Salt Lake City will be getting its first taste of the NHL Playoffs this spring.

On Thursday, the Utah Mammoth clinched its first-ever postseason appearance thanks to its 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators in combination with the Anaheim Ducks’ win over the San Jose Sharks. At 42-30-6, the Mammoth are currently sitting in the Western Conference’s top wildcard spot with 90 points and have won their last five games in a row.

The Breakthrough Is a Long Time Coming

The Mammoth have been led by captain Clayton Keller with 83 points this season, while Dylan Guenther is on the doorstep of his first 40-goal season with 39 goals with four games to go in the regular season. Six Mammoth players have recorded 20 goals or more, including Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, and JJ Peterka.

The success of Keller, Guenther, Cooley, and Crouse comes as no surprise to anyone who followed their careers. The quartet recorded 20-goal seasons with the Arizona Coyotes and gave fans in the market hope before the franchise became inactive following Ryan Smith’s purchase of the team in April 2024. Since the now-former Coyotes players and staff were transferred to Utah in time for the 2024-25 season, the team has been one of the more entertaining to watch, as their young core gets to play deep into April.

What still remains uncertain is who the Mammoth will play in the first round. If they remain as the top wildcard team in the West, they’ll play the Pacific Division winner, which will be either the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, or the Anaheim Ducks.

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