Playoff hockey arrives in Utah as Mammoth complete long rebuild

SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time in franchise history, playoff hockey is coming to Utah; and for many inside the organization, the moment carries the weight of years spent fighting to get to this point.

In just its second season as a franchise, the Mammoth are headed to the Stanley Cup playoffs, marking a huge milestone for the team and its past that extends the year prior to the team's conception.

It's been a long time coming for the core of players, coaching staff, and front office to be able to be in this position after a long rebuild and relocation.

"We've been in all kinds of situations, and we've been so fortunate to have Ryan and Ashley Smith and SEG and Utah arrive in our life at the perfect timing and treat us like kings since we're here," head coach Andre Tourigny said. "Everywhere we go in the city with the fans and everybody, it's been so magical. I think the story is unbelievable."

Despite the early success in Utah, it has been a long time coming for those who made the move from Arizona to the Beehive state.

"We had four different cities for our practice facility, three different cities for our game rink, and two different states," Tourigny said. "At some point, we were pretty, pretty deep in the ocean. I think it's an outstanding feeling, to be honest."

Before they were the Mammoth, they were the Coyotes; and although Utah's franchise history is separate from that era, it's important to recognize the foundation and hard work that was given in Arizona to allow for this success.

The last time the Coyotes made the playoffs was during the 2019-20 season while in the NHL bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only players that remain from that series are Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, and Barrett Hayton.

The last time the organization won a playoff series was 2012.

A year after becoming the general manager, Bill Armstrong hired Tourigny ahead of the 2021 season as the team entered yet another rebuild.

"When Bill and his team built a plan and said we can be playoff bound in five years, I don't know how many people were believing in that," Tourigny said.

It wasn't an overnight fix, but a slow, gradual process to build the roster and to add the right players that fit together. It took multiple top draft picks, free agent signings, and trade acquisitions to get the right core on the ice.

A lot of moves were made well before the team moved to Utah to allow for the Mammoth to be in the position they are in, to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in six years.

In 2018, Nick Schmaltz was traded to Arizona from Chicago to be paired with Keller on the top line. Armstrong then drafted Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley in the 2021 and 2022 NHL entry drafts to add skilled scorers alongside Keller, Schmaltz, and Crouse.

Since the move to Utah, the front office has made splash trades to bolster the roster. Mikhail Sergachev was acquired from the Lightning to be the Mammoth's top defenseman, while J.J. Peterka was last summer's key addition after coming over from Buffalo.

In order to strengthen the defense and bolster Utah's chances at the playoffs, Armstrong swung a deal with the Flames to add MacKenzie Weegar at this past trade deadline.

The patience of Armstrong and the coaching of Tourigny has allowed for continual growth and development among the roster as well as stockpiling future assets in the form of some of the NHL's top prospects.

"I think they show resilience and new players who joined the group and believed in what was being done here," Tourigny said. "We see guys jumping in halfway, waiving their no trade clause and so on and so forth. All of that is rewarding, saying we're achieving a first milestone like that. There's a lot of things that has to be done still, but we're grateful."

The Mammoth's rise has been a collective effort that extends far beyond the locker room and on the ice. A rise that has transformed a new market into one of the league's best.

"Everybody talks about the players, the coaches who made the playoffs. It's more than that. It's all of us. It's the people upstairs, our analytic department, our social media people, our media people, our fans, our coaches, our trainers, everybody. We take a lot of pride in that."

While reaching the playoffs marks a major milestone, everyone within the organization understands that the job is far from finished.

"We made it to the station, but the destination is still to be reached, and there's still a lot of work to be done. That doesn't mean we cannot appreciate the fact the fans gave us all their support, their love, to give us all the energy we need every game and create that excitement, and the organization do a great job to to push that forward. Our players embrace that, and our coaches are so proud of it."

The vision that the front office envisioned for this team years ago has finally started to take shape thanks to the buy-in from everyone involved and the support from the fans in Utah.

The Mammoth are not just built for a playoff run this season, but for a multitude of playoff appearances in the future.

Related topics