Cooley Signing Adds to Utah’s Pursuit of Early NHL Success

It’s only its second season in the NHL, but Utah is already planning long-term. 

On Wednesday, the Mammoth locked up star forward Logan Cooley in an eight-year, $80 million deal, which commences for the 2026–27 season and carries a $10 million average annual value. The contract comes before the new CBA kicks in, which reduces extensions to seven years. It makes 21-year-old Cooley the highest-paid player on Utah’s roster, and the deal is the NHL’s third-highest-valued coming out of entry level.

Selected as third overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes—now the Mammoth after the team’s 2024 relocation to Salt Lake City—Cooley is part of a highly talented young core now committed to  Utah through at least 2030. The contracts include both of his linemates: 22-year-old Dylan Guenther, who was the Coyotes’ ninth pick in 2021; and 23-year-old J.J. Peterka, who came over in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres over the summer. 

Other key pieces in place for the next several years include forward defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and goalie Karel Vejmelka, both signed through 2030, as well as captain Clayton Keller through 2028. 

Utah’s stacking of long-term contracts for its core players is similar to the approach of the back-to-back reigning Stanley Cup–champion Panthers. During the offseason, Florida signed 2025 Conn Smythe–winner Sam Bennet along with Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad to deals through 2030. That’s in addition to Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, and Gustav Forsling, who are all signed through the 2030 season as well.

Cooley’s extension shows the Mammoth are continuing to double-down on building a competitive franchise—and quickly.

Since its $1.2 billion purchase by billionaire Jazz owner Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group, Utah’s NHL team has invested heavily in infrastructure, including the in-progress renovation of its Delta Center home to add about 6,000 seats for hockey; as well as the construction of a new hockey practice facility, which opened in September. The Mammoth continue to sell out every home game, and recently announced a mascot, Tusky.

The NHL has made it clear it’s pleased with Utah’s plan. “They have done everything right, they’ve done everything first class, and everything they’ve accomplished in the time frame that they’d done it in is nothing short of remarkable,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month after a league Board of Governors meeting.

Utah is coming off a seven-game win streak broken Tuesday night by Edmonton, and is positioning itself for its first playoff run. Cooley leads the team with eight goals and 12 points in the first 11 games of the season.