3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 4-1 Preseason Loss to Avalanche – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

The preseason is finally here. Unlike past years, this will be the first-ever four-game shortened preseason for the Utah Mammoth. That means fewer days for everyone to impress in camp and fewer games for those players to play. It creates more intense battles during those games to stand out.

Against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, there were quite a few players who stood out during the Mammoth’s 4-1 loss. While the score itself doesn’t look pretty, there were more positives, especially when you take in the whole situation. Here are some takeaways from Sunday night’s game.

A Tale of Two Goaltenders

It was a tale of two goaltenders on Sunday. Through the first 40 minutes, Sebastian Cossa made his first-ever appearance as a member of the Mammoth while Michael Hrabal finished out the game in the final 20 minutes. Looking at the scoresheet, you can tell who had the better game.

Cossa looked great in his first preseason game. He looked confident in net, making key saves. The goaltender was also patient in the net, waiting until the right time to save a puck or go into a certain position to make sure the skater didn’t have an easy opportunity to score.

He finished with a .917 save percentage, only allowing one goal during the 40 minutes he played. A reminder that Cossa has only played one NHL game ever, and that was under emergency conditions with the Detroit Red Wings losing both of their other goalies to injury. While it feels like he’s been around for a while, he’s just as much of a rookie as some of the skaters in front of him.

First bit of action for Cossa in a Mammoth jersey 👀 pic.twitter.com/bxfj3Uyqt3

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 20, 2026

However, on Sunday, Cossa performed like a veteran. He’s trying to prove not only that he can back up Karel Vejmelka but also start more games than some might expect him to. So far, so good for him.

“He did a really good job,” head coach André Tourigny said. “They had a lot of traffic, put pucks through traffic, and he found a way to see the puck and get a piece in front of it. I think it was a really good viewing.”

On the flip side, it was a tough go for Hrabal in the final 20 minutes. After a stellar performance at the rookie faceoff, some might’ve expected a better showing from the younger goalie on Sunday. However, his inexperience showed as he gave up three goals and finished with a .400 save percentage.

Especially on the penalty kill, it felt like Hrabal didn’t track the puck well and couldn’t get from one side of the net to the other in time. Roadrunners head coach Steve Potvin mentioned Hrabal’s skating was an issue last season. While it looked better, it’s something that needs to continue improving.

Now, that’s not to say every goal was on Hrabal. There were some key defensive breakdowns that left Hrabal all alone on an odd-man rush. It is clear, though, that he needs some time in the AHL while Cossa looks ready to go early on.

“He’s massive, and I’m sure he was probably happy to get in there and see some pucks,” Nick DeSimone said. “I thought he was great. I’m not a goalie expert, but he’s a big guy. He seems like a great guy. He’s been around for a couple of weeks. I’m sure he was happy to get in there.”

Fourth Line Standouts

The best line wasn’t the one with the most ice time for the Mammoth on Sunday. In fact, it was the trio with the lowest ice time. The fourth line of Yegor Borikov, Ben McCartney, and Gabe Smith was the most effective line for Utah on Sunday.

Starting with McCartney, the forward was the lone member of the fourth line to not register a point and did finish as a minus-one, but the way he played was really solid. The forward played with pace, helping set up odd-man rushes and allowing him to forecheck hard.

McCartney finished with 51 points in 59 games last season with the Tucson Roadrunners. He was one of the forwards who arguably deserved to get a few NHL games in after the Mammoth clinched a playoff spot last season. It’s good to see McCartney continue playing the same way he did last year. If he keeps doing that, it’ll be hard to argue against him not getting a look this season.

Smith is one of the more exciting rookies going into his first pro season. He was another player who had a good rookie faceoff. He played such a good two-way game and showed his physicality throughout the entire 60 minutes. Smith was no different on Sunday.

The forward had some good hits and was noticeable throughout the game in a good way. He also showed off some of his really good hockey IQ on the Mammoth’s lone goal. His tip on Artem Duda’s shot allowed Borikov to get the puck in front of the net and fool all the Avalanche players in the process. Smith registered an assist off the goal.

“They had a hell of a third period,” Tourigny said. “In the third period they controlled the play. They were capable of holding on to the puck and playing fast as well with the puck, with quick puck movement, good forecheck. There’s a lot to like in the third period about that line.”

Speaking of Borikov, he was one of the more disappointing players during the rookie faceoff, in my opinion. However, when it really mattered, the forward showed up, which is exactly what happened on Sunday.

Borikov, as mentioned, was able to get the puck in front of the net and put it in for the Mammoth’s lone goal of the game. It wasn’t just that where Borikov impressed. Throughout the game, the forward made a lot of good moves to get the puck moving. He was also more physical than he was in the entirety of the rookie faceoff. 

“I really liked the game of Borikov,” Tourigny said. “He played a solid game, not just his goal. The way he controlled the puck and the pace he had in his game was positive.”

🚨Borikov ties it up! pic.twitter.com/YNXws9FEv8

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 21, 2026

Many expect the entire fourth line to spend their seasons in the American Hockey League with the Roadrunners. However, all three of these guys really grinded during the whole game against the Avalanche and played well. Even if they play the entirety of the 2026-27 season with the Roadrunners, expect Borikov and Smith specifically to adjust quickly to the AHL style of play, and don’t be surprised if McCartney gets a call-up or two.

Not as Bad as the Score Suggests

The final score between the Mammoth and the Avalanche was 4-1. However, there were certain things to keep in mind when thinking about this game.

The Mammoth traveled to Denver during the afternoon, giving them no time to decompress and get adjusted to the higher altitude of the city. The Mammoth also brought only seven players who played 40 or more NHL games last season. The Avalanche played 11.

With that being said, excuses are excuses. There were some big-time bad defensive plays by the Mammoth, including one by Max Pšenička and DeSimone that led to Gavin Brindley’s goal. The Mammoth challenging that goal led to Brock Nelson’s power-play goal.

“It took us probably to the second period to find our game and our legs to get into it,” DeSimone said. “From there, we started getting to our forecheck and moving pucks, and everything started to work a little bit better. It’s not the result (you want), and things didn’t go our way. We definitely have to be better.”

Let’s focus on the positives, though. Duda had a really good game. He produced an assist and made some really smart defensive plays with his stick. Not saying he’s the next Mikhail Sergachev or anything, but he’s had quite an impressive couple of weeks. The defenseman looks re-energized after a big injury last season, and it’s great to see.

Caleb Desnoyers also had a solid game. Despite the third period being the one where the Mammoth ultimately lost the game, that’s not on the rookie forward. He drew two penalties that gave his team some power-play opportunities. He also showed flashes of physicality, something he really needs to have if he’s going to play top minutes in the AHL. Overall, not a shabby start for Desnoyers in the preseason.

Maveric Lamoureux had some ups and downs throughout the game. His height allowed him to make some good poke checks, but he was also the main blame for Beckett Hamilton’s opening goal. The defenseman needs some more time in the AHL, but there were definitely some positives in there, and it’s clear the Mammoth staff believes in him.

“You make a mistake, the other team put the puck in the back of the net, and it changes everything,” Tourigny said. “Now you need to reprogram your brain and look at the urgency on the mistake and urgency in playing the game the right way and not guessing and not taking any risk and having that worst-case-scenario mentality. There’s a lot to it, but it’s the first preseason game. I think we had an effort. The guys pushed back. We progressed on different stuff in our structure. There’s a lot of positives out of that game.”

Finally, the Mammoth were great in the faceoff circle, and a huge reason for that was Vincent Trocheck in his first preseason game with the Mammoth. The forward had a 70% win percentage in the dot and was deployed numerous times in critical moments of the game to win faceoffs.

How Trocheck was played by Tourigny reminded me of how he played Kevin Stenlund the past two seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising if it’s the same thing in the regular season. Smith and Kevin Rooney also had faceoff win percentages above 70%.

With the new preseason rules, players who have played 100 NHL games can only appear in two NHL preseason games. The following players can only appear in one more preseason game for the Mammoth.

Trocheck, Rooney, Michael Carcone, Kailer Yamamoto, Brandon Tanev, John Marino

The Mammoth will play their next game of the preseason against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. The Kings are 0-1-0 in the preseason, losing 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.