We are going to blink and it is going to be time for the second season of The Utah Mammoth here in our market. And our next guest covers The Mammoth for the Salt Lake Tribune, Belle Frasier on a Monday afternoon, Hello, Bell, Happy Monday.
How are you good?
How are you?
I'm good?
So any downtime, any vacation. I mean, this is kind of the time of year, Bell, where if you're going to take some vacation, it feels like this has got to be it.
Yeah, no official vacation. I went back to New York and Boston where my friends and family are for two weeks. Wrote some stories there, but was definitely nice to not be so deep in the Utah Mammoth News for a second. Take a bit of air, and now I'm so ready for the season to start, really counting down the days until even training camp from preseason, just so we can get things going for sure.
All right, Bell, here's where I want to start.
What gives you the most confidence that next season, that proverbial next step will be taken and we could actually experience Stanley Cup playoff hockey and slick I think the.
Obvious answer there, and the easy one, I guess is just seeing who they brought in so far this summer. And I think the biggest top six to reinforcement is JJ Peturca, who they traded for from the Buffalo Sabers. You know, they traded Michael Pestering and Josh Stone, who I know people were very sad to see leave, but they didn't have to give up any prospects or or
for its overall pick. This trade came before the draft, and I know people were nervous that maybe they would have to give up the pick to get someone like the Turka, but they did it. And what's really good about him is his age. You know, he's right in the range of Logan Cooley and Dylan Gunther. He's twenty three, and his ceiling's really high, and he is a finisher.
He had a thirty goal season, and you know, I've talked to a lot of Buffalo media and they think that he's going to score a lot more throughout the throughout his career and he's going to be happier in Utah. You know, there are reports that he just didn't want to be in Buffalo and he kind of forced his
way out of there. So I think the new and vironment, the new setup and a team that's really on an upward trajectory for him, that'll give him an opportunity to play top minutes, to be on the power play will be really important for Utah because that's something that they were missing a bit last year, you know, going into a third period being down a goal or not being able to extend the lead. They had trouble scoring, So
I think someone like the Turka is important. And then you also just look at the more veteran leadership they brought in Brandon Tanneb and Nate Schmidt, the defenseman. Natech Schmidt just won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers and we got in the media call with him and he was hilarious. He has a really out their personality, which I think will be good for the room. He has an edge to him as he plays, so he'll be a good third pair, you know, defensive depths for them.
And then brand of Tanneb too, also has spark to him, and he talked about it. He wants to bring energy to the bottom six and he'll score and he'll do what he can, but he'll hit and you know, He just adds a little sand paper for them. And then lastly, I think you look at their depth and goaltending. They brought and v tech Fanicheck, who also was on the Florida Panthers last year, as you know, second string, third string goalie. But I think that just adds some insurance
for Utah. You know, we're not sure when Connor Ingram will come back, so I think they really shored up the areas where they needed one to two more guys they didn't get them. Mitch Marner had a huge names that may be headlined this summer, but they got better in areas that they were lacking last year and now it's just a matter of them building chemistry with those new guys.
Do you have an update on Connor?
I mean I was going to ask that as a follow up, and obviously it's a very sensitive information or sensitive situation, and the information is sensitive too, and the club has of course been great to make sure that he gets helped and he needs But do you know where we're at with that process now?
Yeah, last time we talked to Bill Armstrong, he said that Ingram's been in the assistant program, that he's doing well, and that they're hoping for the best for him. You know, we also heard that he was playing in a men's league recently, kind of getting his fitness back. Bill Armstrong declined to comment on any timeline for his return or you know, the specifics. He said he wanted to keep those within the organization, which is understandable given the sensitivity
of the situation. But you know, it's definitely something from the business side of a team that they had to think about, and I think that shows with how they brought in v Tech Fancheck because training camp is a month away now, and I think they're just making sure that they're ready for any situation. So that's all we have on Ingram right now. It sounds like he's making progress, but there's been no subsistence you know, return date for him.
Still some money.
According to the numbers I have in front of me, he's still six million change to potentially bring in other players. Do you think this is the group or do you think that money will be used to add a little depth.
I think this is probably the group, but I think if they were going to do anything before the season starts, it might be a trade, and I don't think they will, but I think if if they were to do something, I don't see them use the rest of their cap space, just because you know, Bill Armstrong is super responsible and he also has Logi Cooley, who could be up for an extension this year, same situation as Dylan Gunther was in last year, and Gunther extended for eight years in September.
So I don't think fans should be freaking out that Coolly hasn't extended yet, especially with the cap going up for the next few seasons. Seasons in the NHL, negotiations are probably tougher and he'll still be with the team next year if he doesn't extend. But I think because there are players that they still need to lock up,
they'll probably try to keep that cap space. And you know, they also resigned Jack McBain, who is an RSA for a bit higher than fans or the team probably wanted to, but it's because he would have been a USA in two years, so they had to pay for those years. He got four point twenty five million dollars on his average annual values, So I think they you know, they put their money where they wanted it, and I don't
see them overspending for something because right now. I mean the internal competition that they have with the players they have right now, their prospects. The guy that Tucson is probably the best sits in for this organization. So they have the bodies that they need, and I don't think there's a glaring pol for them after the moves that Byill has done already.
Well, it's been a minute since you and I have been able to catch up, and I know you've been asked about the Michael Karr Coney story, but I wonder for my audience in this space if you could elaborate a bit. I mean, I can remember watching that post game presser when he essentially was like, yeah, it's not going to work. And look, you always want to leave space for people to have emotional reactions, and things like making a living in contracts and money make all of us emotional.
So no issue at all for the about face. But how did this? How did this play out?
Yeah? So exit day interviews back in what was that April? I think at the Deata Center. You know, guys talk about howther's seasons but end Usually if you're a UFA or RFA, you aren't as direct as my Carconi was, but as journalists. We appreciate it, you know, we appreciate him just coming in and speaking his mind. But on that day in April, he said, you know, I love the guys, They're a great group. I don't think there's going to be an answer, a direct quote, he said,
I don't think we're going to agree on anything. I spoke to the coaching staff and management, and I think we're going to go in different directions. And we asked, you know why he was feeling that way, and he felt he wasn't given big enough of an opportunity for Utah last year. You know, the year before in Arizona he had twenty goals, and then last year for Utah he was usually the thirteenth forward. He was healthy, scratched
a lot when he was in the lineup. He was bottom six, so his numbers went down, but also his games played went down. And I think that was a good problem from an organizational level for Utah because it meant that the younger guys were getting better and forcing their way into the lineup. You look at someone like Josh Jone who's no longer there, but Dylan Gunster and Jack mcvain and those types of players. But it definitely
cost Carcony. So he was going out into the free agent market and nothing had bit, you know, for the first couple of weeks and on when was this a couple of week July fifteenth or sixteenth, he signed a one year contract with the Mammoth for seven hundred and seventy five thousand dollars, which was the same average annual value as his last contract. And when we talked to him after the signing, he said, you know, he didn't want to be taken out of context for his exit
day interview. He said that he always wanted to be in Utah, but like you were saying, frustrations run high. He had just talked to the coaching staff, so he kind of walked back on not his want to leave, but his thought that he wouldn't be part of the future of the franchise. I think it's a fine signing for them. I mean, I don't think Carconi is going to have a huge role, but he likes playing with
a chip on his shoulder. He said, he knows he has a lot to prove coming in in his situation, but I imagine he's probably an extra ford or bottom player again, just because of his size his stats last year and just the guys Utah has coming in. But he proves people wrong. He proves people wrong, and I think a lot of fans would like to see that.
Any specific takeaways from the schedule release, I mean, I'm seeing that eleven of the first fifteen games are on the road, which is a tough start, but obviously they'll come back around. You play the same amount of road games as you do home games. But as you kind of dug into that schedule release, Bell, what were some of your main takeaways.
Yeah, it's exactly what you said. They have a really tough start to the year. I think it was something like sixteen of twenty or sixteen to thirty or something to start the season or on the road, But you know, they were a really good road team last year. Actually
they struggled at home more so. So you might think it's a good thing for them to find their footing and bond as a team and be on the planes and hotels together and figure out their identity for the team on the road before they come to Delta Center
and show off for year two. Start with a three game road trip Colorado, Nashville, and Chicago before coming back to Delta Center on October fifteenth for opening a night against the Calgary Flames, and that'll be a four game homestand so I think for them it'll test them immediately, which is a good thing. You know, a lot of the players have talked about not having that slump in the beginning of the season like they did last year, starting on time, and like you said, every team goes
through hard stretches in the schedule. I don't think you can use it as an excuse for a poor record or poor showing, So I don't think Utah will use it as that at all. And I think you know, one game or that people have circled on the calendar, obviously the divisional opponents because those points matter more. And then also I believe November twelfth, the Buffalo Sabers come to town and that will be Josh jen and Michael Kessing's homecoming as well. So there's definitely, you know, great
matchups to start the year. And although it's one of the tougher road schedule, I think it'll probably make the team better and if not, they'll just have to learn from it as every other organization does.
How much of the road heavy schedule early on has to do with the renovations of the building bill.
That's what we thought. But they're scheduled to play preseason games at Delta Center. Their last two preseason games, I believe, at the end of September our scheduled to be at Delta Center, and those will be the first you know event at Delta Center since the renovations. So I imagine those games won't be the full effect. They'll definitely be things that aren't fully ready yet. But supposedly, as of now, those are supposed to be at the arena, and we
haven't gotten, you know, any changes on that. So I'm sure it helps the Delta Center crew that they'll be gone for the first week of this season. But I don't think that's because there's any delays or change in schedule for the renovations. I think that's all on track, and you know, this just gives them a bit more time to get everything ready for opening night.
So having an interesting conversation.
I had a little family reunion last week and chance to catch up with a lot of my family who I don't see very much, who are big sports fans, and we were just kind of comparing the project of the Jazz rebuild to the project of the Mammoth rebuild, and the Mammoth are much further along. I think this is probably year five or six of a rebuild and the Jazz, I mean, it depends on what their messaging is,
which seems to change day to day. Now it's like, no, we actually were tearing it down and the rebuild starts now. So the Mammoth are further along than the Jazz are.
And I'm just wondering Bell. Throughout the course of your time here covering the team, talking to players that have been traded to Utah or draft picks that have been drafted to Utah, It's a little bit different when you're a draft pick because typically you're young, and ultimately you work for the organization of the NHL Hockey League and you have been assigned to the Salt Lake City office, and I feel like you're more inclined just to accept
it and be excited. Do you sense any pushback at all for hockey players wanting to come to our market and stay here for quite some time. It's just it's the main thing that the Jazz are run into. For a number of years, they've been able to draft, they've been able to develop, but they just can't retain. And if you're going to win trophies, you have to retain. Do you think the Mammoth are going to run into any issues that way?
Yeah, I mean, I think there's been a clear shift with the NHL and NHL players and NHL fans perspective on Utah. And I know you're saying how the draft picks don't really have a choice to be in Utah, but I think the narrative around them has been really different for the NHL. And I was actually talking to you know, Andy Larson, our jazz writer, because it was around the time where all the Ace Bailey drama was
happening and then these which got resolved. But these Utah players get drafted, and you know a lot of them were saying, I wanted to be in Utah. I was hoping I got drafted by Utah. I'm so excited to be here. The mountains are so beautiful, Like this is one of the top teams in the NHL. I'm so
excited to be in this organization. And it was it's a distinct, you know, change in narrative from what I think has been reported about the jazz in the past, and we talked about this before free agency opened for the NHL that it was going to be really interesting if they had to overpay for players or if they were able to land any players, and they were. I mean, they landed two Stanley Cup champions in Schmidt and Banicheck
and then Brandon Tannev. Although they'll be you know, bottom six, more debt veteran role, he's a legit NHL and guys who have been around the league and seen different markets. So I think that's a really good sign for the Mammoth and the fans in front office that guys did sign here during free agency, and a lot of guys resigned as well, you know, Ian Cole resigned, Alex Kurfett resigned, Jack McBain resigned, Dylan Gunther resigned. Those are pieces of
your core moving forward. JJ Paterca, although it was a trade, he kind of had to say. He forces himself out of Buffalo and found a team that would work for him. So I think that should be a positive note for Mammoth fans seeing that players are willing to take the chance on Utah. And I think there won't be an official answer until, you know, probably five to eight to ten years when the team is here and you can actually see a pattern form or real opinions after the
first or second year. But I think for the way they introduce themselves to the league and to the country and to hockey fans, players want to be here, and you know, it's only been positive feedback from us as the media. We haven't you heard anything of that they don't want to be here or anything of that sort.
What sort of information can you share with our hockey fan listeners about the new experience in the building once everything is done once and it may bleed into next season. Anybody who's ever bought a house or built a house, or had construction on anything, quite frankly understands that these things are always delayed. But once that is completely done, what sort of changes are in store?
What can you share there?
Yeah, well, it's going to be multi year project. I think they're saying three to five off seasons because since the Jazz and Mammoth are there, they only have the summers to do the renovations. But this year they focus on the lower bowl and just improving site lines for those seats and throughout the arena. When it's one hundred percent done. Every view will be full. There won't be any blockages like there were last year. But they've blown out the entire lower bowl and they're raising it by
three feet. I believe in pushing it back. So the views that people love for the NBA and the upclose nature of the Delta Center is still there, but the actual like I'm trying to think of the word, but it won't be a seat for hockey fans, so they'll be able to see both goals. There won't be any parts of the ice cutoff, so that's kind of the tangible things they're working on. And then in the end of the project, there's going to be a new parking garage,
there'll be a downtown plaza. You know, the entire downtown area around the Delta Center is kind of being reinvented. But people are going to have to wait a bit for that. And I think the biggest thing that we haven't even been let in on because it's to be a surprise on opening night, is just all the branding around the Mammoth. It's hard to even remember the Utah Hockey Club branding now, so it feels like this team has been the Mammoths forever, but the new in game activations,
the merge, everything on the JumboTron. I think it's gonna be really cool to see how they bring this branding to life in an in game situation instead of just the social media stuff we've been seeing for the last few months. So I think that's probably the biggest thing that fans should look forward to.
You and I were spoiled as young hockey fans growing up going to the Garden, so this question might be a little bit unfair, But I'm wondering, Belle, when you took the job, what you were expecting as it pertained to atmosphere and fan participation year one for the Mammoth, and then did the experience meet or exceed those expectations?
Definitely exceed. I mean I think I had no idea what to expect in the first place, and the players and coaches have said the same thing. But I think I wrote about this in M A. Paul. But Opening night was so special and magical because I think you saw that utash those up and Ryan Smith and everyone here had been saying it for years when they finally got the NHL team, and it was true, and that was One of my favorite parts of this entire season was just watching this community fall so in love with
hockey but also be so dedicated. I mean, there wasn't one night at the Delta Center this year where it wasn't sold out or close to sold out and loud, and people asking questions and coming up to us and creating new chants and creating new fan tradition. So beyond the hockey, I think that's been the best part of being in Utah so far as just seeing how these
fans have embraced the team, have embraced the league. And I imagine that just you know, times one hundred for next season because a lot of people are more excited about it. But yeah, definitely excuted expectations, and I think it surprised a lot of people, just in the NHL and in hockey in general. A pleasant surprise for sure. So it'll be cool to see how that kind of grows the next few years.
Do you have any inside insight or maybe inside information about how ticket sales are going? I mean, tickets are available, and then in addition to that, corporate sponsorships as far as how this team is being supported. We oftentimes on this show expand that conversation to all of our products here, our sports properties here, and then the potential of the Miller's bringing major League Baseball. I know we're growing, We're growing as far as the population goes, We're growing as
far as simply economic stimulation goes. Business is moving here and such. But is the hockey team being supported with ticket sales corporate sponsorship the way it needs to?
It seems like it is. I'm not sure about corporate sponsorships. I mean, I can reach out to SEG about that. That's more obviously corporate. But in terms of ticket sales, it sounds like a lot of people have put in deposits for season tickets. You know, last year when they opened it before the games even started. They sold out
of the deposits on the very first day. And we interact with a lot of fans on Twitter, and a bunch of people who just had single game tickets last year committed to half season or full season tickets this year. So yes, I don't have you know, exact numbers. I think they'll release those closer to the season when everything is sold out, and we'll get you know, the preseason numbers. But it really seems like the support is coming through in ticket sales, and I think you can just see
it in the prices of tickets too. Unfortunately, it's not key to get into Delta Center, you know. I was looking at the prices the other day, and for opening night, I think the cheapest ticket to get in the door is two hundred and fifty dollars. So the only reasons the tickets are super expensive out here right now is because of the demand and because there's so few left.
So I think that's a good sign. And yeah, like I said, we'll get specifics on that closer to the season, but from the general feel of it, it seems like people are going to fill out Delta Center for year two.
All right, Bell, before I say you, Louise, tell us about Mammoth Week. I'm kind of learning about this in real time. What did the hockey And I'm not saying that as their name, I'm just referring to the Utah Mammoth as a hockey club. So everybody calmed down, Yeah, what what was Mammoth Week?
What did this entail?
It was a really cool initiative from the team. It was, you know, a statewide summer event and they stopped in seven locations. It was Logan, Provo Park City, Cottonwood, ogden Enich, and Saint George for like a week July twenty sixth to August twelfth, and they did you know, different merph set ups. They did ball hockey, street hockey, on ice, affordable clinics, and they had special guests that each stopped from the team. It was a lot of you know,
the SEG broadcast team. And then Clayton Keller was in Saint George on August second for the final day. He was taking pictures, signing jerseys, talking to fans, and you know the main purpose of it was to just get hockey and the NHL team outside of downtown and throughout
the entire state. And I was talking to Nant macconnell, who everyone knows is to play by play announcer for the team, and she was on a couple of the branches of the Mammoth Week tour, and he said he was blown away by the outcome and how many people showed up and how many kids were so excited, even though they were a six hour drive from Delta Center at the time. So I think it just talks to the team's dedication to not just make it the Salt Lake City Mammoth and make it really a community asset
for the entire state. So you know, that's just one event they did, and you know that's something I've been impressed with for sure. Is all they do on the side of the hockey team, actually on the ice.
Belle, thanks so much for the time. We're going to blink in October. We'll be here so hockey right around the corner. Have a great week and be well.
Okay, awesome, Thank you.
Belle Fraser covers the Utah Mammoth for the Solid Tribune.
Just a phenomenal hire. She's done a great, great job.
I wonder how long she'll be here at Belle Fraser One is where.
You find her on Twitter.
You can support her at sl trip dot com and subscribe and support our good friends over at the Trip. The Utah Mammoth will begin play with a road heavy schedule starting on Thursday, October and the ninth at Colorado, eleven of the first fifteen games away from Delta Center. Their home opener will be Wednesday, October fifteenth against Calgary, and tickets are on sale now.