EDMONTON, CANADA - OCTOBER 28: Brandon Tanev #13 of the Utah Mammoth looks to make a play against goaltender Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers during the first period at Rogers Place on October 28, 2025 in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
(Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – After suffering a 4-2 series loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Utah Mammoth finished with an overall record of 45-35-8 (92 regular season points, 4th in the Central Division).
Reflecting on the Club’s second full season in Utah, the following is an analysis and letter grade for forward Brandon Tanev.
Stats: 62 GP, 0 goals, 3 assists, -18 plus/minus
In need of more grit, physicality and energy following their inaugural season in Salt Lake City, the Mammoth signed Brandon Tanev to a three-year, $7.5 million contract last summer.
As a seasoned veteran known for his non-stop motor, ferocious forecheck and a willingness to sacrifice his body in a collection of different ways, the addition of Tanev seemed like a home run for both sides.
Coming off a 22-point (10G, 12A) season the previous year with Winnipeg and Seattle, “Turbo” joined Utah’s bottom six with an expectation to suffocate teams in all three zones and occasionally find his was on the stat sheet.
However, what ensued was a disappointing initial performance as he bounced in and out of the lineup enroute to arguably the worst season of his 10-year career.
Failing to score a goal for the first time during a regular season campaign, Tanev registered just three assists as he struggled to find his footing in a Mammoth a sweater.
“It wasn’t a year I anticipated or expected to have,” Tanev said during exit interviews.
“For me, it’s an understanding of what I do well & have always done well…being physical, playing hard, fast, doing the little things & being good in all three zones. I want to get back to that…understand what I need to do to help this team move forward & that’s my mindset.”
As Tanev noted in his exit interview, he knows better than anyone that this season was simply unacceptable.
Not that he’s going to regularly find the back of the net over the course of 82 games, but 15-20 points should be a reasonable expectation for him at this point in his career.
In addition to creating constant mayhem and getting under the oppositions skin with explosive physical plays, there’s no reason that Tanev can’t generate dirty goals every once in a while, to help lift the bottom six.
Now, to be fair, the main reason that this season wasn’t a complete bust is that Tanev did somewhat rediscover his game towards the tail end of the season and into the playoffs.
While he still struggled to put points on the board, his energy was infectious as he delivered punishing hits, crashed the net, was mostly sound defensively and made the Knights life difficult every single shift.
If he can approach next season with a similar effort on a consistent basis, he’ll remain in the lineup and become far more impactful.
The next notable event for the Utah Mammoth will be the NHL Draft on Friday, June 26, 2026, at 5 p.m. MT.
