The Tucson Roadrunners hope to make the playoffs after coming up short last season but it won’t be an easy task considering where they are and the state of their NHL team.
This American Hockey League team is in a different phase than previous seasons, which was reflected in how they looked last season. With the Utah Mammoth no longer rebuilding and now contending, their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, isn’t an overly talented group that will contend for the Calder Cup.
Instead, the Roadrunners are the type of team that will send up their best players the second they are ready for the NHL. It’s why they are in an interesting position in a Pacific Division that improved around them.
Stats From 2025-26:
Record: 34-28-10 (8th in Pacific Division, tied for 10th in Western Conference & tied for 17th in AHL)
Offense: 3.19 goals per game (13th in AHL)
Defense: 3.31 goals against per game (26th in AHL)
The Burning Question: How Will The Roadrunners Improve After Missing The Playoffs?
If one team got worse in the Pacific Division, despite missing the playoffs, it’s the Roadrunners. They didn’t add much talent in the offseason, specifically veteran talent in free agency. On top of that, they lost some key contributors, including Scott Perunovich and Matthew Villalta.
There’s also a good chance the prospects will be in Utah and not Tucson. Dmitri Simashev had 35 points in 40 games as a rookie defenseman but considering he was a borderline NHLer, he’ll probably be on the Mammoth from day one. The jury is still out on Caleb Desnoyer and Tij Iginla, two top prospects in the system who are coming over from junior hockey this season.
It also doesn’t help that the defense was a bottom-10 unit last season and there wasn’t much done to improve it. The best bet is that prospects like Maveric Lamoureux and Brandon Holt take a step forward.
Add it all up, and the Roadrunners might be a last-place team in the Pacific Division. It’s worthwhile if the Mammoth are contending for a Stanley Cup, which all signs point to with the direction they are heading in. At the same time, the question is whether creating a losing environment is beneficial for the prospects. Yes, they'll get ice time at the AHL level but the losses pile up, and it weighs on the young players.
Why The Roadrunners Are Optimistic
If there’s one thing the Roadrunners can point to, it’s the Zac Jones signing in the summer. He was one of the best two-way defensemen in the AHL last season, as the veteran had 10 goals and 52 assists in 60 games for the Rochester Americans.
Jones will be used in all situations by the Roadrunners. The offense will remain potent, and the power play will take off with Jones operating the point. Plus, he’ll add stability to a defense that struggled last season.
It's worth adding that the Roadrunners also signed goaltender Jesper Vikman this offseason. While he struggled with the Henderson Silver Knights last season, he can find his footing and add stability in the net.
The other plus is the impact the prospects who stay in Tucson will have. If the Mammoth are patient with one or two of them, the Roadrunners will have high-impact players who can take over games and lead them to the playoffs single-handedly.
Prospects To Watch
Tij Iginla was the sixth pick in the 2024 draft, and Caleb Desnoyer was the fourth pick in the 2025 draft. Both players will have a shot to make the Mammoth out of camp, and if they don’t, they’ll be game-changing players on the Roadrunners. Moreover, both prospects can center a top line at the AHL level, which changes the dynamics of this team.
Dmitri Simashev is another prospect who is a borderline NHLer at this point. Defensemen take time to develop, yet last season proved that he’s ready for the NHL. So, he’ll likely start 2026-27 as a third-pair option and move up the lineup as the season goes on.
The big wild card for the Roadrunners is Ethan Belchetz, the Mammoth’s first round pick in the latest draft. With the new rules, he can join the AHL team right away, instead of spending his season either in the NHL or back in junior hockey. Belchetz is a power forward who showed his upside with the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League. That said, he needs time to develop, and a season in Tucson can be what he needs while he takes the team to another level.
Otherwise, this organization isn’t in the prospect business anymore. On the contrary, the Mammoth might look to trade one of their top prospects at the trade deadline for a star player who can help them win the Stanley Cup this season. It explains the trades that landed them MacKenzie Weegar and Vincent Trocheck, plus the Anders Lee signing. They are ready to contend and aren't interested in a rebuild anymore.
