The Utah Mammoth waste no time post-Olympic break, yanking 6-foot-7 defenseman Maveric Lamoureux back from Tucson after he dominated with 11 assists in 40 AHL games. This 2022 first-rounder already tasted NHL action this year with five games and an assist before his last demotion, and now coaches eye him for a bigger role amid the post-break roster shuffle. Lamoureux's simple, stay-at-home game fits Utah's blue-line needs perfectly as they push for the playoffs.

Lamoureux enters his second pro season with a game that's finally clicking on all cylinders, showing the poise that GMs crave from young guns. Scouts whisper he's shedding rookie habits faster than most, turning heads in practices and early games alike. Front offices know a matured sophomore can shift a contender's depth chart overnight, and Lamoureux carries that quiet confidence into every shift.