Utah Mammoth’s Strong Start Shouldn’t Be Ignored

The 2025-26 NHL season is off to a pretty wild start. The Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings occupy the top two spots in the Atlantic Division, the Seattle Kraken are second in the Pacific, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are tied with the New Jersey Devils for most points (16) in the Metropolitan.

Some of these starts are more real than others, but one that sure seems legit is the Utah Mammoth’s, who are 8-3-0 and hold first place in the Central Division. They might not finish the season in first in the Central, but they have the potential to do so. And they could even be among the best teams in the Western Conference.

Mammoth’s Metrics Tell a Story

The Mammoth’s start to the 2025-26 season may be a surprise to some, but it probably shouldn’t be. There were signs during the 2024-25 campaign that this could be their breakout year. They finished outside of a playoff spot with 89 points, but had some terrific underlying numbers, especially over their final 25 games of the season.

The Mammoth finished the 2024-25 season with an expected goals share (xG%) of 56.94 percent, the best xG% in the NHL across the final 25 games of the season. They still appear to be one of the better five-on-five teams in the NHL to begin the new campaign, totaling an xG% of 53.38 percent through their first 11 games.

Granted, that’s based on a small sample size, as it’s still early in the season and they’ve only played 11 games, but their performance to date suggests it’s not a fluke and that it should be sustainable.

What’s been most impressive about the Mammoth’s start is that they’re getting it done in both ends of the ice. They’ve been one of the best offensive teams at five-on-five, averaging 2.84 expected goals per 60 minutes. But they also do well to suppress shots defensively, allowing just 2.48 expected goals per 60.

Admittedly, their schedule has not been the most difficult to begin the season, but they’ve had a couple of quality wins. They defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime on Oct. 21 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. And they beat the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets, 3-2 just a couple of nights ago.

Their schedule will get more difficult from here on out, and they seem to be in arguably the most competitive division in the NHL, but this roster should have the goods to build on their strong start.

Mammoth Have a Young & Exciting Roster

It was a quiet offseason for most NHL teams, but not necessarily so for the Mammoth. General manager Bill Armstrong acquired JJ Peterka in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, and he’s had an immediate impact. Peterka has settled in on a line with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, and they’ve been absolutely electric to begin the season.

The Mammoth have an xG% of 59.22 percent with Peterka, Cooley and Guenther on the ice, and they’ve outscored teams 11-4. It’s early in the season, but there’s no reason to think this won’t continue to be one of the best lines in the NHL.  

Peterka alone has played excellent hockey, totaling four goals and 10 points in 11 games, but Cooley seems destined for stardom. He has eight goals and 12 points in 11 games and just signed a lucrative eight-year contract extension worth $10 million per year. Meanwhile, Guenther has one of the best shots in the NHL and may soon have one of the most valuable deals in the league.