Mammoth Preview: Maveric Lamoureux Autograph Card

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This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: Unlike in the distant past where I would post different texts on my personal blog (here) and my collectibles blog, I've been using a new format for the past couple of years, where I'll copy the same text on each one. As a father of two young kids, I just do not have enough time to write two separate posts per day on each blog. This year again, the entire scope of the analysis will take place first and the featured player will have a direct or perhaps indirect connection to what's written, below.

Caveats: At this point, despite training camp being set to start in a couple of weeks, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) three star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much left to do.

Key exits: J.J. Peterka (RW), Vitek Vanecek (G), Sean Durzi (D), Ian Cole (D), Alexander Kerfoot (C), Andrew Agozzino (LW), Maksymilian Szuber (D), Cole Beaudoin (C)

Key Arrivals: Vincent Trochek (C), Anders Lee (LW), Joshua Roy (RW), Sebastian Cossa (G), Zac Jones (D), Andrew Peeke (D)

Top prospects: Caleb Desnoyers (C, 19), Tij Iginla (C, 20), Maveric Lamoureux (D, 22),Cossa (G, 21), Daniil But (RW, 21), Ethan Belchetz (LW, 18), Michael Hrabal (G, 21), Dmitri Simachev (D, 21)

This franchise has pretty much always been seen as a team on the rise, but they often get caught behind the Central Division powerhouses like the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars. But those teams seem to be in a limited window due to their aging cores; the Utah Mammoth are just entering a ten-year playoff contention window that should have a decent four-year run at the Stanley Cup in the middle of it.

What makes their odds look good:
Look at that list of Prime prospects! And the current core is also young and excellent. They are well-coached by André Tourigny, and GM Bill Armstrong is also at the top of his game.

Question marks: Can Karel Vejmelka find the consistency that being a #1 goalie requires over many seasons? Will Clayton Keller continue his ascension into a 90-point player? Is Logan Cooley ready to produce at a point-per-game average over a full season? How long can John Marino keep playing at a pace that keeps up with the league's elite defensive defensemen?

Outlook:
This is a playoff team, and had they been in the Pacific, they might have finished first in the division, and would be second or third in the Metropolitan. There is no superstar on the team, but their balance is nearly on the level of the Carolina Hurricanes and Montréal Canadiens.

Prediction:
4th in the Central Division.

Two of the Mammoth's top prospects, Desnoyers and Lamoureux, hail from the LHJMQ, which has been a rare occurence in the last two decades. The Québec and Maritimes' top Juniors league and overall hockey ecosystem used to produce the world's best goalies (Georges Vézina, Jacques Plante, Bernared Parent, Rogatien Vachon, Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Roberto Luongo, Marc-André Fleury), Hall of Fame forwards and defensemen (Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau, Doug Harvey, Mario Lemieux, Denis Savard, Vincent Lecavalier, Sidney Crosby), as well as more than half of the NHL's tough guys; in 2025-26, Québec-born players barely accounted for 8% of the NHL as a whole, meaning that a fictionnal Team Québec would have gone from a medal contender to barely a participant in an Olympic-like tournament.

Lamoureux is a unique player: 6'7", 215 pounds (projected to play at 220-225 in the NHL), gifted offensively, able to pass cross-ice between skaters, very physical with good gaps. Chosen 29th overall in 2022, he projects to have a higher ceiling than what was originally thought of Hall Of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara when he was drafted 56th overall in 1996. I do not necessarily see that for Lamoureux, but am not against seeing him with a career path like a harder-to-play-against one-time All-Star and Stanley Cup champion Kevin Shattenkirk.

Here he is on the signed insert version of card #314 from Upper Deck's 2023-24 CHL collection and Stars sub-set:

It shows him wearing the Drummondville Voltigeurs' white (home) uniform (and alternate captain's "A") at a face-off, and features a blue on-sticker autograph that was added to the card.