Utah Mammoth Open New State-Of-The-Art Practice And Training Facility

The home team locker room at the new Utah Mammoth Performance Center in Sandy, Utah

Courtesy: Smith Entertainment Group

In just over a year of operation, the NHL’s newest franchise has established a strong reputation for completing tasks on seemingly impossible timelines. The same holds true for the Utah Mammoth’s new practice and training facility, which is now open for business.

With two NHL-size ice surfaces plus team support facilities and offices, players and staff were welcomed in last week, ahead of rookie camp and preparations for the Mammoth’s second season. Wednesday marked the facility’s official grand opening celebration.

“The place is pretty spectacular,” said forward Alexander Kerfoot, who’s heading into his ninth NHL season. “I’ve been on a couple teams now and been through some facilities, and this is as good as it gets. We’re pretty lucky.”

Spanning 146,000 square feet, the building’s player amenities include a massive gym, extensive medical and recovery tools and technologies, equipment management areas, a state-of-the-art kitchen along with dining and lounge areas designed for optimal comfort and team cohesion — even an on-site barbershop.

“We really tried to create a high-end residential feel to the non-training areas of the facility to make it feel like an extension of home, a place that everybody wants to be and to gather to spend time,” said Mammoth president Chris Armstrong from his new office, which overlooks the ice surface. “We’re going to spend more time here than just about anywhere else, and when you think about the profession we’re in and the hours and the days that you spend at the office, creating an environment where people get excited about having to go in to their place of work is important.”

After the NHL approved the establishment of a new franchise in Utah on Apr. 18, 2024, the organization had less than six months to get its hockey and business operations in place and complete the first phase of renovations of its main arena, the Delta Center, before their inaugural game on Oct. 8.

Co-founders Ryan and Ashley Smith of Smith Entertainment Group, which owns the Mammoth, also quickly got to work on a purpose-built practice facility. It’s located at The Shops at South Town — 20 minutes away from the Delta Center in Sandy, Utah and also in easy proximity to the residential areas where the Mammoth players are living.

On Aug. 1, 2024, SEG acquired The Shops at South Town property. Eleven days later, they broke ground on the space at the southeast end of the mall, where the practice and training facility now stands.

A capital project of this type could take a couple of years to complete. But the SEG brass promised the Mammoth players that the facility would ready in time for the team’s second season — and delivered. Designed by Salt Lake City-based Babcock Design and built by Layton Construction of Sandy, Utah with help from more than 50 Utah-based contractors, SEG reports that an average of 125 on-site workers per day put in more than 175,000 total labor hours to get the training and office facilities ready in less than 13 months.

“It’s really, really important to Ryan and to Ashley and to our organization that we do what we say we’re going to do, without any exceptions,” Armstrong said “We told the players we were going to have this built for this season and for the start of training camp. There was no other option but to do what we said we were going to do.”

That commitment carries significant weight for the players, especially after many of them came to Utah in 2024 after spending time mired in organizational uncertainty with long-troubled Arizona Coyotes organization.

“It means everything,” said team captain Clayton Keller, who was drafted by the Coyotes in 2016 and spent eight seasons in Arizona. “Everything that they’ve promised has gotten done and there’s no shortcuts at all with it. We kind of weren’t sure if it was going to get done in time, but it’s perfect, and it’s awesome to see.”

For Ryan and Ashley Smith, the intent was to design a facility that could help players and staff deliver peak performance, and that would serve as a hub that helps elevate hockey and other ice sports throughout the community and the region.

“This new Utah Mammoth practice and training facility is one of the most tech-forward facilities in all of sports,” said the Smiths in a statement on Wednesday. “This facility represents our commitment to building a championship-caliber environment that positions the Utah Mammoth for long-term success in the NHL while connecting us more deeply to the community.”

The facility’s retail space, concessions and public locker rooms are set to open early in 2026, when public skating and hockey programs will also begin.

“That is the core of what Brian and Ashley are about, and really the North Star for us as an organization,” Armstrong said. “There’s a much greater purpose and vision here, to serve Utah and unlock the full potential of Utah as a state and celebrate the amazing things and amazing people we have here.”

The goal of the organization’s no-stone-unturned approach to building out the best-available performance, medical, recovery and equipment tools in a space that is designed to encourage flow among all departments is to ingrain a ‘no excuses’ approach to all aspects of the Mammoth’s corporate culture.

“We’re going to provide the resources and support for everyone from players to staff to reach their full potential,” said Armstrong. “What can we provide in this facility is going to allow you to be the best you possibly can be in your role. The only limitation that you might have is the amount of effort that you’re willing to put forward.”

Early returns have been positive. Even while training at their temporary facility at the Utah Olympic Oval last season, the first-year Mammoth improved by 12 points in the standings from the 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes.

Saying he never felt better, physically, Keller hit a new career high of 90 points, then captained Team USA to its first gold medal since 1933 at the IIHF world championship in May.

“I think a lot goes into it,” Keller said. “Nutrition, and how you train and take care of your body — that’s something that I’ve always been really good with and figured out over the years, what I have to do to keep my body in good shape and healthy. I’m excited for the new space, with everything we need.”

NHL players might be multi-millionaires whose every need is anticipated and catered to, but humility remains a core value in hockey culture. As such, Keller’s training-facility wish list was simple.

“As long as there’s a hot tub, I’m usually pretty good,” he said.

Phase II of the Delta Center renovations are underway, to deliver more seating for hockey this season through a revolutionary new riser system that will put fans at the edge of the action in what might be the loudest barn in the NHL.

“Our players will get used to it,” Armstrong said. “I think visiting teams will find that it’s a little intimidating, in the best possible way. Fans are right on top of the action and certainly all around you.”

The Utah Mammoth will play their first home pre-season game on Thursday, Oct. 2. They’ll open the 2025-26 regular season with a three-game road trip, then play their home opener against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, Oct. 15.