The Utah Mammoth might have an opening in their leadership group.
Alexander Kerfoot served as an alternate captain in Utah’s first NHL season. He filled a similar role in Season 2, though multiple long-term injuries limited the amount of times he actually wore a letter.
On July 1, Kerfoot signed with the Nashville Predators as a free agent. Additionally, Ian Cole departed to the Chicago Blackhawks. He didn’t formally wear a letter outside of the preseason, but his voice as a veteran was highly respected in the locker room.
Teams can only dress three players with letters on their jerseys in any given game. Clayton Keller permanently wears the “C” as the captain and Lawson Crouse wears the “A” for “associate” captain — possibly the only player in NHL history with that specific designation.
The second “A” (“alternate” captain) has rotated between Kerfoot and Mikhail Sergachev, with Nick Schmaltz getting it on occasion.
It’s more than likely that the Mammoth will choose to keep Keller, Crouse and Sergachev in the leadership group, but they might choose to add a fourth member and continue rotating the third letter. If that’s the case, here are a few names that could get it.
Nick Schmaltz
In the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural game, Schmaltz suited up as an alternate captain. He has only worn a letter a few times since the first month of that season, but that hasn’t changed his role as a leader on the team.
“I often say he’s the brain of the operation,” Mammoth coach André Tourigny said of Schmaltz after a game in February. “I often say if you want to know what’s going on on our team, talk to Schmaltzy. He knows.
“He knows who’s in, who’s out; who’s doing what he has to do, who’s not; who’s happy, whose wife is not happy, whose wife is happy. He knows what’s going on in the team. He has a really good feel of everything.”
Logistically, though, it might make more sense to sew the actual letter onto someone else’s jersey. Schmaltz spends most of his playing time alongside Keller, who, by default, performs most of the on-ice captaincy duties — and that becomes even more true if Crouse remains on the top line, as he was for much of last season.
Anders Lee
Few active NHL players have played as many games with a “C” on their chest as Mammoth offseason addition Anders Lee.
Lee captained the New York Islanders from 2018 to 2026, leading them to two consecutive Conference Final appearances. His reputation around the league is that of a genuinely good person — despite his playing style, which fellow Mammoth newcomer Vincent Trocheck described as a “pain in the (butt).”
There’s no questioning Lee’s qualifications to lead a team. Rather, the question is whether it’s even necessary.
Cole, as mentioned, was a major leader in Utah’s locker room despite never wearing a letter for the team outside of the preseason. With or without the official title, he helped the young guys, spoke up where appropriate and answered to the media after tough games.
It stands to reason that Lee will do the same, regardless of the marking on the top left side of his jersey.
Logan Cooley
Few NHL stars play with as much passion as Logan Cooley.
His alter ego comes out from time to time during the regular season, but it was most obvious during the Mammoth’s playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights in the spring. Nobody expected, however, that it would surface during a meaningless summer league game.
That’s the type of player that can drag his team into battle, whether it’s Game 7 of a playoff series or an out-of-conference road game in the doldrums of February.
Putting a letter on Cooley’s jersey would officially transition him from being a young guy who needs shepherding to being a leader for the next wave of prospects. It especially makes sense if Tij Iginla or Caleb Desnoyers spend much time with the big club this season — two guys who can be just as passionate as Cooley.
It’s not out of the question that Cooley could someday be the captain of the team, so including him in the leadership group now could start him down that path.
MacKenzie Weegar
The Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar primarily for his on-ice abilities, but his character is an added bonus. He’s a certified good guy. That’s the type of player you want leading your team.
Like Lee and Cole, Weegar doesn’t necessarily need to wear an “A” to have that impact in the locker room — but the Mammoth can’t go wrong putting a letter on his chest.
Which NHL teams don’t have captains?
The St. Louis Blues named Robert Thomas their captain on Sept. 2, a little more than six months after trading former captain Brayden Schenn to the Islanders.
That’s likely the first of many captaincy announcements in the NHL this month, as there are plenty of openings:
- Anaheim Ducks
- Boston Bruins
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Los Angeles Kings
- New York Islanders
- Ottawa Senators
- San Jose Sharks
- Vancouver Canucks
In case you missed it
Clayton Keller joined “The Cam and Strick Podcast,” where he talked about everything from the Olympics to team poker nights.
Ryan Smith posted construction updates for the Delta Center and the new Jazz practice facility, which will be conjoined with the Mammoth Ice Center.
We dove deep into several pressing questions in hockey, including:
- Is it time for the NHL to adjust its playoff format?
- Are NHL goalies underpaid?
- Is the NHL expanding to Europe?