A development camp roster that boasts four first-round draft picks has a clear pecking order: Those guys are the main characters, and everyone else is just supporting cast.
At the first day of Utah Mammoth camp, though, one mid-round pick inserted himself into that top echelon: Adam Valentini.
In virtually every drill throughout the two-hour on-ice session, Valentini turned heads. His hands are quick and his shot is elite.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise: Most experts projected him to get picked in the late first or early second round over the weekend, but he fell to the last pick of the third. He’s not worried about it, though.
“It’s (just) a number,” Valentini told reporters at development camp on Monday. “Everyone’s just trying to compete for a job. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
After the 2024-25 season, Valentini didn’t have much to put on his résumé. Scoring well below a point per game in the USHL doesn’t jump off the page, and having a -15 plus/minus makes it worse, not better.
He needed a better way to showcase himself. At first, he signed with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. A few weeks later, he changed his mind and opted to take the road less traveled, going to college before his draft year.
“I thought it was the right decision for me,” Valentini said. “I thought I could prove myself against older players, and knowing that’ll help me in the long run make the jump to the NHL.”
It proved to be the right move.
In 40 games with the University of Michigan, Valentini managed 11 goals and 27 points — the second-best production of any first-year draft-eligible player in the NCAA this season, behind only No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna.
“I loved it. It was one of the best years of my life,” he said. “I think what helped me is just my hard work and playing with really good players and really good people.”
Michigan lost by a singular goal in the semifinals of the NCAA national championship. With the likes of projected 2027 No. 1 pick Landon DuPont coming into the fold next season, Valentini hopes to capture the trophy this time around.
“Obviously, we had a really good year, and we’re going to try and keep building on that,” he said.
“I don’t know why he dropped (in the draft) — maybe because of his size a little bit," said Mammoth director of amateur scouting Darryl Plandowski. “But here’s a kid that bet on himself, went to the University of Michigan a year early, as a pure 17-year-old. ... And he did well. He bet (on) himself and he did it, so he showed character.”
What type of player is Adam Valentini?
At 5-foot-9, Valentini stands out among the rest of Utah’s development camp roster: 23 of the 35 players are listed at 6-foot-2 or taller.
That doesn’t define his game, though.
“I’m a 200-foot forward that plays every inch of the ice really hard,” he said. “I think my hockey IQ and my offensive ability sets me apart from other players, but I feel like I’m also really reliable in the defensive zone.”
When asked to compare himself to a current NHLer, he didn’t hesitate to say Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who’s set to become the highest-paid player in the league next season, and Brandon Hagel, one of the most effective two-way players in the world.
While those are good bars for a young player to set for himself, a closer comparison for the time being might be Kailer Yamamoto, whom the Mammoth extended on a two-year contract Monday afternoon.
Both are undersized guys; They both play with tenacity in the corners and in front of the net; Both have immense offensive skill, and both are the type of player you want in your lineup in the playoffs (Yamamoto proved that this season, co-leading the Mammoth in postseason points).
What sets Valentini apart from Yamamoto is the fact that he kills penalties — an invaluable skill to have.
The only question now is what number he’ll choose when he gets to the NHL. His typical 92 is already occupied by a guy named Logan Cooley.