Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Michael Carcone

Across nine games in October, Carcone produced three points, including his second goal of the season against the Winnipeg Jets. While the forward didn’t produce in the first two games of November, he scored his third goal of the season on Nov. 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He produced an assist in the very next game.

Carcone produced one more point throughout the majority of November before putting up two points in three games at the end of the month. That included an assist on Kevin Rooney’s lone goal with the Mammoth. Carcone produced five points across the 15 games he played during November.

The beginning of December saw Carcone waste no time putting up points. He produced an assist in the first two games of the new month. Despite a five-game gap between then and his next point, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the forward scored two goals for his first multi-point game of the season, helping the Mammoth come back against their opponents. Carcone produced another point soon after against one of the best teams at the time, the Detroit Red Wings.

While Carcone only mustered five points again across December, it was obvious that he was playing an important role on the bottom six, helping younger players like Daniil But adjust to the NHL level while also putting up some points and generating chances. 

Entering the new year, Carcone scored two goals on the three-game New York road trip. A couple of games later, the forward produced two points against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carcone produced four more points in January to finish with eight points in 14 games. Five of those points were goals. He did miss a game late in the month due to illness, the last game of the season the forward wouldn’t play in.

In a four-game shortened February, Carcone didn’t produce any points. Three games into March, the forward produced three points in back-to-back games, including two goals. A couple of games after that, he put up two points in a stretch of three games.

Before a game against the Anaheim Ducks in late March, Carcone was extended by the Mammoth to a two-year contract with a $1.75 AAV. It was a contract both the Mammoth and the forward thought was a no-brainer. Carcone was in the midst of a 26-point season and, as mentioned, was a key part of the Mammoth’s depth.

Carcone produced one more assist across March. To kick off April, the forward scored a goal against the Seattle Kraken before producing two more assists against the Edmonton Oilers to tie and break his all-time career high in points. Carcone scored one more goal in Game 82 to finish the season with 31 points, two more than his 29-point 2023-24 campaign.

Despite not hitting the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career, Carcone did score 16 goals, which was good enough for seventh on the team. While it was a great bounce-back from his seven-goal, 19-point season, there is still room for growth there, which Carcone admitted to.

“I think just having that confidence level, knowing I can do it (helped me get back to this level of play),” Carcone said. “Obviously, coming off a not-so-great statistical year is hard, but knowing that I could do it again and putting myself in good situations to do that, it worked out. Obviously, 16’s not 20, but there’s room to grow there.”

Going into his first-ever NHL postseason, Carcone didn’t have the best three games, missing scoring opportunities and playing under 13 minutes in each of those games. After missing a wide-open shot on the power play in Game 4, it seemed like he was jinxed. However, Carcone made up for it by scoring the Mammoth’s third goal of the game, tying up the game after being down 3-0.

Carcone scored the Mammoth’s fourth goal in Game 5 to bring his postseason goal and point total up to two. However, the forward failed to register a goal or a point in Game 6 to finish the playoffs with just those two goals.

The Future

It’s now been over a year since Carcone stated he wasn’t returning to the Mammoth, and now he’s here for at least the next two seasons. Last season’s exit interviews aren’t something the forward enjoys talking about. In fact, he was happy there were at least three questions before that topic was brought up this summer. However, as Carcone reflects, it was what he learned from last season that really helped him improve.

“Just growing, honestly, as a human being and going through those tough times and learning from it and how to respond to it and just going the right way about it,” Carcone said. “As you get older, you start to understand a little more the way to go about it. Just trying to do the right things day in and day out.”

It was a strong step back in the right direction for Carcone. He reached new career highs in assists and points, games played, plus-minus, and also got his first two playoff goals. While he didn’t get to the 20-goal plateau like he wanted to, he was only four away, which certainly gives him some hope of getting to that mark again in the future.

In a season where the Mammoth’s depth struggled at points, Carcone was one of the best players in that bottom six. He was in the Mammoth’s top 10 in goals and points. The forward was also noticeably better in every aspect of the game. He was fourth on the team in hits (147), which was a major improvement from his 48 hits the prior season, which landed him 12th on the team.

There was a good reason why the Mammoth brought back Carcone not just this season but the next two seasons as well. He’s a great depth option and also found himself being an effective tool on the power play. Carcone attributes that success to head coach André Tourigny and the coaching staff for helping him refind his game.

“He has the confidence in me on the ice to put me in certain situations,” Carcone said. “Same with the rest of the coaching staff, like putting me on power play or going over video saying, ‘ Hey, you’re really good behind the net and doing your cutbacks. Let’s focus on doing that and putting yourself in a situation where you can make a play, or you can do a wraparound, you can get in on net and put other guys on the ice in good situations as well.’ So, understanding what I was good at, where my strengths were, and helping me utilize that as much as I could, they’ve done a great job helping me become the player I am.”

The question becomes: will Carcone be ok with playing in the same role he has been for the next two seasons? It’s hard to imagine the forward will hop into the top six, especially with the additions of Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee and the impending rise of Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. He actually might be pushed further down the lineup than anything.

Carcone’s big concern last summer was his ice time, which was something that went up to a career-high 12:44 this season. Likely, that will decrease at some point over the next two seasons. Will Carcone be happy about that?

It will be interesting to see how the Mammoth and Carcone continue to make this relationship thrive. He wouldn’t have signed a two-year extension if he didn’t believe he had a future here that benefited him as well. Carcone is a big part of not just the team on the ice but also in the Salt Lake City community. Keeping him around doesn’t just benefit the team; it also gives the forward a chance to stay a fan favorite and part of Utah while growing as a player, so one day he can be the top-six forward he’s shown flashes of being.

Final Grade

The relationship between Carcone and general manager Bill Armstrong keeps being positive and beneficial all these seasons later despite some rocky points. Armstrong took a chance on the forward after seeing a strong season from him during his loan to the Roadrunners. Carcone took that opportunity and ran with it, becoming an NHLer. 

Last season, despite Carcone saying what he said, Armstrong took another chance on him, which led to the forward once again proving he can be a special part of this team. While there have been some battles, there’s been a lot more positivity during Carcone’s time with the Coyotes and Mammoth, and this season showed that he is someone who can bounce back from career lows.

Overall, Carcone is getting a B for this season. Last season, his offensive game was harped on tremendously. With career highs almost across the board, the forward proved the doubters wrong while retaining his effectiveness as a hard-nosed forechecker. Carcone was a big part of the Mammoth’s special teams and also showed he could show up in the playoffs after he was tied for third on the team in goals during their series against the Golden Knights.

From here, it should be interesting how Carcone and his relationship with the Mammoth continues to grow and evolve. As the team improves, they’ll keep bringing in good players either through trade or signings. Carcone needs to continue growing and getting better if he wants to remain in the lineup, something he did this past season. As mentioned, the two agreed on a two-year extension for a reason. It shows that the Mammoth truly believe in him as an important piece of their team moving forward, and based on what he did this season, he’s absolutely a fantastic and critical part of their bottom six.