The Utah Lady Grizzlies program has seen a lot of growth, especially over the past couple of years, both with player development and team expansion.

Maria Steinbach has been in the program for five years and has seen the growth firsthand.

"We struggled making teams, and we had to cut teams and probably had 10 skaters max, and now we have three full lines," Steinbach said from her team's practice at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex. "The 10U and 12U teams have like, 40-50 girls."

Rob Johnson, the director of hockey, joined the organization two years ago, helping establish the Tier I level with the program, which has elevated the play and exposure.

"It's giving the girls a platform and opportunity to grow here in Utah without necessarily moving out of Utah, and we also offer the opportunity for players outside of this state to play on the hockey team, too," Johnson said.

About half of the team is made up of out-of-state players, which includes Alaska native Taylor Eddington.

"I came here because there were no other teams in Alaska, but I'm really glad I came here to get really good exposure," Eddington said. "We went to lots of good tournaments over the season. I just felt right when I came here I was accepted immediately."

Morgan Vesco rounds out the trio, as all three girls are committed to play college hockey next year. She reflected on what her time with the program has been like.

"I think it's been a lot of growth and development, definitely," Vesco said. "I've grown a lot as a player, and just personal growth and learning how to be a teammate and a leader."

It's the ultimate prize when the girls achieve a dream they've worked their whole careers for.

"It's a tremendous feeling, you know, that they can achieve their dreams," Johnson said.

Ever since the NHL moved to Utah, the support from the community has been on full display and the Mammoth's reach goes beyond people piling into the Delta Center and jersey sales, as more and more kids in the state have wanted to start playing hockey.

Even the young players have seen the growth and have been a part of it.

"My first time ice skating, I was kind of more of a natural, and my cousin told me I should get into hockey," said one youngster at Peaks Ice Arena in Provo. "And I wasn't really sure, but then when the Mammoth moved here, it kind of set that off, and I decided I wanted to play."

"We have this small street hockey club, and like, at first, it was just two families. We went and played on the street, and now it's like several families," another said.

"Yeah, I was really excited for them to come because I knew more people were going to get into hockey, and more just hockey all around Utah," added another.

Paul Schultz has been coaching youth hockey for two years and says the excitement around the sport for young players is noticeable.

"There's a ton more kids. We're seeing numbers on the teams grow," he said. "We're sharing the ice for practice. I'm coming from Saratoga Springs, we have kids coming from Eagle Mountain, all the way down to Spanish Fork, so there's definitely a lot of interest. Kids are coming far to play."

Living in the same city as the NHL stars they look up to has given the kids a tangible sense of what they can aspire to.

"I think it's really cool because then we have more inspiration and more people will start wanting to come play," one of the youth players said.

And they all have a favorite player:

"Spicy Tuna."

"Nick Schmaltz or Cooley."

"Schmaltz."

"Clayton Keller, and I have his gloves on right now."

If you know someone who is making a difference in Utah's hockey community, you can nominate them HERE.