Now that the 2026-27 NHL schedule is out, here’s when each Utah Mammoth player is set to hit his next milestone.
Note that injuries, healthy scratches and other circumstances may delay the achievement of these benchmarks for some players, and offensive production milestones are projected based on the respective player’s recent history in those categories.
The big 1,000
Playing your 1,000th NHL game is a big deal. Teams will typically hold an on-ice pre-game ceremony for the player and his family, highlighted by the presentation of a silver stick.
It’s also one of the few times in which a team is allowed to give a player an expensive gift. In most occasions, it could be considered cap circumvention, but the collective bargaining agreement states that as long as the gift doesn’t exceed $25,000, it’s allowed.
Ian Cole came 10 games shy of being the first player to hit that mark in a Mammoth sweater. With his departure to the Chicago Blackhawks, Anders Lee is now slated to become the first.
Provided he plays every game, the former New York Islanders captain will play his 1,000th game on March 26 in a home contest against the San Jose Sharks. Nate Schmidt will play his 900th game on the game day, assuming he plays every game as well.
Lee could also hit 600 points in 2026-27. He’s currently 51 shy of that mark.
Energizer bunnies
No other Mammoth player is poised to hit 1,000 games in 2026-27, but most do have a milestone to look forward to. Keep in mind that the regular season will be 84 games long, rather than the 82 they used to play.
Of particular significance are the guys set to play their 400th games.
The NHL Alumni Association just unveiled a post-retirement wellness plan that guarantees dental and optical coverage for anyone who plays 400 games in the league. The program also guarantees a family doctor to anyone who has played a single NHL game, for those living in countries where health care is not automatically provided to its residents.
- Nick DeSimone is two away from 100 (Oct. 3 @ CBJ).
- Andrew Peeke is 14 away from 400 (Oct. 29 @ PIT).
- Clayton Keller is 17 away from 700 (Nov. 5 @ MTL).
- Kailer Yamamoto is 26 away from 400 (Nov. 25 @ MIN).
- Nick Schmaltz is 30 away from 700 (Dec. 2 vs. WPG).
- Vincent Trocheck is 32 away from 900 (Dec. 5 @ LAK).
- Kevin Stenlund is 32 away from 400 (Dec. 5 @LAK).
- Liam O’Brien is 35 away from 300 (Dec. 14 @ COL).
- Karel Vejmelka is 38 away from 300 (Dec. 19 @ EDM, though goalies don’t play every game).
- Barrett Hayton is 42 away from 400 (Dec. 31 vs. COL — the Winter Classic).
- Lawson Crouse is 44 away from 700 (Jan. 5 vs. OTT).
- John Marino is 57 away from 500 (Feb. 3 @ CGY).
- Michael Carcone is 64 away from 300 (Feb. 24 vs. CGY).
- Mikhail Sergachev is 70 away from 600 (March 9 vs. NYR).
- MacKenzie Weegar is 71 away from 700 (March 13 vs. PHI).
- Dylan Guenther is 73 away from 300 (March 18 @ ANA).
- Nate Schmidt is 77 away from 900 (March 26 vs. SJS)
- Jack McBain will hit 400 if he plays all 84 games (April 10 @ STL).
Goals, goals, goals
Three Mammoth players could realistically hit major goals milestones.
- Dylan Guenther is nine goals short of 100.
- Nick Schmaltz needs 25 more to hit 200.
- Logan Cooley would reach 100 with 31.
A 31-goal season would be a career high for Cooley, but it isn’t unrealistic that he achieves it. He has shown steady progression year after year. He scored at a 36-goal pace last season, but missed 28 games due to injury.
Helping hands
A number of Mammoth players are getting close to assist milestones.
- Brandon Tanev: One more to hit 100.
- Mikhail Sergachev: Four more to hit 300.
- Vincent Trocheck: Eight more to hit 400.
- Dylan Guenther: Eight more to hit 100.
- Barrett Hayton: 10 more to hit 100.
- Logan Cooley: 17 more to hit 100.
- Clayton Keller: 26 more to hit 400.
Tanev being that close to a milestone could be a motivating factor for him. With zero goals and just three assists in 56 games with the Mammoth last season, things didn’t go how he expected. He’s due for a bounce back, and an early celebration could lift some of the weight off his shoulders.
Pointed offense
Who’s getting close to assist milestones? We’re glad you asked.
- Nick Schmaltz is three shy of 500.
- Clayton Keller is four shy of 600.
- Kevin Stenlund is 10 shy of 100.
- Michael Carcone is 12 shy of 100.
- Dylan Guenther is 17 shy of 200.
- MacKenzie Weegar is 21 shy of 300.
- Mikhail Sergachev is 31 shy of 400.
- Lawson Crouse is 41 shy of 300.
- Barrett Hayton is 45 shy of 200.
- Logan Cooley is 48 shy of 200.
Given how often Schmaltz and Keller assist on each other’s goals, it’s entirely possible — maybe even likely — they hit their respective milestones on the same goal.
On “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” this season, a fan asked who gets the puck in a situation like that. After all, players typically keep their milestone pucks as souvenirs.
The answer? It’s common for players to saw the puck in half so that each guy gets a slice of their personal history. That would be a cool keepsake to have.
Sittin’ time
Some guys take pride in their penalty minute totals. Here’s who could hit significant milestones this season.
- Brandon Tanev needs one more to reach 300.
- Vincent Trocheck needs seven more to reach 600.
- Logan Cooley needs eight more to reach 100.
- Jack McBain needs 18 more to reach 300.
- Dylan Guenther needs 22 more to reach 100.
- MacKenzie Weegar needs 26 more to reach 500.
- Clayton Keller needs 31 more to reach 300.
- Liam O’Brien needs 66 to reach 600.
With a little more than two penalty minutes per game, O’Brien leads all active NHLers in penalty minutes per game played, according to QuantHockey.
