Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Nick Schmaltz

Schmaltz produced four more points in the other three games for a seven-point month. The forward hit a milestone in the third game of March, scoring his 24th goal of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers, a career high for the forward.

During Schmaltz’s dominant season, extension talks between him and the Mammoth became something that loomed over the team most of the year. Six days after scoring his 24th goal of the season, Schmaltz signed an eight-year extension with an $8 million AAV, securing his future in Salt Lake City.

In the final seven games of March, Schmaltz put up six points, including a two-goal night against the Los Angeles Kings, one of which was the overtime winner. The forward continued his production into April with points in the first four games of the month. That included two goals against the Edmonton Oilers.

Schmaltz only had one more game with points, a two-goal outing against the Winnipeg Jets before the season ended. He finished with 33 goals and 74 points, both of which were career highs. His average ice time of 19:43 also tied a career high.

The big thing for Schmaltz was that this season was his first where he played center full-time. He ended up thriving in the role and even got some Selke votes, finishing within the top 20 in voting. It was a change Schmaltz thought was massive for his role on the Mammoth.

“I played center my whole life, and then haven’t really played in the NHL much, and I felt really comfortable there, right from when they switched me,” Schmaltz said. “Following a 200-foot game was really good, more consistent every night, bringing the same game and not as many ups and downs, and just trying to do everything I can for the team, and playing in all situations. I’m looking to build off of that and continue to get better.”

For the first time since 2017, Schmaltz played postseason games in his career. Unfortunately, the forward had a bad Game 1, finishing the game as a minus-three. However, he turned it around real quick. Schmaltz produced his first playoff point in Game 3 and scored his first playoff goal in Game 4, where he also registered another assist.

Game 5 saw Schmaltz produce one more assist before the Mammoth were eliminated in Game 6. The forward finished seventh on the Mammoth in postseason points.

The Future

With the extension he signed in March, Schmaltz’s future was set in stone from the moment the season ended. He’ll be a Mammoth likely for the rest of his career and will probably play on a line with Keller during that time. The two have had fantastic chemistry ever since the Arizona days, and the addition of Crouse on the line during the season just made that chemistry better.

“It’s a good balance,” Schmaltz said. “Me and Kells have played together for a long time. We have good chemistry. We’re always looking for each other and read really well off each other. Crouser is a big guy that skates well, makes plays, and has a finishing touch. We gelled well together, and hopefully we can continue building our chemistry and make a big impact next year.”

The question becomes: where does Schmaltz go from here, and was this great season just a classic overperformance in contract season? It’s something the forward is going to have to prove in this upcoming season, which might be harder than having the dominant campaign he just had.

Schmaltz will go into camp as the team’s top center once again with Cooley. Even with the best season of his career behind him, there are still some things that the forward believes he can work on.

“I can score, but I can continue to score more, be more productive every night, and help the power play out,” Schmaltz said. “We need to be better in that area, especially in the playoffs. We weren’t good enough on the power play. Faceoff work, stuff like that. I don’t know if there’s a bunch of things, but making sure I’m ready to go and put myself in a good position to start, to be healthy and ready to go from day one next year.”

If Schmaltz doesn’t produce and struggles, critique and flak will come, especially with the new contract he just inked. Expecting a similar season to what he just had might be a little ambitious, especially with the forward entering his 30’s. However, if Schmaltz can produce between 65 and 80 points and hit 25 or more goals, that can be labeled as another great season for the forward.

Overall Grade

It’s crazy to think about Schmaltz in November of 2024 compared to where he’s at now. Back then, he couldn’t score a goal to save his life, and questions about his future with the team started to appear, especially with players like Guenther and Cooley starting to develop. Now, he’s a core piece of a playoff team and a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.

As previously mentioned, seeing where Schmaltz goes from here will dictate how well the extension will age. The good thing is that he’s developed such fantastic chemistry with Keller that it’s almost certain that he will rack up at the very least 60 points from playing with him. A whole season on that top line with him and Crouse should get Schmaltz back to 70 or more points.

Overall, Schmaltz is getting an A for this season. This was a great season in every fashion for the forward. Career highs in goals and points, high ice time, solid postseason production, a new contract, and a new role all came for Schmaltz. He’s now a top center in the Central Division, something no one could’ve predicted going into 2025-26.

Building off of such a fantastic season will be hard and challenging. However, it’s not impossible, and clearly, the Mammoth believe he can do it. Schmaltz proved he can be a 70-point NHL center. Now, he’ll have to back the Mammoth’s belief in him and continue his dominance. Schmaltz has confidence that he can do exactly that, something you love to hear going into the 2026-27 season.