Utah Mammoth acquire top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa for draft pick

The Utah Mammoth made a third trade Friday night during the NHL draft, as goaltender Sebastian Cossa joins the organization from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for pick No. 23, which the Mammoth acquired earlier in the evening as part of the trade that sent JJ Peterka to the Boston Bruins.

Cossa, a 23-year-old who stands at 6-foot-7, was the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He has one NHL game under his belt with the Red Wings, a 6-5 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres.

It was a relief effort, so he has yet to make a start in the NHL.

In 39 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins last season, Cossa posted a respectable .915 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.

Armstrong anticipates that Cossa will come in as Karel Vejmelka’s backup for next season. Vítek Vaněček becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, so the Mammoth needed someone to fill that role, assuming Vaněček departs.

“He’s at the point where he’s accumulated enough games in the American Hockey League,” said Mammoth GM Bill Armstrong. “At his age, it’s absolutely perfect, you know? And now he’s going to have that opportunity to take that next step.”

“... (It) gives us an opportunity to put a young kid in net that we feel has got a chance to really take a step and maybe be a goaltender of the future for us.”

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Playing behind veterans Cam Talbot and John Gibson in Detroit, there wasn’t a permanent NHL roster spot available to Cossa.

Armstrong and his staff have had their eyes on Cossa since his junior days, where he played three seasons alongside current Mammoth star Dylan Guenther with the Edmonton Oil Kings.

“We’ve been following him for a long time,” Armstrong said. “And goaltenders take time, so we’ve we’ve been along for the ride, watching and scouting and doing some work and seeing if we could have the ability to acquire him one day.”