The date was Jan. 3, on a cold, dreary New Jersey night, the Utah Mammoth suffered a humiliating loss to the New Jersey Devils. Just like the freezing night, the Mammoth’s offense was ice cold with little life.
Mammoth forward Michael Carcone was the only player on the team to score a goal that night. It surprised Mammoth fans, as the team blasted the New York Islanders 7-2 the night before. Come locker room interviews, fans expected the same old rhetoric, “we need to play better,” or “I liked our effort, we couldn’t capitalize tonight”. However, Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi had other plans.
“Every night in the NHL right now is a battle. Points are critical as ever,” Durzi emphatically said. “We’ve got to try and get on a run here. Can’t have one good game and then one bad game.”
The Mammoth just came off a month-long meltdown in November, where they lost 11 games compared to a measly four wins. Fans began to wonder if coaching was the issue and another tank year was in order.
Then comes Durzi with the attitude fans were looking for. Durzi’s words wrung out in Utah sports media. Many sports radio and podcast hosts questioned if Durzi’s words were going to catch fire in the locker room and inspire winning.
True to His Word
Two nights later, on Jan. 5, the Mammoth were set to take on the New York Rangers in the Big Apple. At times, the Mammoth play was a bit sloppy, but ultimately, they did enough to send the game to overtime.
In a last-ditch effort to corral the puck, Durzi managed to push the puck to teammate Lawson Crouse, who swiftly got it to Nick Schmaltz, who ping ponged it back to Durzi for a beautiful overtime winner. Durzi was the hero of the night, being revered by teammates and coaching alike.
“Durzi is that kind of guy in our locker room, on our team,” Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said about the defenseman. “He has that passion, that grit, that desire to excel. Those are intangible.”
Winning plays didn’t stop there for Durzi – a couple of days later, he scored a critical goal off the weak side of St. Louis Blues goalkeeper Joel Hofer to obtain a two-goal lead. Durzi’s goal helped lead to a pivotal win over the Blues on Jan. 9, gaining much-needed points in a tight Western Conference wild-card race. Ever since Durzi’s consistency comments, the Mammoth have played wildly differently.
Locker Room General
Players like Durzi are important in locker rooms, especially to teams that are trying to get out of rebuilds. During a rebuild, teams become accustomed to losing and collecting their paycheck. That kind of mentality can stick around, turning a locker room into a cesspool. It takes leaders like Durzi to break that mentality and get a team moving in the right direction.
Durzi himself is no stranger to winning. After he was drafted 52nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018 (he was later traded to the Los Angeles Kings), Durzi spent time in the Ontario Hockey League to develop. There, he helped lead the Guelph Storm to an OHL championship. Years later, Durzi would become a mainstay in the Kings’ defensive rotation.
During his time in Los Angeles, Durzi found himself in a precarious position as a rookie in the NHL. During both seasons he spent on the Kings roster, Durzi periodically became the number one defenseman for the team due to various injuries. Durzi’s work ethic and “no quit” attitude became infectious and helped the Kings make the playoffs the two years he was there.
On Ice Play
During those two seasons Durzi spent with the Kings, he showed what the offensive-minded defensemen could do. In total, he scored 12 goals and 53 assists, earning him 65 points there. The only caveat was his average plus minus of -10.5.
His stats became even more impressive when the Kings traded Durzi to the Coyotes on June 24, 2023, for a second-round pick. Durzi once again upped his game, which in turn gave him the best statistical season he’s had in his career.
In Arizona, Durzi tallied nine goals, 32 assists, and 41 points. He also saw his highest time on the ice, averaging 22:43 per game.
However, his most impressive stat in Arizona was his three points per game, showing how integral he was to the Coyotes’ offense.
Utah, stats-wise, has been a different story for Durzi. Being hampered by injuries, Durzi’s numbers have decreased, besides a negative two plus minus rating. Being injured last year proved how much the Mammoth needed him.
When the defenseman was healthy on the ice, the Mammoth had 17 wins and 13 losses. A stark difference from the 21 wins and 31 losses sustained during his hiatus due to shoulder surgery.
Despite missing 52 games last season and getting injured again on October 11, 2025, this season, Durzi is returning to his Kings’ form this year. Over the last five recent Mammoth games, Durzi is ninth in shots taken by a Mammoth player. On top of that, he’s been a plus four in the plus/minus category in those five games–continuing where he left off from last year’s comeback from injury.
Having more games under his belt this year should help increase his stats. As of right now, he sits with three goals, 10 assists, and 13 points–already better than his stats last year.
Success to Come?
Even though Durzi isn’t going to get you the goal output of Mikhail Sergachev or the physically dominant defensive games John Marino has, he gives you the leadership and know-how a team needs to win games.
From his time in the minors to a new chapter in Utah, the defenseman will continue to push others to do their best. Hopefully, the current trajectory the Mammoth are on will lead to another postseason berth in Durzi’s career.
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