Found money: How Nick Schmaltz evolved to fit Mammoth’s needs

It was at that point that Nick Schmaltz took off his glasses and parted his buttoned shirt, revealing the Superman logo on his chest.

Schmaltz grew up playing center, but he switched to the wing early in his NHL career. People may have forgotten his natural position, but he never forgot how to play it.

“I felt really comfortable there right from when they switched me there,” he said in his exit interview. “I felt my 200-foot game was really good. More consistent every night, kind of bringing the same game and not as many ups and downs.”

Schmaltz got plenty of attention for setting new career highs in goals and points this season, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his defensive play.

He placed sixth in the entire NHL in takeaways — defensemen included. Most notable among them was when he stripped Garnet Hathaway of a clean, close-range shot at an empty net, eventually leading to Clayton Keller’s game-tying goal and a Mammoth overtime win.

Schmaltz played 121 minutes of penalty kill time this season and was always on the ice in key defensive situations. He also set new career highs in a number of miscellaneous but highly important categories, including hits, blocks and face-offs taken.

That all culminated in his first batch of Selke Trophy votes as the league’s best two-way forward, though he did not finish as a finalist.

André Tourigny, who has coached Schmaltz and his longtime line mate, Keller, for five seasons now, saw major growth in the duo this season — specifically when they were confronted with adversity on the ice.

“They didn’t (go) in a panic mode of saying, ‘Well, uh, we’re screwed,’” Tourigny said. “No, they went right away, ‘OK, what can we do (differently)? How can we find that space?’ etcetera, etcetera.”

Schmaltz signed an eight-year contract extension in March, which will pay him $8 million annually. With Cooley and Guenther now making big impacts on the game, and everyone still on the upswing, the Mammoth are now in a position to expect success.

Hats fly as Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) celebrates his hat trick during the third period of an NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News