3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 4-0 Rookie Faceoff Loss to Kings – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

With Tuesday’s game, the Utah Mammoth’s rookie camp is officially over. Unfortunately for the team, it ended in the worst showing of the weekend. The Mammoth lost 4-0 to the Los Angeles Kings despite being right behind their opponents in shots.

While there were some big names held out of the lineup, there were some things to be frustrated about. Turnovers, power play, and lazy passing were just the core elements of a sour end to the rookie faceoff. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s game against the Kings.

Max Pšenička Plays His First Full Game

Max Pšenička was supposed to be an anchor for the Mammoth’s blueline during this tournament. However, less than five minutes into the first game against the Vegas Golden Knights, a high stick caught his face. Bleeding all over the ice, Pšenička left the game and did not return. He was held out of the second game against the San Jose Sharks.

With Dmitri Simashev and Artem Duda held out of the third game against the Kings, the Mammoth decided to put in Pšenička for his first full game of the weekend. His performance was solid. Wearing a bubble, it was obvious the defenseman wasn’t at full strength.

Pšenička is wearing a bubble today after what transpired on Saturday. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/TcehIvT7rB

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) September 15, 2026

“He had to go through a little bit of adversity,” Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin said. “He wasn’t feeling at his best. It was good to see him out there. All things considered, we saw some good gaps out of him. We’d like to see him manage the puck a little bit and get it through the first layer.”

The thing to consider about Pšenička’s game is that he was by far the best defenseman on the ice for the Mammoth on Tuesday. While Tomas Lavoie and Gregor Biber played solid throughout the whole weekend, it’s clear that Pšenička is bigger and faster than those two. 

Despite not being at 100%, the defenseman wasn’t afraid to lay the body. He played with speed and wanted the puck at all times. However, as mentioned, he didn’t have a lot of support around him. The Mammoth were chasing the game for 50 minutes. The goals that the Mammoth gave up weren’t great ones either, which made everything more frustrating.

“When you go down, you give up a short-handed goal and then another one on the power play, you’re chasing the game and the opposition is playing from the net out,” Potvin said. “When your team is trying to do what they can to generate offense or momentum, a lot of times they’re pressing and pushing and chasing, and you still have to remain patient and in structure and understand the scenario of the game. I think it didn’t help Max.”

It should be an interesting camp for Pšenička. Odds are that he’ll return to the Western Hockey League (WHL) and eventually rejoin the Roadrunners late in the season. He certainly has the skill and capabilities to be an NHL defenseman one day. How he tries to separate himself in camp and how many preseason games he gets is something to keep an eye on.

Gabe Smith Remains a Presence All Tournament Long

When I mentioned Gabe Smith’s name to Potvin, he immediately jumped in and talked about how he’s such an exciting player. I don’t blame the excitement.

Smith was by far the best player on the Mammoth to play all three games this tournament. He was like a wrecking ball. The NHL or the American Hockey League (AHL) didn’t keep records of how many hits players had during these rookie faceoff games, but if they had, it’s a safe bet to think Smith was near the top in that category.

There was a reason why he was named an alternate captain for the Mammoth. Smith led by example. He had eight shots and a fight. He was also on the power play and the penalty kill. While both of those units weren’t the best on Tuesday, during the other two games, they were pretty solid. 

Smith also was a force in the faceoff circle. While that was another stat that wasn’t kept on record, he did win a bunch of them throughout the three games.

“He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got a great attitude,” Potvin said. “He’s a player that we’re excited about. He didn’t get the points that he would have liked, or we would have liked, but we’re putting him in a position where he’s logging a lot of ice time. He’s playing on the first power play, and he’s killing penalties. He’s on the first line. He’s taking key draws. He’s doing a lot of work out there. He’s an exciting player for us.”

Smith did eat up a lot of minutes, especially on Tuesday with three of the star prospects out. In the other two games, he centered the top line of Daniil But and Vadim Moroz. 

Potvin should especially be excited considering Smith will likely be with the Roadrunners in the AHL this season. His play screams a type of play that will thrive in the AHL. He’s big and physical but also has a great hockey IQ that allows him to move the puck. Figuring out how to score at the pro level will be a challenge, but he’s not one to give up when things aren’t going his way.

Don’t count out Smith in Mammoth camp as well. He stuck around for a long time last year. If he steals a spot in the bottom six later this month, it’s by no accident.

Other Standouts From Game 3

It’s no surprise that the Mammoth lost their game against the Kings. Simashev, Duda, Michael Hrabal, and Daniil But were all held out. The lineup was mostly camp invitees.

What can’t be forgiven is the power play going scoreless on eight opportunities. Yes, the key parts of the power play that produced so much in the first two games were in the stands, but they still had guys like Smith, Moroz, and Yegor Borikov on the man advantage. Not to mention, there were numerous bad turnovers and giveaways, with lazy passing being the main cause.

“It’s an unfortunate way to end the tournament,” Potvin said. “We had some pretty good games over the weekend, and I liked seeing how our game was developing. I thought it was a connected type of team, and today was just a little disoriented. I thought our puck management was clearly not up to scale. When you’re having to backcheck and defend more than you have to, then you’re going to get some penalties, and you’re going to give up scoring chances, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Immediate blame might go to Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko, who started his first game of the rookie faceoff. However, he honestly was nowhere near the main problem. The goalie stopped 24 of 28 shots, including multiple breakaways. Tkach-Tkachenko can’t stop everything, and he isn’t as good a goalie as Hrabal is. He needs some work and is a long way from the NHL. However, the Mammoth might have something there.

There were some standouts for the Mammoth as well. Reko Alanko did well in minimal minutes. He had some of the best hits of the day and was one of the better players on the penalty kill. He also did a really good job at protecting the puck and avoiding hits.

Brandon Holt is going to finish this tournament as a minus player, but he was put in a lot of crappy situations, like having to defend on multiple odd-man rushes after a teammate put him in that situation or when the Mammoth had a bad line change. He might end up being an underrated factor on the Roadrunners’ blueline this season.

One last big part of Tuesday’s game was Grayden Strohack’s fight against Nate Corbet. It was a vicious one and the longest tilt by a Mammoth player all weekend. Strohack was a camp invitee, and he likely won’t be around for much longer, but again, he put up a good fight.

Nate Corbet and Grayden Strohack drop their gloves. Corbet went at Strohack hard. Best tilt I’ve seen all tournament. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/J0MJT6ohUc

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) September 15, 2026

Overall though, it was a great showcase for the Mammoth. You saw star prospects like Simashev, But, and Hrabal play really well. You saw Roadrunners players like Duda and Smith make a big impact (Duda finishes as the top producer for the Mammoth with three points in two games). You also saw prospects make a name for themselves like Florent Houle, who had another great game on Tuesday, albeit it was definitely his worst game.

Especially in the first two games, the Mammoth had a strong showing. They had a lot of physicality and showed a lot of character. While Tuesday was a rough one, the first two games especially are what you want to see out of a great group of prospects, a lot of which will play in the AHL this season and have NHL futures ahead. 

“I liked our first two games,” Potvin said. “We gave them a lot of instruction, and I liked the way they executed. I thought they understood what we were asking, and I’m proud of those first two games. I really thought that they played to a standard that was pro hockey level, winning-type habit team that was willing to and able to take the next step. They learned a lot from each other, and I think that’s exactly what the weekend is for. We needed to understand a little more about what they can do, and they need to learn more about what our standards are and how we progress through a season.”

Getting a grasp on how Potvin coaches during games and more of what the Mammoth culture is will definitely be helpful for those players going to the Roadrunners this season. Especially with a shortened camp and preseason, if a player can walk away from this tournament and they got better and are more ready to play in the AHL, you can call this rookie faceoff a win.

Next up? Main camp and the preseason. The Mammoth’s first-ever four-game preseason will start on Sept. 20 when they visit the Colorado Avalanche.