returning to full health.

The defenseman played his first AHL game of December on Dec. 12 against the Bakersfield Condors. A couple of games later, Lamoureux scored his first goal of the season against the Wranglers. It was his lone point of the month with the Roadrunners as he finished as a minus-two.

It didn’t take Lamoureux long to get his first point of January. He scored in the second game of the month, once again against the Wranglers. Six days later, he produced an assist against the Iowa Wild, which started a three-game point streak, the longest of his season, that concluded with another goal against the San Jose Barracuda. Lamoureux finished January with four points in nine games.

Lamoureux started February with the Roadrunners, going pointless in the first five games of the month. He also had one of his worst games statistically against the Coachella Valley Firebirds during that stretch, when he was a minus-three. The defenseman was one of the players called up to the Mammoth to participate in practices during the Olympic break. He was sent back down to the Roadrunners three days later, played two games, was recalled once again by the Mammoth, and was sent back down a day later.

The defenseman played two more games during the month, not producing any points and going pointless across the entire month. The first seven games of March produced the same results, with Lamoureux struggling on the top pairing with Simashev.

However, a game against the Barracuda in the middle of the month put Lamoureux back in the points column. The defenseman scored his first two goals since January, including the game-winning goal to help the Roadrunners get a critical win. That two-goal outing got Lamoureux the AHL’s second star of the night.

Those two goals were Lamoureux’s lone points of the month. In April, the defenseman produced four assists in the final eight games of the season, including in the season finale, to finish with 20 points in 65 games, a seven-point improvement from his prior season, though he did play 23 more games.

With the conclusion of the Roadrunners’ season, Lamoureux was called up by the Mammoth to be one of their black aces during their playoff run. They were eliminated in six games by the Golden Knights, ending the defenseman’s season.

The Future

Lamoureux didn’t improve a lot offensively. Outside of getting his first pro game-winning goal, the seven-point increase with more games under his belt isn’t anything crazy. He finished fourth among Roadrunners defensemen in points, assists, and goals.

It’s his defensive game that noticeably got better from last season. Unfortunately, the AHL doesn’t have expanded defensive stats, so it’s hard to prove that with numbers. However, Lamoureux’s plus-minus stat line improved from minus-six to plus-seven, which led the entire Roadrunners. The defenseman also was constantly top three in ice time, playing upwards of 20 minutes per night.

Lamoureux’s effectiveness in his own zone got better as he became one of the best defensive players on the Roadrunners. He also got a lot more physical, using his impressive height to his advantage. Again, the AHL doesn’t keep track of hits, but you could tell by watching him in games or his footage. Lamoureux did have two fights during the season and was constantly stirring the pot.

This upcoming season will be Lamoureux’s last of his entry-level deal. The question will be whether he will be an NHL defenseman this year. Right now, the answer is likely no. However, some of that isn’t his fault.

The Mammoth’s blueline is a crowded one next season. The top four is already made up of MacKenzie Weegar, Mikhail Sergachev, Nate Schmidt, and John Marino, leaving the bottom pair to be made up of Simashev, Nick DeSimone, and Andrew Peeke. With that in mind, Lamoureux will likely spend most of next season with the Roadrunners.

In terms of Lamoureux’s development, he’s on the right track. He bulked up a lot over last summer, something the Mammoth really wanted him to do. He also showed he can be a good defensive player. Now, he has to refind the offense that he showed in juniors. 

That’s ultimately the goal for Lamoureux. Produce more while retaining the same defensive game and continuing to get stronger and bigger. The defenseman will likely be the Roadrunners’ top defenseman along with Zac Jones with Simashev’s likely full-time promotion to the NHL and Szuber’s trade to the Montreal Canadiens.

Another season in the AHL should be in the books for Lamoureux. However, he needs to start heading in the path towards the NHL. He’ll likely be the next man up if the Mammoth need reinforcements. The 2026-27 season should be another season of progression for Lamoureux, with the 2027-28 season needing to be the season where he plays a majority of his season in the NHL.

Final Grade

While Lamoureux didn’t play as many NHL games as he did the prior season, the growth of the defenseman was noticeable. He improved in the areas the organization wanted him to improve in. Lamoureux also avoided any major injuries, something that had plagued him the past couple of seasons.

Lamoureux might never live up to where he was drafted back in 2022. He might never be a top three or even four defenseman. However, if he continues to grow and improve in the right way, he will be an NHL defenseman eventually. Don’t be concerned if he plays most, if not all, of next season in the AHL

Overall, Lamoureux is getting a B for this season. There is reason for optimism about the defenseman’s development, especially after this season. He’s becoming better defensively every single game, and while his offense needs some more work, there is reason to believe that Lamoureux will be an NHL defenseman within the next couple of years.

Lamoureux’s new contract should be an interesting one. How long and how much it will be should be intriguing depending on how well he plays next season. It will also depend on how the Mammoth think he will fit into their future. Lamoureux will be one of the players to keep an eye on next season because of his pending contract negotiations, and if he can continue getting better, he’ll be a fun player to watch.