Nearly 30 pounds heavier, Maveric Lamoureux is closer to NHL permanence than ever before

Every season since André Tourigny first took the reins of the Arizona Coyotes in the summer of 2021, his team has increased its year-over-year point total (whether in Arizona or Utah). On the brink of the 2026-27 season, the team has never looked better.

For established Utah Mammoth players, that’s exciting. This is what they’ve been waiting for — some of them for a decade. For young guys trying to launch their NHL careers, though, it’s getting harder and harder to make the team.

Maveric Lamoureux, a 22-year-old defenseman in the latter category, finds motivation from that fact.

“It’s a good challenge,” he told the Deseret News after practice on Friday. “Every player wants to be on a good team. Every player wants to be with good players, so it’s a good challenge for me, trying to make the team here this year.”

As competitive as the team looks to be, there are spots to be won on the back end.

Sean Durzi and Ian Cole both departed in the offseason. The Mammoth signed Andrew Peeke to fill one of those spots, while the other is seemingly open to a youngster, whether it’s Lamoureux or 21-year-old Dmitri Simashev.

Lamoureux knows what he needs to do to earn that spot.

“My job in the NHL is going to be really based on my defensive game: shutting down big players, being simple, being efficient,” he said. “I think that’s what they want from me. I’m not going to carry the puck 200 feet. I’m not going to play on the power play. But just closing plays, being hard to play against, being physical, that’s what they want from me.”

Tourigny preached the same message minutes later.

“He’s a shutdown defenseman who has to be physical, but has to be smart as well,” the coach said of Lamoureux. “I think in the NHL today, the physicality is really important in his role, but as well, he needs to be able to defend and make the right reads. And I think on that, he’s heading in the right direction.

“We like what we see and he’s in the competition for a spot, absolutely.”

The Mammoth famously put Lamoureux on a diet last summer: four meals and three snacks per day equaling nearly 5,000 calories. The idea was that he’d fill out his 6-foot-6 frame, and get stronger.

He’s pleased to declare that he has now achieved his goal and now weighs in at 224.6 pounds — significantly higher than the 196 listed in his bio info on NHL.com.

“I feel, in my game, way more strong,” he said. “It’s way easier to win battles, just moving guys around. And at my size, that’s all I need.”

Lamoureux’s intention is to become comparable to St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko.

He’s not necessarily the guy that’s going to fill the opponent’s net on a nightly basis, but he will use his size and strength to win battles. He’ll block shots, make big hits, drop his gloves when necessary and generally keep the puck in the right areas of the ice. Occasional offense will come, but it’s not his primary job.

Although it’s unlikely the Mammoth have room for both Lamoureux and Simashev to make the team out of camp, the ups and downs of a season require frequent call-ups. Even if one gets cut initially, he should be first on the list.

“He’s going to be really good in this league,” Lamoureux said of Simashev, one of his most common defense partners with the Tucson Roadrunners last season. “He took a step this summer and you see him moving, you see his confidence with the puck. He’s really good and he’s still really young, so that’ll be exciting to see in the future.”