Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 Report Cards: Kevin Stenlund – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

The Utah Mammoth’s 2025-26 season is officially over. The team finished with a 43-33-6 record, good enough to clinch the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. Despite a strong series, the Mammoth lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 1 in six games. Meanwhile, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, finished with a 34-28-10 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, outside of a playoff spot.

With the season in the books, it’s time to look at the 49 players under an NHL contract and grade their 2025-26 season. Over the course of this summer, we’ll take a look at their season, their future, and give them an overall grade. We’re going alphabetically by first name. Next up is Kevin Stenlund.

Player Info

Age: 29

2025-26 NHL Stats: Four goals, 10 assists, 14 points in 80 games

2025-26 Postseason Stats: One goal, zero assists, one point in six games

Originally Acquired: Signed in free agency on Oct. 1, 2024, by the Utah Hockey Club

Contract Status: In the first year of a one-year NHL deal with a $2.75 million annual average value (AAV). Unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2027

Season Overview

Entering the final season of his two-year contract, Stenlund looked to build off of his career-high 28-point season. It wasn’t just his offense that was a career high; it was his 59.1% faceoff win percentage that played a key part in helping Utah have a solid first season in which he carved out a role as the team’s go-to fourth-line center.

Stenlund made his season debut in the first game of the season against the Colorado Avalanche. In his first two games, the forward played over 16 minutes of ice time. He scored his first goal of the season in the team’s fourth game of the year, their home opener against the Calgary Flames.

A couple of games later, Stenlund produced his first assist of the season against the Avalanche. While those were the only two points he produced in October, he continued playing a key role as the Mammoth’s fourth-line center who was deployed during penalty kills and to win big faceoffs in overtime.

The forward’s first point of November came off an assist against the Montreal Canadiens. Towards the end of the month, in a game against the Golden Knights, Stenlund was injured midgame due to a big hit and ended up only playing around 11 minutes. He didn’t miss any games and proceeded to produce one more assist in the month in another game against the Canadiens.

Stenlund scored his first goal since the beginning of the season on Dec. 5 against the Vancouver Canucks. He also tallied an assist for his first multi-point game of the season. The forward produced his second multi-point game of the season a couple of games later, registering three assists against the Seattle Kraken. Stenlund scored one more goal in December against the Detroit Red Wings to finish out the month with five points, which ended up being one of his most productive months of the season.

Stenny! Two goals for Utah in 31 seconds! pic.twitter.com/Tt8AwTfYCl

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) December 18, 2025

While it wasn’t expected that Stenlund would make Sweden’s Olympic team, it became official at the beginning of January. The month continued not to go the forward’s way when he missed the first game of his career in Utah on Jan. 7 due to illness. 

He returned in the very next game against the St. Louis Blues. Stenlund scored in a game against the Kraken a couple of games later to finish out January with two points. He didn’t produce a single point in four games in February.

March ended up being Stenlund’s most productive month. He started it out by producing assists in back-to-back games. He did the same thing in the middle of the month and later produced two assists in a single game against the Los Angeles Kings. The forward finished out March with six points, the most productive month of his season. He did miss his second game of the season towards the end of the month due to an injury but returned in the very next game. Stenlund didn’t produce another point in the season.

Stenlund finished out the season with 18 points, 10 fewer than his prior season. He also scored 10 fewer goals. While the forward isn’t very offensive, that is a considerable drop. His faceoff win percentage also dropped to 54.2%. Despite the decline statistically, Stenlund was still a very valuable part of the Mammoth’s depth, coming up clutch repeatedly in big faceoffs and penalty kills.

In the postseason, Stenlund came up big early, scoring in the Mammoth’s first playoff game. However, he didn’t produce another point as the Golden Knights won the series in six games. Stenlund finished with a 60% faceoff win percentage, the third-highest among players who took 100 or more faceoffs.

The Future

Early on this summer, it seemed like Stenlund’s time in Salt Lake City was nearing its end. He unfollowed the team on social media, and while that wasn’t the biggest deal, it was suspicious considering he himself was unclear of if he would stay with the Mammoth, with his contract expiring. He told reporters that he would love to stay in Utah, but the future wasn’t certain.

“Next year, we’ll see what happens,” Stenlund said. “I really like it here, the guys, the staff, everything around it. We’ll see what I can come up with.”

As July 1 hit, Stenlund was still unsigned, making him a free agent. However, that didn’t last long as the Mammoth and he agreed on a one-year contract with a $2.75 million cap hit, a raise from his prior contract.

With a new contract in hand, Stenlund’s summer became quieter. He declined to go to the World Championship due to injury and his wanting to rest his body. However, his plans are the same as usual: get ready for next season.

“I’ll be home mostly, work out, and do all the things I’ve been doing for a long time,” Stenlund said.

It might be the toughest camp for Stenlund yet during his time with the Mammoth. The team added a lot more forward depth over the summer, including bringing back Kailer Yamamoto, Barrett Hayton, and Michael Carcone. Caleb Desnoyers and Tij Iginla are also turning pro, along with Daniil But pushing for an NHL spot. While Stenlund will more than likely get a roster spot because of his important role as a faceoff expert and penalty killer, it does create a lot of competition that will force him to play as best as he can all season long.

Final Grade

It’s pretty easy to evaluate Stenlund’s season. He will always be an important part of the Mammoth. He’s a much-needed part of the fourth line who plays well shorthanded, blocks shots, and wins faceoffs. While he will never be the most offensive player on his team, he can chip in offense now and then.

This season was much of the same. Stenlund was a big part of the penalty kill, blocked 61 shots, and took big faceoffs. His offense notably took a dip, and his faceoff numbers did decline a bit, but it was nothing that was insanely bad or something that would affect his playing time or role.

Overall, Stenlund is getting a B-plus for this season. There’s not much more you could say about the forward’s season. He’s a very reliable player for the Mammoth and someone who will more than likely always play his role well. His numbers weren’t quite as good as they were the prior season, but still pretty solid for Stenlund.

Going into next season, you’d like to see Stenlund get back to the double-digit goal range, like where he was in the prior two seasons, along with his faceoff win percentage going back up a little bit. If Stenlund can do that and continue to remain effective in the faceoff circle and on the penalty kill, it will be another successful season for the forward as he looks for another pay raise come next summer.