The Utah Mammoth just wrapped up their 2025 prospect development camp. There was an incredible amount of talent on display, with the Mammoth featuring five first-round draft picks at the camp, including their fourth overall pick from this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Caleb Desnoyers.
It is not often a team can say they have five first-rounders, all drafted in the last three seasons, on the ice at their rookie development camps. This is great for internal competition to help elevate other rookies in the organization, as well as to fill depth roles and challenge other roster players to improve their games, knowing that highly talented players are rising the ranks behind them.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Roster Projection 2.0: Post NHL Draft & Free Agency
With the development camp in the rearview mirror and the Mammoth’s roster taking shape, let’s look at some standout prospects who will challenge for an NHL roster spot this season.
Dmitri Simashev
Dmitri Simashev was drafted sixth overall in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Leading up to the draft, opinions varied on where he should have been ranked within the class; however, most projected that, given his size at 6-foot-5 and mobility, he had the potential to be a shutdown defender at the NHL level.
Much of the skepticism before Simashev was drafted surrounded his offensive skills and ability with the puck. However, he has seemingly improved in this area, with Lee Stempniak, the director of Mammoth player development, saying he loved his play with the puck and that “He had more poise with the puck this year than last year”.
In the Mammoth’s scrimmage to close out the development camp, Simashev put these newfound puck skills on display, opening the scoring by attacking the net, shielding the puck, making a nifty move in front of the net and sliding the puck past Mammoth prospect Michael Hrabal.
Simashev was voted the game’s most valuable player following the scrimmage to end the development camp. The Mammoth are in love with this player. I think there’s a very good chance you’ll see Simashev take a lot of Ian Cole’s minutes this season, who was one of the most penalized players in the NHL last season.
Daniil But
In my latest Mammoth roster projection piece, I identified two holes left in their forward group, and both were in the bottom six. Daniil But is projected to be a top-six player, drafted 12th overall in the same draft as Simashev. One of these bottom six roles may be the perfect spot for But to get his feet wet in the NHL.
But is a 6-foot-5, 216-pound physical force. For his size, he is an excellent skater; he understands how to use his body to shield the puck, create offense and unload a heavy shot with a quick release. He also has great defensive instincts. While he is projected to play higher in the lineup offensively, his size and offensive play-driving ability give him the qualities of an elite depth winger.
Coming off a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) championship with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, But has shown he knows how to win. Given a weaker free agency class, the Mammoth will struggle to find a player that is better suited for one of these roles than But, so going into training camp, he will have a solid shot at cracking the Mammoth’s opening night roster.
Tij Iginla
Tij Iginla, son of NHL legend Jerome Iginla, was drafted sixth overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He, along with Cole Beaudoin, will go down as the only first-round selections the Utah Hockey Club will ever make.
After being drafted last season, Iginla got a late start at Utah training camp as he was working his way back from injury. However, he still managed to impress management and was one of the final players cut from the preseason roster, just missing out on a spot. Iginla then returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he recorded 32 points in 21 games before suffering another injury that required hip surgery.
Before the injury, Iginla was averaging 1.52 points per game in the WHL, which was up from his 2023-24 point-per-game average of 1.32. It is clear that he is still developing in the right direction; however, due to the injuries he has sustained over the past two seasons, he has not yet been cleared to play in the Mammoth’s development scrimmage. I see it as pretty unlikely that Iginla makes the team out of training camp, as the Mammoth will likely allow him some time back in the WHL to ensure he is 100% healthy and get a chance to get in some game action before thrusting him into the NHL spotlight.
Caleb Desnoyers
The Mammoth’s most recent first-round draft pick, Caleb Desnoyers, is coming off a season with the Moncton Wildcats, who won a Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) championship and made an appearance in the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Memorial Cup.
Desnoyers was the driving force behind the Wildcats’ QMJHL championship run, finishing with the second-most points (30) of any player in the playoffs and ranking fifth in points (84) throughout the regular season. The Hockey Writers’ own Justin Giampietro described Desnoyers as a “superb playmaker with some of the best hockey IQ in the class” and that “Desnoyers has the potential to be a high-end first-line center in the NHL. He can be a primary play-driver” in his 2025 NHL Entry Draft prospect profile.
Like Iginla, Desnoyers was held out of the Mammoth’s development camp scrimmage as he is recovering from an injury to his wrists. However, he participated in all other aspects of the camp. Given the injury concerns and the history of this organization’s high-value prospects spending another season in junior hockey for development after being drafted, it suggests that Desnoyers won’t be with the Mammoth this season. However, the sky is the limit for this kid, and he will certainly get an invitation to training camp and get the opportunity to prove that he is ready to play in the NHL.
Maveric Lamoureux
Maveric Lamoureux made his NHL debut last season for Utah when he stepped in to support an injury-riddled blue line. He played 15 games in the NHL, scored his first career goal and added two assists for a total of three points before being diagnosed with an upper-body injury that forced him out of the lineup.
The Coyotes drafted Lamoureux in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He is the oldest of any of the prospects we have talked about so far, but injuries in three straight seasons have limited his development. At 6-foot-6, he covers a ton of ground defensively and should be an excellent shutdown defender in the NHL at some point in his career.
However, with his injury history limiting his time on the ice, Lamoureux has not had the opportunity to develop his skating and puck skills to the level they need to be a reliable NHL defenseman. While he is close and played well for Utah last season, another full season with the Tucson Roadrunners in the American Hockey League (AHL) will do Lamoureux wonders.
With the Mammoth having significantly more depth on their blue line going into this season and being better prepared to deal with injuries, it is not expected to see Lamoureux in the NHL this season unless he shows considerable development in the Mammoth’s training camp later this fall.
Cole Beaudoin
Following the Mammoth’s scrimmage to end the development camp, the director of player development, Stempniak, awarded Cole Beaudoin the “Award of Excellence” for the camp.
Beaudoin was drafted with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and at the time projected as a middle-six forward. When speaking with the media about Beaudoin, Stempniak said, “His work ethic jumps off the chart for me. He’s always been strong. You can tell he’s putting work in the gym to turn that strength into hockey strength, as we call it” and that “He’s got a non-stop motor and never gives up” (via Belle Fraser, X).
While he may not be as skilled as some of the other prospects we have talked about, Beaudoin may have the most well-rounded game. He is excellent defensively, he is not afraid to get involved physically, he has tons of size, and can create chances for himself and others.
Beaudoin said in his media availability following the Mammoth’s scrimmage, “I’m going to keep working hard this summer so I can make the team”. This drive is something you love to hear from one of your high-value prospects. But his chances of cracking this roster look slim this season. However, he will continue to get his chances to impress the Mammoth’s management and coaching staff when he attends training camp, and who knows, his two-way physical play style could fit well with what they need to round out their bottom-six forwards this season.
Mammoth’s Prospect Outlook
Whether any, all or none of these prospects crack the Mammoth roster this season, it is clear that the Mammoth have a bright future ahead of them. With young stars like Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, and Logan Cooley already flourishing in the NHL, it is highly encouraging to see that the Mammoth will be able to continue infusing the lineup with highly talented players over the coming seasons.
This talent is not limited to the players we discussed today but also includes others, such as Hrabal, who has dominated at the University of Massachusetts over the past three seasons, and Max Psenicka, the Mammoth’s second-round draft pick this year, who stood out at the Mammoth’s development camp.
With the Mammoth having the most competitive roster this organization has fielded in years and a pipeline loaded with prospects, it will be interesting to see how they balance integrating this young talent into the lineup while making their first serious push for the playoffs.
