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Utah Mammoth open season with a statement: A 6-0 win over Chicago

Dylan Guenther scored twice and Karel Vejmelka posted a shutout in the Mammoth’s season-opening win.

By https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/sltrib/YGNQZWECGZBDBKMGVEYYVTVAWA.jpg Shreyas Laddha
 | Oct. 2, 2026, 6:00 a.m.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) as the Utah Mammoth host the Chicago Blackhawks, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

If you didn’t know any better, you may have thought you had been transported back in time Thursday night at the Delta Center.

Raucous crowd. Eager anticipation. Blackhawks in town. It all felt eerily similar to the franchise’s opening game two years ago.

The first goal that night? That belonged to Dylan Guenther.

Well, he lit the lamp again to open the Mammoth’s 2026-27 season.

With 3:19 remaining in the first period, Guenther sent a ricocheting puck from the right circle into the back of the net, giving Utah an early lead en route to a dominant 6-0 win over the Blackhawks.

Less than a minute later, before the arena had even quieted from Guenther’s goal, Michael Carcone added a second.

And with that, the Mammoth’s third season in Utah was underway.

“I want to get off to a good start,” Guenther said postgame. “It feels good to get going early.”

Once they got going, Utah didn’t slow down.

The onslaught continued in the second period when Nick Schmaltz tapped in an early goal. A few minutes later, Anders Lee put Utah up 4-0, giving the longtime New York Islanders captain his first goal as a member of the Mammoth.

Then, the man who started scoring got on the board again. Guenther added his second goal with 4:32 left in the middle stanza.

In the third period, Carcone found the net again to put the Mammoth up 6-0. In all, 14 different Utah players recorded a point.

Meanwhile, Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka had 15 saves, highlighting Utah’s sixth-ever shutout.

“Just having a lot of pace in the D-zone — we talked about that a lot,” forward Clayton Keller said. “Taking away their time and space. I think we did a good job of that tonight and we got to continue to do that.”

Earlier this week, Utah Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge noted that “Utah shows up.”

He may not have been talking about the hockey specifically, but it certainly fit.

Because that felt like an understatement on Thursday.

It felt like just about everyone — whether two years old or 80 — was decked out in blue-and-black Mammoth gear. Before the game, fans stood in lines that wrapped around the arena for a chance to spin a wheel and walk away with some Mammoth gear.

If you spent time listening in on some conversations in the Delta Center, the topics would weave between the excitement of opening night and why this year felt different for the Mammoth.

This much was clear: In their third year of existence, the Mammoth have become a Utah staple. Just like fry sauce, dirty soda or the Jazz.

Why?

The atmosphere in the Delta Center is electric.

At certain points in the first period, the chants would reverberate throughout the arena. It doesn’t really matter whether you care about the game or the Mammoth.

Being in the building is an experience in itself.

“Every game that I coach in that building, it’s been amazing,” Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said. “They’re supportive. They are into it. They’re loud. They’re great. We get spoiled. ... They showed up like usual in Utah.”

That’s the culture the Mammoth have built.

And now it’s back for another year.

“I think it’s a good start,” Keller said. “Obviously, it’s a start that you want to have — a big win like this. Now, you have to keep it going. Have a short memory.”

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