The younger players took steps. Forward Dylan Guenther, 22, has 58 points (33 goals, 25 assists), two shy of the NHL career-high 60 he had last season. Forward Jack McBain, 26, has steadily provided depth scoring and is four points from tying his career-high of 27 from last season.

Forward Logan Cooley, 21, missed nearly eight weeks with a lower-body injury sustained in a 4-1 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 5, but has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 40 games.

“Anytime you can add a first-line center with high skill who can get a chance or two chances and buries most of them, it’s hugely important for us and our team,” Cole said of Cooley.

On defense, the Mammoth added a veteran when they acquired MacKenzie Weegar in a trade the Calgary Flames on March 4. There was some familiarity there for the 32-year-old: Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny was his coach for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. 

“There’s a lot to digest, but what helps is ‘Weegs’ played in that kind of a structure for us at the World Championship, so there’s a part of the language he understands,” Tourigny said. “He heard the D-zone coverage was the same, the 1-1-3 in the neutral zone, so those are the things he knows a little bit without being super familiar, but it helps a little bit.”

“What helps the most is he’s a veteran, so he has experience and we tried to not overload the information, but obviously there’s some and the fact that he’s a veteran, he’s been around, he knows how to play the game.”

The Mammoth, playing their second season in Salt Lake City, are enjoying their surroundings and success on the ice. Bringing playoff games to Delta Center is the next step.

“It would mean a lot to the group,” Armstrong said. “We’re focused on one game at a time but it’s truly up to them. They put themselves in a position to fight to get in, so it’s really in that dressing room. It’s up to them. They have to make that decision every night to play the right way.”