My ranking of the top 10 Utah Mammoth prospects is complete, the link to which can be found below. The top prospect in Utah’s pool is forward Tij Iginla (6th overall in 2024), who also has been rated by TSN Chief Analyst Craig Button as the top affiliated prospect throughout the NHL. To further accentuate the strength of this pipeline is the fact that four of its top five prospects are projected to begin their NHL careers this season. The lone player in this group who will not play for Utah this year is forward Ethan Belchetz (17th overall in 2026), who is set to continue his development at Michigan State University for one season prior to joining the Mammoth in 2027-28.
In addition to the raw skill of Utah’s prospects, there are many who possess massive size as well. As is the case with Philadelphia’s pipeline, nine of its top ten prospects are at least six feet in height, with seven of these players standing 6’5″ or better. The only sub six-footer in this ranking is constantly underrated forward Adam Valentini (5’10” 185 pounds), who fell to Utah in the third round (96th overall) despite late first-round/early second-round pre-draft projections. While competing for the University of Michigan, Valentini was the second highest-scoring freshman in the NCAA behind Penn State University forward Gavin McKenna (TOR), and possesses the relentless drive and hyper-competitive spirit required of an NHL player to negate any and all size disadvantages. He will return to the U of M in 2026-27 for his sophomore campaign.
Also befitting of a very strong pipeline is the presence of multiple players at each position near the top. Standing out is the elite goaltenders among Utah’s top prospects, namely Sebastian Cossa (15th overall in 2021 by DET) and Michael Hrabal (38th overall in 2023). Immediately following a trade from Detroit on the first night of the 2026 draft, Cossa is expected to step right into the role of backup to Karel Vejmelka at the beginning of the 2026-27 season. Hrabal will commence his first full professional season in Tuscon after posting a most-impressive .937 save percentage at the University of Massachusetts a season ago.
https://thehockeylawyer.net/team-stats/utah-mammoth/