As Utah Mammoth players reflected on the 2025-26 season, one common takeaway was the growth of the group, particularly off the ice. Members of the leadership group grew their individual leadership skills while the young core established their own identities in the locker room. In addition, veterans brought their experience to the team which boosted the group’s growth. As the Mammoth continue to build their culture and find success, the strides taken this year will help maintain a strong brotherhood in the locker room and set the team up on the ice.
Everything starts with the Mammoth’s leadership group: Captain Clayton Keller, associate captain Lawson Crouse, and alternate captains Mikhail Sergachev, Alexander Kerfoot, and Nick Schmaltz. All five of these leaders brought different types of leadership to the locker room and led by example with their play.
For the second-straight year, Keller led the Mammoth in scoring (88 PTS). Schmaltz had the second-most goals (33) and points (74) while Sergachev was second in assists (49) and fourth in points (59). Crouse was one of six skaters to score 20 or more goals this year (24) and he was sixth in points (44). Kerfoot was injured for the majority of the regular season but brought his versatile skill set and solid defensive play to 34 games this year, including during the Mammoth’s playoff push.
In addition to leading with their play on the ice, the leadership group has been empowered to take control and lead off the ice. There’s a strong relationship between these players and the team’s coaches, and this trust has been built over recent seasons. Being empowered has allowed the leaders to grow and make an impact.
“I worked a lot through the years of empowering the leadership and making sure they take charge,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “It's not just having a leadership meeting. It’s giving them the responsibility to do certain things, and there's a progression on that. I think we made a huge step this year … It's something I was eager for our team to take, and they took a really great step. I think we’re really proud of our leadership group.”
There’s plenty of leaders in the locker room who don’t wear a letter on their jersey like veterans Ian Cole, Nate Schmidt, MacKenzie Weegar, and Kevin Stenlund. Over the last two years, the Mammoth have added these players with Stanley Cup wins or significant NHL experience. Throughout the regular season and during the playoffs, these additions were key. These players kept the bench calm during tight games and provided support in the locker room. They talked with players who were in a scoring rut or going through a lot in their personal lives. Their impact was invaluable.
“The players with experience that we brought in, I think it's invaluable in the sense that they can share with our young players what things are going to feel like, what things are going to look like, what to expect,” President of Hockey Operations Chris Armstrong explained. “The guys have to go through those experiences themselves to really accrue that experience. However, I think having those cornerstones in the room that can provide that even keeled, that level of calm and set that expectation, was very helpful to us in embracing the challenge of the first round against Vegas.”
Every player gained experience from the playoffs. For several members of the leadership group, it was their first postseason appearance in several years. They can take the lessons they learned about being calm in those high pressure situations into next season.
“You just learn from experience, from failures, and from being in those high-pressure moments,” Kerfoot said. “I think that we're going to learn from being in the playoffs as well. These guys are going to look back on this, and for a lot of them, it was their first playoff experience, and that's going to be valuable for a long time to come. It's just going to be one step on their journey.”
In addition to the growth of Utah’s leadership group, several members of the Mammoth’s young core took the next step in establishing their own leadership style in the locker room. Forwards Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther showed their maturity and development throughout the year and their teammates noticed.
“You see it in younger guys, like (Cooley) and (Guenther),” Crouse explained. “The way that they're maturing, not only as players, but as people. We have a great group. It's a lot of fun to come in every day and go to war with these guys. Our ceiling is so high with our group, we're just starting to take off. We just got to keep that mindset of keep pushing forward, keep wanting more, and I really like our odds.”
In addition to maturing as players and people, both Cooley and Guenther were more consistent this season which allowed them to take steps as leaders within the group.
“To be a leader, you need to be consistent,” Tourigny explained. “You cannot say to people to do a certain thing when you don't do it every day. I don't care how great you are. At some point, if you hold people accountable, you need to do it first. I think those two guys got way more consistent and I think that rubbed everybody the right way. I think everyone wants great players, but they want players with the right attitude, the right competitiveness, mindset, commitment. Those two guys grew their consistency during the year, and I think that will have an impact greater in the future. And they will keep improving those things.”
Having leaders who can hold their teammates accountable while supporting each individual through the highs and lows of an NHL season is key for any team to have success. As the Mammoth look to get back to the playoffs next season and advance through the First Round, building off the growth of this year’s team will be crucial. However, it will all stem from the Mammoth’s leaders guiding the team forward.
“It's actually amazing to see how guys go from a team that wasn't winning to winning more and then to making the playoffs and winning in the playoffs,” Sergachev reflected. “Seeing the guys compete and be strong on pucks and then be really strong off the ice, too. A lot of our guys made the right steps in the right direction, and I'm taking them with them. It's just good to see our young core getting in those situations, and it starts with our captain. He's been a great player on the ice, but off the ice, he’s been one of the best leaders.”
