Gavin McKenna. Porter Martone. Anton Frondell. Sebastian Cossa?
Everyone expects the first three to be in the running for the Calder Trophy next season as the NHL’s rookie of the year. The fourth flies under the radar.
Ever since the Detroit Red Wings selected him at No. 15 overall in the 2021 draft, Cossa has been touted as the next great goalie, but goalies take a lot longer than skaters to develop, so he’s watched his peers become stars while his name slowly fades from the memories of hockey fans.
After a draft-day trade in June sent him to the Utah Mammoth for a first-round pick, Cossa will finally get his chance in the spotlight.
The Mammoth have Cossa slated as their backup goalie for the 2026-27 season. Shortly after acquiring him, they signed him to a two-year contract extension worth $2 million annually.
That’s not a bad payday for someone whose NHL experience is limited to less than a full game — two periods, plus an overtime and a shootout.
“If you look at his work in the (AHL) over the last few years, he’s at the point where he’s accumulated enough games in the American Hockey League,” said Utah general manager Bill Armstrong.
“At his age, it’s absolutely perfect. Now, he’s going to have that opportunity to take that next step.”
The Mammoth’s interest in Cossa predates the franchise’s existence.
Randy Hansch, a scout on Utah’s staff, was the general manager of the Edmonton Oil Kings team that selected Cossa as a 14-year-old in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
Armstrong, Hansch and company wanted him in the 2021 NHL Draft, but they used their only first-rounder that year on a different Oil King, Dylan Guenther.
They never took their eye off of him, though, and as soon as he became available, they jumped at the opportunity to get him.
What’s the expectation of Sebastian Cossa in 2026-27?
The backup goalie position has for the Mammoth, so far, been a little like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher job at Hogwarts. Every year, someone different is there.
But with Cossa and starting goaltender Karel Vejmelka both signed to multi-year deals, Utah hopes to roll with the same duo for the foreseeable future — or at least until Michael Hrabal is ready to step up.
Rookie goalies have been ultra-successful in the NHL the last couple of years, and there’s little reason to believe Cossa can’t play at that level.
- Brandon Bussi posted a shutout in the Stanley Cup-clinching game for the Carolina Hurricanes.
- The Montreal Canadiens saw big things from both Jakub Dobeš and Jacob Fowler last season, riding their youngsters all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
- Yaroslav Askarov’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but considering the defense group in front of him, he had a good season for the San Jose Sharks.
- Among goalies who played double-digit games last season, Jesper Wallstedt’s save percentage for the Minnesota Wild ranked second — and that includes non-rookie goalies.
- Colten Ellis was relatively unknown before last season with the Buffalo Sabres, but he turned out to be one of the better waiver pickups of the year.
- Jet Greaves posted good numbers while playing far more than his fair share of games for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Two seasons ago, Dustin Wolf nearly single-handedly lifted the Calgary Flames into the playoffs (they missed it on a tiebreaker).
Cossa’s AHL save percentage and goals-against average the last two seasons have been as good or better than the final two seasons of AHL hockey of almost every guy on that list.
Does Sebastian Cossa have a shot at the Calder Trophy?
The last two decades haven’t been favorable to goalies seeking the rookie of the year award, but plenty of net-minders won it before that.
Steve Mason is the most recent one, having won it with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009. Several have finished as finalists, though, including Wolf (second place in 2025) and Stuart Skinner (second place in 2023).
The recognition that’s almost Cossa’s to lose is the goalie position on the all-rookie team. Despite all the qualified candidates, only three goalies have received votes in that category over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately for Cossa, his rookie season comes during his second contract, meaning he isn’t eligible to receive the $250,000 bonus that comes with an all-rookie team nomination.
That said, his new contract is worth more than double the annual value of his entry-level contract, so he gets a significant raise either way. Of course, like most professionals, Cossa isn’t worried about that side of things.
“Come in and show I belong in this league,” he said at his introductory press conference when asked about his goal for the season. “... Hopefully it’s a seamless transaction, but obviously it’s not a perfect world, so (there) might be a couple of bumps along the way. But hopefully, looking back and saying, it’s a successful year.”
“... Just win hockey games, you know? That’s the most important thing for me.”
