Utah Mammoth’s Daniil But on NHL Debut, North American Adjustment, and 2026-27 Goals – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

Daniil But’s first season in North America was a solid stepping stone toward becoming a full-time NHL player. The Utah Mammoth forward recorded 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 41 games with the Mammoth’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, Tucson Roadrunners, while also making his NHL debut, appearing in 29 games and scoring three goals and four assists.

In this translated interview, originally appearing on Russian website Sport-Express, But talks about his first NHL season, the differences between the AHL and NHL, adapting to life in North America, and his goals for the 2026-27 campaign.

** You can read the original interview in But’s native Russian by Mikhail Skryl on Sport-Express by clicking here **

A Good 2025-26 Season

But joined a veteran team twice last season: first with Lokomotiv in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and then with Utah. Joining a Russian-speaking group must have been very different from joining a team where most players speak English.

“It feels different every time,” the forward said. “Whether you’re joining a junior team, a KHL team or an NHL team. There’s always a little nervousness at first. Then you start talking to the guys, and everything falls into place.”

He found his place in the locker room fairly quickly. “I think I fit in pretty well,” But confirmed. “I didn’t set myself any special rules about how to behave in the locker room. You just have to be yourself. The main thing was to play good hockey.”

He played good hockey in 29 NHL games. But that perhaps wasn’t what he expected. “You always want more, of course. But I wouldn’t say last season was a bad one. On the contrary, I think it was a pretty good season. I put up a decent number of points in the AHL, and I played quite a few games in the NHL. Overall, I consider it a good season.”

Difference Between AHL and NHL

Playing in the AHL and the NHL gave But a chance to see the differences between the two leagues. “In the AHL, there may even be more physical play, more borderline hits and more battles,” he said. “The NHL has all of that too, especially in the playoffs, although I didn’t play in the playoffs myself. But the NHL has more skill.

Everything is faster—players skate better, move better and shoot better. I don’t mean that the AHL is just straightforward hockey and fighting. Those situations simply happen more often there. There are also a lot of highly skilled players in that league who can really play and have a chance to make the NHL.”

However, when he was demoted, his goal was to return to the NHL as soon as possible. “When I was sent there at the beginning of the season, I was simply thinking about how to get back to the NHL.” He kept his motivation to make it happen: “My motivation didn’t become stronger—it was always there. I wanted to get to the NHL, stay there and play. That was always the goal, and it remained the goal.”

But made his NHL debut on Dec. 3, 2025, in a 7–0 win against the Anaheim Ducks. He remembers that night very well. “We beat Anaheim 7–0, so it was a great night. I remember stepping onto the ice, looking around and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I recently played these guys on PlayStation, and now I’m on the ice with them.’ It was an amazing feeling.”

Is it difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere—the locker room, the arena, the attention and the support from the fans for a player making his debut? “I wouldn’t describe it as pressure,” But explained. “This is what you work toward your entire life, and then the moment finally arrives—your first NHL game. Naturally, you’re nervous. You want to play your best, you want everything to go well, and you want to stay with the team. Those were the thoughts going through my head. But I wouldn’t say I was extremely nervous.”

He has good memories from the game. “Honestly, I remember everything. I could tell you about the entire trip from the hotel to the arena, the whole game and everything I did. I remember all of it. I was experiencing the moment and replaying it in my head several times.”

But spent a lot of time around fellow Russians Mikhail Sergachev and Dmitri Simashev, but he didn’t isolate himself. “I wouldn’t say I talked to or became friends with one person more than everyone else. All the guys on both teams—the AHL and NHL teams—were great people and great teammates. Everyone welcomed me and helped me become part of the group.”

Adapting to New Life

When asked if having a good grasp of the language is important when a player is trying to adjust to a new reality, But said: “Yes, it’s very important…My English improved. I already knew it at an amateur level because I attended a school with an advanced English program. By the fourth or fifth month, I was able to speak fairly comfortably.”

Communication with his teammates was hard a first he noted: “At the beginning, of course, it was more difficult. But the more you talk to people, the easier it becomes. You start understanding the way they speak, and you become less afraid of making mistakes.”

However, language alone won’t make for a full adaptation. “I’m not fully adapted to it yet, it took a long time, and I’m still getting used to it,” he said. “There’s no buckwheat and no syrniki. There are a lot of small things like that. When you actually experience them, you immediately realize that life is different in Russia: we’re simply used to different things.”

Getting Ready for the New Season

But is already preparing for this season and made some modifications to his offseason routine. “I changed a few things,” he confirmed. “But the overall structure of my preparation stayed the same. I didn’t completely change the program. I just adjusted certain details.”

After playing 29 games last season, But has clear goals for the next campaign. “I want to play the entire season in the NHL,” he said firmly. “All I can say is that I believe in myself, and I think everything will work out for me.”

Making the NHL also gave him the chance to work with a different coach. In Utah, he played under André Tourigny, who has plenty of international experience with Team Canada at the junior and senior levels: “Before leaving for the NHL, I worked with Igor Nikitin for two and a half years. So when I arrived in the NHL, I didn’t discover anything completely new. Obviously, there are differences in tactics, structure and systems. But overall, it was familiar: the same kind of meetings, the same attention to detail and the same focus on the small things. I had already been taught those things in Russia.”

With his experience in both hockey worlds and with improvement throughout the season, But now has a good chance to make it to the NHL full-time in 2026-27, helping the Mammoth return to the playoffs.