Utah Mammoth left wing Daniil But (19) moves the puck against Los Angeles Kings defenseman Cody Ceci (5) during the second period of an NHL preseason game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News).
(Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Amidst a tough stretch for the Utah Mammoth, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have officially recalled forward Daniil But from the Tucson Roadrunners.
BREAKING: The Utah Mammoth have called up Daniil But from the Tucson Roadrunners.
Additionally, Dmitri Simashev is being sent down to Tucson while Kevin Rooney has been placed on waivers.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) December 2, 2025
As the team continues to look for answers in light of their recent struggles, 20-year-old forward Daniil But has earned the opportunity to make his NHL debut with the Utah Mammoth.
Through 19 games in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners this season, But has been on a heater with eight goals and nine assists (.89 PPG).
BUT WITH THE RESPONSE pic.twitter.com/IiVmdHctQa
— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) November 23, 2025
In need of an offensive spark, the team has decided to give the young forward a chance as he’s led the Roadrunners in scoring (17 points) and presents a large, physical presence with his 6-foot-6 frame.
Notably, But will practice with the team in Anaheim on Tuesday and could potentially make his debut against the Ducks on Wednesday night.
In addition to several other roster changes on Tuesday morning, 20-year-old defenseman Dmitri Simashev has been reassigned to the Tucson Roadrunners.
Why?
Well, with Sean Durzi recently making his return to lineup, it would simply be unwise for Utah to limit Simashev’s minutes or consistently designate him as a healthy scratch.
Additionally, if Olli Maatta returns sooner rather than later, that would clog up the roster even more with seven healthy defensemen on one-way contracts.
But is this a worrisome assignment?
Not at all, in fact it’s more common than not as players such as Dylan Guenther, Josh Doan, Maveric Lamoureux, Barrett Hayton and even Lawson Crouse all experienced a similar developmental process.
“Sima had a really good training camp, a really good start to the season and then…focus shift a little bit. Tried to do more. That led to some stuff he needs to clean up in his game & that affected his confidence a lot,” Head coach Andre Tourigny explained.
“He’s an important part of our organization for many, many, many years. But at this point, it was tough for him to reboot…”
In Tucson, Simashev will be able to play on the top pair/penalty kill, learn how to produce offensively and can become the Roadrunners top D-man.
Overall, this simply comes down to getting Simashev more minutes to reestablish his confidence and the best opportunity right now is in the AHL.
The Utah Mammoth will continue their six-game road trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on TNT and HBO Max.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
