Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Miko Matikka

From there, Matikka was in and out of the lineup. The forward played two of the final five games of November. In December, he played six of the 10 games for the Roadrunners.

January started well for Matikka. He scored a goal in the first game of the month, his first point since Oct. 25 and his second-ever AHL goal. A couple of games later, he scored his third goal of the season against the San Jose Barracuda. Four days later, he produced an assist. In the 13 games across the month, Matikka had three points, the most since October. The forward also played every single game the Roadrunner played in January.

February also started decently for Matikka as well. He had his first-ever multi-point AHL game with two assists against the Wranglers. In the very next game, the forward scored his fourth goal of the season. Matikka played five of the next six games, registering one more assist to finish February with four points in eight games.

Unfortunately, Matikka struggled once again in March. He played only five of the 12 games and produced no points during those five games, finishing as a minus-two.

Starting off April, Matikka was scratched for three of the first four games of the month before playing the final five games of the month. The forward did finish the season strong with points in the final two games, including his fifth goal of the season in the second-to-last game.

In total, Matikka produced five goals and seven assists for 12 points, easily AHL career highs across the board. While Matikka at times found ways to produce, which helped him play more than half of the season, it was still only a small step forward.

With the Roadrunners failing to make the playoffs, Matikka’s season ended as he was not called up by the Mammoth to be one of their black aces.

The Future

As mentioned, it was a step forward for Matikka as he managed to do a lot this season. He scored his first AHL goal, produced 10 more points than he did the prior season, and played 23 more AHL games as well.

However, with that being said, Matikka still didn’t do enough to stay in the lineup all year long. He was passed up at times by Jack Ricketts and Ty Tullio, both of whom weren’t expected to be in the AHL for the majority of the season. Most concerning of all, he was a liability defensively at times. Matikka was a minus-12, the second-worst on the Roadrunners. It’s not just a this-season thing either. He was a minus-nine last season with the Americans and a minus-four last season with the Roadrunners.

Unless Matikka can outscore his defensive issues, why should the Roadrunners keep him in the lineup? The forward didn’t produce enough this season in the 51 games he played, and unless he can fix his two-way play, there’s no reason why he should be considered an everyday AHL player.

The 2025-26 season will be Matikka’s last under contract with the Mammoth. Unless the forward can be more reliable defensively and learn how to get back to the offensive ways that he exhibited in Denver, or at least something close to it, there’s no reason why the Mammoth should extend Matikka.

It’s not an overstatement to say this upcoming season is a crucial one for Matikka. It could ultimately be the end of his NHL dreams if he doesn’t play well. He could be an AHL or ECHL player for the rest of his career. That’s not something he wants to be. 

Roadrunners training camp won’t be an easy one either. There are many prospects who will join the team, including Gabe Smith, Yegor Borikov, Vadim Moroz, and likely Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers. The team also brought in Joshua Roy and brought back Kevin Rooney, Austin Poganski, Ricketts, and Tullio. With a bigger roster, the Roadrunners won’t be scared to send guys like Matikka and Sam Lipkin down to the ECHL if they struggle in the AHL.

Overall Grade

The future doesn’t look bright at the moment for Matikka. While he had improvement this season, it’s still a long way from an NHL call-up for him at this point. The forward still isn’t an everyday AHL player. Entering the last year of his entry-level deal, something big needs to change for Matikka if he wants to further his time with the Mammoth.

While Matikka’s great 20-goal, 33-point season with Denver has gotten him this far, it’s no longer enough to be considered a top prospect within the Mammoth organization. They aren’t afraid to not bring back prospects they know won’t benefit them in the long run, like Anson Thornton and Cal Thomas. They won’t hesitate to do the same with Matikka, especially with more and more prospects turning pro.

Overall, Matikka is getting a D for this season. Yes, there were some improvements from the prior season, but ultimately, there wasn’t enough to justify giving the forward a higher grade or thinking he’s any closer to the NHL. Defensive issues remain, and there isn’t enough offense there to think he can outscore his issues.

It will be interesting to see if Matikka can win a spot out of Roadrunners training camp in September and October. With that many forwards fighting for a spot, it’s hard to imagine Matikka’s role changing in his third pro season. Do not be surprised if he spends some time in the ECHL during the season, and don’t be surprised if it’s his last season with the Roadrunners.