The inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club (now the Utah Mammoth) is officially over. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record while their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-32-4-2 record, which was good enough for the seventh playoff spot in the Pacific Division. The Roadrunners went on to lose in the first round of the playoffs 2-1 to the Abbotsford Canucks.
With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 48 Utah players under an NHL contract (excluding Connor Ingram for obvious reasons) and grade their 2024-25 seasons. We’ll also reflect on how they did during the 2023-24 season and see if they improved or did worse, along with what their future holds. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Maksymilian Szuber.
Last Season
After three seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga with EHC München, Szuber came over to North America for his first pro season. He was assigned to the Roadrunners by the Arizona Coyotes for the start of the season.
Szuber played his first AHL game against the Texas Stars, producing his first-ever pro point via a goal in the second game of the series. The defenseman’s first couple of games were rough, but he quickly adjusted and found himself almost never dipping into the minus side of the plus/minus category.
Offensively, Szuber had one of his best stretches of hockey towards the end of November, where he had four points in five games to finish out the month. In December, Szuber had his first multi-point pro game against the San Jose Barracuda. He had his second multi-point game once again against the Barracuda two weeks later.
Related: Utah Mammoth’s 2024-25 Report Cards: Maveric Lamoureux
In January, Szuber scored his first goal since November. While he struggled defensively throughout February, he redeemed himself with a two-point night during the first game in March. His defensive numbers gradually improved again as well throughout the month.
The end of the season brought another great offensive stretch for Szuber. He produced seven points in his final seven games, including a three-point outing against the Barracuda to conclude their season.
During the final stretch of games in April, Szuber was recalled by the Coyotes for their upcoming Pacific Northwest road trip. With the team out of the playoffs, it gave them the ability to award some of the Roadrunners players who had made an impact over the…
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