Welcome back. The last time the Utah Mammoth were in action, they played the Vegas Golden Knights in a six-game series, which they eventually lost. Fast forward to September, and the two met up again Saturday afternoon for their first game of the rookie showcase.
Unlike in May, however, it was the Mammoth who drew first blood and ended up winning the game, riding a strong first period to a 3-0 win. With a roster that ultimately will not feature top prospects Tij Iginla and Caleb Desnoyers due to injury, the young Utah rookies impressed as hockey season begins. Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s win.
Simashev Takes Charge
Heading into this season, it’s widely expected that Dmitri Simashev will become a full-time NHL player. With the departures of Sean Durzi and Ian Cole, it appears the Mammoth have certainly cleared room for the Russian defenseman to make that jump as well.
Yet Simashev doesn’t consider himself an NHLer as of yet, despite strong belief around the hockey world. There’s a reason why he’s at rookie camp. On Saturday, though, Simashev looked like an NHL player.
“He was riding and surfing across and making it hard,” Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin said. “If he couldn’t get a stick on the puck, he was narrowing the space and pushing the play to the perimeter. That’s what you want…That’s what I liked about his game. The things that he does with the puck. He’s obviously gifted with it, and he was making the appropriate plays tonight. I thought he played pretty simple and effective.”
Simashev finished with an assist but could’ve had more. He had a lot of good looks on the power play and also was extremely effective on the penalty kill, especially during the three-minute kill in the second period. The defenseman hardly made any mistakes and was clearly one of the best players out there.
His speed, skill, and height were all main factors in the Mammoth’s win on Saturday. He led the way with those attributes. Fitting that he ended up with the captaincy for the game. Simashev always wants to get better and make the team around him better. It’s a personality trait that will go a long way in Simashev’s pro career.
Dmitri Simashev is wearing the C today for Utah against the Golden Knights. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/7bYpu3jXyc
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) September 12, 2026
While there are still a couple of weeks before we get the answer to whether Simashev will be an NHLer to begin the season, if he can continue the same play he had against the Golden Knights, it could be an easy decision for the Mammoth. It’s the type of play the team might desperately need for the rest of the showcase as they face better teams.
Duda‘s Return to the Ice
Saturday marked the first time since January that Artem Duda skated in a game. Yes, it was a showcase game against the Golden Knights’ depleted prospect pool. However, it was significant for the defenseman.
Duda sustained a major knee injury during his season with the Roadrunners that forced him to undergo surgery, ending his promising 2025-26 season that started well for him. In 27 games, he had 13 points.
Entering this season, he feels better than ever. Not just physically but mentally as well, Duda feels at the top of his game even more than he did last season.
“Everything is great,” Duda said. “I feel like I’m the strongest person I’ve ever been, so everything is good. Knee is good, skating, physical play. I think I just have to keep going like that.”
That feeling couldn’t come at a better time. With the preseason being cut to four games, the rookie showcase will be one of Duda’s best times to impress the coaching staff and front office and try to make an impact that will allow him to be one of the first call-ups next season.
Potvin is already impressed. He’s coached Duda for the past two seasons, plus in multiple prospect showcases. Compared to all of those games, Potvin has never seen the defenseman in better shape and thought he had a strong game.
“He looks bigger, he looks stronger, and he was also able to keep up a good gap in the third period,” Potvin said. “He stepped up with a big check, and then followed it up with another one right in the D zone. I thought he played a strong game, and especially not having played in as long as he had, I think he had an excellent game.”
Duda had a strong pairing with Tomas Lavoie, who probably will end up being on the Roadrunners blueline with him. The defenseman had nothing but great things to say about his partner postgame.
“He’s a really good guy,” Duda said. “He’s a tough d-man, skates well, sees the ice well, and also has a great shot. I think he’s a great guy to play with.”
Duda ended up producing a goal and an assist during the game. With Max Szuber, Kevin Connauton, and Scott Perunovich all departing the organization and Simashev likely being in the NHL full time, this is a critical season for Duda. This will be the season where he could make a key impact and get his first-ever NHL call-up.
The defenseman’s contract expires at the end of this season as well, adding more stakes to the 2026-27 season. However, if he can stay healthy and means what he said about being more than 100%, this could be a great season for Duda.
Other Standouts From Game 1
There were plenty of standouts for the Mammoth on Saturday. It helped that they got started early with Miko Matikka scoring the opening goal just minutes in. Matikka had a better 2025-26 season, but not one that impressed. He had a strong rookie camp last season. We’ve seen flashes of the 20-goal scorer during that time. The real difference is going to be whether he produces in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season.
Daniil But scored the Mammoth’s second goal just 49 seconds later. He’s another player who dominated during the game. You could just tell his skill was on a completely different level than most of the other prospects on Saturday. His confidence was clearly improved from last season as well, something that affected him on the NHL level. While, like Simashev, this strong showing won’t win him a roster spot, it does look good for him going into the main training camp.
Final from our first game at Rookie Faceoff 🦣
Utah: 3
Vegas: 0 pic.twitter.com/rTGKBUH6tZ— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 13, 2026
All three of the Mammoth’s goals were scored on the power play. Both the power play and the penalty kill were nearly perfect on Saturday. The power play in particular moved the puck around effectively, generating multiple shots and chances.
“Instant chemistry, right?” Potvin said. “The way they were moving the puck, not just on the power play. It seemed like this team had been together for a little while. I thought that they were on their toes. They were playing really connected. They were connecting the chains. We talk about eight systems and one way of playing, and it seemed like they were connecting the chains.”
The physicality for the Mammoth was big as well. Each player was completing their checks and hits. They weren’t backing down when a Golden Knight came up to tussle with them. In fact, players like But were coming in defense to help out their teammates.
Gabe Smith had an extremely physical presence throughout the game. He went a little too far in the second period when he laid a big dirty hit on Trevor Connelly, which sidelined him for most of the game. Smith, in return, got into a fight and held his own before ultimately being booted from the game.
Gabe Smith levels Connelly with a bad hit, prompting Sean Burick to fight him.
That was a bad hit by Smith. Connelly is heading to the locker room.#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/DIkDzh6Aif
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) September 12, 2026
“I was impressed,” Potvin said. “There’s no doubt. I think it’s something that we’ve had for many years, and for whatever reason last year it didn’t seem like we had a lot of physicality, at least in Tucson and the AHL. Seeing our guys the way they started the game…It’s big-boy hockey, and you need guys like that to be able to push the pace and solve problems. You finish checks a lot of times; that just solves a lot of problems.”
Michael Hrabal ended the game with an assist and a 21-save shutout. While he didn’t have much to do in the first half, he stood strong, especially down the stretch in the second half of the game. He even had a great chance to score a goalie goal, which he ultimately didn’t get due to fanning the shot.
Three other standouts during the game have to be Owen Allard, Brandon Holt, and Florent Houle. All three of those players played hard and were physical. While none of those three ended up getting a point, all three helped the Mammoth have multiple chances throughout the game.
The Mammoth play two more games during this year’s rookie showcase. The next of which is against the San Jose Sharks, who arguably have the best team in the showcase with players like Michael Misa, Filip Bystedt, and Igor Chernyshov. The Mammoth arguably have the better goalie in Hrabal, but regardless, it will be a hard game to win, especially against a Sharks team that blew out the Los Angeles Kings in their first game.
Yet, out of all the teams in the showcase, the Mammoth might have the best odds of handing the Sharks a loss. They play with speed that none of the other teams have, and they aren’t afraid to throw the body. If they can continue that game plan, it could end up being a simple game for the Mammoth.
“We just need to keep playing our game like we did today,” Duda said. “Help our goalies, and just stick to the game plan. Pretty simple.”
The Mammoth will play their second rookie showcase game on Sunday against the Sharks. The Sharks are 1-0-0 in the showcase, taking down the Kings 7-1 on Saturday.
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