Four losses to the same opponent can sour an entire summer. The Utah Mammoth faceoff strategy now offers a way to change that story when Chicago visits the Delta Center on October 1.
The Blackhawks swept Utah last season. They won 4â0 in Salt Lake City on March 1, then claimed two 3â2 overtime victories four nights later that month. Frank Nazar scored the first overtime winner. Connor Bedard buried the second.
Utah did not sit quietly through those games. The Mammoth won 66.1 percent of the draws in the March 1 loss. Eleven days later, they generated 33 shot attempts from the slot, according to coach AndrĂŠ Tourigny after the game. Still, Chicago kept taking the points.
That contradiction explains Utahâs offseason response. Winning a faceoff means little if the next pass misses, the winger loses inside position, or the shot never reaches the net.
The Mammoth needed someone who could win high-pressure draws and organize everything that followed. They found him in Vincent Trocheck.
Now comes the harder task. Utah must turn those faceoff wins into clean exits, dangerous shots, and fewer chances for Chicagoâs young stars.
Trocheck gives Utah an immediate answer
Utah paid a high price to acquire Trocheck from the New York Rangers on July 1. The Mammoth sent defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a 2027 third-round pick to New York.
The return addressed several needs at once.
Trocheck scored 53 points in 67 games during the 2025â26 season. He logged heavy minutes on both special-teams units and finished second among Rangers skaters with 193 hits. Most importantly for this matchup, he has won at least 54.6 percent of his faceoffs in six straight seasons.
His 59.3 percent mark in 2024â25 ranked third among NHL players who took at least 300 draws. That consistency gives Tourigny a trusted option after icings, during late defensive stands and at the start of power plays.
Trocheck does not rely on one move. He stays low through contact and keeps his bottom hand strong. From there, he can pull the puck back, lock up the opposing center or angle the draw toward a winger.
Each option changes the assignment for everyone around him.
Utah general manager Bill Armstrong called Trocheck âelite in the face-off circleâ after completing the trade. The description fits the numbers, but Utah needs more than an elite individual percentage. It needs five skaters moving from the same plan.
The March 1 loss exposed the real problem
Utahâs 4â0 home defeat on March 1 provides the clearest warning against overvaluing faceoff statistics.
The Mammoth won 37 of 56 draws that night. Logan Cooley went 9-for-14, while Barrett Hayton won eight of his 11 attempts. Utahâs 66.1 percent success rate ranked as the third-best single-game mark in franchise history.
Chicago still controlled the scoreboard.
Teuvo Teräväinen opened the scoring on a late first-period power play. Nick Foligno and Landon Slaggert then struck within one minute and 45 seconds during the second. Teräväinen added a shorthanded goal early in the third.
Utahâs problems began after the puck left the dot. Breakouts lacked support. Offensive-zone possessions broke apart. Chicago turned disconnected movement into quick counterattacks.
âI thought we were just disconnected all over the ice,â Mikhail Sergachev said after the loss. âWith the puck, without the puck, on our breakouts, on our offensive-zone play.â
That admission gets to the heart of the matchup. A center can win the draw cleanly, but a winger still has to reach the puck. A defenseman must read the pressure and make the next pass. If one skater hesitates, Bedard or Nazar can attack before Utah resets.
Faceoff percentage records the first touch. It does not measure whether that touch becomes useful possession.
Every zone requires a different plan
Utah cannot approach every draw with the same setup. The location, score and personnel should dictate what happens next.
Defensive-zone wins must produce clean exits
Trocheck should take many of Utahâs biggest defensive-zone draws. His experience gives the Mammoth a better chance to escape after an icing or protect a late lead.
Still, the first pass matters as much as the win.
Chicago can pressure the walls with speed. If Utah automatically rims the puck, a Blackhawks defenseman can pinch and keep the attack alive. Bedard then gets another chance to find a seam while Nazar attacks loose coverage near the crease.
The Mammoth need at least two exit options. On a clean pull, the defenseman can move the puck behind the net before hitting the weak-side winger. If Chicago closes that route, Utah can use a short pass through the middle to Trocheck.
That second option carries risk, but it can beat an aggressive forecheck. Trocheckâs body positioning also gives him a chance to shield the puck and buy time.
Utahâs weak-side winger cannot fly out of the zone before possession looks secure. Chicagoâs overtime winner on March 12 showed the danger around loose pucks. Alex Vlasicâs shot hit the post, and Bedard reached the rebound before Utah could recover.
Against a scorer that quick, one missed assignment becomes the game.
Offensive draws should create more than point shots
A clean offensive-zone win gives Utah several ways to attack.
Trocheck can pull the puck toward the right point, then drive toward the crease. That movement forces Chicagoâs low defenders to choose between protecting the slot and challenging the shot.
Meanwhile, Clayton Keller can control the half-wall. Dylan Guenther can slide into his shooting pocket on the opposite side. If Chicago overloads toward Guenther, Keller gains space to attack downhill.
Utah can also use a short-axis rotation below the faceoff circles. Trocheck wins the puck inward, Keller moves behind the net, and the weak-side forward cuts toward the back post. That pattern makes Chicago turn and defend rather than hold its shape.
Another option starts with a deliberate tie-up. Trocheck locks the opposing center while the inside winger attacks the loose puck. The defenseman then slides across the blue line, changing the angle before shooting.
These variations matter. If Utah keeps calling the same pullback, Chicagoâs wingers will jump the route before the puck arrives.
Special teams can tilt the matchup
Faceoffs carry extra weight on special teams because a single clearance can drain 15 or 20 seconds from a power play.
Chicagoâs penalty kill ranked among the NHLâs best last season. The Blackhawks pressured passing lanes, protected the middle and forced opponents to retrieve pucks repeatedly. Utah cannot waste half of a power play skating back through the neutral zone.
Trocheck gives the first unit a better chance to establish possession immediately.
After winning the draw, he can move toward the net while Keller settles on the half-wall. Guenther provides the primary shooting threat from the opposite circle. A defenseman holds the middle of the blue line, creating an umbrella shape above Chicagoâs penalty killers.
If the Blackhawks attack Keller, Utah can move the puck high and across to Guenther. Should Chicago stay compact, Trocheck can screen the goaltender and hunt rebounds.
The penalty kill presents another test. Nazar scored his March 9 overtime winner on a Chicago power play, snapping a wrist shot from the slot. Three nights later, Tyler Bertuzzi redirected Bedardâs pass during another advantage.
Utah cannot lose defensive draws cleanly toward Chicagoâs shooters. When the puck stays contested, the Mammothâs wingers must close the passing lanes before chasing possession.
Tourigny can control the matchups at home
The season opener gives Utah the last change. Tourigny should use it.
Trocheck can take key draws against Chicagoâs less-established centers while Cooley and Hayton handle situations that suit their handedness. That rotation would keep Chicago from building one reliable counter throughout the night.
Tourigny has already shown that he values spreading reliable faceoff options across his forward units. While adjusting Utahâs power play last season, he paired one group with Kevin Stenlund and the other with Hayton.
âSpread a little bit of our faceoff power,â Tourigny said when explaining the change. His goal was straightforward: give both units âa chance to start with the puck.â
That approach becomes even more important when an official waves Trocheck out of the circle. Utah cannot allow his removal to scramble the entire setup. Hayton, Cooley, or the designated winger must step in knowing the original call, while Trocheck immediately shifts to a retrieval or coverage assignment.
The Blackhawks may try to keep Bedard away from Trocheck in their defensive zone. They could also use Nazarâs speed against a heavier Utah line or send an experienced winger inside to help with tie-ups.
Nobody on Utahâs side can afford to guess.
Centers need to call the faceoff plan before reaching the dot. Wingers must know whether they are hunting the puck, sealing the wall, or protecting the slot. Defensemen should identify their first passing option before the linesman lowers his arm.
Chicago already knows how to punish confusion. Utahâs best counter will be simple, rehearsed execution.
Opening night offers a chance to rewrite the matchup
When the puck drops on October 1, Utah will get its first chance to erase the frustration of last seasonâs sweep.
Trocheck improves the Mammoth down the middle. His faceoff record gives Utah a reliable specialist for the moments that decide close games. Yet the March 1 defeat proved that dominance at the dot can become an empty statistic.
The real test begins with the second touch.
Can Utah turn a defensive draw into a clean breakout? Will an offensive-zone win create movement through the slot instead of another blocked point shot? Can the power play establish its shape before Chicago clears the zone?
Those details will determine whether the Mammoth control the game or spend another night chasing it.
Bedard and Nazar do not need many openings. Last March, they found enough space to deliver consecutive overtime winners. Utah can reduce those chances by controlling where possessions start and how quickly they develop.
By the final horn on opening night, the faceoff totals may favor either team. The more revealing numbers will be clean exits, recovered pucks, and shots created directly from set plays.
Utah did not trade for Trocheck merely to improve a percentage. The Mammoth brought him in to win the puck when everyone in the building knows exactly what hangs on the next play.
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FAQs
Q1. Why did the Utah Mammoth acquire Vincent Trocheck?
A. Utah wanted a dependable two-way center who could handle important draws. Trocheck has won at least 54.6 percent of his faceoffs in six straight seasons.
Q2. When do the Utah Mammoth play the Chicago Blackhawks?
A. Utah hosts Chicago at the Delta Center on October 1. The game serves as the Mammothâs 2026â27 home and season opener.
Q3. How did Utah perform on faceoffs against Chicago last season?
A. Utah won 37 of 56 draws during the March 1 meeting. Chicago still won 4â0, showing that faceoff wins must lead to controlled possession.
Q4. Who scored Chicagoâs overtime winners against Utah?
A. Frank Nazar scored the March 9 winner. Connor Bedard scored another overtime goal against Utah three nights later.
Q5. How can Trocheck improve Utahâs power play?
A. Trocheck can help Utah begin power plays with possession. After the draw, he can screen the goaltender, retrieve loose pucks, or support the passing setup.
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