Utah Mammoth start season undefeated at home led by new good luck charm — student tickets just $15

The season may be young, but the Utah Mammoth have already silenced critics who predicted them to be a fringe playoff team at best.

Through their first 11 games, the Mammoth lead the Western Conference with an 8-3-0 record, which also puts them third overall in the National Hockey League.

After opening the season 1-2 on their initial road trip, the Mammoth found new life in their home opener when their official mascot, Tusky the Mammoth, quite literally broke free from the ice age and onto center ice. As the new face of Mammoth hockey, he has quickly become something of a good luck charm.

Last season, the Mammoth really struggled early at the Delta Center, winning only six of their first 21 home games. With the help of Tusky they've found new life so far at home to start the new campaign.

After that, the Mammoth went on to win their next seven games, including all four of their home matchups so far this season. The streak also featured four straight key wins against Central Division opponents.

It’s almost the opposite of how Utah started its inaugural season, when the Mammoth won their first three games only to drop eight of the next ten. That stretch ended up being their worst of the year and likely cost them a playoff spot.

While the Mammoth’s winning streak has come to a close with a loss to the Edmonton Oilers, what’s still going strong is Nick Schmaltz, who is now on an eight-game point streak, tying a career long. The veteran forward, currently playing on Utah’s top line alongside Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton, ranks second in the NHL with 17 points, trailing only Vegas star Jack Eichel.

If Schmaltz can maintain this kind of pace, he will easily surpass his career best 63-point total.

Schmaltz isn’t only making fans excited but his agent as well, as he is in the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

Someone Mammoth fans are relieved to see ink a new contract is 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley, who recently signed an eight-year extension worth eight million a season. He is expected to be a longtime backbone of this team alongside forwards JJ Peterka, Dylan Guenther, Jack McBain, veteran defender Mikhail Sergachev, and goalie Karel Vejmelka, who are all signed through at least 2030.

So far this season Cooley is tied for second in the NHL with eight goals and is on pace to surpass his career best 25-goal mark.

Being on the second line with wingers Peterka and Guenther, who are both entering their prime, has given Utah one of the best top six groups in the NHL, with Schmaltz and company holding down the top line.

Photo by https://www.nhl.com/utah/multimedia/galleries/game-photos-utah-hockey-club-vs-dallas-stars-x8918

A BYU student who’s gotten a front-row seat to the action is Jason Christensen, who is interning with the Mammoth as part of their fan experience team.

The Texas native said that working game nights has given him a whole new appreciation for the sport and the atmosphere that’s forming around Utah hockey, especially since the most recent homestand and the Delta Center’s facelift this past offseason, which brings fans closer to the action than they were last year.

“There’s a different level of energy, for sure, when you’re out there and it’s go time,” Christensen said. “One of the biggest changes was with the renovations of the Delta Center. There are sections of the lower bowl that are just as steep as the upper bowl now, so you’ve got these fans bearing down on visiting teams. It makes a difference. You’ve got a whole organization that’s bought into making it a special season, and the players have caught onto that as well.”

Christensen said that coming from BYU has given him a unique perspective on how passionate fans in Utah can be.

“With BYU, we’re passionate about so many different sports,” he said. “We fill out the Smith Fieldhouse for volleyball, and we’ve got people supporting the women’s soccer team and all these other sports that don’t have a massive national following. I see hockey as something that’s so new and so easy to root for with the whole state of Utah. It feels like a natural fit—way more than Dallas ever did back home.”

Similar to last season, the Mammoth have announced a $15 ticket program for college students, which also includes a hot dog and a drink. The downside is that these seats still have an obstructed view, as the Delta Center renovations are ongoing and the upper deck is the next focus, so fans can only see one net. Interested students can take advantage of this deal up to three times this season.

Photo by https://www.nhl.com/utah/multimedia/galleries/game-photos-utah-hockey-club-vs-nashville-predators-x9035

Christensen said that’s what makes the Mammoth special is how the team brings Utahns together, even fans from rival schools.

“It’s fun actually being an employee,” he said. “There’s people on my team from all over —Texas, Vermont, everywhere — and several coworkers of mine are Utah (Utes) fans. It’s really interesting to see how those fan bases have blended together. You realize, ‘Wait, this is the whole state. Everybody’s going to get on this.’”

While the growing fan culture is helping the Mammoth gain attention, Christensen believes the team’s new student deal could help even more.

"If there’s something happening in Salt Lake and I don’t have to put up a lot of money to go, I’m way more likely to go. Knowing the kind of product you’re getting with the Mammoth this season — they’re a very exciting team to watch right now. It doesn’t have to just be basketball in the Delta Center. No one’s really going to get it until they go to a game, and any way to make that easier for people is going to make it really fun.”

The Mammoth will look to keep the momentum rolling when they return home Sunday to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, before heading out on another four-game road trip in Eastern Canada in a young season full of potential.