The Mammoth just inked two star prospects. Here’s what you need to know.

The Utah Mammoth have managed to have an entertaining offseason despite missing the playoffs.

From securing the fourth overall pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, announcing their official name and four Mammoths winning gold at the World Championship, there has been no shortage of news.

The team added to that this week.

Defenseman Dmitri Simashev and forward Daniil But signed their three-year, entry-level contracts with Utah. The highly anticipated prospects — who were both drafted in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft (Simashev at No. 6 and But at No. 12) — will finally make it over to North America.

The Russian players have been in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for the past three seasons, winning the Gagarin Cup earlier this month, and will look to transition their game to Salt Lake City.

Here is everything you need to know about the new Mammoths’ arrival.

What is the structure of their contracts?

Simashev and But signed matching deals. According to Puckpedia, both contracts have a $950,000 cap hit: $855,000 in salary and a $95,000 signing bonus. The three-year term expires at the end of the 2027-2028 season, which is when they will be restricted free agents.

The two also have a European assignment clause in their contracts. For the first year and a half with the Mammoth, Simashev and But can be assigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. However, after that year and a half, Simashev and But can decide to go back and play for a team in Europe instead of being in the AHL.

“I like it. I think it’s a really good clause for the club,” Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong said.

Utah has the flexibility for 18 months to give Simashev and But extra developmental experience with the Roadrunners if needed. (Reminder: They cannot be claimed off waivers because they will be in the first year of their entry-level contracts.)

However, after the clause kicks in, the Mammoth risk Simashev and But opting to play in Europe if unhappy with an AHL situation. Given their talent and projected roles, though, it is unlikely the players and team will find themselves in that situation. By year two, it is expected that Simashev and But will have found stable footing in the NHL.

What should fans expect from them on the ice?

Size, for one.

Simashev stands at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds but is still a strong, versatile skater. The 20-year-old had six points (one goal, five assists) in 56 games in the KHL this season. The Mammoth believe there is room for improvement in Simashev’s offensive game, but the immediate upside is his responsible and aggressive defense.

“With Dmitri Simashev, he’s a big man. He might be the biggest D-man I’ve ever drafted with that type of mobility,” Armstrong said. “He can cover ground. He’s one of the best skaters. He works at his game. He’s extremely good on the [defensive] of the puck.”

Simashev has already spent some time with Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (who is also Russian and spending the summer in their native country). The Mammoth’s No. 1 blueliner went to Simashev and But’s championship game with Lokomotiv and said in April he was planning to skate with them.

“It’s such an easy transition for them in the sense of having a great player, great role model, someone that is a fellow countryman inside of our organization already. It allows a little bit more [of] a comfort level,” Armstrong said of the relationship with Sergachev. “I think he can help teach them what’s not only expected in our league, but also the culture of our team and what’s coming their way.”

While But is a winger, Sergachev’s advice will still be gladly welcomed. But — if he can break through — can change the complexion of Utah’s top six. The 20-year-old is 6-foot-5, 203 pounds with an innate scoring touch. Armstrong compared But to the Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson, whom he helped draft to St. Louis in 2016 when he worked for the Blues. Thompson is 6-foot-6 and potted 44 goals last season.

But had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 54 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl this season.

Utah’s forward group lacks real size up front – it is a need the team could address through free agency starting July 1. However, with But now in the mix, that could change the way Armstrong approaches the open market.

“He plays a really North-American style game: He’s extremely aggressive cutting into the net and occupying the front of the net with elite stick skill,” Armstrong said of But. “His game has come a long way. He’s a massive human being and he’s learning to use his body more effectively.”

Will they be on the Mammoth’s NHL roster next season?

Armstrong made it seem like it was more of a possibility that Simashev and But would be in Mammoth jerseys come opening night than not.

It helps that the duo have been playing in the KHL — which is considered the second-best hockey league after the NHL — during their formative developmental years.

Mammoth regulars like Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring spent time in the AHL before securing their NHL roles.

“You never want to rule [the AHL] out, but these guys have played at an elite level over in Russia and played for one of the top teams. They experienced a high-pressure culture where they play,” Armstrong said. “There’s a good opportunity where they might never touch the American league. The harder that they train in the summer, the more they get accustomed to the systems we play, the better off they have a chance.”

Simashev and But will start making their cases for NHL slotting come development camp in late June and training camp in September. Their arrival heightens the Mammoth’s internal competition, which is a good sign for the organization.

On the backend, Utah’s top six defensemen — Sergachev, Kesselring, John Marino, Sean Durzi, Olli Määttä and Ian Cole — are all locked up for at least next season. And then there’s Artem Duda and Maveric Lamoureux in the AHL, who both had productive years and will look to turn a corner. Add Simashev to the group and it is suddenly a deep, competitive pool of options.

For the forwards, there are obvious returners like Guenther, Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley. But could other guys’ purposes change with an influx of young talent? Probably. Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin — the 2024 first-round picks — will be back at camp ready to make a push. Potential free-agent signings and trades haven’t even happened yet, either.

Hard decisions are a positive problem to have for the Mammoth. It seems Simashev and But could make it an easy one, though.

“They’ve played in one of the best leagues in the world in the KHL and they played on a championship team,” Armstrong said. “I believe both of them will come into camp and have a good opportunity to compete for a job. I think they’ll be close to making it.”

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