‘I started boxing classes to help disabled kids’
October 3, 2025
Grand Slam Track: where did it all go wrong? – Athletics Weekly
October 3, 2025
It took six games, but the Utah Mammoth have their first preseason win under their belt. Perhaps it was the best way to do it, too, in front of a packed house at a newly renovated Delta Center. Yes, the Mammoth deployed most of their players expected to be NHL regulars, and yes, it took a fantastic game from an unlikely hero in net, but they are no longer winless in the preseason.
There were a lot of things to be excited for on and off the ice, displayed in the victory on Thursday evening. Here are some takeaways from the Mammoth’s 2-1 win over the LA Kings.
A Phenomenal Game By Vítek Vaněček
Vítek Vaněček told reporters when he first signed with the Mammoth that he liked the arena loud. He came to the right place and started the right game because he had the crowd at the Delta Center chanting his name by the end of Thursday’s game.
Against a Kings team that iced most of their opening night roster for this season, Vaněček turned away 32 of the 33 shots he faced, putting up a .970 save percentage, and was named the first star of the game for his incredible performance.
Just because it was preseason doesn’t mean it was easy either. Early in the first period, Adrian Kempe escaped for a partial breakaway, but Vaněček was able to shut him down. In the third period, he made two more big saves back-to-back despite the Mammoth’s defense scrambling. In total, he found himself very active, especially early on in the first and the entire second when the Kings outshot the Mammoth 11-5.
“I mean, the couple shots in the first period always help, and then, you’re feeling better after that,” Vaněček said. “The guys helped me and blocked the shots and then cleared the puck, so that is a big help for me.”
A massive save by Vítek Vaněček early on Adrian Kempe. Best save for the goaltender so far in the preseason. #TusksUp https://t.co/mur18VoOlX
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) October 3, 2025
It hasn’t been an easy past couple of seasons for Vaněček. After a career season with the New Jersey Devils in 2022-23, where he recorded 33 wins and a .911 save percentage, he started to slump. It eventually prompted the Devils to trade him to the San Jose Sharks, where he struggled under a not-so-good team. He eventually was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he won the Stanley Cup but only started seven regular-season games.
When the Mammoth signed him and Connor Ingram and the team decided to part ways, many questioned the move. However, most forget that the Mammoth/Arizona Coyotes goaltending staff has revitalized/jump-started multiple goalies’ careers in the past couple of years. That includes Darcy Kuemper (who won the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche), Antti Raanta, Scott Wedgewood, Karel Vejmelka, and Ingram.
While Vaněček came to Utah on a low note, he might start his tenure with the Mammoth on a high note if he can continue the dominance he showed on Thursday.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Nick DeSimone
“Great job by Vanny,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I think he was rock solid. Gave us the opportunity to win. I like the way we played on the PK. I like the way we matured at the end of the game. Obviously, there’s still some stuff to clean up, especially on our breakout. I felt our slot was a little bit too open, but for the rest, we’re happy.”
We’ve seen how much the Mammoth fanbase loves their Czechia goaltenders. Perhaps coming to a place where he gets to work with one of the best goalies from his fellow country was the move to get Vaněček back on his feet. It’s only preseason, but Vaněček really impressed in the win over the Kings. If he keeps it up, maybe he’ll give Vejmelka a run for his money when it comes to being the fanbase’s favorite goaltender.
The First Win for the Mammoth
It took a while, but the Mammoth finally have their first win in history. Yes, it took eight games, including the two at the Rookie Showcase and across the preseason, but the team has its first win with its permanent name.
The win capped off a great day for the fans. In the morning, the Mammoth team store finally got the team’s official jerseys in stock, most of which were snatched up by fans. Some had even been waiting a couple of hours early so they could secure their jersey.
It kept getting better for the newest fanbase in the league. When entering the arena, fans got to see what the Smith Entertainment Group had done over the summer, which included renovations to the lower bowl and the introduction of multiple new food items in the arena.
In response, the fans gave it their all when it came to energy. The Mammoth needed it at points in time as they struggled to keep the Kings from cutting down their lead. Tourigny saw the lone goal from their opponents as a teaching lesson.
It happened when Nate Schmidt turned the puck over in the middle of the Kings’ zone. The Mammoth’s defense couldn’t catch up as Alex Turcotte shot it home.
“I think in 50-50 battles and in the loose puck battles, you need to get on the right side,” Tourigny said. “That’s the part where we were not as good as we will be moving forward. That’s what it’s all about. Same thing on the breakout. I felt that when the puck wasn’t stalled, we were a little bit too on our toes to go on the offense instead of being on the right side of it.”
Yes, it’s just preseason, but it’s better to teach how to correct these errors now rather than later. There were certainly some good parts to the game as well. The main one being the Mammoth being able to defend and keep the puck out of their zone when the Kings pulled Anton Forsberg.
Lawson Crouse, who has played with this team for a while, says the maturity of the group helped them keep the lead, especially at the end of the game.
“I think being comfortable with the lead, five minutes left, shows the maturity of the group,” Crouse said. “Obviously, they put some pressure on us, but we believed in each other and got the job done.”
There was a lot of good that came out of the win on Thursday. Obviously, despite it being a preseason game, it instilled some confidence in the team heading into the final game before the regular season on Saturday.
Notables From Game 6
Looking up and down the lineup, there were plenty of standouts for the Mammoth during their win. As mentioned, the big one was Vaněček, who was a brick wall against the Kings.
The other big one has to be Crouse. It was a two-point night for the Mammoth’s alternate captain, assisting on the first goal and scoring the second. After a disappointing 2024-25 season, where he recorded under 20 points, the Crouse we saw on Thursday looked like the confident player we’ve seen in the past.
If both of the aforementioned players on the Mammoth can bounce back in the regular season, it would be huge for the team. Scoring depth and a solid backup are what they lacked last season. The two could be solutions to those problems.
You can name off most of the veterans and argue that they were effective. Kevin Stenlund, who scored the first goal of the game, was good. John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev, who formed the first pair on the blue line, looked solid together. Even Kailer Yamamoto registered an assist.
However, the handful of rookies who were in the lineup were also impressive. The one that stood out the most was Gabe Smith. Smith’s resilience, hard work, and incredible forechecking were on display during the game. He’s had an impressive camp. One might argue a better camp than some of their top prospects like Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin. While he probably won’t make the opening night roster, expect him to turn heads while playing with the Moncton Wildcats.
It was an overall solid game by the Mammoth and their best of the preseason so far. It will be interesting to see if the team cuts anyone by Saturday after making their next round on Thursday morning, sending Ben McCartney and Scott Perunovich down to the American Hockey League. If not, Saturday could be a huge day for players like Smith, Iginla, Daniil But, and Cameron Hebig to try to show final proof they belong in the NHL.
For now, Mammoth fans can celebrate their first preseason win of the year. It might’ve taken some blowout games and some blown leads/ties recently, but the team finally has a win. A well-earned one at that, too.
With their 2-1 win, the Mammoth are now 1-4-1 in the preseason. They have one last matchup before the regular season begins. Game 7 will take place at the Delta Center as the Mammoth take on the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are 1-3-0 and are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
