It can showcase promising young prospects, like Utah's Dmitriy Simashev, develop essential team chemistry and even give a glimpse at the strengths and weaknesses the team will experience in the upcoming season.

But there’s nothing that beats real game experience, and Utah Mammoth will certainly have things to workshop after a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Facing a contender and playoff regular like the Avalanche always figures to be a challenge. But for Utah, now having playoff aspirations of its own, it’s important to be able to compete with well-established playoff teams.

Although Utah lost, it certainly didn’t go down without a fight, and there were some good takeaways to come from this game.

Colorado's Scott Wedgewood Played Fantastic

It’s never ideal for the most notable player to be on the other team, but Wedgewood’s goaltending was truly a problem for the Mammoth.

It didn’t matter how good of a pass Clayton Keller was able to make or if Jack McBain was in the perfect spot, Wedgewood was able to stick a leg out, get a pad out or even use his facemask to save a game-tying goal in the final minute of play. Wedgewood truly was the best player of the game.

“Their goalie came up good,” said Utah head coach André Tourigny. “We had good chances, but Wedgie, the other side, did a good job.”

Utah may have only managed to get the one goal, but the team still had some good flashes and were certainly putting Wedgewood to work. 

The second line, made up of young stars Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley and JJ Peterka, will need more time to build chemistry with one another. Individually, each player had moments where they skated past multiple Colorado players and got a good look, but they still have plenty of work to do if they want to become a lethal unit.

But Utah’s offense certainly didn’t look stagnant when it was creating breakaways and rebounding shots. Rather, Wedgewood always seemed to be where he needed to be.

That doesn’t mean Utah won’t need to improve its offense and find more shooting lanes, but offense is likely to only get better and get better bounces. 

Dylan Guenther's Going To Be A Problem

Most Mammoth fans already know Guenther's a really, really good player. 

After all, his one-timer is one of the most surefire shots the team has and was the only move that managed to get past Wedgewood and into the net on Utah’s power play in the second period.

But while Guenther is more known for his power play and offensive prowess, it was his flashes on the penalty kill that were particularly interesting.

What was notable was that Guenther not only defended well during a Colorado power play at the start of the third, but he was able to intercept a pass and take it all the way for a shorthanded goal attempt.

Though Guenther didn’t get the goal, the play served as a look at how he could make an even bigger impact on games if he is going to be a threat on penalty kills.

If Utah can get more of those plays from Guenther and fewer collisions between him and McBain, the Mammoth will be a much more dangerous team.

Utah's Newcomers Looked Good In Their Debut

One game is certainly too early to tell if Utah’s new signings will work out. But for the time being, Utah looks to have made some good signings so far.

To start, JJ Peterka already looks like a dynamic player who’ll add more speed to this Utah team. While it’s hard to tell if it’s best to pair him with both Cooley and Guenther — especially with Barrett Hayton’s injury affecting Utah’s lines — Peterka will get better as he gets more time with the team.

Both of Peterka’s shot attempts looked good, and he certainly looks like a player who can create his own offense, but it’ll be key for him to develop chemistry with Cooley and Guenther if Utah wants to maximize his talents.

THN Utah: 32 Predictions For The 25-26 NHL Season The 2025-26 NHL season is here, and with that comes fun prediction articles. The team at the Hockey News' Utah Mammoth site has put together 32 predictions for the NHL season.

Simashev ended up playing more than originally expected after Olli Määttä got injured on his first shift. But while Simashev didn’t have any flashy plays, he certainly didn’t play poorly in his NHL debut.

“I was nervous, but it went about how I expected,” Simashev said. “I’ll remember this all my life. It was my first game in the NHL. It was unbelievable.”

Along with Simashev and Peterka, Brandon Tanev, Nate Schmidt and Andrew Agozzino all made their debuts for Utah as well and played their roles. It’ll take some more time to tell, but all three seemed to fit Utah’s team well.

But while the newcomers didn’t end up with any flashy goals or get involved in any big brawls, there will be plenty of games to make an impression, starting with Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against the Nashville Predators.