NHL EDGE stats: Mammoth dark horse contender after Weegar trade

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we break down MacKenzie Weegar’s outlook after being traded to the Utah Mammoth.

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The Utah Mammoth acquired MacKenzie Weegar from the Calgary Flames on March 4, and his well-rounded advanced metrics could make them a dark horse contender in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Weegar made his Mammoth debut Saturday and had one assist, one shot on goal, three blocks and two hits in their 5-4 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Weegar led all Utah skaters with 23:21 of ice time in his debut and played mostly on the top defense pair with Sean Durzi.

Over the past three seasons combined (since 2023-24), Weegar was the only NHL player with at least 30 goals (31), 500 hits (547) and 500 blocks (535) prior to the trade. The 32-year-old now joins the Mammoth, who were already one of the stingiest defensive teams in the NHL; prior to the trade, Utah was allowing the fifth-fewest goals per game (2.77) and fifth-fewest shots on goal allowed per game (26.0) this season.

Utah, which was established prior to the start of last season (2024-25), has a chance to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in its second season. At the time of the Weegar trade, the Mammoth were fourth in the Central Division and occupying the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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Weegar joins a defense that already features an elite No. 1 option in Mikhail Sergachev, as well as a deep supporting cast of Durzi, Nate Schmidt, John Marino and Ian Cole. Utah’s offense runs through its young core of forwards, led by Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley, along with three 20-goal scorers this season in Dylan Guenther (28 goals), Nick Schmaltz (23) and JJ Peterka (21). Goalie Karel Vejmelka quietly leads the NHL in wins (29) and games played (48), providing stability and consistency behind Utah’s robust skater group.

With the exception of Weegar, Sergachev (acquired from Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024 offseason), and Peterka (acquired from Buffalo Sabres in 2025 offseason), most of the Mammoth’s core players were a part of the Arizona Coyotes prior to Utah’s ownership group purchasing their contracts and establishing a new franchise on June 13, 2024.

Here are three advanced stats storylines surrounding Weegar that could make the Mammoth an even more formidable opponent in the postseason:

1. Shots by location

Weegar, who was acquired by the Flames from the Florida Panthers as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade on July 22, 2022, has had plenty of accolades in various goals and shots by location categories in recent seasons. This season, Weegar ranked in the 97th percentile among defensemen in long-range shots on goal (75; tied for seventh in entire NHL) prior to the trade. Last season, Weegar ranked sixth in long-range shots on goal (108) and scored four long-range goals (92nd percentile among defensemen); he ranked 13th among defensemen in shots on goal overall (184) last season.

During the 2023-24 season, when Weegar set an NHL career high in goals (20) with the Flames, he led all defensemen in midrange goals (11) and was tied for sixth in long-range goals (seven). That season, he was a shots by location juggernaut, ranking highly among defensemen in long-range shots on goal (127; 99th percentile; third in NHL), midrange shots on goal (39; 95th percentile) and high-danger shots on goal (11; 89th percentile).

2. Skating speed

Last season, when the Flames missed the postseason despite being tied with the St. Louis Blues in the standings (eliminated on regulation wins tiebreaker), Weegar ranked in the 95th percentile in max skating speed (23.25 mph). This season, Weegar ranked in the 92nd percentile of the 18-20 mph speed bursts category (309) prior to the trade.

The Mammoth, meanwhile, ranked fourth in 20-plus mph speed bursts (1,633) and sixth in 22-plus mph speed bursts (87) prior to the Weegar trade. Cooley had the second-fastest max skating speed in the entire NHL this season (24.38) behind Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (24.61) prior to Utah acquiring Weegar.

Weegar’s speed continues to drive his strong puck-possession metrics and defensive play. He has been on the ice for 1,118 shot attempts for at 5-on-5 this season, tied for the 18th most in the entire NHL; he had a plus-49 shot attempts differential at 5-on-5 this season prior to the trade despite the Flames having a minus-32 goal differential (tied for third worst at time of trade). Weegar also led NHL defensemen in even-strength points during the 2020-21 season (31) with the Panthers. Now, after being traded for the second time of his career, Weegar joins Utah, which ranked fourth in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (53.2) this season prior to the trade.

Since joining Calgary prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, Weegar was one of five defensemen with at least 1,500 shot attempts and 150 takeaways prior to him being traded to Utah; the others were Cale Makar, Evan Bouchard, Rasmus Dahlin and Erik Karlsson. Based on Weegar's defensive prowess and total skating distance (200.81 miles this season; 94th percentile among defensemen), he could be a difference-maker for the Mammoth down the stretch of the season and potentially into the postseason.

3. Shot speed

This season, Weegar ranked in the 94th percentile in 70-80 mph shot attempts (94) and 89th percentile in 80-90 mph attempts (43) prior to the trade. While Weegar does not have any 90-plus mph shot attempts this season, he combined for 16 shot attempts of at least 90 mph since the start of the NHL’s puck and player tracking era in 2021-22 prior to the trade, with his hardest shot coming with the Flames on Feb. 9, 2023 (94.53 mph).

Prior to the trade, Mammoth defensemen have combined for 43 shot attempts of at least 90 mph, which ranked ninth in the NHL. Sergachev has a hardest shot of 97.84 mph this season, ranking in the 93rd percentile among defensemen. 

It’s also worth noting Weegar set NHL career highs in power-play goals (four) and power-play points (21) last season for the Flames. Although Sergachev is likely to remain on the Mammoth’s first power-play unit, Weegar adds to Utah’s depth and could help improve its power play, which ranked 26th out of 32 teams (16.9 percent) prior to the trade.

Utah remains in the same division as the top three teams in the NHL standings (Colorado Avalanche were first with 91 points at time of Weegar trade; Dallas Stars were second with 85 points; Minnesota Wild were tied for third with 82 points), but Weegar could help the NHL's newest franchise narrow the gap down the stretch of the season. The Mammoth’s stout defensive style, along with their speed and skill across the lineup, could keep them competitive with anyone in the League over a seven-game playoff series.

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