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  "path": "/sports/2026/05/04/utah-mammoth-defensemen-chemistry/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-04T22:25:52.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.deseret.com",
  "tags": [
    "‘It hurts’: Mammoth eliminated from playoffs in 6 games",
    "pic.twitter.com/heDAnlH4FZ",
    "January 17, 2026",
    "‘The expectation needs to be to win the Cup here’: Mammoth raising sights for next season after playoff exit",
    "NHL.com",
    "MoneyPuck",
    "Yep, Salt Lake City is a hockey town. And it didn’t take long",
    "@utahmammoth"
  ],
  "textContent": "When visiting reporters attend the morning skate of the other team, it’s common for them to ask the local media for recommendations on whom they should interview to get the best responses.\n\nRegarding the Utah Mammoth, the typical answer to that question this season was simply, “any of the defensemen.”\n\nAll seven of Utah’s full-time NHL blue-liners were more than happy to stick around and chat after virtually every practice, and they all have the ability to explain high-level concepts in a way that makes sense to those who never played professional hockey.\n\nAt Sunday’s exit interviews, almost all of them talked about the cohesiveness that the group shares.\n\n“Our D-corps is really special,” said Nick DeSimone. “Everybody gets along. It’s really a riot back there. We have a blast, but we also work, which is special.”\n\n‘It hurts’: Mammoth eliminated from playoffs in 6 games\n\nMikhail Sergachev explained that the entire crew often gets together away from the rink.\n\n“We’re a tight group,” he said. “That’s what matters to me the most, that we’re tight off the ice. We have D-dinners, D-meetings all the time. We just, we feel like we separate ourselves from the forward group a little bit.”\n\nEver since the arrival of MacKenzie Weegar at the trade deadline, the defensemen enjoyed consistent pairings. There were rarely any changes to who played with whom, which allowed each player to develop a chemistry with his partner — another theme of exit interviews.\n\nSergachev, for example, called Weegar nice, outgoing and easy to talk to.\n\n“He’s Canadian, you know? They’re all friendly,” he said.\n\nNate Schmidt talked about how he, the loudest guy on the team, and John Marino, the quietest on the team, figured out how to communicate with each other on the ice. It didn’t take long for them to become a power pairing that could play solid hockey in all situations.\n\n### How good are Utah’s defensemen?\n\nSean Durzi believes this can become one of the best defense groups in the NHL.\n\n“You look at our D-corps, to me it’s — if not, it can be — one of the best in the league. I’m biased, but I do believe that a good D-corps does win championships and having that deep roster ... that’s kind of going to push us over the edge.\"\n\nHe said the competitive environment among them is also conducive to their thriving.\n\n> Nate Schmidt's third of the season! 🔥\n>\n> 🚨 2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/heDAnlH4FZ\n>\n> — Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 17, 2026\n\n‘The expectation needs to be to win the Cup here’: Mammoth raising sights for next season after playoff exit\n\n“I think us pushing each other every day and having that competitive edge. ... competing with each other in practice and competing with our forwards, that’s going to drive our team. That’s something I think we have on our back end, is that competitive edge. It’s how can we push our team and how can we be the drivers of this team.”\n\nAs Durzi mentioned, he can be optimistic at times — but Ian Cole, a straight shooter who has never been accused of sugar-coating an answer, said the same thing.\n\n“I think our six or seven guys that we have, I think we’re one of the deepest D-corps in the league in our ability to create offense but also defend, just be really good well-rounded hockey players,” Cole said. “I think you saw that with guys having great point totals but also being one of the best teams on defensive side of things, too.”\n\nThe stats back that up, at least to some extent. According to NHL.com and MoneyPuck, in the 2025-26 regular season, the Mammoth were:\n\n  * Tied for 10th in fewest goals against (240).\n  * Tied for fifth in fewest shots against (26.1 per game).\n  * 10th in fewest high-danger shots allowed (263).\n  * Fourth in shot attempt differential (+433).\n\n\n\nThat said, they were unimpressive in categories like penalty kill, blocked shots and takeaways.\n\nYep, Salt Lake City is a hockey town. And it didn’t take long\n\nLooking at recent Stanley Cup champions, none of them accomplished it without a defense corps that invokes fear in its opponents. Improvement in a few areas over the coming years could be enough to cement the Mammoth as a dreaded opponent.\n\n### Who is coming back?\n\nOf Utah’s seven full-time NHL defensemen, five have contracts for next season and four have multiple years left on their respective contracts. That means the group will be able to continue progressing together for some time.\n\nDeSimone and Cole are the two pending unrestricted free agents. Neither had any indication, as of Sunday, as to whether the team would bring them back for next season.\n\nIt’s likely that Dmitri Simashev, who bounced between the NHL and the AHL all year long, will be a full-time NHLer next season. While he did not speak on Sunday, he has spoken all season long about how the Sergachev family took him in and continues to help him in his journey.",
  "title": "How Utah’s defensemen aspire to become ‘the best in the league’"
}