The Utah Mammoth have signed Nick Schmaltz to a long-term contract. The team’s second best scorer this season gets a lot more money.
The 30-year-old American, whose contract with an annual salary of 5.85 million dollars would have expired at the end of the season, signed for eight years and 64 million dollars in Salt Lake City. As of next season, he will push JJ Peterka into second place in the salary list, with only defender Mikhail Sergachev earning more per year (8.5 million).
In the current season, Schmaltz is the second best man at Mammoth with 24 goals and 35 assists. Only captain Clayton Keller has collected more scorer points (64).
Schmaltz was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014 and made his NHL debut two years later. In 2018, the Blackhawks then sent him to the Arizona Coyotes, who eventually moved to Utah in 2024.
After missing the postseason in their debut season, the Mammoth are currently the first wildcard holders in the Western Conference and are clearly on course for the playoffs, six points ahead of their pursuers. The next game is at home on Thursday against Schmaltz’s former team from Chicago.
