Liam O'Brien Expected to Make Season Debut Against Wild

The Utah Mammoth’s lineup is about to get a big physical boost. Liam O’Brien is set to make his season debut Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild, head coach André Tourigny confirmed at practice. This will mark the forward’s first game since April 27, which was Game 4 of the playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Last season, O’Brien produced four points in 38 games with the Mammoth, a 10-game increase from the 28 games he played the prior season. The forward also scored his first three goals with the Mammoth after failing to score one in the entire 2024-25 campaign.

O’Brien also put up 43 penalty minutes last year, the fewest he’s had since the 2020-21 season with the Colorado Avalanche. He still commanded a physical presence on the ice, recording 115 hits and being involved in three fights. That presence continued into the playoffs, where he had one point in three games and played some of the best hockey of his career.

Going up against the Wild is a tall task for the Mammoth. With weapons like Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, and Joel Eriksson-Ek, the Mammoth will need to find ways to neutralize them, and that’s where O’Brien’s game is really going to stand out, especially when you consider that the Wild have some physical players themselves.

“Earlier in the season in Boston, we played against that kind of opponent, and we thought after the game we could have taken advantage of Obi's presence, and we want to make sure against that kind of opponent we're as well equipped as we can be,” Tourigny said.

With O’Brien coming in, that means someone has to come out. That player will be Daniil But. While the forward didn’t have his best game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he has had a very solid season so far. But has four points in 12 games and, like Dmitri Simashev, has improved tremendously if you compare his play now to the beginning of last season.

Unfortunately for But, against a physical and hard-to-play-against team, O’Brien’s play might help the Mammoth the most. That’s not to say But is a worse player, because that’s not true at all. However, Tourigny believes that O’Brien’s play will be more effective on Tuesday night, and the cost comes at taking the young forward out of the lineup.

Tourigny did have a chat with But before announcing the decision, making sure he maintained a positive mindset heading forward.

“He understands,” Tourigny said. “I think that his (most recent) game was not as good, but before that, I thought he was playing good hockey. So I talked to him about the adversity of the NHL and the ups and downs. It's part of the game, and he will have his chance back.”

O’Brien will likely replace But on the fourth line alongside Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund. His return to the lineup will likely get the entire Delta Center and locker room hyped up for and during the game. O’Brien is a favorite among the players and among the Mammoth fans.

The forward also has a history of making a big impact after sitting out for a couple of games. In his first game last season, he scored his first-ever goal in Utah. After missing some games, O’Brien’s next game included a fight. So, expect a big thing or two from the forward against the Wild.

“We'll be fired up,” Tourigny said. “That's no doubt about it. At the same time, we're not fired up out of control. He's not dragging us to be somewhere emotional we don't want to go. He's a really good pro. In the past, he has had some of those situations where he didn't play for a while and was able to come back in the lineup and contribute right away, bring us in the fight.”

The Mammoth will play the Wild at the Delta Center on Tuesday night. This will be the first meeting between the two of them this season. The Wild currently hold the first spot in the Central Division with an 8-3-2 record, while the Mammoth hold the second with an 8-4-0 record.