The Utah Mammoth sent four players, all of different nationalities, to the Olympics. That means it was impossible for everyone to come home with a medal — but two of the four isn’t too shabby.
Here’s how each of them did.
Clayton Keller, Team USA
Mammoth captain Clayton Keller is the biggest story. After being left off the 4 Nations Face-Off team last season, he proved to Team USA management that he was worthy of a roster spot at the Olympics.
While he averaged just 4:46 of playing time per game, he’s not complaining. After all, he’s now an Olympic gold medalist.
Team USA took a plane back to Miami after the gold medal game, celebrating its win at the iconic “E11even” club, which gained notoriety in the hockey world after the Florida Panthers celebrated their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships there.
After that, they accepted Donald Trump’s invitation to attend the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. Some players opted to return to their respective NHL teams instead, but a photo posted by a White House communications representative shows 20 players, including Keller, on site in D.C.
Mammoth coach André Tourigny said after practice Tuesday that he “expects” Keller to be back in time for Utah’s game against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, though he did not have confirmation as to whether that would actually happen.
Olli Määttä, Team Finland
Olli Määttä joins an exclusive group of male hockey players with multiple Olympic medals. He won his second bronze at this year’s tournament, joining the one he won in 2014.
Määttä’s job is to play stable defense. That’s what has earned him 780 NHL games, two Stanley Cup rings and, of course, two Olympic medals. He did exactly that for Team Finland, and he even chipped in an assist.
“I think we were able to turn disappointment to a little bit of a victory today,” Määttä told KSL Sports after winning bronze. “It wasn’t easy. I think we all expected more coming here. We wanted to win the whole thing ... but this makes everything a little better.”
JJ Peterka, Team Germany
With a limited amount of NHL players on the roster, the expectations of Team Germany were never high. But they made the most of it, ultimately finishing in sixth place — above Team Sweden, which featured nothing but NHL players.
JJ Peterka played an average of 20:52 per game. That’s more than every forward in the tournament other than Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stützle and Zemgus Girgensons. In that time, he managed to score a goal and four points, meaning he factored in on more than 28% of his team’s goals.
He had nothing but good things to say about his time in Milan upon returning to Utah, emphasizing how cool it was to be in the Olympic Village and interact with athletes from a variety of sports.
Karel Vejmelka, Team Czechia
Things did not go well for Team Czechia, and Karel Vejmelka did not get to play a single game. But he didn’t let that ruin his time at the Olympics.
“Lifetime experience,” he told the Deseret News. “So much fun with the team. Like, so much fun to watch the other athletes, meeting them at the village, so it’s, like, a great experience. ... It was better than I thought it would be and, you know, nice city, nice place to be.”
Now, he’s ready to get back to work. As mentioned, the Mammoth host the league-leading Avalanche at the Delta Center on Wednesday. Utah has a four-point grasp on its playoff spot, but that gap can dissipate quickly if they let things slip.
