What began as a casual summer skate for Michael Carcone’s children has transformed into a sanctioned tournament, fostering community and joy within Utah’s rapidly expanding hockey scene.
A summer youth hockey tournament that began as a rink-side idea for a father and his kids is quietly turning into something larger in Utah’s evolving hockey landscape.
The inaugural Carcone Cup, organized by Utah Mammoth forward Michael Carcone, started with a straightforward goal: keep his children skating through the summer. It has since grown into a full youth tournament at the Mammoth Ice Center, bringing together dozens of young players for several days of games, development, and the kind of rink-side chaos that tends to define early hockey memories.
For Carcone, the origin story still circles back to family.
“It’s Carcone Cup, so my kids were pretty excited to see their last name there,” he told KJZZ14.
What began as a private, almost casual way to structure summer ice time for his children—Eli and Lennon—quickly expanded once word spread through local minor hockey circles. Familiar faces started showing up, then full teams, and before long, a weekend plan became a sanctioned youth tournament.
“Seeing all the familiar faces around the rink from minor hockey throughout the winter… seeing them smile and be excited about it is pretty awesome,” he told KJZZ14.
There’s a personal thread running underneath all of it. Carcone grew up in Ontario in a household shaped by sports, even if not defined by it in the traditional sense. His father wasn’t an athlete—he worked as a businessman—but he supported the structure around his sons’ athletic lives. Carcone and his brothers played hockey, and that mix of discipline at home and time at the rink left a lasting impression.
He still remembers what mattered most.
“I remember how exciting it was being a Toronto kid and playing hockey… being with friends in hotels. That was my favorite part of hockey,” he said.
That, more than anything, is what he’s trying to recreate.
The backdrop for all of this is a state that has rapidly become more hockey-minded. Since the arrival of the Utah Mammoth organization, participation numbers have climbed sharply, reshaping what youth hockey looks like across the region.
“When I first got here, it was pretty easy to sign the kids up,” Carcone said. “There weren’t many kids. Now, if you miss it within the first couple of hours, it’s sold out.”
On the ice, Carcone keeps the focus simple.
At 30, he’s coming off the most productive season of his NHL career—79 games, 16 goals, and 15 assists for 31 points, all career highs for the undrafted forward. But this week, none of that carries much weight in the building.
The Carcone Cup is about repetition more than reputation, and joy more than evaluation.
“It’s all about having fun at that age,” Carcone told KJZZ14. “Just trying to enjoy it and keep them on their skates… that’s the whole point of this tournament.”
And for a few summer days in Utah, that’s exactly what it looks like.
The tournament wraps up Sunday at the Mammoth Ice Center.
