Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But signed their entry-level contract with the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday.
Dmitriy Simashev puts on a Arizona Coyotes jersey after being picked by the team during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A new Ice Age is indeed dawning for the Utah Mammoth.
The team announced the signing of defenseman Dmitri Simashev and forward Daniil But to three-year, entry-level contracts on Wednesday.
The two highly-anticipated prospects will come over from the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia after winning the Gagarin Cup with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl earlier this month.
Simashev was selected sixth overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2023 NHL Draft and But was picked 12th overall that same year. The new Mammoths have played together on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl since 2022, and will now enter the next stages of their career.
Simashev — who stands at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds — had six points (one goal, five assists) in 56 games this season. The 20-year-old is poised to bring size and stability to Utah’s backend while creating internal competition with the players already on the roster.
“We are thrilled to sign Dmitri to an NHL contract,” general manager Bill Armstrong said in a news release. “Dmitri has established himself as one of the top defenseman prospects in the NHL and we look forward to watching him play for the Mammoth for many years to come.”
Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who solidified himself as the Mammoth’s No. 1 guy last season, said he will be skating with Simashev in his native Russia this summer to help him get ready for the NHL (or AHL) transition. Sergachev was in the building, too, when Simashev and But became KHL champions.
“I’m trying to plan our summer skates so he can come and join me and we can skate together,” Sergachev said in April. “I’ll do my best to help him out…And that goes for the guys that I’m not a role model for. I’ll do my best to help the guys because I want the best outcome for us. If I can help, I’ll help.”
But will provide a different look to the Mammoth forward group — a needed one at that. The 20-year-old winger is 6-foot-5, 203 pounds. Currently, there is no one taller than 6-foot-1 in Utah’s top six. But had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 54 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl this season.
(George Walker IV | AP) Daniil But puts on a Arizona Coyotes jersey after being picked by the team during the first round of the NHL hockey draft Wednesday, June 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
“We are very pleased to sign Daniil to an NHL contract,” Armstrong said in a news release. “Daniil is a highly skilled forward with a great shot and playmaking skills who is coming off a career season. We are looking forward to seeing him in a Mammoth sweater.”
Roster spots are not guaranteed for Simashev and But once they arrive in Salt Lake City. There is a good chance that one, or both, of them will have to spend some time with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners at some point. It is a path many of the Mammoth’s young talents have taken — most recently, Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan and Maveric Lamoureux. Simashev and But will likely make a push in training camp, though.
As the Mammoth exit the four-year rebuild that started in 2020, they are finally starting to see those early draft picks come to fruition. Simashev and But are part of that next wave.