SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time since 2014, NHL players are headed to the Winter Olympics. But before the break, the Utah Mammoth are making their mark in the Western Conference playoff race.
On the latest edition of Inside Utah Mammoth, Jeff Rhineer sat down with General Manager Bill Armstrong to talk about the team’s electric January homestand, the playoff chase, trade deadline strategy, and how the Olympics might make his players even better.
Jeff Rhineer: Last year in December, you said January was going to be a big month for us. It didn’t turn out to be that way. What’s been the difference this year?
Bill Armstrong: Well, we’re a year older. I think there’s more maturity. I think we’re a better team. There’s still some room for growth, but I do think that more things have been established. Karel Vejmelka has really taken the number-one spot and run with it. We’ve been able to add some depth into our team with the Tanevs and the Schmidts of the world. We pulled off a trade for JJ Peterka to give us another guy for our top six. So I think we’re a better team and we’re more mature. I also think our players genuinely enjoy playing together. They’re an exciting bunch, and they love to play hockey and be together. So I think coming back for the second year here in Utah and attacking it has been a very positive experience.
Jeff: It’s the first season at this new practice facility. How has this helped?
Bill: It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t put it into words if I tried. It’s the greatest place to come to work — from the views of the mountains behind us to the facility itself. It’s given our players, and us, a reason to come to work and be excited about being a Mammoth.
Jeff: You’ve been building this team for a long time. Now that you see your team in the thick of the Western Conference wild-card hunt, how does it feel to be here at this point of the season?
Bill: Well, it gives you a little bit of momentum. You never know — you could be in or out by one point every night in the NHL. I think it helps when you’re in because it shows the team that if you continue to play this way, you have a chance to become a playoff team. It’s a long, hard road in the NHL. There’s a lot of hockey to play, so you can’t get too excited. But I said from the start of the year, if we’d be here at this point after getting through that hard early schedule and we’d be in a playoff spot, we’d be in a good place. I feel that today the buzz was just in the air for the club — just to have a little bit of success. Your confidence comes from a source, and our source is every day coming to work, not getting too high or too low, and staying with the process. If we do that, we’re in good shape.
Jeff: Nick Schmaltz has played great this season and is a free agent after the year. That play he made against the Flyers made me think, how do you not keep this guy?
Bill: I think as you go through the process as a GM, there are different points of the season where you deal with your guys. As I said at the start of the year, the year before we got Guenther done. This year, we got Cooley done early in the season. Now we’re going through the process of evaluating some players that are free agents — are we bringing them back, or are we not? That works its way through the season. You have to make decisions. Now, with the trade deadline coming up on March 6th, we’re getting into that thought process about who we’re signing to bring back next year. Schmaltz is definitely at the top of our priorities. He’s a great player and a great kid. He’s proven that he wants to be in Utah. We’ll let the talks continue.
Jeff: You mentioned the trade deadline. You usually make moves in the summertime. With the deadline coming up, are you more into the instant success or the long-term gains?
Bill: We’ve always been focused on the long-term gains. Rentals are not really part of our team unless it’s a need that comes up at the end. But for the most part, we really plan anywhere from three to five years out — where we think we’re going to have these championship windows. That doesn’t mean we can’t be a great team now. It doesn’t mean we can’t make runs now. But we are always planning for the future. Our best team is still ahead of us.
Jeff: How important is it to have players in the Olympics, both for the organization and for those who are playing?
Bill: You hold your breath as a GM, just for injury purposes, with some of your top players going over there. I also feel there’s a goodness that comes from it — they’re going to be around some really great leaders and some really great players. They’re going to learn a little bit about how to play with those great players under huge amounts of pressure in the Olympics, and they’re going to grow. They’re going to come back better hockey players for our club. So it’s a win-win on our side, and they’re fighting for their country. The ultimate is to win a gold medal for your country and come back and let that help our team win a championship at some point. They’re gaining experience in high-pressure situations. I love that for our guys to go through. I do believe, in the end, it makes us a better team here.
Jeff: What’s the Olympic break like for a general manager?
Bill: It’s not as enjoyable as it is for a player. I can tell you that. At the end of the break, we have the trade deadline, so there will be a lot of preparation, a lot of jockeying, a lot of absorbing information, and trying to make some moves behind the scenes. Even though there’s a trade freeze going on, you’re still working the whole time.
Jeff: What do you want to see from this team as we approach the second half of the season?
Bill: We need to play big in the big moments. That’s the biggest thing — we’re going to come down the stretch and play to get in. Right now, it’s set up so every game has been like Game 7 since we started. I want to see our team be at its best. I want to see our team come in every day, get better, and keep improving so we’re playing our best hockey when the playoffs start.
Jeff: The atmosphere at Delta Center is always great, but that Flyers game was insane. Could you imagine a playoff game in Salt Lake City?
Bill: I say it every night after I drive home from a win. I think, “Oh my God, it’s going to be incredible.” When we get into the playoffs, it’s going to be at a new level. Right now we are a spoiled bunch, and we’re very grateful for our fans. Every night we go to Delta Center, the energy is incredible. It’s loud, and you can see it inspires our players. Just remember this — our players went from playing in front of 4,500 people for the other team, and now we’re in front of our fans, 16,000-plus a night. It’s incredible, and we never take that for granted.
